SECTION ONE --- ELEMENTARY LESSON 1 to get in/to get on: to enter or to board a vehicle To get in is used for cars; to get on is used for all other forms of transportation. o Its easiest to get in the car from the drivers side. The door on the other side doesnt work well. o I always get on the bus to work at 34th Street. to get out of/to get off: to leave or to descend from a vehicle. To get out of is used for cars; to get off is used for all other forms of transportation. o Why dont we stop and get out of the car for a while? o Helen got off the train at the 42nd Street terminal. to put on: to place on oneself (usually said of clothes) (S) o Mary put on her coat and left the room. o Put your hat on before you leave the house. to take off: to remove (usually said of clothes) (S) o John took off his jacket as he entered the office. o Take your sweater off. The room is very warm. to call up: to telephone (also: to give some one a call) (S) To call can be used instead of to call up, as in the first example below. o I forgot to call up Mr. Jones yesterday. Id better call him now. o Call me up tomorrow, Jane. Well arrange a time to have lunch together. o I promise to give you a call as soon as I arrive in New York. ESSENTIAL IDIOMS IN ENGLISH to turn on: to start or cause to function (also: to switch on) (S) o Please turn on the light; its too dark in here. o Do you know who turned the air conditioning on? to turn off: to cause to stop functioning (also: to switch off, to shut off) (S) Turn on and turn off, as well as their related forms, are used for things that flow, such as electricity, water, gas, etc. o Please turn off the light when you leave the room. o Are you really listening to the radio, or should I turn it off? right away: very soon; immediately (also: at once) o Dad says that dinner will be ready right away, so wed better wash our hands and set the table. o Tell Will to come to my office right away. I must see him immediately. o Stop playing that loud music at once! to pick up: to lift form the floor, table, etc., with ones fingers (S) o Harry picked up the newspaper that was on the front doorstep. o Could you pick your toy up before someone falls over it? sooner or later: eventually, after a period of time o If you study English seriously, sooner or later youll become fluent. o Im too tired to do my homework now; Im sure Ill do it sooner or later. to get up: to arise, to rise from a bed; to make someone arise (S) For the last definition a noun phrase must separate the verb and particle. o Carla gets up at seven oclock every morning. o At what time should we get the children up tomorrow? at first: in the beginning, originally o At first English was difficult for him, but later he made great progress. o I thought at first that it was Sheila calling, but then I realized that it was Betty. LESSON 2 to dress up: to wear formal clothes, to dress very nicely o We should definitely dress up to go to the theater. o You dont have to dress up for Mikes party. at last: finally, after a long time. o We waited for hours and then the train arrived at last. o Now that I am sixteen, at last I can drive my parents car. as usual: as is the general case, as is typical o George is late for class as usual. This seems to happen every day. o As usual, Dora received first prize in the swimming contest. Its the third consecutive year that she has won. to find out: get information about, to determine (S) ESSENTIAL IDIOMS IN ENGLISH This idiom is separable only when a pronoun is used, as in the second example. o Will you please try to find out what time the airplane arrives? o Ill call right now to find it out. to look at: give ones attention to; to watch o The teacher told us to look at the blackboard and not at our books. o I like to walk along a country road at night and look at the stars. to look for: to try to find, to search for An adverb phrase such as all over can be put between the verb and preposition, as in the second example, however, the idiom cannot be separated by a noun or pronoun. o Hes spent over an hour looking for the pen that he lost. o So there you are! Weve looked allover for you. all right: acceptable, fine; yes, okay This idiom can also be spelled alright in informal usage. o He said that it would be all right to wait in her office until she returned. o Do you want me to turn off the TV? Alright, if you insist. all along: all the time, from the beginning (without change) o She knew all along that wed never agree with his plan. o Youre smiling! Did you know all along that Id give you a birthday present? little by little: gradually, slowly (also: step by step) o Karens health seems to be improving little by little. o If you study regularly each day, step by step your vocabulary will increase. to tire out: to make very weary due to difficult conditions or hard effort (also: to wear out) (S) o The hot weather tired out the runners in the marathon. o Does studying for final exams wear you out? It makes me feel worn out! to call on: to ask for a response from; to visit (also: to drop in on) o Jose didnt know the answer when the teacher called on him. o Last night several friends called on us at our home. o Shy dont we drop in on Sally a little later? never mind: dont be concerned about it; ignore what was just said o When he spilled his drink on my coat, I said, Never mind. It needs to be cleaned anyway. o So you werent listening to me again. Never mind; it wasnt important.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 03:34:30 +0000
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