Friday, December 23, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Bringing Home the Bacon on the Gravy Train
Activity I) What do you think these expressions mean?
Bob works hard to bring home the bacon1, and put bread and butter2 on his family's table. Every morning, he drags himself to his desk at the bank and faces his tedious 10-hour-a-day job. His boss, Mark, is a bad egg3 but has somehow taken a liking to Bob so he always speaks well of Bob in front of Mr. Davies, the owner and big cheese4 of the company. Mark tells Mr. Davies that Bob's the cream of the crop5 and is one smart cookie6 who uses his noodles7. Mark likes to chew the fat8 with Bob during coffee break and discusses half-baked9 company plans with him because he trusts Bob and knows that Bob won't spill the beans10 behind his back. On these occasions, Bob tries to avoid any hot potatoes11 and, even if Mark isn't his cup of tea12, Bob makes an effort to butter him up13 by leading Mark into discussions about electronic gadgets which Mark is nuts about14. Bob really thinks that Mark is out to lunch15 and nutty as a fruitcake16, but in a nutshell17, if he polishes the apple18, his job could become a piece of cake19 and maybe one day he will find his gravy train20
This is definitely an exaggerated use of idiomatic expressions. But you can see how these expressions make spoken informal language much more colourful and jovial.
NON-FOOD EXPRESSIONS
A boss
B food
C very easy
D on the table but still unofficial
E the best
F continues to be servile and brown-nose his boss
G scoundrel
H make a living
I is an intelligent person
J show admiration
K basically
L share confidential information
M means to a big income with little effort
N chat
O thinks
P a little out of touch with reality
Q problematic issues
R a little crazy
S really likes
T the type of person he likes
Bob works hard to bring home the bacon1, and put bread and butter2 on his family's table. Every morning, he drags himself to his desk at the bank and faces his tedious 10-hour-a-day job. His boss, Mark, is a bad egg3 but has somehow taken a liking to Bob so he always speaks well of Bob in front of Mr. Davies, the owner and big cheese4 of the company. Mark tells Mr. Davies that Bob's the cream of the crop5 and is one smart cookie6 who uses his noodles7. Mark likes to chew the fat8 with Bob during coffee break and discusses half-baked9 company plans with him because he trusts Bob and knows that Bob won't spill the beans10 behind his back. On these occasions, Bob tries to avoid any hot potatoes11 and, even if Mark isn't his cup of tea12, Bob makes an effort to butter him up13 by leading Mark into discussions about electronic gadgets which Mark is nuts about14. Bob really thinks that Mark is out to lunch15 and nutty as a fruitcake16, but in a nutshell17, if he polishes the apple18, his job could become a piece of cake19 and maybe one day he will find his gravy train20
This is definitely an exaggerated use of idiomatic expressions. But you can see how these expressions make spoken informal language much more colourful and jovial.
NON-FOOD EXPRESSIONS
A boss
B food
C very easy
D on the table but still unofficial
E the best
F continues to be servile and brown-nose his boss
G scoundrel
H make a living
I is an intelligent person
J show admiration
K basically
L share confidential information
M means to a big income with little effort
N chat
O thinks
P a little out of touch with reality
Q problematic issues
R a little crazy
S really likes
T the type of person he likes
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Wedding Gifts
The Story
Jack and his bride were opening their wedding gifts. After unwrapping each package, Lisa would exclaim enthusiastically, "We really need these towels" or "We'll enjoy eating off these pretty plates." Then she opened one very large box. It contained a vacuum cleaner.
"Jack," Lisa said, "look what you've got."
.....................................................................................................
Vocabulary Practice
Mark the best choice
1. To 'unwrap' means to .....
a) fasten
b) break
c) open
d) write
2. Package' means .......
a) plate
b) parcel
c) room
d) book
3. Enthusiastic' means ......
a) quite angry
b) indifferent
c) with great interest
d) showing disliking
4. Another word for 'vacuum cleaner' is ..........
a) electric fan
b) cleaning machine
c) Hoover
d) electric machine
Questions for Discussion
1. What is funny about this story?
2. Who do you think should use the vacuum cleaner? Why?
Activities
1. Now you tell your friend(s) the story in your own words.
2. Pronounce the following words several times:
a) Unwrap
b) Package
c) Enthusiastically
d) Towel
e) Vacuum
A Related Proverb
Cut your coat according to your cloth.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
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