Phrase Mix 9

用法学习: 1. This rise in obesity is due to poor diet and lack of exercise. You're writing a blog post about how you think America should solve the problem of having too many overweight people. You just wrote that obesity has increased over the last 20 years, then you off this possible explanation. due to (something) "Due to ___" explains expresses the cause of something. You use "due to" in slightly formal situations. For example, an announcement on a train might include "due to ___":  Due to construction, the uptown 1 train will not be stopping at 50th Street, 59th, or 63rd. The next stop is 72nd Street. The thing that follows "due to ___" should be a noun. As another example, if something happened because it's raining, you don't say "due to it's raining". You have to use a noun: The game has been postponed due to rain. If you want to say that the reason for something was an action, you have to find a way to make that action into a noun. For example: The project was a failure due to lack of communication between team members. The action in this sentence is "team members didn't communicate". But to put it in noun form, you say "lack of communication. You could also say: The project was a failure due to team members not communicating. In this example, "team members not communicating" acts as a noun. a rise in (something) When the number of something increases, you can talk about the situation with the phrase "a rise in ___". For example:   There's been a rise in the number of companies that are cutting employees. a poor diet "A poor diet" means not eating healthy things. You use the word "poor" to mean "not good" in formal situations in English, like when writing. lack of (something) "Lack of ___" means "not having" or "not being". You use this when you want to make a negative action into a noun: A: I don't believe you. B: Your lack of trust is understandable, but... 2. Well, he's obviously biased. You were arguing with your sister about your family vacation plans. She wanted to stay in Spain, but you want to go to Spain and take a short trip to France. She asked her husband for an objective opinion, and he agreed with her. You think that he only agreed with her because they're married. So you laugh and say this. obviously (adjective) A fact is "obvious" when it's easy for anyone to recognize it. For example, when someone asks a really easy-to-answer question, you can say: That's obvious. The word "obviously" is used to modify adjectives or verbs. For example: You're obviously attracted to her. It's obviously a popular place to go on Friday nights. (someone) is biased A person is "biased" if they are not able to give an objective opinion. A person might be "biased" because: They will make money from one of the choices but not the other. They already have strong ideas about the topic. They have a relationship with one of the people who is trying to persuade them. For example, if you ask me "What's the best way to learn English?" then I will say that I am "obviously biased" because I think my website is the best way. Would you consider going into business with me? You're going to start a gourmet catering business. You want your friend to join you as a business partner. You told her about the kind of business you want to start, and she seemed interested in it. You ask her this. Would you consider (doing something)? You ask "Would you consider ___ing?" when you want to carefully and politely propose an idea to someone. You usually use this phrase when asking about big and important decisions. For example: Would you consider moving in with me? Would you consider coming over to work for us? go into business with (someone) To "go into business with" someone means to start a new business with them or to join them as a partner in the business. A "partner" is usually someone who gets a % of the business, not just a salary. You owe me one 欠我的, 欠一份人情. Your coworker asked you to cover his shift on Saturday at your part-time job. You don't want to work on Saturday, but you agreed. Your coworker is happy, but you want to remind him that you might ask him to do the same thing one day, so you say this. You use this phrase to point out that you're doing something nice for someone that will have to be "paid back" later. A: Can you come and pick me up? Please? B: OK, but you owe me one. Family members, close friends, or colleagues who are friendly with each other think about favors in this way with each other. You do something nice for your friend and say "You owe me one." Later, when you want to ask your friend to do something that he doesn't want to do, you can remind him: "Remember that time I covered your shift on a Saturday when you wanted to go to the beach?" The word "one" in "You owe me one" doesn't refer to anything in particular. It doesn't mean "one favor" or "one point" or anything like that. It's just part of the phrase. You might also hear another version of this phrase, which is even stronger: You owe me, big time. Let's just weed out the ones that don't have a photo attached. You're making a short film. You placed an ad for an actor on a website, and got a lot of responses. Now you need to go through the them, but that's going to take a long time. You want to get rid of some of them quickly. You give this task to your assistant director. weed out (something) 删减, 剔除, 排除 When you have a lot of choices, you "weed out" some of the choices by taking away all of the ones that don't match certain requirements. So "weeding out" something means getting rid of it because it's not good. For example, employers often "weed out" job applicants who have spelling mistakes on their resumes, or ones who don't have the right educational background. have a (file) attached An e-mail message sometimes includes a photo or other file. These files are called "attachments". When there is a file attached to an email message, you say that the message "has a (file) attached. Yeah, overall I'd say I am. Your friend has asked you whether you are satisfied with your job. There are some parts of your job that you don't like, but you say this because you like most of it. overall 整体来说 You can use the word "overall" at the beginning or end of a sentence. It's used when your general opinion about something is different from your opinion about some of the specific parts of it. For example: Overall, I think we did a great job. There were some mistakes, of course, but nothing really major. Here's another example. It means that you mostly like the camera: The Canon T2i has some weak points, but overall it's a great camera. Notice that "overall" can be at the beginning of a sentence, or after a word like "but". It can also come at the end of a sentence: I'm really happy with how it turned out overall. I'd say This is a way to answer a question or give an opinion, when you're not really sure: I'd say she'll probably be back at about 2:00. "I'd" is short for "I would". So you can also say "I would say ___":    I would say that you can probably find one for under ten thousand dollars. You can introduce the rest of the sentence with "that": I'd say that I'm two or three weeks away from finishing. "I'd say" can also go at the end of a sentence: It takes about an hour and a half, I'd say. sweet This is a very casual slang expression. It means something similar to "great" or "wonderful". It's used mostly by people in their mid-30's or younger, but it doesn't have any negative associations. "Sweet!" can be used by itself like in the example above. By the way, this use of "sweet" is different from when you call a person "sweet". For example: Thanks, that's really sweet of you. You are so sweet. When you call a person "sweet", it means that they're nice, kind, thoughtful, and so on. When you call a thing "sweet", it means you're excited about it. 3. I need to go get my prescription filled 抓药, so I'll be back in a while. You had a pain in your shoulder. The doctor prescribed pain killers for you. You told your roommate about this, but now you need to go to a pharmacy to get your medicine. You tell your roommate this. get a prescription filled When you "get a prescription filled", you go to a pharmacy and the pharmacist gives you the medicine that is written on the prescription. go (do something) In casual speech, you say "go (do something)" to mean "go (somewhere) and (do something)". For example: Do you want to go see a movie? This means to go to a movie theater and watch a movie. Could you go find me a screwdriver somewhere? This means to go to the place where tools are kept and find a screwdriver for the speaker to use. She wrote me a prescription for some pain killers. You had a pain in your shoulder. You went to see a doctor, and she gave you some medicine. Now you've returned home and you're telling your roommate what happened. You say this about your trip to the doctor. (a doctor) wrote (someone) a prescription for 开药方, 开处方药, 开药 (medicine) When a doctor thinks that a patient needs medicine, they will write a note explaining which medicine, and how much to take, which the patient takes to a pharmacy. This note is called "a prescription". The doctor's action is expressed as "writing a prescription". Notice the different way this phrase can be used: She wrote a prescription. She wrote me a prescription. She wrote me a prescription for some antibiotics. She wrote a prescription for some antibiotics. You can also use the verb "prescribed": The doctor prescribed a pain killer. But "prescribed" sounds a little more formal. You had me there 唬到我, 上你道, 着你道 for a second. Your wife played a trick on you by saying that she hadn't paid your mortgage, when in fact she had. You really believed that she hadn't paid it, and you were worried. After she tells you the truth, you laugh and say this. (someone) had (someone) there When you say "You had me there!" it means "You tricked me! I believed you!" This is a phrase that you usually use when you think the trick was funny and don't mind it. You can also add "going": You had me going there for a minute. Here's how you use this phrase to talk about someone else: She had you there, didn't she? 4. Yeah, I think we're expected to be there. There's a meeting happening this afternoon at work. One of your team members asks if the meeting is mandatory 强制参加的, 必须出席的. No one told you that the meeting was required, but you think that everyone is supposed to go. This is your answer. Attendance is required 必须出席. You're the manager of a group at work, and you want to schedule a meeting. It's important that all of the members of your group come to this meeting. You write an email to the group members, and after describing the meeting you write this. attendance "Attendance" is a noun that means "showing up for something". You use "attendance" to talk about people coming to a meeting, a class, a party, and so on: Comic-Con's attendance last year was estimated at 130,000. Their school has a strict attendance policy. The verb form of this word is "attend (something)": I'm sorry, but I won't be able to attend today's meeting. "Attendance" is used in formal communication for business or school, or when you're talking in an analytical way about the number of people who came to something. In a more casual situation, you can use the word "turnout" to talk about the number of people who came. (something) is required When you say that something "is required", it means that people have to do it. Things that people often say "are required" include: Attendance is required. Registration is required. (You have to register.) Immediate action 立即采取措施 is required. (You have to act quickly.) Further research is required. (This is often used at the end of academic journal articles to say that someone needs to research a topic more.) A permit is required. (You need a permit, which is an official document that shows you're allowed to do something.). 5. Actually, I'm looking to switch careers. You are talking with someone you just met at a party. You're talking about your career. You've told her about your current job, but you want to get a totally different job. You tell her this. I'm looking to (do something) This phrase means that you want to do something: We're looking to buy a house some time this year. When you say "I'm looking to (do something)", it sounds like you are just starting to make your decision. It also sounds like you are going to take your time. You use this phrase when talking about making large decisions like buying a house or car, or changing your career. switch careers 改变职业方向 Your "career" is the long-term history of the jobs you've had and the ones you will have in the future. When you talk about your "job", it brings to mind the everyday activities you do at work. But when you talk about your "career" it means the choices you make about where to work and how it will affect your future. To "switch careers" means to change to a totally different kind of work. For example, you can "switch careers" from being a nurse to being a painter. When you get a different job that's similar to your old job, but with a different company, you say that you "changed (your) job". Meanwhile, can you guys decide on the theme? You're working on a school project with a group of other students. You are going out to pick up some supplies. You want the other group members to work on something while you are gone. You say this after you offer to go to buy the supplies. Meanwhile You use the word "meanwhile" to describe something that's happening (or will happen) at the same time as something else. This word is often used when telling stories. For example, in this scene from The Last Dickens: a Novel, two actions are going on at the same time: As Mason made his way around the thick shrubbery he jumped out at Turner's signal and displayed his sword at the surprised Narain, who put up two trembling hands and lay flat on the ground. Meanwhile the other thief had pushed Turner down and dashed into the dense trees. In the example at top, the speaker wants the group members to make a decision at the same time that he is at the store shopping for supplies. decide on (something) To "decide on" something means to make a final choice about something. For example: It took several months for us just to decide on a new name. 6. I'm trying to break my Facebook addiction 戒掉, so I haven't been on in a while. A friend asks you if you've seen a funny photo that a friend posted on Facebook. You used to use Facebook too much, so you've stopped using it. You haven't looked at it in 10 days, so you say this. break (one's) addiction When you're "addicted" to something, like drugs, it means that you have to have more and more of it, and you can't stop yourself. You call this problem "an addiction". But people also use the word "addiction" to talk about less serious things that they can't get enough of, such as: I'm addicted to "24", so I don't know what I'm going to do now that it's over. To "break an addiction" means to stop yourself from being addicted. Starbucks announced that they're going to offer free Internet access at all their locations 所有分店, 店址. You're reading a news story that says that Starbucks Coffee stores will allow all their customers to use wireless Internet for free. While you're reading the story, you share the news with your husband. After getting his attention, you say this. offer (something) If you want to give or sell something to people, you first need to tell people that you will give it to them or ask if they want it. This is called "offering" something. You usually use the word "offer" when the things you're giving or selling are good or exciting: We're offering 20% off everything in the store, this weekend only. Internet access "Internet access" is the phrase that we use to describe the ability to connect to the Internet. It also explains the services that people use to connect to the Internet: How much do you pay per month for Internet access in France? (a chain's) locations A store or restaurant company that has lots of stores in different places is called a "chain". Each store in the chain is called a "location". For example a representative from such a company could say: We have over 300 locations across the U.S. and Canada. You use the word "location" in this way when you're talking about the company as a business. In everyday life, when you want to talk about one store or restaurant in a chain, you just call it a "store" or a "restaurant". 7. Oh, hey Debbie. Sorry, I meant to call someone else. You wanted to call your friend, but instead you call your landlord's phone number by mistake. You know your landlord pretty well. When she answers the phone, you say this. (someone) meant to (do something) 原打算 When you did one action, but you wanted to do something else, you say that you "meant to" do the 2nd action: Sorry, I meant to call you earlier but my phone died. "Meant to" means that you planned to do something but didn't succeed. From a practical perspective, I don't see how that's possible. In a discussion at work, someone suggested an idea that sounds good. But in reality, you don't think it can be done. You want to say that in a direct but polite way. You say this. from a (something) perspective 从...的方面来说, 从...的角度 You can think about an idea in many ways. You can think about how much it costs, or how long it takes, or how beautiful it is. When you talk about an idea and want to explain how you're thinking about it, you use "from a ___ perspective" at the beginning or end of your sentence: It makes sense from a business perspective, but for consumers it's not very easy to use. I don't see (what/why/how)(clause) This means that you don't understand something or don't agree with it. For example, if you're waiting for a long time on an airplane for it to take off, you can say to the person who's riding with you: I don't see what's taking so long. This means that you don't understand why it's taking such a long time, and you're angry about it. So "I don't see ___" is used when you don't understand the reason for something and you don't think that there really is a good reason. Here are some more examples with different endings: I don't see why not. I don't see what the big deal is. Just give it to me straight. Your friend seems like she wants to say something critical of you, but she's being really polite and not directly telling you what she thinks. You say this because you want to know what she really thinks. give it to me straight 直接说吧, 直说吧, 实话实说 This is what you say when you want someone to tell you negative information honestly, without trying to be polite or concerned about your feelings: Give it to me straight, doc. Am I dying? What did you think of my performance? Give it to me straight. You can say this about yourself also, when you have to give someone bad news: Listen, Lee: I'll give it to you straight. I don't think you have what it takes to make the Olympic team. Why don't we exchange business cards? You're at a business networking event, and you meet someone who you might like to do business with in the future. You want to keep in touch with them. Near the end of the conversation, you say this. exchange (something) When you "exchange" something with a person, you give them something and they give something back to you. In the example above, the speaker suggests exchanging business cards. That means that each person gives the other person their business card. Other words that people often use with "exchange" are: exchange phone numbers, exchange ideas, exchange a glance 对看一眼 (this means to look at each other secretly to communicate a message), exchange words (this means to get into an argument). 8. We really appreciate all of your hard work and effort. You are the director of a division in your company. Last quarter, your company had high sales growth. Now you are leading a meeting and you say this to thank all the employees. hard work and effort 辛勤努力, 努力工作 "Hard work" and "effort" are very similar in meaning, but we often use them together anyway. They're usually said or written in this order, not as "effort and hard work". This is a perfect example of what not to do 反面典型, 反面例子, 反面教材 when you're building a website. You're teaching a group of people about good website design. You show an example of a bad website that you built when you were in college. You want to tell everyone that it wasn't a good website, so you say this. a perfect example of (something) You should know what an "example" is. You call an example "perfect" when it completely matches the idea that you're trying to represent. You can tell what the idea is with the phrase "an example of ___": Can you give me an example of how to use this word in a sentence? Here's an example of the kind of website we want to build. what not to do The phrase "what not to do" is the opposite of "what to do". You use this in situations where you want to point out an action that someone shouldn't do: I appreciate them talking with me about it and explaining what to do and what not to do. build a website When you're talking about making or creating a website, you use the word "build". You can use "build" to describe making things that take a long time and have a lot of steps. kind of (adjective/adverb) "Kind of" means "a little" or "somewhat". People often use it in spoken English: I'm kind of shy when it comes to the opposite sex. It kind of took me by surprise. You can use "kind of" before an adjective ("kind of shy") or before a verb ("kind of took me by surprise"). Another phrase with a similar meaning is "somewhat": Most students find that university courses are somewhat more difficult than the classes that they took in high school. "Somewhat" is more formal. Use "kind of" for most situations and "somewhat" when discussing academic topics or in writing. The pronunciation of "kind of" sounds like "kinda". 9. I had Eric when I was only 18. You had a child when you were very young. Now your child is much older, and you are telling someone about the experience. You say this. have (a child) To "have" a child means to give birth. This can be a little confusing because to "have a child" also simply means that you are a parent and your son or daughter exists. But you usually use "have" in the present tense to mean that you are a parent: I have a son. She has three daughters. And you use "had" in the past tense to mean that you gave birth to a child: I heard she just had a baby. But there is also a case where you use the past tense to mean that someone did have a child, but now the child or the parent is dead: Mark Twain had four children. We had a son, too, but he died soon after birth. From now on, check with me before you do that. Someone who works for you made a decision without asking you, and he made a mistake. You are a little bit angry, and you want to make sure this doesn't happen again. You say this. check with (someone) (run something by someone) To "check with" someone means to ask them if something is OK: You should check with the airline 问一下, 和...确认一下, 商量一下 and see if they charge a fee for checked baggage. I would say something to the waiter. At a restaurant, your friend ordered a steak cooked medium-rare. But when he got it, it was over-cooked. He tells you about it. You say this to convince him to complain to the waiter. I would (do something) This is a shortened version of "I would ___ if I were you." It's a way of giving someone advice without directly saying "You should ___": You should say something to the waiter. This is a direct way of giving advice, but it can seem a little rude. "I would ___" is more polite. I'm up for anything. You're with your friend. You're deciding what to do tonight. He suggests going to a dance club where his friend is DJ'ing & asks if you're OK with that. You don't care what you do, and want to show that you're having fun. You say this enthusiastically. (someone) is up for (something) When you are "up for" an activity, it means that you are willing to do it. When you ask a friend "Are you up for ___?", you want to know if they want to do it, and whether they have enough energy for it. For example, if someone asks: You want to play a game of basketball? ...if you're too tired right now, you could say: I don't think I'm up for it right now. up for anything This means that you are OK with anything that someone suggests: A: What do you want to do tonight? B: I'm up for anything. This phrase sounds fun, positive, and relaxed. 10. Sure. What's up 怎么了, 有什么事吗? One of the people who works under you came to your office to ask a question. He asked you "Can I ask you something?" You were typing an email, but it wasn't that important, so you answer him like this. "Sure" means "yes". But "sure" is more casual than "yes". If you just answer "yes" to a question, it can sound as if you are angry: A: Hey, can you help me with this? B: Yes. A: Uh... Are you annoyed or something? "Sure" is similar to "of course". Both suggest that it's obvious and expected for the answer to be "yes". A: Will you come to my graduation? B: Of course! "Of course" is a stronger response and more positive response than "sure". What's up? You can use the phrase "What's up?" in many different ways. One of its uses is to respond when someone asks to talk with you: A: Hey, can I talk with you for a minute? B: Yeah, what's up? "What's up?" sounds light and casual. You can use this phrase with people who you work closely with, who you're friends with, or who work for you. A more formal alternative to "What's up? is: What can I do for you 怎么了, 有什么事吗? Or, if the person you're talking to seems upset, you can ask: What's going on怎么了, 有什么事吗? Hold on — you might be able to recover it. Your wife was working on a document on the computer at home. The program crashed, and she's upset because she thinks all of the work she did is lost. You think she might be able to get the file back again. You say this. One way to rephrase "You might be able to" is "Maybe you will be able to". So "might" means "maybe" but the grammar of it is different: "Maybe" comes at the beginning of the sentence, while "might" comes right before the verb ("be"). "Might" replaces the modal "will". "Maybe" is used along with "will" or other modals ("should", "can", etc.) For native English speakers, it's more common to say "You might..." than "Maybe you will..." If you can learn to use "might" correctly, it will make your English sound much more natural. recover (something) To "recover" something means to get it back after it has gotten lost, gotten destroyed, or been messed up. Things that people often talk about recovering include: recover a memory, recover a lost object, recover the cost of an investment, recover use of a body part (legs, fingers, etc.) after an accident. 11. I have to put together a presentation for Upper Management. You have to give a presentation to several executives at your company. You need some help with creating a nice-looking presentation. You are asking a coworker who's good with design to help you. You say this to explain why a nice presentation is important. put together (something) When you "put something together", it means that you make something by collecting materials or information from different places. In the example above, you can imagine that the presentation is created using information, notes, photos, and graphics from different sources. Some other things that people sometimes "put together" include: put together an event, put together a portfolio, put together a business plan. When you use a short pronoun like "it", "they", "something", etc. it goes between "put" and "together": We put it together quickly. We can put something together later this week. When you use a noun or noun phrase, it goes after "put together". Upper Management 上层管理层 (the executive) "Upper management" is the group of people who are at the top of a company. These people usually have job titles like "CEO", "CTO" (Chief Technical Officer), "CFO" (Chief Financial Officer), "Vice President of Sales", and so on. When you talk about "Upper Management", you use the singular and talk about them as if they are one unified group. I would've had to pay a hundred-dollar fine if it had been late. You rented a car and returned it at the last minute. The car rental company charges $100 for returning cars late. You say this to your friend about how close you were to being late. I would've (done something) if (something had happened) You use this phrase when you're imagining how things would be different if a certain event had happened differently: I would have gotten home already if I'd left at 7o'clock. a (number)-dollar (thing) When you're talking about an item and want to say how much it costs or is worth, you can say that it is "a ___-dollar ___". This is a similar expression to "an 8-hour drive". Like that example, you should be careful to use the singular: He says he bought a 90-dollar tie. Not "He says he bought a 90-dollars tie." pay a fine A "fine" is money that you have to pay because you did something wrong. For example, banks make you "pay a fine" if you try to take out more money than you actually have in your account. remember how (clause) When you are remembering a past situation, you can say "remember that (something happened): Do you remember that we dressed as super heroes for Halloween in fifth grade? However, this only means to remember the fact that something happened. A good answer to this question would be just "yes" or "no". When you want to talk about remembering the experience of an event, you use "remember how (something happened)": Do you remember how we dressed as super heroes for Halloween in fifth grade? The proper response to this question is to describe some detail of that memory: Yeah, I was Batman and you were Spider-man. 12. I totally bombed it. You applied for an open position at your company. You had an interview earlier today. Now you're telling your friend about how the interview went. You admit this to your friend because you don't think you did a good job. totally In casual conversation, when you want to exaggerate an action or description, you use the adverb "totally". A slightly more formal word with a similar meaning is "completely". "Completely" could be used instead of "totally" in any of the examples above. bomb (something) When you "bomb" an interview, a presentation, a speech, a test, or a performance, it means that you do a bad job and aren't successful. "Bomb ___" is kind of a slang expression. The word "bomb" is also used to describe a movie, album, or TV show that isn't good and that people don't like. I'm not crazy about them. You are out shopping with your girlfriend. She asks you what you think of a pair of shoes that she likes. You say this because you don't like them very much. not crazy about (something) When you say you're "crazy about" something, it means that you really, really like it: I'm absolutely crazy about this band! When you say that you're "not crazy about" something, it means that you don't like it very much. This is an example of understatement. You actually don't like something. But instead of directly saying how much you dislike it, you only say that you're "not crazy about" it. The phrase "crazy about ___" is mostly used by people who are in their mid-30's or younger, although it doesn't sound bad for older people. It's used in casual conversation. But I've managed to do OK. You're a professional photographer. You're talking to someone who's not a photographer about your job. You've told them how difficult being a photographer is because of competition from the Internet and other photographers. But you are successful anyway. You say this. manage to (do something) To "manage to" do something is to successfully do something, even though it was difficult. A few examples: Aaron managed to get us front-row tickets to see The Rolling Stones. Can you believe it!? I was a horrible student. I just barely managed to pass 11th grade. do (well / OK) To "do well" means to get a good result. People usually use this phrase to talk about how much money someone has made: Their software design firm has done extremely well over the last 5 years.You can also say that something "did OK": We did OK in the first quarter, but I think that our second quarter growth will be really great. Use "did OK" when the results are only gotten slightly good, or if something was really successful but you want to downplay it. I've been humming 哼唱 that song all day. You heard a catchy new song a few days ago with your wife that you both liked. Today you were singing the song quietly to yourself while you worked. You want to tell her about it, so you confess this to her. hum (a song) To "hum" a song means to make the notes of the song with your mouth closed, without saying the words. People usually do this quietly for their own entertainment. settle into a routine 步入正规, 回复正规 A "routine" is a way of acting and living that you do the same way, over and over again. For example, your daily routine might include getting up at 8:00, ironing your clothes while watching TV, getting coffee at the local coffee shop on your way to work, etc. To "settle into" a routine means to start to create a routine for yourself and to get used to it. For example: Teaching is stressful at first, but after a few years you settle into the routine and it gets to be easier. To "settle back into a routine" means to get used to it again after you stop doing it for a while. I got this on sale 特价 for only four bucks. You bought a cheap bottle of wine. You say this to let your wife know that it was cheap. get (something) on sale When something is "on sale", it is being sold at a lower price than usual. In this expression, people use the verb "get" instead of "buy" to express buying something while it is "on sale": I always buy my clothes on sale. I never pay full price. "Getting something on sale" is usually considered a good thing, and some people like to brag about the low prices they paid for things. (buy something) for (an amount) When you want to tell the price of something that you bought, you say that you bought if "for ___": I bought that car for two thousand dollars ten years ago, and it's still running. But, if you use the word "cost", you shouldn't use "for": This car cost me fifteen thousand dollars. They are widely recognized as the world's leading solar energy company. You're writing a report about a company. It is #1 among companies of their type. You are introducing the company at the beginning of your report, and write this. (something) is widely recognized 公认为, 普遍认为 as (something) When many people agree that a company is the best, you say the company is "recognized as" the best. Similarly, if you are "recognized as" one of the best athletes at your school, it means that a lot of the people at the school agree that you are one of the best. If most people agree about a description, you can say something is "widely recognized as" being that way. "Widely recognized" means recognized by a large number of people. the (world/nation/industry/etc.)'s leading (something) The #1 person or thing in a group is called "the leading ___". This is often used with job titles and professions: the world's leading doctor, New York's leading personal trainer. You can also use this expression to talk about companies, products, etc: They are the industry's leading seller. We are the East Coast's leading provider of audio-visual equipment. Are you planning on asking her out? Your friend seems to be attracted to his co-worker. You want to find out what he's going to do about it. You ask this. (someone) is planning on (doing something) When you are "planning on" doing something, it means that you intend to do it. You want to do it. But it doesn't necessarily mean that you have a strong plan for getting it done. For example, you can say: I'm planning on throwing a big party for Kevin's 30th birthday in November. If you say this in May, it doesn't mean that you've planned out a party. It just means that you think you're going to do it. ask (someone) out To "ask someone out" means to invite them to go on a date with you. There must be a lot of pollen. You're sneezing a lot. Your friend asks you what's wrong. You think you're sneezing because of your allergies, so you say this. a lot of (something) Some English learners use the word "much" too much! In normal conversational English, "a lot of ___" is far more common than "much ___": There was a lot of dust in the air. My daughter always likes to put a lot of ketchup on her fries. However, you can use "much" when you're saying "not much": There's not much money left. And it's good in the phrase "too much": Sorry, I can't. I have way too much work to do here. You can also use "much" for very, very formal positive sentences. When I hear a sentence like this, it reminds me of the Bible! It has that level of formality and age. There was much rejoicing among the people. "Many" is the same as "much". It sounds strange and old-fashioned in positive sentences, but normal in questions and negative sentences. There were a lot of people there. There aren't very many chairs left. pollen [ˈpɑlən] "Pollen" is the dust that flowers produce. A lot of people are allergic to pollen. pollen count 花粉指数 a measurement of how much pollen there is in the air at a particular time, often given on weather reports in the summer for people who are allergic to pollen. a high/low pollen count. 12. I'll run it by (check with someone) April and see what she thinks. You're trying to think of a name for a band that you're starting with a group of musicians. You and some of the other band members come up with a name that you all like, but one of the members isn't there. You want to know what she thinks of the name, so you say this. run (something) by (someone) To "run an idea by someone" means to tell them about the idea and find out what they think of it. Another example, which can be used in a work setting: Make sure to run it by James before you send it out. In the example above, the speaker uses "it" to talk about the name that the band members chose. "It" is the correct pronoun to use if they're just talking about the name. However, there are some situations where "this" could also be used. For example, if the name was written down on a piece of paper that the speaker was holding, he could point to it and say: I'll run this by April and see what she thinks. see what (someone) thinks The word "see" can be used to mean "find out" or "learn" in situations like this. This phrase can be used in casual or business settings: Show this to the agency and see what they think. I wrote a story, and I wanted to see what you thought of it. (someone) is down-to-earth 不高冷, 易接触的, 好相处的 A "down-to-earth" person is relaxed, casual, and easy-to-please. They like simple and realistic things. (someone) has some (adjective) news You say "I have some ___ news" when you have news to tell someone. "News" is new information that you think they want to know. You can use adjectives to say how you think the listener will feel about your information: good news, bad news, interesting news. When you say "I have some ___ news", it prepares the listener to pay attention to what you're going to say to them. If you don't use this phrase before telling someone important information, it can seem too sudden. The listener might not notice what you're telling them.   "Antje has come," he said, "and brought a letter from Heim." "What does the dear good fellow say?" "Some good news and some bad." "Tell me the bad first." "Six families from Eschenwinkel, thirty people in all, are going to emigrate to America next week." They were both silent and went on quietly. "You must get over that too, Andrees." So he went out and made sure and he came back and said, "Chief, I have some good news and some bad news; which one do you want to hear first?" Then the Chief said, "Gosh, you'd better tell me the bad news first, what is it?" He said, "Looks like all we're going to have to eat this year is dried buffalo chips." And the Chief said, "Boy that is bad news, and what's the good news," and he said, "There's plenty of it." 13. You're going to want to have a nice, comfortable pair of sneakers 运动鞋 to walk around in. Your roommate is going on a trip to a foreign country for a few weeks, and you are helping her pack. You've been there before, so you're giving her advice. You think she should take a pair of athletic shoes to walk around in, so you say this. walk around in (a pair of shoes) When you want to say that a person is wearing a pair of shoes while doing various activities, you say that they are "walking around in" them. Notice that you use the word "in". Think of it as your foot being inside of the shoe. I'm trying to decide whether I should take my laptop. You're going on a trip to a foreign country for a few weeks, and your roommate is helping you decide what to take with you. You aren't sure if you should take your notebook computer with you or not. You make a thoughtful face and say this. (someone) is trying to decide (something) Use this phrase when you are "in the middle" of making a decision – when you're thinking of the different possibilities. Here are a few more examples: I'm trying to decide what to order. Everyone's trying to decide where to go for drinks. I'm trying to decide whether or not I should apply for this job I saw posted on my company's intranet. It may take up to three or four weeks for delivery. You're shopping for furniture with your fiance. You picked out a sofa that you want, and now you're asking to buy it. You will need to get the sofa delivered to you, but the shop staff tells you this about the wait time for deliveries. take up to (a time) When you're preparing or warning a customer of a long wait for something, you usually tell the maximum amount of time that they will have to wait. That way, the customer will be happy if the wait is shorter than this. You prepare someone for a long wait using "take up to ___": Finishing the repairs might take up to ten days. delivery When you send an item somewhere, someone "delivers" the item. To talk about this action, we use the word "delivery". Some common collocations with the word "delivery" include: pizza delivery, an on-time delivery, a delivery truck, a delivery boy, a special delivery, a daily/weekly/monthly delivery, make a delivery.

Phrase Mix 8. believable VS plausible, will 和 be going to 的区别, prior VS before, choosy VS picky, able to 和 can 区别. plans 和 a plan 区别.

1. I'm notorious for forgetting birthdays. Your sister emailed to remind you of your mother's birthday because you usually forget. You're explaining to your friend why your sister emailed you. You say this to make a joke about your forgetfulness. (someone) is notorious for (doing something) To be "notorious" means that you are famous or well-known for doing something bad. For example: Blackbeard was a notorious pirate who raided ships in the early 18th century off the east coast of the United States. The word "notorious" doesn't quite fit with the idea of someone who forgets birthdays, like in the example above. But people sometimes call themselves or other people "notorious" as an exaggeration. It's said as kind of joke. Arnold is notorious for yelling at employees and throwing things around when he gets in a bad mood. Thanks, but I would have remembered 我记得呢, 我记得呢, 你不说我也记得! Your sister emails you to remind you that your mother's birthday is in 2 days, because you sometimes forget birthdays. You want her to know that you didn't forget about it this time. You write back and saying this. (someone) would have (done something) Whenever you hear "I would have ___", you can always imagine that the sentence ends with "...if ___". For example: I would have remembered even if you hadn't emailed me. "I would have ___" is used to talk about something that didn't really happen, but you're imagining how things would be different if something different had happened in the past (like if your sister hadn't reminded you of your mom's birthday). It doesn't matter whether the action would have happened in the past or in the future. You use "would have (done)" to talk about something that's about to happen: A: Don't forget, we have a meeting this afternoon at two. B: Don't worry, I would have remembered! But you would also say the same thing if your sister mentions that she remind you of your father's birthday six months ago: I would have remembered that too! A note on pronunciation: "would have" is usually pronounced "would've", which might also sound like "would of". Some English speakers who don't write very well even make the mistake of writing "would have" as "would of". You wouldn't happen to know anyone who does, would you? You have an old Volkswagen car that has some engine trouble. You're looking for a mechanic to fix it. You call one auto repair shop, but they don't work on that kind of car, so you ask them this. Use the phrase "happen to ___" to talk about something that doesn't seem very likely. One way this is useful is for asking questions, even though you don't think the listener will know the answer: Do you happen to know a guy by the name of Fred Breedlove? In this example, you ask "Do you happen to..." because you think that the listener probably doesn't know this person. You would ask this question if this person was from the same town as Fred, or went to the same large university as Fred, or worked at the same large company. You can also use "happen to ___" to ask questions politely, even when you do think the listener's answer will be "yes": Excuse me, would you happen to have a pen I could borrow? "Have", "see", and "know" are the most common verbs that follow "happen to". You wouldn't happen to (do something), would you? This is a very polite way of asking a question. Use it when the listener might not have an answer for you, or might not want to give an answer. In the example above, you're asking the mechanic for the name of another mechanic who works on the kind of car you have. He might not know of a good answer, and even if he does know he might not want to tell you because the other mechanic is his competitor in a way. So it's good to ask in a polite way. A: Hi, I have a problem with my '79 Volkswagen bus. Do you work on those? B: No, I'm sorry, we don't. A: Oh, OK. Thanks anyway. You wouldn't happen to know anyone who does, would you? 2. That makes me think he has something to hide. Your sister is telling you about her husband, who's been coming home late recently. Your sister confronted him, and he got angry about it. You think that he probably got angry because he's doing something wrong. You say this about your suspicions. that makes me think (clause) This phrase is used when you're trying to make guesses about something, or when you're trying to figure out what something means. When you find evidence or a fact that brings you to a certain conclusion, you say "that makes me think ___":    Hmm... his office light is still on. That makes me think he might still be around here somewhere. (someone) has something to hide When a person "has something to hide", it means that they have done something wrong that they don't want people to know about. "Having a secret" has a neutral meaning, but "having something to hide" carries a negative connotation. Some other examples include: Why don't you want to show it to me? Do you have something to hide? Go ahead. I've got nothing to hide. 3. Prior to that, I spent two years as an administrative assistant at a recruiting agency. You're in a job interview. You're describing your work history. You started by explaining your current job. You say this to explain the job you had before that one. prior to (something) "Prior to" means "before". But it sounds more formal. People use "prior to" in business situations, in a courtroom, and so on. There are some other differences between "prior to" and "before as well. You can say: Before you go, can you take a quick look at this email I'm sending to Tracy? But you can't replace "before" with "prior to" in that sentence. You have to follow "prior to" with a noun: Please call to confirm your flight details prior to departure. "Prior to departure" means "before you leave". The phrase "prior to ___" can also include a verb with the "-ing" ending: Prior to meeting Vick, I had never even seen an opera, much less known an actual opera performer. spend (time) as You use the word "spend" with an amount of time because we think of time as being very valuable, just like money. To "spend time ___ing" means to use your time to do it: We spent the first month just debating what to call ourselves. People use the phrase "spend (time) as ___" to express how long they did a certain job for. You use this phrase when you're describing your past jobs, but usually not to describe your current job. administrative assistant An "administrative assistant" used to be called a "secretary". In recent years, the word "secretary" isn't used much because it seems old-fashioned and sexist (meaning that it seems disrespectful to women). An administrative assistant helps busy and important people in a company to schedule their meetings, send letters and packages, and other things. a recruiting agency A "recruiting agency" is a company that finds employees for other companies. If you need to find a certain kind of employee, but it takes too long to find people like that, you can hire a recruiter to find the right person for the job. Recruiters will often call people who are already working at other companies, and will try to convince those people to change their jobs. There's also another word for recruiting agents. People call them "headhunters 猎头". "Headhunter" is also a word to describe members of native tribes in places like South America who kill their enemies and take their heads. So, as you might expect, the word "headhunter" is not a very positive way to refer to a recruiter! 4. I didn't raise you to be a picky eater! You bought a jar of peanut butter, but your daughter complained because it wasn't the kind that she wanted. You try to teach your kids not to complain about things like that, so you say this. raise (a child) To "raise a child" means to help the child grow from a baby to an adult. Raising children includes feeding them, clothing them, giving them an education, and so on. When parents are raising their children, they have certain ideas for how they want the kids to grow up to be. For example, you may want your child to be honest. So you teach him honesty. To explain this idea, you say that you "raised him to be honest". a picky eater Being "picky" means that there are a lot of things you don't like. Picky eaters have foods that they won't eat. The word "picky" has a negative feeling. There's another word, "choosy 挑剔的", which carries a more positive feeling. I'm sorry. I don't set the rules; I just enforce them. You work at a nightclub. The club has a strict dress code. A group of people want to get in, but one of them is wearing shorts. You can't let them in because of the club's rules. One of the people in the group is asking you to make an exception. You say this because you're not allowed to make this decision. set the rules 制定规则 To "set the rules" for something means to decide what the rules are going to be: These days, the power of the Internet is empowering consumers to set the rules. enforce 落实 rules To "enforce" a rule means to make sure that people follow it. People who "enforce" rules include police officers, teachers, HR staff at a company, store employees, and so on. 5. It just wasn't very believable. You watched a movie. You weren't able to enjoy it because you thought the characters and the setting were too unrealistic. You're discussing the movie with your friend, and you say this. just (not)(adjective) "Just not" expresses the feeling that, even though you want something to be true, it's not true in reality. There's a phrase that was made famous by the TV show "Sex and the City", and later used as the title for a movie: He's just not that into you. Being "into" someone means that you like them a lot. This sentence was told to a woman who was worrying about why a man who she'd gone on a date with hadn't called her back. When she heard "He's just not that into you," it convinced her to stop worrying about it. (a story) (is) believable (不用于描述真实发生的事情, 而是用来描述电影、电视、小说等知道是编的, 但是仍然觉得可信的. ) The word "believable" can be used to describe a story that's realistic enough for you to accept. When you see or hear it, it makes you feel like it could be real (although you know that it's not real). "Believable" is mostly used to talk about stories like movies, TV shows, and books. The opposite of "believable" is "not believable". You've probably heard the word "unbelievable", but that word means "amazing" or "wonderful", so its different from "not believable". People don't use the word "believable" to talk about stories, explanations, or descriptions of real events. When someone describes a real-life event and you think that it might be true, you say that it "seems plausible 可能的, 可信的": That seems plausible. When it seems like it probably isn't true, you say that it's "not plausible": Yeah, he says that they agreed to pay him five thousand dollars, but that just doesn't seem plausible 不太可能的, 不可能会发生的. 6. What are you doing here 问你是在做什么, 其实问的是为什么? This question means "Why are you here?" But "Why are you here?" sounds rude and accusatory (it sounds like you're accusing the person of doing something wrong). You ask "What are you doing here?" when you see someone that you didn't expect to see in that place. This phrase is pronounced with stress on the word "you": What are you doing here? If you give this sentence the wrong intonation, it can sound rude as well. Use a high intonation for "you" and remember to smile! What (is) (someone) doing (description)? When you use "What are you doing" to mean "why", there are several different descriptions that you can add to the end of the phrase. You can add location words like "here" and "there": What were they doing there? Or phrases that describe the location and start with "in", "on", "at", "behind", and so on: What's she doing at the meeting? You can also describe what someone is doing at the time: What are you doing talking on the phone 你在打什么电话啊? We need your help! Now you see what I go through every day! Your co-worker covered for you while you were on vacation. Now you've come back, and he's complaining about how difficult the work was. You want to joke about your job being difficult, so you say: Now you see what I go through every day! go through (something) People use the phrase "go through ___" to describe negative experiences. "Go through" means to experience something negative or difficult. Some examples include: go through a divorce, go through a tough time, go through a period of weak sales, go through childbirth. There are some other totally different meanings of "go through". One is to search and examine things in a list or a collection: We should sit down and go through the details later this week. Another meaning of "go through" is to use a person or agency to do something for you instead of doing it directly yourself: Are you going through 通过 a recruitment agency? It's best to remember each of these meanings separately. go through (a person or agency) When you want to do something, but you can't do it yourself, you "go through" another person or organization. Here are some examples of situations where that happens: You go through an employment agency to get a job. You go through a recruitment agency to hire someone for a job. You go through a travel agent to buy a plane ticket. You go through a website to buy things online. Your friend works at a software company and needs to hire a programmer. She's been searching for someone for a few months, but hasn't found any qualified people. You want to know how she's been looking for candidates, so you ask this. Although, on the other hand, you might be better off waiting until the last minute. Your sister is going to come visit you, but hasn't bought her airplane tickets yet. She wants to get the cheapest tickets possible. You just advised her that she ought to go ahead and book her flight soon. But now you're remembering that there are also good deals on plane tickets in the last few days before the flight. You say this. (someone) (will be/might be/would be) better off (doing something) "Be better off ___ing" is a phrase that's used to express a better choice. You can use it to describe the choice that you think someone should take: A: Maybe we can try to sell it? B: I think we'd be better off just throwing it away. What's the story? You and your friend were supposed to meet someone at 8:00 for dinner, but she's 20 minutes late. Your friend called her and they talked for a few minutes. You ask this because you want to know what they said. This is a question for use in casual conversation between friends or with work colleagues that you know well. It means "What's going to happen?" or "What is the plan?" You can use this phrase when you're dealing with groups of people, and you want to figure out where to go and what to do. 7. We were able to raise just under fifteen thousand dollars. You were in charge of planning an event to raise money for a charity. Now the event is over, and you're talking to a friend about how it went. You're telling him about the amount of money you made. be able to (do something) (able to 和 can 的区别) "Be able to" means "can". But you can't use "can" with "might". So instead you say "might be able to". You also use "be able to" when talking about things that you successfully did in the past: I was able to contact Jesse, and he said he would send them to us right away. Were you able to find out how much it costs? And you use "be able to" with other modals like "should", "will", "may", etc." He should be able to help you. I won't be able to finish it until some time next week. raise (an amount of money) To "raise money" means to get money from investors or donors. Investors are people who lend you money to get a piece of your business, so that they can earn more money later. Donors are people who give their money for a charity, a school, etc. You can use the phrase "raise money": We're raising money for cancer research. Or you can state the amount of money: We're hoping to raise $100,000 for cancer research. 8. I'm amazed at how well it turned out, given the circumstances. You were planning an event to raise money for a charity. While you were planning the event, one of the other planners quit and you didn't have much time to work on it because you were busy. The event has happened, and it was pretty successful. You say this while talking to your friend about it later. Use this phrase to express your surprise and amazement about some quality of a thing: I was amazed at how easy it was to make. I'm totally amazed at how you've been able to make connections with so many influential people in just a few months. In spoken English, you may sometimes hear people leave out the "at": I'm just amazed how quickly you were able to pick that up. (something) turned out well The phrase "it turned out well" means "it was good at the end". You use this phrase to judge a project, an event, or anything that you make. You say "it turned out well" when you think that the end result is good. Sometimes people use this phrase when a project seemed to be going badly while it was in progress: I was worried there for a little while, but overall I think it turned out really well. given the circumstances 综合考虑, 说起来的话 You add "given the circumstances" to a sentence when there are problems with something that make it difficult. When you're making a decision about it, you want to consider those problems. So if you're judging how good something was, "given the circumstances" means that you don't want to use a really strict standard for judging it. For example, if you and your wife are trying to save up money but only one of you works, you can say: I think we're doing pretty well given the circumstances. This means that you aren't saving a lot of money, but you are saving a lot for a couple with only one income. "Given the circumstances" can come at the beginning of a sentence or at the end. 9. If you show the kids respect, they'll return the favor. You're a teacher. You're explaining to a young first-year colleague how you manage your classes. This is the advice you give to the new teacher. show (someone) respect "Respect" is the feeling that a person is good, wise, intelligent, or cool. When you "respect" someone, you feel this way about them. But to "show respect" means to be polite to someone, and treat them like a valuable person. You can "show respect" to a person by not interrupting someone while they're talking, letting them make their own decisions, asking them polite questions about themselves, and so on. return the favor 回报, 以牙还牙, 以德报德, 投桃报李 When someone does something nice for you, and you do something nice back to them, you call that "returning the favor": You've helped me out so much, so I just wanted to return the favor. But the phrase "return the favor" now has a wider meaning than just doing something nice in return to a person. Now it can have a more general meaning of "doing the same thing back to someone that they do you". It's mostly used with positive actions, but it can also be used with some negative actions too in an ironic way. For example, if you're playing chess with someone and they take one of your pieces, you can say this when you take one of theirs: Allow me to return the favor. 10. I'm pleased to announce that Carlos Turner has been promoted to Northeastern Regional Manager 区域经理. You have given one of your employees a promotion. You're writing an email to everyone in your division of the company to announce this and congratulate him. This is how you start your message. I'm pleased to announce that (clause) This is a very formal phrase that you use when making announcements to large groups. You can use this in writing, or when speaking on stage in front of an audience. You can imagine the president of a country using this phrase when giving a speech: My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to announce that today, due to our efforts, a nuclear showdown has been averted with North Korea. This phrase is used in business settings for formal announcements that are sent out to the company about new employees, promotions, good quarterly results, awards, and so on. (someone) has been promoted to (job title) When you give someone a promotion (which is a job with a higher title or pay), you shouldn't say "I promoted Carlos..." That sounds too self-centered, like you're trying to take the spotlight away from this person. It's better to say "Carlos has been promoted..." In this way, you can describe a person's promotion without saying who did it. In general, when you don't want to say who did an action, you say "___ was ___ed". regional manager A "region" is a certain area of a country, continent, or of the world. The "regional manager" is someone in a company who's in charge of a region: I'm the regional sales manager for our Asian offices. Pay up 付钱, 支付, 还钱, 给钱! You made a bet with your friend about a baseball game. You just won the bet, so you shout this to get him to pay you the money he owes you. This is a phrase that you say to make a friend pay you after you win a bet. If you used it with people you don't know well, or with your friends in other situations, it might seem rude. But it's a perfect phrase for friendly bets. 11. What was I looking for again? A coworker comes to your office to ask a question. You were supposed to search for some information for her on your computer, but you got sidetracked. You forgot what you were looking for. You say this to yourself. What are you looking for? There's an old rule that some English teachers might try to enforce, which says that you shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition like "for". According to this rule, you're supposed to say or write: For what are you looking? But this is really strange and old-fashioned. You can use it in extremely formal writing, or maybe as a joke. What was I (doing) again? When you've forgotten what you were doing or saying, you use this phrase. It expresses to the listeners that you're trying to remember what to do. Some examples include: Now, what was I searching for again? Oh yeah, last quarter's budget. What were we talking about again? You can also use the phrase "What was (something) again?" with a noun or a noun phrase to ask about things that you've forgotten and need to remember again: What was his name again? What was the address of the restaurant again? When people use this phrase, the question is directed at themselves but of course they also want other people to hear it as well. 12. There's so much to do there. You used to live in New York. Someone you just met is asking you about living there. You offer this astute observation. there's (so much/a lot/nothing/etc.) to do People use the phrase "There's so much to do" in two situations: When talking about a place that has a lot of fun activities available. I love Paris. There's so much to do there. When talking about the amount of work that they have to do. Wow, there's so much to do today! I don't know where to start. You can use several different words in the phrase to describe how much there is to do. For example, "there's nothing to do" is a complaint that kids sometimes make when they're bored.    This is boring! There's nothing to do. We've been absolutely overwhelmed with orders. The small company you work for was featured in an article in the New York Times. Since then, thousands of new customers have started to contact you and buy your products. The number of orders that customers have made is so high that it has been difficult to send out everyone's orders fast enough. You tell a business contact this. (be) overwhelmed (with something) To be "overwhelmed" means to get so much of something that it becomes a problem. You can become "overwhelmed" with things like e-mail messages, job applications for a position that you're hiring for, parenting responsibilities, homework, etc. For example: I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. I've got school, band practice, work, not to mention spending time with my boyfriend. I just can't handle it all! You state the thing that is overwhelming you with the phrase "overwhelmed with ___": It's easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of work here if you don't have an organized system for handling it all. You may also hear "overwhelmed by ___". This is more often used to express a positive emotional feeling when something makes you so happy, thankful, or proud that you just can't believe it: I've been overwhelmed by all the support and help my fans have given me. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the Italian countryside. 13. Oh my God, that's wonderful! Your sister told you that she's going to have a baby. You say this because you're happy and you want to congratulate her. "Wonderful" is an ungradable adjective, which means that it sounds strange to use words like "very" or "a little" with it. That's because "very" is already part of the meaning of the word "wonderful". Some other ungradable adjectives include: enormous, exhausted, horrible, amazing, delicious, gorgeous. When someone tells you good news, you might expect to say "congratulations". This would be the polite way to react if a coworker or not-very-close friend said that they were going to get married. But with someone really close like a close friend, "Congratulations" is too distant 冷漠, 疏远. So a more excited response like "Oh my God!" is better. This one is ancient! You want to buy a new phone. You say this to explain to your husband why you want a new one. The word "ancient" describes things that are thousands of years old. Some examples of "ancient" things include: the Egyptian pyramids, the redwood trees in California that are over a thousand years old, old religious stories from thousands of years ago. Because the word "ancient" has such an extreme meaning, people often use it to exaggerate about how old something is. In this example: Look at that phone — that thing is ancient! ...the phone is only a few years old, but that seems very old because new phones are coming out so quickly. These days, people actually use "ancient" quite often to talk about technology that's old and out-of-date. What a great turnout! If a lot of people show up to your event or party. 14. How can you concentrate with all that going on? Your teenage son is chatting with his friends and watching videos on his computer while he does his homework. You think it must be distracting for him and he won't be able to learn, so you ask him this. concentrate with (something happening) To "concentrate" is to focus or pay attention to something. Of course, it's harder to "concentrate" if you have sounds or pictures that take your attention. To talk about this, you say "concentrate with": It's hard to concentrate with all the noise in here. I'm more interested in having a really authentic local experience. Your friend is going on a trip to Italy and has signed up for a guided tour. Now you're each discussing your thoughts about tours. You told him that you don't like going on tours, and this is how you explain why. an authentic experience The word "authentic" is tricky. It means "real" but is used in certain situations. You use "authentic" to talk about international food, for example: Do you know of any good, authentic Vietnamese restaurants here in the city? I also use the word "authentic" to describe the kind of English sentences I try to write on this website: On PhraseMix.com, I try to teach authentic English that you can use in the real world. So an "authentic experience" is an experience that seems real and natural for that situation. People who want an "authentic experience" in a foreign country want to eat at the same restaurants that locals eat at, talk to locals who aren't paid to be tour guides, and see what life is like in that location. 15. We made tentative plans to meet next Wednesday. You've been making plans to meet a woman that you met on an online dating site. You've both agreed that next Wednesday is the best day, but you haven't chosen the exact time or location. You think that there's a possibility that she might change the plans to a different day. Now you're telling your friend about this and you say this. a tentative plan A plan that is "tentative" hasn't been completely decided yet. You might still change your plan later if it's "tentative". Some other things that you can describe as "tentative" are: reach a tentative agreement, come to a tentative conclusion. make plans (to do something) To "make plans" means to plan what you're going to do with someone on a certain day and time. This is the meaning of "plans" with an -s at the end. For example: Do you have plans for this weekend? The meaning of this is different from "a plan". "A plan" is an idea for how you're going to do something. Here's an example: Do you have a plan for what you'll do if you get laid off? Tell what you're going to do using "plans to ___": We made plans to meet in a Starbucks at 7:30. Tell when the plans are using "plans for ___": I don't have any plans for Thursday. Do you? 16. I'll call you next week and we can settle on the time and place. You're planning to meet a woman who you met on an online dating site. You've e-mailed each other and decided to meet next Wednesday, but you haven't picked the time or location. You write this to say that you'll call her to decide on the specifics. settle on (something) To "settle on" something means to finally make a decision after considering lots of different choices. You use "settle on ___" to talk about the topic you're deciding: Have you settled on 定下来了吗 where you're going for your honeymoon? Or you can also use it to talk about which one you chose: We settled on Bali for our honeymoon. In the U.S., it's common for people to make a general plan to meet people on a certain day or weekend, and then to choose the specifics later. "Settle on ___" is OK to use in written or spoken English. time and place "Time and place" is a common group of words to use together. You can also say "place and time". I'll (do something) (will 和 be going to 的区别) Use "will" to offer to do something, or when you've just decided to do something like in these situations and want to announce your decision, use "will":  Fine! I'll take it back! I guess I'll thaw this out. OK. Well, I'll take it. I'll keep an eye out for it. ("I'll" is short for "I will", of course.) When you've been planning to do something for a while, don't use "will". Say "I'm ___" or "I'm going to ___". We're going to keep it to just close friends and family. Is (someone) coming (going to 和 will 的区别)? You can talk about the future with " be ___ing". For example: Are you going? I'm staying here. Casey is running a half marathon next month. When someone has already decided on a future action, it's more natural to use this than "will". 17. OK, let's shoot for Wednesday. You're planning to meet a woman who you met on an online dating site. You've been e-mailing her, and she wrote back with her schedule. Today's Monday. She can't meet this week, but she can meet next week on Wednesday. You write this to agree to meet that day. shoot for (a day or time) 暂定, 目前打算, 现在的计划是 (shoot for to try to reach, gain, or accomplish; strive for. to try to achieve a particular thing. The media group is now shooting for annual growth rates of between 8% to 10%. It's worth taking chances when you're shooting for a chance of fame and wealth. ) Use "shoot for (a day or time)" when you're trying to plan when you're going to do something, but you're not 100% sure that the day or time you've decided will work. Here's an example for talking about when a long-term project will be finished: I'm shooting for early August. next (Monday/Tuesday/etc) Explaining what day you're talking about can be difficult. If today is Saturday July 24th, here's what you should call each of the days of the week: Sunday, 7/25: "Tomorrow". Monday, 7/26: "Monday" or "this Monday". Tuesday, 7/27: "Tuesday" or "this Tuesday". Saturday, 8/1: "next Saturday". Sunday, 8/2: "next Sunday". 18. He could at least say 'hi' 打个招呼 or something. You're having after-work drinks with coworkers and complaining about the director of your department. You've complained that he doesn't acknowledge that you're there when you see him outside of the office. Now you're continuing to talk about it, and how you think he should act. You say this. (someone) could at least (do something) In this type of sentence, "could" doesn't mean "was able to" like in this sentence: You could see Times Square from the window of his office. Instead, "could" is used as a suggestion. It means "He should say hi." The phrase "(someone) could at least (do something)" is used when you think someone is acting totally wrongly. In the example above, the speaker actually wants the director to be friendly and start a conversation if they see each other. But even if he doesn't act that friendly, she thinks that he should at least say "hi". So saying that someone "could at least ___" is a way to complain and tell what you think someone should do as the basic, minimum effort. Other versions of this are: He could say "hi" at the very least. At least he could say "hi". 19. OK, I'll let this one slide, but you'd better show up next time. You're going out for drinks this afternoon with a group of coworkers. You invited one coworker that you're friends with, but he said that he couldn't come because he was supposed to meet his girlfriend for dinner. You joke with him by saying this. let (it/this) slide 不追究, 放一马 When someone does something wrong, and you don't punish them for it, you can say that you "let it slide". For example, if you get caught for speeding by the police but they don't want to write you a ticket, they'll say: All right, I'll let it slide this time. (Or at least I imagine that's true, because it's never happened to me. I always end up getting the ticket...) In the example above, the speaker obviously doesn't have the authority to punish his coworker for not going out to drinks, so saying "I'll let this one slide" is a joke. You can use "let it slide" (when talking about a certain action) or "let this slide" (when talking about the overall situation). As you can see from the example at top, you can also say "let this one slide". 20. I've lived here for nearly 15 years, off and on. You moved to the U.S. after you graduated college, and you've mostly lived there since then. But you also spent a few years living in other places. Someone asks you how long you've been in the U.S., and this is your answer. (do something) off and on "Off and on" describes something that has continued to happen, but has not happened constantly. For example, if you dated someone, then broke up, then got back together, then broke up, and so on, you'd describe it: We dated off and on for about 3 years. It's not wrong to use "off and on" in written English, but a more formal way to express the same idea is "intermittently 断断续续的". I've been known to have 5 or 6 cups in a day. You told your friend that you were trying to cut down on caffeine, so you started talking about how much coffee you drink. Sometimes you drink 5-6 cups of coffee in one day. You say this to your friend. (something) has been known to (do something) Use the phrase "___ has been known to ___" to describe something that sometimes happens or has happened a few times in the past: They 've been known to rehearse 10 hours at a single stretch. I'm not sure if I trust you. You have been known to make promises and not follow through on them, you know. The phrase "__ has been know to ___" can either sound very careful, or sound funny and playful. So you could use it to carefully talk about mistakes your boss sometimes makes: She's been known to miss important client meetings from time to time. Or you could use it to joke about something embarrassing that you do a lot: Yeah, I've been known to buy a new pair of shoes every now and then. The joke here would be that you actually buy new shoes all the time, and it's funny that you're trying to sound like you don't do it a lot. have (a drink) English speakers often use the phrase "have ___" instead of "drink ___". For example: Do you want to have a glass of wine with me? You use "have a drink" when you're talking about the experience of drinking something, or you're talking about drinking in a social situation. If you're describing what you drank in a scientific- or medical-sounding way, you would use the verb "drink" instead of the phrase "have a drink". For example, if you got sick while on vacation in a foreign country, you might describe what made you sick: I drank some fruit juice with ice in it on the second day, and I think that the ice is what gave me the stomach virus. cups (of coffee) "Coffee" is a liquid, so you can't count how much of it you've had. The way that English speakers count coffee is to say how many cups they've had. Hot tea is counted in the same way. Cold drinks are counted by how many "glasses" or "bottles" you've had. Beer is counted with "beers": I'm totally not drunk! I only had, like, two beers! (number) in a day If the speaker had said "5 or 6 cups a day", it would have sounded like that was how much she drank every day. But since she said "5 or 6 cups in a day", the sentence means that there are some days when she drinks 5 or 6 cups. On most days she probably drinks less. 21. It's about time 早就该了! There was a broken light on the first floor of your apartment building that hadn't been fixed for two weeks. A neighbor tells you that it's been fixed. You say this because you're happy that it's finally being taken care of. You say "It's about time!" when something finally happens that you think should have happened a long time ago. When you use this, you sound like you're annoyed by how long something took. Here's an example: A: Pete finally sent me the files I've been waiting for. B: It's about time! When you pronounce this, put stress on both "about" and "time": It's about time! People don't usually use this phrase in written English. 22. I've had this presentation looming over me for weeks now. You have an important presentation for school that's due this week. You've been thinking and worrying about the presentation for three weeks. You say this while talking to your boyfriend about the pending presentation. (someone) has had (something) looming over (them) When something "looms" over you, it means that it's floating or hanging ominously. It feels threatening and makes you worry that something bad is going to happen. The best example of this is when dark clouds are floating in the sky. You can describe it this way if you write a story about a scene: There were dark clouds looming overhead. People also use "looming over" to talk about a bad event that they know is going to happen in the future: My 40th birthday is looming right around the corner. I'm not looking forward to that! What was it that you wanted me to look at? Your roommate wanted you to look at something on YouTube, but you were in the middle of writing something important so you wanted to finish it. Now you're finished writing it, and you want to know what your roommate was trying to show you. What was it that you (said)? When someone tells you something or asks a question, but you weren't able to pay close attention to it because you were busy or distracted, you can ask this question. There are a few versions of this question: What was it that you were saying? What was it that you were asking? What was it that you wanted to talk to me about? Notice that the phrase always ends with a verb that's continuous and past (were saying, were asking, wanted). 23. If I HAD to pick something, I'd say it's that I have trouble saying 'no' to people's requests. You're at a job interview and have been asked to described one of your weaknesses. You have to answer, but you want your answer to make you sound impressive. You want it to sound like this weakness is not really a problem. So you say this. If I had to (say something), I'd say (clause) 一定要说的话 Use this phrase when someone is asking you to give an opinion about something that you don't really want to answer, but someone is making you answer. You can use this phrase with different words that mean "say". For example: If I had to guess, I'd say that there's probably 2 more weeks' worth of work left to do. If I had to choose one, I'd say the Civic is probably a slightly better value for the money. When you use this phrase, you sound like you're being careful. Well, let me see... I have water? Sprite? beer? You have visitors at your house. You offered them something to drink. They asked what you have. This is your response. I ended up spending the night in a cheap hotel. You're telling a story about a silly mistake you made when you left your keys at work and couldn't get into your apartment. You've described what happened, and now you want to explain the result of this event. (someone) ended up (doing something) 最终的结果是, 反正最后 When you're telling a story about something that happened, sometimes you don't want to tell everything that a person did. You just want to tell what happened last. To express this, you say that someone "ended up ___ing". For example: We had a great time sitting around talking, and we ended up going to bed at about four in the morning. Jason looked for a job for about 6 months, and he finally ended up taking a job waiting tables at a sushi restaurant downtown.

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用法学习: 1. register I. If you register something, such as the name of a person who has just died or information about something you own, you have these facts recorded on an official list. The council said the car was not registered. We registered his birth. The house is registered in her name. ...a registered charity. II. When something registers on a scale or measuring instrument, it shows on the scale or instrument. You can also say that something registers a certain amount or level on a scale or measuring instrument. It will only register on sophisticated X-ray equipment. The earthquake registered 5.3 points on the Richter scale. The scales registered 录得, 称得 a gain of 1.3 kilograms. III. If you register your feelings or opinions about something, you do something that makes them clear to other people. Voters wish to register their dissatisfaction with the ruling party. Workers stopped work to register their protest. The tradesmen at the end of my street who have cat-called me on my way to the station at 6:30 every morning this week? Barely noticed them this morning. The guy at the pub who endorses a stand-up act saying, 'she's actually so funny, and I don't usually like women comedians'? Barely registers. 2. 女性问题: For many women problems in their own homes can easily pass under the radar for years, until something so outrageous rears its head they can't ignore it. A woman has taken one such incident to parenting forum Mumsnet where it opened a can of worms that has brought a pressing issue to the surface. 'Asking permission' is shirking responsibility 逃避责任. The woman in question had the lightbulb moment 眼前一亮 after her husband asked if he could take a three-week cycling trip across France, leaving her at home with their pre-school aged child during the school holidays. "Is anyone else fed up with 受够了 their DH 'asking permission' to do stuff they haven't thought through, that clearly impacts on family life?" she posted online. To go ahead and pour some vinegar on that wound, the man's holiday would comprise of three-quarters of his annual leave, leaving little time for parenting the couple's child during school breaks. This wasn't the real issue however, as the woman pointed out. She made the very valid point that it was the fact he asked her permission, rather than looked at the issue as one half of the household team, that really rubbed her the wrong way. Dads, she argued, too often offload 推给 all parental and organisational responsibility onto the woman just by asking 'can I', instead of 'should we'. "Mine just asked 'can I go cycling across France for 3 weeks next May?' and I was like, I don't know, can you? Can 'we' manage it?' she wrote. "It just feels like I'm always expected to have The Family Plan and if I don't immediately say 'yes dear, that's fine I'll work everything else around you(work around somebody/something 避开, 绕开 (also work round somebody/ something British English) to arrange or organize something so that you avoid problems that may stop you from doing something. to deal successfully with a person or problem that might prevent you from achieving your aim. A skilled craftsman can work around these difficulties. John won't be here on the 15th so we'll have to work round that.)' then I'm treated like fun police (bad cop) 不让人玩的人, 不让人开心的人(I. Person or group of people who make others stop having fun for whatever reason, usually out of jealousy or spite, but sometimes because said fun is against the law. II. Another name for one's wife, instructor, parent(s), the legitimate authorities. "We were having fun hurling dog shit over the house into the yard across the street with my home-made trebuchet when the effing FUN POLICE made us stop". fun and games 打打闹闹 activities, behaviour etc that are not serious – often used to show disapproval It started out as fun and games but became a successful business. )." The all-too familiar scenario attracted hundreds of responses from women who shared their own experiences. An epidemic of dad-dodging: "ExH (ex-husband) used to do this about going to the footie (sic)," one woman shared. It made me the bad cop if I said no but his conscience was clear 不会良心不安 because he'd been given permission if I said yes so he could absolve all responsibility." "My DH will come up with an idea (let's visit friends in the US!), so sure that it can happen just like that," another woman shared. "When I suggest discussing these exciting plans, he loses the plot saying I'm anti-him-having-fun..." "In my experience, they ask because they know they are being unreasonable/ridiculous, but want someone else to blame for telling them that," a seasoned traveller shared. Also, means that they can tell their buddies that it was your fault!" The stories come on the back of 紧跟着...而发生 last years statistics that showed 86 per cent of Australian women believe they do most of the work around the house. This is despite the fact that 46.9 per cent of all employed persons in Australia are women, almost half of all working people. 3. urge noun. a strong wish, especially one that is difficult or impossible to control. a human/natural urge. Sometimes I get an urge to go swimming at lunchtime. The two of them seem unable to control their sexual urges 性冲动. [ + to infinitive ] The urge to steal is very strong in some of these young men. She felt an overwhelming urge to tell someone about what had happened. verb. to strongly advise or try to persuade someone to do a particular thing: Lawyers will urge the parents to take further legal action. [ + that ] Investigators urged that safety procedures at the site should be improved. Police urged continued vigilance in the fight against crime. The dogs are urged into fighting more fiercely by loud shouts from the crowd. We will continue to urge for leniency to be shown to these prisoners. urge sb on to encourage someone to do or achieve something: The crowd was cheering and urging her on all through the race. urging the act of strongly advising or encouraging someone to do a particular thing: With their dad's urging 敦促, 督促, the girls started playing tennis at a young age. It was only because of Michele's urgings that he sold the house. He accepted the post largely because of strong urgings from his wife. Flu makes thousands of people sick, but they seldom heed urgings to seek the vaccine. He is being pressed to retire from boxing, and the most fervent urgings come from those who admire him most. aquaplane [ækwəˌpleɪn] (hydroplane) n. I. 漂滑现象, 水层效应. II. a single board on which a person stands and is towed by a motorboat at high speed, as in water skiing. v. 滑水, 在积水的路面上打滑. (of a motor vehicle travelling at high speeds in wet road conditions) to rise up onto a thin film of water between the tyres and road surface so that actual contact with the road is lost. Lamborghini flies off motorway into muddy field after aquaplaning. hydroplane [ˈhaɪdrəˌpleɪn] I. if a car hydroplanes, it slides on a wet road so that you cannot control it. II. if a boat hydroplanes, it travels very fast on the surface of the water. 4. Defence lawyers say Christensen was in a drunken stupor 醉的不省人事 ( [stjuːpər , US stuː-] Someone who is in a stupor is almost unconscious and is unable to act or think normally, especially as a result of drink or drugs. the condition of being unable to think or act normally because you are not completely conscious. He fell back onto the sofa in a drunken stupor. He was drinking himself into a stupor every night.) when he spoke about other victims and that it isn't true. They've also denied M.D.'s allegations.