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 ___.

Using EVEN THOUGH, DESPITE, & NEVERTHELESS

People are beginning to spend more time outdoors even though it's still chilly out.
New Yorkers are beginning to wear summer clothing despite the chilly temperatures still in NYC.
It's still a bit chilly. Nevertheless, New Yorkers are beginning to wear shorts & T-shirts.

The TOEFL class practiced using EVEN THOUGH, DESPITE, and NEVERTHELESS in class recently. The main lesson to remember is that these words all show contrast and unexpected outcomes, but we have to pay attention to how we use them in a sentence.

• EVEN THOUGH & ALTHOUGH (subordinate conjunctions) have to be followed by a clause (subject + verb)
• DESPITE & IN SPITE OF (subordinate conjunctions) have to be followed by a noun only (often with an adjective, but never with a verb)
• DESPITE & IN SPITE OF can also be followed by "THE FACT THAT," which can then be followed by a clause.
• NEVERTHELESS & NONETHELESS (conjunctive adverbs) has to start a sentence or come right after the subject, in which case, it is separated by commas.

 Here are some examples:

• EVEN THOUGH it rained, they went to the beach.
• DESPITE the rain, they went to the beach.
• DESPITE THE FACT THAT it rained, they went to the beach.
• It rained. NEVERTHELESS, they went to the beach.

Wishing in the past: regretting & blaming

Tom didn't do well in his exam. He now WISHES he HAD STUDIED & DONE his homework more.

This is the fourth lesson in our series on how to wish correctly. If you need a refresher on how to wish in the present, check out part one; if you need to brush up on wishing about the future, check out part 3. Part 2 talks about wishing someone the best.

In this lesson, we will go over how wishing works when we talk about the past. Wishing in the past usually takes the form of regrets or blame. We regret when we wish we HAD DONE or HADN'T DONE something, and we blame someone when we wish the person HAD DONE or HADN'T DONE something.

If you notice, we use the PAST PERFECT when we express regret or blame about the past.

1. I wish we HAD STAYED longer. (We didn't stay longer.)
2. I wish I HADN'T DRUNK so much. (I drank a lot.)
3. I wish you HAD CALLED me first. (You didn't call me first.)
4. She wishes she HAD STUDIED for the exam. (She didn't study.)
5. They wish they HADN'T FOUGHT with the cops. (They fought with the cops. :-|)

Let's talk about the future, part 2

Thanksgiving lunch at our Midtown branch STARTS at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow. ARE
you HANGING AROUND after your classes & PARTICIPATING in the feast? 

If you read our last blog lesson, you've gone through part 1 of my post on fine tuning (perfecting) your use of the future tenses. We focused on the simple future, the future with "be going to," and how one or the other is better in some situations.

In part 2, we'll focus on the use of the present tenses--the SIMPLE PRESENT and the PRESENT PROGRESSIVE--to talk about the future.

The good news is it couldn't be any simpler; there are just a couple of things to remember. First, if you also want to say that a future event is definitely going to happen because you've already made the decision, you can use the PRESENT PROGRESSIVE.

Things to say for Halloween

NYLC is ready for Halloween! Are you?

Well folks, it's that time of year again when children dress up in costumes and head door to door with their baskets asking for candy. Adults also put on costumes and head to parties, showing off their creativity and cleverness in putting together who or whatever they've decided to be this year. 

What about you? ARE YOU DRESSING UP THIS YEAR? If so, WHO or WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE THIS HALLOWEEN? With only a few days left, it's time to come up with something. If you're curious what kind of costume a friend is going to wear, you can ask, "WHO ARE YOU DRESSING UP AS?" If you're heading out to a party or to a Halloween parade, you can also ask "WHO ARE YOU GOING AS?" 

Then there's TRICK OR TREATING. ARE YOU GOING TRICK OR TREATING this year? Children, as well as children-at-heart, look forward to this activity. They knock on doors and yell out, "TRICK OR TREAT!" Most kids now simply expect to get TREATS (candy), but the phrase was once meant to be a question for the owner of the house if he preferred to give out treats or have a "trick" done on him. A TRICK can mean throwing an egg at someone's house or TPing someone's yard, which means throwing rolls of toilet paper all over the place. TRICKS, of course, are no longer commonly done these days, so if you're out TRICK OR TREATING, simply expect to fill your bag with goodies--good ones if you're lucky. If you want to go and want some company, you can invite a friend and say, "LET'S GO TRICK OR TREATING!"

Wishing someone the best

We join Cassandra in WISHING Eliana endless adventures in her future, an abundance
of friends always, and a family everywhere she goes. Eliana studied at NYLC for two years.
She's heading back to Brazil in December before she's off to Europe for more adventures.

So, have you thought of your wishes yet and how to say them in English? You may need to check out part 1 of this series first to review the rules. We learned that wishing meant wanting something that we didn't have. Grammatically, we use the past tense when we wish for something in the present. For example, if I wish I HAD a boat, it means I want to own a boat, but I don't have one now. In the next lesson, we'll cover wishing for something in the future and how wishing works in the past. 

For now, however, we will look at the word "wish" and one common usage that is not about wanting something that we don't have. In fact, another use of wish is when we express hope for another person. 

Close your eyes, and make a wish.

If a genie granted Vanessa & Gina a wish each, Vanessa would wish she already
had her Bachelor's degree so she could move on to medical school, and Gina would
wish she had a nice, cozy house in the country, near a lake & with horses on the property.

If you rubbed an oil lamp and a genie came out and granted you three wishes, would you know what to wish for? More importantly, would you know how to say them in English? :-) If not, read on and learn how to do it right. The genie might be a stickler for grammar and not grant your wish if you don't say it correctly. We wouldn't want that to happen. :-)

• A STICKLER for - insistent; demanding; strict about something 

Which baby animal is your favorite?

There's a new baby panda at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. It was born over the weekend, & a lot of people are keeping their fingers crossed hoping the little guy (or gal) will make it. We learned in one of our Sunday classes that baby pandas have a high mortality rate. In fact, according to our textbook, six out of ten die shortly after birth. Fortunately, so far, so good for this cub although a twin came out stillborn on Saturday. This is the latest story from ABC News.

          KEEPING ONE'S FINGERS CROSSED - hoping for the best; hoping for good luck

          MAKE IT - survive; be successful 

          MORTALITY RATE - death rate 

          STILLBORN - already dead at birth

Breaking News | Celebrity News | More ABC News Videos

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  

Tips on using MODALS the right way

These guys are picking up bicycles from New York City's new bike-sharing program. They
MUST BE saving money on transportation costs, & they MUST BE getting a lot of exercise.
Biking to work CAN BE sweaty, so riders SHOULD probably BRING a change of clothes.

Did you notice the modal verbs in the caption above? How good are you at using modals? (Will, might, could, should, would, must, can, et al.) Can you use them easily when you're having a conversation or when you're writing?

Modal verbs can be tricky for a couple of reasons. First, they don't follow tense rules like other verbs, so students can have a bit of trouble using them, especially to talk about the past. Also, some of them have more than one meaning, which makes it sometimes tough to decide which one to use correctly.

To help you make sense of modal verbs and help you master them, here are some tips to keep in mind.

1. To talk about the present or the future, use this structure: [MODAL + base form of the verb].

• We MIGHT GO to the beach this weekend.
• You SHOULD COME to the party.
• She MUST LIKE ice cream. She ate the whole tub.

Giving directions in NYC

We're all constantly giving directions. We invite people over for parties and give them directions to our homes; we recommend restaurants and tell friends how to get there, and once in a while, we're obliged to give directions to strangers on the street to help them out.

OBLIGED - feel obligated 

How comfortable are you with giving directions? Are you confident the person you're talking to will find their destination without a problem?

In a big city like New York, we do a lot of traveling by public transport, so most of our directions include trains & buses. To help you become a pro at giving directions in the big city, here are some tips to keep in mind.

A PRO (short for "a professional")

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

LITTLE or A LITTLE interest in fish

At the New York Aquarium in Coney Island. Do you have A LITTLE interest in fish?

Did you know saying you have "A LITTLE" interest in something and saying you have "LITTLE" interest in something are completely different? For example, if you have A LITTLE interest in fish and the ocean, you'll probably like looking at the photo above and you might even want to check out the aquarium. On the other hand, if you have LITTLE interest in fish or the ocean, you probably won't care much about this photo, and you probably find aquariums boring. So, which one are you?

It's interesting how the article "A" can make a huge difference in meaning. "A LITTLE" means an amount of something, while "LITTLE" means not much. For example, if you say you have A LITTLE money in your bag, you're simply saying you have a small amount of money. You may want to say that there's enough for the day or that there's enough of it if you need to buy something. Whatever the context, you're just announcing that you have a bit of money.

On the other hand, if you say you have LITTLE money, you're saying that you don't have much or enough and that it's probably insufficient to buy anything. It could even mean that you're poor. When you don't use the article A, the sentence has a negative meaning.

Here are a few examples.
1. I have A LITTLE bit of money left. Let's grab some lunch. (a small amount)
2. I have LITTLE money left, so I have to watch my spending. Let's go someplace less expensive. (not much)
3. I have A LITTLE water. Would you like some?
4. I have LITTLE water left in my bag. I want to save it for later when it gets really hot.
5. · Do you have A LITTLE time to talk? 

    · Sorry, I have very LITTLE time before my plane leaves. Let's talk when I get back.

Incidentally, the same goes for "A FEW" and "FEW". A FEW means a small number of or about four of something, while FEW means not many. If you saw A FEW people, you probably saw about four or a small number of people. On the other hand, if you saw FEW people, it means you didn't see many people.

Here are a few examples.
1. We thought we'd be the only ones on the highway at 3 a.m., buy there were A FEW other cars on the road. (a small number of cars)
2. We thought traffic would be heavy, but there were actually FEW cars on the road. (not many cars)
3. FEW customers came in the store, so the manager decided to close early. (not many customers)
4. A FEW customers bought their newest product, so the manager decided to order more of it. (a small number of customers)
5. · I hear FEW people are interested in the event, so I don't think it will be packed. 

    · Actually, I know A FEW who are interested in it; we should still get there early, just in case.

TIME TO PRACTICE:

Try to finish the following sentences. 

• I have A LITTLE interest in ... (learning German, sky diving, moving overseas)
• I have LITTLE interest in ... (bungee jumping, learning how to dance)
• There are A FEW ... (cafes, restaurants) in my neighborhood.  (a small number of)
• There are FEW ... (apartment buildings) in my neighborhood. (not many)

Alright, folks. Share your sentences here, on NYLC's page on Facebook, or on Twitter at NYLangCenter. Add the HASHTAG #ilovenylc with your Tweets. Good luck! :-)

-- Joe Yu, ESL instructor

What's your biggest PET PEEVE?

This is the cover page of amNewYork on May 29. Do you see the PUN in this headline?
Would you get PEEVED if your neighbors kept snakes, rooster, or pigs at home? 

Last weekend, I blogged about PUNS, and at the end of that lesson, I mentioned that PUNS come up in conversation EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, sometimes unexpectedly, and that they're everywhere, especially in ads and newspaper headlines. I also said that we'd keep an ear or eye out for them, so we could share them with you here. Well, here's one from the cover story of a local paper here in New York City. This article is about exotic and illegally kept animals in New York City. Snakes, roosters, alligators, tigers, et al., all kept as pets. If you know the meaning of PET PEEVE, you'll quickly figure out the PUN. If you don't know what PET PEEVE means, well, keep reading; this is the topic of this lesson.

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE (now and then; sometimes)

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR (watch out for)

A PET PEEVE is something that angers or annoys you every time you encounter it. To be PEEVED means to get angry. You can say, "I was so PEEVED at what they did that I left the party." This use of PEEVE is not as common because there are other ways of saying I'm angry--I am upset; I am mad; I'm pissed; I'm ticked off; I'm annoyed. PEEVE is more often used as part of the phrase PET PEEVE. We say, "that's a PET PEEVE of mine" to talk about something that angers us every time we witness or come across it.

No PUN intended.

Do you notice ads & signs on the subway? They could be unexpected English lessons!

Have you seen this ad on the New York City subway? It's actually a good example of a PUN or A PLAY ON WORDS. You've probably heard someone say, "NO PUN INTENDED" and sometimes the person smiles as if he or she has just said something amusing. Do you know what this means? 

Well, PUNS are usually clever ways of using words so that a word has two purposes in the sentence. One purpose has to do with what the sentence is saying or the meaning of the word in the sentence. The word LAND in the ad means to get or acquire something. For example, you can LAND the perfect job or LAND an exciting assignment in your company--perhaps one that lets you travel to an exciting destination. Journalists try to LAND interviews with famous people. Similarly, if you're applying for a job, you'd be thrilled if you LANDED a job interview at the company where you'd most like to work.

The second purpose of a PUN usually has to do with the topic or the sound of the word. This is usually what makes the use of the word clever, amusing, and often funny. The word LAND in the ad, for example, is purposely used here to cleverly refer to airplanes since the ad is for an airline. The writer of this ad could have used another verb. He or she could've said BUY or SECURE or SNAG (grab quickly) the perfect flight. Instead, he or she uses LAND specifically because the ad is for an airline, and LAND is what airplanes do. :-) Get it?

Keeping Up, Falling Behind, & Catching Up

Everyone in the group is running hard, but they're KEEPING
UP with each other so far. The guy in the back, though, looks
like he's getting tired and is beginning to slow down a bit.

When you're out running with some friends, you always want to KEEP UP with the group, right? You don't want to FALL BEHIND because that would be embarrassing. Do you agree? If you're in shape, it's a piece of cake, but if you're out of shape, it can be tough.

KEEP UP - be with the group
FALL BEHIND - be in the back because you're slow
IN SHAPE - physically fit; healthy & strong
OUT OF SHAPE - not healthy & weak
A PIECE OF CAKE - easy

I knew it! The guy in the back was getting tired! He was
probably running out of breath and had to slow down or
start walking. Now he's FALLEN BEHIND and will have to
CATCH UP with the group. However, it won't be easy.

Once you've FALLEN BEHIND, it can be difficult to CATCH UP. You'd have to catch your breath, then run faster to reach the group. However, once you've CAUGHT UP with everyone, you'd probably be out of breath again if you're so out of shape and you may FALL BEHIND again.

CATCH UP - be even with everyone; be up to date
CATCH YOUR BREATH - try to breathe normally
OUT OF BREATH - having a hard time breathing


The three phrasal verbs used above (KEEP UP, FALL BEHIND, & CATCH UP) can also be used in school. You can easily FALL BEHIND if you don't do your homework or if you don't KEEP UP with assigned reading. In addition, you can FALL BEHIND when you're absent and miss a lecture. If this happens, you would probably do your best to get CAUGHT UP by reading the chapters you've missed and borrowing notes from a classmate. 

USED TO vs BE USED TO - part 3: using GET

Tom'S GOTTEN USED TO reading the news in English, so he's helping a friend
who IS still NOT USED TO it. He told his friend that he should GET USED TO
reading without looking up every single word he doesn't know.

This is part 3 of our series on USED TO + verb and BE USED TO + noun/gerund. If you haven't read part 1 or part 2, please check those lessons out first to review the main differences between these two phrases in structure and meaning, as well as how to form negative sentences and questions.

In part 3, we will talk about using GET in one of these phrases. When we use GET in this context, we emphasize the process of becoming accustomed to something or someone.

The first thing I want to POINT OUT (emphasize; highlight) is that we DON'T use GET with USED TO + verb. Never. Remember that USED TO + verb only talks about the past that's no longer true in the present. It has nothing to do with being accustomed to anything or anyone.

     1. I USED TO run every morning. (correct!)

     2. I get used to run every morning. (WRONG!)