Does your phone have all the BELLS & WHISTLES?

We are surrounded by technology. Some of us ARE more INTO IT (like it more) than others. Some get excited about the latest iPhone or game console; others, on the other hand, simply think it is all too much.

Well, however you feel about technology, if you are an English learner, you should learn the vocabulary used to talk about them. Try the exercises below and start using the following idioms when you talk to your friends.

I. The bolded phrases below are English idioms that are somehow related to technology. To get the complete idiom, you have to fill in the blanks with vocabulary from the group of words below. GIVE IT A SHOT (try it), then do the next exercise to check your understanding. Answers are below (or the next page), but no cheating!   

WAVELENGTH     EDGE       WHISTLES          BUTTONS

PLUG               SCIENCE               LIGHT               FUSE

1. In the end, company directors decided to pull the ___ on the project because it cost way too much money.
2. Besides, the idea was ___ years ahead & a lot of people couldn't see its value.
3. The project included creating staff cell phones with all the bells and ___. Among many things, it would allow staff to clock in and out from their phones every day and allow everyone to order meals from area restaurants while keeping track of the company's lunch budget.
4. Designers of the machine just couldn't get on the same ___ with the directors of the company.
5. After the meeting, the head designer blew a ___ and tore up their blueprints. It was a good thing that they were all backed up.
6. The whole team couldn't believe something so cutting ___ and great for the company could be disapproved.
7. They thought the benefits and the low operating costs were so obvious. The concept wasn't rocket ___ at all, which made the disapproval completely perplexing.
8. The team thinks administration will come around. The department head and the head designer don't get along, and they know how to push each other's ___.

Did you SLEEP LIKE A LOG last night?

How well you sleep can be a major issue when you're in school. You need to be wide awake in class in order to get the most out of your lessons, and if you toss and turn in bed, you might be too pooped to concentrate the next day. Unfortunately, we don't always get to hit the sack at a decent hour for whatever reason, and some of us are just night owls and prefer to be awake late at night than in the morning. In any case, you still need to get up early however late you turn in. If you oversleep, you'll be late for class. So, set the alarm, and hit the sack at a decent hour, so you'll be wide awake in class and eager to learn. 

 

Not sure what the bolded vocabulary and idioms above mean? Just scroll down a little; you'll find their definitions just below. Now that you know them, remember to use them in conversation.

 

Good luck! :-)

 

Also ...

Are you a NIGHT OWL or an EARLY BIRD?

This temporary owl sculpture stood along Broadway in Midtown not too far from NYLC this past winter. Many owls are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day and hunt at night. This is most likely the reason why we call people who are wide awake at night NIGHT OWLS!  :-)  Read about this & learn more vocabulary in the lesson below.   

People usually either love staying up late at night or prefer going to bed early. Those who enjoy staying up late and hitting the sack way past midnight don't enjoy getting up early. On the other hand, those who turn in early also enjoy waking up early.

• HITTING THE SACK - going to bed
• WAY past midnight - so much past midnight (as in 2 or 3 a.m.)
• TURN IN - go to bed

Which one are you?  If you love staying up late and hitting the sack in the wee hours of the morning, you can call yourself a night owl! :-) You probably snooze the alarm several times in the morning before you drag yourself out of bed. Then you move very slowly as you struggle to wake up.

• THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING - very early morning, around 3 or 4 a.m.
• A NIGHT OWL - someone who goes to bed very late
• DRAG yourself or someone - force yourself or someone
• STRUGGLE - try hard

Writing a Love Letter for that Special Someone

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It): Here's Ryan's latest video lesson perfect for today's special occasion. Watch, learn some English idioms, and enjoy!

It's usually better not to WING IT.

 

If you're in New York City, you've probably seen this ad around town. This one was on the back side of a kiosk along Broadway in Midtown Manhattan. This PSA encourages parents to teach children to be ready for emergencies. WINGING IT when there is an emergency is not good enough; children need to know exactly what to do when something dangerous and unexpected happens.

• AD is short for advertisement
• PSA - Public Service Announcement 

WINGING IT is an idiom that means to do something unprepared. When we are not ready for a test, a presentation, a business meeting, or anything that requires preparation, we WING IT. 

Vocabulary exercise with "SHAPE" & "WEIGHT"

A: Combine the words on the left with either SHAPE or WEIGHT and fill in the blanks. The answers are below, under section B. 

• In                            SHAPE
• Out of                      WEIGHT
• Lose
• Over
• Under

1. Tom looks good, but he's actually ______ because he doesn't work out.
2. The doctor told Mindy to eat more at each meal because she is a little ______.
3. Mindy's health is fine. She just needs to ________. Her doctor said another 5 pounds would be good.
4. Sarah keeps saying she's ______, but she's actually the right size for her height.
5. John is a health fanatic. To stay ______, he runs, swims, rides his bike, and watches what he eats.
6. Peter used to weigh 200 lbs. However, he was determined to _______. Now, he weighs 50 pounds lighter!

Expressions with "HIT" - part 2

. Actors who've HIT IT BIG usually see their names displayed on Broadway. Do you ever dream of HITTING IT BIG?

How familiar are you with this second set of expressions with the word "HIT"? (If you missed the first group, check out this blogpost from early June.) 

• HIT IT BIG                  HIT IT OFF
• HIT THE SACK          HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD
• HIT THE HAY             HIT THE GROUND RUNNING

Take a look at this dialog and see if the expressions make sense, then try the matching exercise that follows.

A: You're not HITTING THE SACK yet, are you? It's still early.
B: I am, actually. Tomorrow's a big day. It's our opening day, and we need to HIT THE GROUND RUNNING if we want to compete with the other shops in the area.

A: Well, I have a feeling you guys will HIT IT BIG fast. You have a very good business model.

B: Thanks. We definitely believe in it. Tom and his team are working on the finishing touches of our website as we speak.

A: You two make a really good team. So you take care of the daily shop operations, and he handles the website?

B: That's right. We met about two years ago in business school, and we just HIT IT OFF. Our ideas just make sense to each other.

A: That's awesome. I hear you two have been working on the business plan for about a year and a half. I think it's easier to get along and find things in common with people and harder to actually work and collaborate on a business venture.

B: You HIT THE NAIL RIGHT ON THE HEAD there. We definitely disagree on some things, but it helps when we have the same goals as far as what to offer customers.

A: Well, I wish you both the best. I guess I'm going to HIT THE HAY, too. I want to be your first customer in your new shop tomorrow.

B: Alright. Good night. See you in the morning.

A: Good night.

Now, try matching the following idioms with their meaning: Two of the idioms have the same definition. The answers are below.

1. HIT THE SACK _____                                          A. get along well from the start
2. HIT THE GROUND RUNNING _____                       B. be exactly right   
3. HIT IT BIG _____                                               C. go to bed  
4. HIT IT OFF _____                                               D. start with a lot of energy  
5. HIT THE NAIL RIGHT ON THE HEAD _____           E. become very successful or famous
6. HIT THE HAY _____

A quick exercise on using idioms with "CUT"

English has several idioms with the word "cut." The list below are some of the more common ones. Are you familiar with these idioms? Can you use them in conversation? Fill in the blanks below and see how well you know them.

If you need a quick refresher (review), head over to our NYLC English blog for a quick lesson.

CUT IT CLOSE; CUT CORNERS; CUT OUT FOR; CUT OUT TO; 
MAKE THE CUT; CUT SOMEONE SOME SLACK; CUT IT OUT; 
CUT THE CRAP; NOT CUT IT  

1. He did his best. Everyone makes mistakes. ________, will you?
2. He finished quickly, but the work is so sloppy. He ________ again.
3. You should be at the airport already. If you're just leaving now, you're ________.
4. He decided to quit. He realized he's not ________ be a salesperson.
5. ________! Mom, Billy's kicking me!
6. ________. I want you to stop lying and start telling me the truth.
7. A lot of people said she wasn't ________ the position, but five years later, she's still the president. 
8. The professor said his project ________ and he had to do more research.
9. Ted tried out for his school's basketball team, but a lot of excellent players were there, and Ted didn't ________.
10. Sarah almost got fired, but his manager decided to ________ and give her another chance.
11. Bill had always thought he wasn't ________ work with kids, but he realized that he was really good at it.
12. He kept goofing off (acting silly) at the library until the librarian told him to ________.

Once in a blue moon

Blue moons are so rare, we only see them ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, so to speak. :-)
Is there anything or anyone that you see just ONCE IN A BLUE MOON (very rarely)? 

It was a bit cloudy last night, but did you happen to notice the full moon? Did you know that it was actually a blue moon? There are a couple of definitions for a blue moon, but the original and correct one says that it's the third full moon in a season with four full moons. Each season (spring, summer, fall, & winter) usually only has three full moons, so a season with four is quite rare. Before last night, the last blue moon based on this definition occurred on November 21, 2010, and the next one won't be until 2015. It's a rare phenomenon (event), indeed, which explains the English expression that you've probably already learned: ONCE IN A BLUE MOON (rarely; seldom). 

The other definition, which I, myself, have used to explain what a blue moon is when I teach this phrase, states that a blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. Most months only have one full moon, and a month with two is also quite rare. However, I just found out last night that this definition is actually erroneous (a mistake). According to the Huffington Post, a magazine in 1946 mistakenly defined a blue moon by this definition and the explanation simply stuck (stayed; remained). 

Nevertheless, whichever definition you use, a blue moon is a rare event, which is why we say ONCE IN A BLUE MOON to talk about an event or an activity that we do very rarely. Some people cook ONCE IN A BLUE MOON because they prefer to eat out. Others eat out ONCE IN A BLUE MOON because they prefer to cook and save money on food. Some people hang out with friends all the time, while others do it just ONCE IN A BLUE MOON. What about you? What do you do just ONCE IN A BLUE MOON? 

Share your thoughts with us below, on NYLC's page on Facebook, and on our page on Twitter using the hashtag #ilovenylc. 

-- Joe Yu, ESL instructor  

3 ways to say "I LIKE it!"

I'M FOND OF the spectacular views that I suddenly notice just walking around
NYC. What about you? What are some things that you ARE FOND OF in this town? 

There are a lot of things to like about New York City. Don't you agree? There's Bryant Park, the High Line, the wide selection of restaurants and the variety of entertainment choices all over the place. In addition, you may enjoy talking to the locals or riding the subway or just exploring our diverse neighborhoods.

With so much to like, it's good to have more ways to express how you feel when you're talking about them. Don't you think? Well, fortunately, there are! Besides using LIKE, you can say LOVE or ADORE. In addition, there are three other ways to say you admire or enjoy something (or someone): you can say you'RE A BIG FAN of it, you ARE FOND OF it, or that IT'S YOUR CUP OF TEA. Now, you just need to know how to use them all in a sentence, and you're all set!

Here are some examples:

1. They love their neighborhood. There's so much to do right outside their doorstep. 
2. I adore that restaurant. The people there are nice; the food is fantastic, and the prices are so reasonable.
3. We'RE so FOND OF that park. It's a great place to take the kids and just have them run around.
4. He'S A BIG FAN of the city's new bike sharing program. He's been using it about twice a week.
5. She enjoys talking to strangers on the subway. It's just HER CUP OF TEA. She says it's a good way to practice her English. 

Making something from scratch

When you MAKE something FROM SCRATCH you start with basic ingredients. This usually means using flour, water, eggs, milk, sugar, et al. You don't use mixes that you buy in a box at the supermarket. Dishes and desserts that are MADE FROM SCRATCH are usually made by hand, not by an automated system in a factory. You may use kitchen appliances to mix or to chop, and you may buy some ready-made ingredients such as pasta or anchovies and get away with calling it MADE FROM SCRATCH, but the entire recipe should be prepared by you. Of course, if you make your own pasta, yourself, that's even better, and you can say, "This dish is 'completely' MADE FROM SCRATCH," to emphasize that every part of the recipe comes from basic ingredients.

Annamaria is sprinkling some
cocoa powder on some tiramisù
that she made from scratch.

So can you make anything from scratch? Do you have a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies that is TO DIE FOR (excellent; remarkable) or your grandmother's lasagna that is OUT OF THIS WORLD (excellent; extraordinary)? Share it with us! Write it down or type it up. It's a fun way to practice your English. You can then show it to your teacher for editing, and we'll post it on our blog to share with everyone. 

Annamaria is sharing her own recipe with us. We've tasted her tiramisù a couple of times in the TOEFL class and asked if she could tell us how she makes it. We're definitely thankful it's not a secret family recipe because now we can try to make it ourselves. Thanks, Annamaria!

Click here to see Annamaria's tiramisù recipe.


--Joe Yu, ESL instructor

A Stone's Throw Away

A stone's throwaway in Brooklyn at just A STONE'S THROW AWAY.

I took a picture of this paper's front-page when I noticed the idiom on it. Do you know what A STONE'S THROW AWAY means? Basically, if something is A STONE'S THROW AWAY, it means it is not very far. For example, you can say "There's a nice park just A STONE'S THROW AWAY from my house." You're basically saying that there's a park not very far from your house.

The exact distance, of course, is relative and depends on what you consider close or near. In other words, you can say that New Jersey is just A STONE'S THROW AWAY from Manhattan so you may consider living there while you work or go to school in Manhattan. However, if you live in New York, you probably won't go to New Jersey to buy groceries; it's too far. You'd probably go to a store that's just A STONE'S THROW AWAY from your home or your job. You get the picture, right?

[GET THE PICTURE - understand]

Proverb: You reap what you sow

Do you recognize the proverb on the first line? It says, "You reap what you sow." It's a common English ADAGE that means we eventually get what we put out. Good DEEDS and words bring nice things back to us, while evil words and actions BOOMERANG negativity back. Michele in the TOEFL class came across this 4-line poem on one of her apps and asked what it meant. After we went over the vocabulary (REAP & SOW), most of the class quickly got the idea and said they had a similar expression in their language.

REAP - to collect; harvest; get
SOW - to plant; cultivate

ADAGE - a saying; proverb

BOOMERANG - to return

The poem is sort of an extension to the proverb. Do you agree with it? Can you think of a situation in your life when you thought of a goal, acted on it, made a habit of your actions until it became part of who you are, which then helped you reach your goal?