phrasal verb: feel up to

{ November 13, 2014 @ 6:40 pm } · { phrasal verbs }
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tired

Today, I’d like to go back to phrasal verbs, and this time I want to write about “feel up to” doing something. We use it when we want to talk about having enough energy to do something. Here are some example sentences using it.

A: Would you like to have dinner tonight?

B: I’d like to, but I’m so tired and I’m not feeling up to it.

Karen just got out of the hospital, so I doubt she’ll be feeling up to going skiing this weekend.

I know you worked all day, but are you feeling up to helping me with my computer tonight?

If you’re feeling up to it, why don’t we go dancing tonight?

Usually if a person is not feeling up to doing something it’s because they are sick or very tired. It could also be because of some situation that has caused them to be emotionally upset.

It is possible to use this expression in positive sentences, but it’s more commonly used in questions and negative sentences.

Please note that if there is a verb that follows “to”, it must be in the –ing form.

idiom: to break the ice

{ October 31, 2014 @ 3:01 pm } · { idioms }
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Break_the_Ice___Britney_Spears_by_spike110

For this blog entry, I want to write about the expression, “break the ice”. We use it when we want to talk about a situation in which we are meeting a new person or people for the first time and we do something in order to feel more comfortable with them. Here are some example sentences.

I’m going to tell a joke at the start of my speech to break the ice with the audience.

I feel really uncomfortable when meeting new people. What should I do to break the ice?

The teacher had everyone in the class play a game in order to break the ice.

A: I think a good way to break the ice with someone is to ask them a lot of questions.
B: I’m not so sure. I think that could make them feel even more uncomfortable.

This expression can be used to talk about many types of situations in which people are meeting for the first time: a person speaking in front of a large group, two people meeting for the first time on a blind date, a group of people meeting for the first time for a class or job situation, etc.

There are also various ways to break the ice: asking questions, telling jokes, telling a personal story, playing a game, etc.

In this expression, the “ice” represents the feeling of discomfort that comes with meeting new people for the first time. When we “break” that ice, we are removing the feeling of discomfort and then the relationship can begin in a better way.

grammatical expression: to not get one’s hopes up

{ October 17, 2014 @ 8:07 pm } · { grammatical expression }
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Today I’d like to write about another expression that we often use in daily conversation: to “not get one’s hopes up”. We use this when we want to talk about a situation in which a person wants something to happen. However, there is a strong possibility it won’t happen, so someone else encourages them to expect that it won’t happen. Here are some example sentences:

A: I hope they don’t cancel my favorite show.
B: I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you. The ratings for that show are really bad.

I was disappointed by Bob when he told me he’d take me out this weekend. I shouldn’t let him get my hopes up like that.

A: Valerie said she’d help me move.
B: Don’t get your hopes up. She always agrees to help people, but then she doesn’t.

Don’t tell Sue you can take her to Disneyland if you’re not sure. I don’t want you to get her hopes up.

My last sentence is an example of to “not get someone’s hopes up”. In this case, one person is telling another person directly not to make promises to someone else if there is a chance they will not be able to do the thing.

We can also use this expression to talk about ourselves when we let ourselves think something will happen that probably won’t happen. In this case, we say something like, “I let him get my hopes up.” This means that the person was disappointed even though they knew it might not happen. My second sentence is another example of this.

As you can see, this expression is usually used in the negative because it’s always describing a negative situation in which the good event probably won’t happen or didn’t happen.

We commonly use this expression with “don’t” or “I wouldn’t…if I were you”. In these cases, another person is giving a warning to the person to be prepared for a negative situation.

grammatical word: personally

{ September 19, 2014 @ 1:53 pm } · { grammatical word }
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Personally Speaking-webuse

Today, I want to go over the word “personally”. We use it when we want to give our opinion about something. This word is used to emphasize the fact that it is our own opinion and not someone else’s. Let me give you some examples of how to use it in sentences.

Most people I know like the actor Nathan Jones but, personally, I don’t like him.

Personally, I find living in a small town to be very enjoyable.

I personally think that Japan is the best country in the world.

My friends love to go dancing but, personally, I don’t enjoy it.

As you can see from my examples, the word “personally” can be placed in various places in the sentence: at the beginning, in the middle or between the words “I” and “think”. Please note that when we put this word in the middle of a sentence, we put commas around it, as in my first and fourth examples.

We can only use this word when talking about our opinion; if we are simply making a statement about something, we cannot use this word.

We usually use this word with verbs such as “think”, “like”, “enjoy” and “find”. In this case, the verb “find” means that we have a certain opinion about something based on our own experience of it. It does not mean that we locate something that we have been looking for.

idiom: to not be a spring chicken

{ August 27, 2014 @ 3:45 pm } · { idioms }
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im_no_spring_chicken_wooden_sign

Today, I’d like to write about the expression “not be a spring chicken”. We use it when we want to talk about a person who is getting much older or who is already quite old. Here are some ways to use it in sentences.

Please slow down! I can’t go as fast as you can. I’m not a spring chicken anymore.

A: Is your boss old?
B: Well, he’s not so old, but he’s not exactly a spring chicken either.

My aunt is no spring chicken, but she’s still a very active person.

The members of that band are no spring chickens anymore, but they still make very good music.

In English, a “spring chicken” is a young chicken between the ages of two months and ten months old.

We almost always use this in grammatically negative sentences. It is possible to use it in a positive sentence, as in “He’s just a spring chicken.” meaning he’s very young. However, these cases are quite rare, so it’s more common to say “He’s not a spring chicken.” meaning he’s quite old.

We can use two types of negation with this expression. We can use the word “not” + “a” + “spring chicken”, as in my first two examples. We can also use the word “no” + “spring chicken”, as in my last two examples. Both ways are commonly used.

Please note that “spring chicken” is countable, so if we’re talking about more than one person, we must add an “s” to the word “chicken”. This is the case of my last example.

grammatical expression: a wake up call

{ August 10, 2014 @ 9:34 pm } · { grammatical expression }
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Today’s blog entry is about the term “a wake-up call”. We use it when we want to talk about an event which makes a person realize that they have to change some kind of negative behavior. Let me give you some ways to use it in sentences.

I used to smoke, but when my friend died of lung cancer, it was really a wake-up call for me. I quit smoking very soon after that.

My son has been lazy about studying, so he failed his last exam. I hope that will be a wake-up call for him.

I heard about a guy who didn’t save much money until he was in his fifties. Now he’s old but very poor. That was really a wake-up call for me, and now I’m saving as much money as I can.

Yesterday in the news, there was a story about a man who was killed while driving drunk. That should be a wake-up call for all people who drink and drive.

We can use this expression in all types of sentences, but it’s most commonly used in grammatically positive sentences.

As you can see from my examples, we put the preposition “for” after this term, and then that is followed by the person who is doing the negative behavior.

We can also use this term to talk about a situation in a hotel where a person gets a call from the hotel staff early in the morning in order to not be late for something.

In the case where it means to stop a negative behavior, the idea is that the person is not conscious of the possible negative effects their behavior can have. When the bad event happens, it “wakes them up” from that unconscious state and makes them change.

This term can be used in both business situations and daily conversations.

grammatical expression: in no time

{ July 30, 2014 @ 8:37 pm } · { grammatical expression }
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Mutemath-In-No-Time-Pierce-Fulton-Remix

Today, I’d like to write about the short expression “in no time”. We use it when we want to say that something will happen very quickly. Let me give you some ways to use it in sentences.

If we take the bullet train, we’ll get to Osaka in no time.

I just bought some new kitchen machines. Now I can prepare dinner in no time.

If you study French at this school, you’ll be fluent in no time.

This car repair shop is great. They fixed my car’s engine in no time at all.

We only use this expression in grammatically positive sentences.

Sometimes, we add “at all” to the end of this expression. This is done to emphasize it and make it stronger. This is the case of my fourth example.

This is an example of exaggeration in English because, obviously, any action will take at least a little time to be accomplished.

Please note that we always use the word “no” in this expression instead of “not”. Generally, we use “no” in front of a noun, and we use “not” in front of a verb or adjective.

This expression can be used in both casual business situations and daily conversations.

grammatical expression: on the other hand

{ July 21, 2014 @ 9:09 am } · { grammatical expression }
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cropped-on-the-other-hand-letter-head1

Today, I’d like to write about the term “on the other hand”. We use it when we want to talk about something which goes against something that has already been said. Let me give you some ways to use it in sentences.

Peter is very talented. On the other hand, he’s also very lazy.

A: Rebecca said you were late today.
B: I was only two minutes late. She, on the other hand, has been ten minutes late three times this week.

This house is quite expensive for me now. On the other hand, it would be a good investment for the future.

I don’t like American movies so much. American TV shows, on the other hand, are very interesting.

We can use this term in grammatically positive and negative sentences, but it’s not used in questions.

As you can see from my examples, “on the other hand” is used in a second sentence and is used to contradict something in the first sentence.

It can be placed at the beginning of the second sentence or in the middle. It it’s in the middle, there must be commas around it.

This term can be used in both business situations and daily conversations.

grammatical word: eyesore

{ July 2, 2014 @ 4:25 pm } · { grammatical word }
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Temporary_Eyesore_04

Today I’m going to write about the noun “eyesore”. We use this when we want to talk about something that is on display that we think is very ugly. Here are some ways to use it in sentences.

I hate the statue in front of my apartment building! It’s such an eyesore!

My neighbors put a big windmill on their front lawn to generate electricity. It’s a good idea, but the thing is a real eyesore.

I want to put a home gym in my apartment, but my wife won’t let me. She says it’ll be an eyesore.

I can’t believe the museum paid $1,000,000 for that eyesore of a painting! What a waste of money!

In all of these cases, the thing (the statue, the windmill, the home gym, the painting) is considered very ugly by the person. However, that is just their opinion; another person might disagree.

When we talk about an “eyesore”, it can be about something on display either in a private home, in a public building or outside.

grammatical word: cope

{ June 17, 2014 @ 2:04 pm } · { grammatical word }
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Image

Today, I’m going to write about the verb, to “cope”. We use this word when we want to talk about how we can emotionally handle a difficult situation in life. Here are some ways to use it in sentences.

My sister’s husband just left her, and she’s not coping well with it.

My friend has six children. I don’t know how she can cope with so many children.

A: I heard Bruce just lost his job. How is he coping?

B: He’s actually coping really well. He’s a strong person.

I don’t think I could cope if I ever lost my job.

We often use this verb with the words “can”, “can’t”, “could” and “couldn’t”. When we use these words, we are emphasizing the person’s ability to handle the situation.

We also often use the word “well” with this verb, as in my first and third examples. In these cases, we usually use the present continuous tense. It can be used in a negative way, as in the first example, or in a positive way, as in the third example. In these cases, the person is already dealing with the difficult situation, and is either handling it well or badly.

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