Review quiz!

Happy New Year! ^_^

Wow, we already have over 30 lessons here. I think it's time for a review quiz!

If you want to review, look on the right side of the screen and click on the arrow next to 'December' 'or 'November'. Then you can see the old lessons.

1. If I ask you "what's going on?", which of these is an incorrect response?
a) "I don't know! He's getting angry for no reason."
b) "Not much. How about you?"
c) "We're going on the train."

2. I can count on my friend. He is _______
a) aspiring
b) sad
c) bitchy
d) reliable

3. If I think of an idea 'off the top of my head', did I think about it very carefully, or very quickly?

4. I was talking to you, but I need to leave. What can I say?
a) Well, I should be off.
b) Well, I'll keep you.
c) Well, you'll get on.

5. What is 'reality TV'?
a) a drama with a realistic storyline
b) a show starring real people who are not acting
c) a news program showing local news
d) a game show

6. I say: 'My friend Mel is a "good friend".'
Is she really a good friend?

7. Does a bitchy person often talk about someone behind their back?

8. Which sentence is incorrect?
a) Eating dinner so late every night, I never eat breakfast.
b) Helping me with my homework, I was really grateful.
c) Waiting such a long time, he got angry.

9. Some people believe 'The Tempest' was the final play Shakespeare wrote. So, which sentence is correct?
a) 'The Tempest' was the last in a long series of great plays.
b) 'The Tempest' was the latest in a long series of great plays.

10. If you see your friend hurt herself, what would you do?
a) grimace
b) beam
c) grin
d) scowl

11. Which of these words is a positive thing?
a) pathetic
b) bitch
c) aspiration
d) break down

12. Which sentence is best?
a) Wow! I just put up with a good idea!
b) Wow! I just came up with a good idea!
c) Wow! I just see eye to eye with a good idea!
d) Wow! I'm just better off with a good idea!

13. Ow! I just hit my head! Now what's happening to me?
a) I'm seeing red
b) I'm seeing the light
c) I'm seeing stars
d) I'm seeing the error of my ways

14. If you are scowling, what is (probably) your mood?
a) grumpy
b) relaxed
c) excited
d) sleepy

To see the answers, look in the comments below!

Slang: Happy New Year ^_^

Well, it's almost New Year's Eve. That is the most popular time for people to have crazy, late parties and drink a looot of alcohol.

In English, we have many, many adjectives that mean 'really drunk' (drank too much alcohol).

Here's a short list. There are a lot more:

pissed *

plastered

smashed

sozzled

shit-faced *

blotto

legless

off one's face (eg, 'he's off his face')

paralytic/paro

pickled

trashed

sloshed

wasted

inebriated

* = more rude

All of these words are slang (not polite) except 'inebriated', which is more formal/polite.

Which ones are most common? Well, it really depends where you are (which country, who you are talking to). I, personally, tend to use 'plastered', 'smashed', 'wasted' and 'off one's face'.

But what if you're not wasted, but just drank a little? All of the above words mean really drunk. If you're only a little drunk, use the adjective 'tipsy'. And if you are not drunk at all, you are sober.

Are you gonna get plastered this year? Take care! ^_^ Happy New Year!

Vocabulary: literal, idiomatic, figurative

Here are some useful words for talking about language. I sometimes use these words on this blog.

The adjective literal, adverb literally, means 'the true, usual meaning of something'.

For example, look at the post about lame/pathetic/sad. 'Sad' literally means 'unhappy'. But it can also mean 'uncool' or 'stupid'.

As another example, 'go over' has a literal meaning of 'move over something' (eg, 'I will go over the bridge'). But it has an idiomatic meaning of 'review or check something' (eg, 'I will go over my exam study notes').

I often use idiomatic as the opposite of 'literal'. Idiomatic words are used in a non-literal way. Perhaps they have a different meaning in a special combination (like 'look up' has a literal meaning, 'look to the sky' , and an idiomatic meaning, 'find information in a dictionary'.)

Another word that means the opposite to 'literal' is the adjective figurative (adverb figuratively).

If you speak figuratively, you use words in a non-literal way. For example, if I haven't eaten for a few hours, and I say 'I'm starving!', this is figurative speech. I am not actually suffering; I am not dying of hunger. I am just hungry.

Or, if I say I'm 'falling in love', I am not really falling. I am using figurative language, a figure of speech.

A few other figures of speech you might know:

It's raining cats and dogs. (=It's raining really hard.)

Break a leg! (=Good luck! (This is used for someone who is giving a performance, for example, you say "break a leg" to an actor before a show.))

I've got butterflies in my stomach. (=I feel really nervous.)

If you tried to understand these sentences literally, they would be very strange!!

Can you think of any other examples, in English, of idiomatic or figurative language? How about in your own language?

Vocabulary/slang: lame, pathetic, sad

I'm not sure whether this is 'vocabulary' or 'slang' - my feeling is that these words are more common for young people - but here are some useful words.

If you want to criticise something, these are some useful adjectives:

lame

sad

pathetic

All three of these words have other meanings. 'Lame' originally means 'unable to walk normally'. 'Sad' means 'unhappy'. 'Pathetic' means 'something that makes you feel pity/sorry for someone'.

But they can also be used to criticise something. They can be used in a sarcastic way, a joking and fun way, or as a mean insult.

Lame and sad mean weak, unimpressive. If someone tells a lame joke, it really wasn't very funny. If a person is lame, they are uncool, rather stupid.

Oh dear, this new song is rather lame.

You stayed home to play RPGs? Your idea of fun is pretty sad.

So you wrote those mean notes? That is really sad. You are a really pathetic person.

In these examples, the idea is that you (sarcastically) feel sorry for the person - they are so stupid, or mean, or uncool, that you feel sad for them.

Pathetic has a similar meaning, but is usually a bit stronger and more negative.

His performance during the match was pathetic.

How about you? Do you have any habits or interests that are, well, lame? ^_-

Language: abbreviations

An abbreviation is a ahort version of a word, e.g., 'e.g.', 'i.e.' and 'etc.'.

'e.g.', 'i.e.' and 'etc.' are abbreviations for Latin words, but they are common in English writing (and sometimes in speaking - 'etc' is quite often used in conversation).

e.g. means 'for example'. It is usually used in the middle of a sentence, but sometimes at the beginning. E.g.:

I want to see more Johnny Depp movies, e.g., Edward Scissorhands, What's Eating Gilbert Grape...

He had a lot of problems, e.g., anger, drug abuse, failed relationships...

i.e. means 'that is'. It is often confused with 'e.g.'. As a tip, use 'i.e.' if there is only one example.

I want to see my favourite Johnny Depp movie, i.e., 'Neverland'.

He had a serious problem, i.e., drug abuse.

etc. (if you're speaking, it's pronounced: 'et cetera') means 'and so on'. If you are giving a list which is not complete, you can put 'etc' on the end. This means there are other items you did not list.

Etc. should come at the end of a sentence.

I watched a lot of great Johnny Depp movies: Edward Scissorhands, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, etc.

He had some serious problems; anger, drug abuse, failed relationships, etc.

Some people (ie, me), often don't put periods in the words (eg, 'eg' instead of 'e.g.'). But the correct way is to use periods.

These words may be difficult to use or understand at first, but they are really common in English writing.

Idiom: be better off

To be better off means to have a better result - to be happier, or richer, or safer, or more successful. When you use this expression, you are comparing one situation with another.

Since he's moved out, we're all better off. (=He was a problem housemate. It's better now he is gone.)

"I'm going to Jake's party.
"You'd be better off staying home and doing your homework."

"Are you coming out for drinks?"
"I'd be better off getting an early night."

Be careful! Don't confuse this with "I'd better be off".

I'd be better off = my situation would be better
I'd better be off = I should leave now

One more tip: if you don't mention a particular situation, 'better off' usually means 'richer'.

I'm better off now that I've stopped dating him. (=Life is better because I'm not dating him.)

I'm better off now than I was ten years ago. (=If you don't give any other information, this means you are richer now.)

How about you? Are you better off in some way now, than five years ago? For example, I'm better off now that I have a good, new car. My old car was always breaking down...

Language: On the phone

Here's a tip:

Let's imagine your name is Joe. If you're on the phone, how do you introduce yourself?

Well, if you're talking to a person who knows you or your company, say, "this is Joe (from -company-)".

If you're talking to a stranger, try "my name is Joe" and explain where you're from or why you're calling.

For example:
(someone you know well)
Bob: Hello, Bob speaking.
Joe: Hi, Bob. This is Joe.
Bob: Oh, hi Joe! How are you?

(someone you know a little)
Bob: Hello, ABC Company, Bob speaking.
Joe: Oh, hello. This is Joe from English Building; how are you?
Bob: Oh, hello Bob. I'm good, thanks...

(someone you don't know at all)
Bob: Hello, ABC Company, Bob speaking.
Joe: Oh, hello. My name is Joe Bloggs, and I'm calling from English Building. I'd like to talk to someone about an account...

You can use this in email too. If you're talking to someone who knows you, never say "I am Joe". It sounds strange.

Slang: get your sexy on

In this slang expression, get your ___ on, ___ is usually an adjective or noun, and usually expresses a feeling or attitude.

Grammatically, this expression does not make sense. It doesn't really mean anything. Even native speakers can't really understand it. The best translation might be: 'be ___'.

For example, if I get my snark on, I am being critical.
'Get your sexy on' means 'be sexy' or 'act sexy' (I think... ha ha ha...). Justin Timberlake sings this in his song 'Sexy Back'.

Missy Elliott has a song, 'Get your freak on'. ('Get your freak on' usually means 'have sex'.)

In my house, we have a sugar product with the tagline: 'get your sweet on'. I guess this means 'be sweet' or 'make your life sweet' or 'enjoy our sweet product'. Ha ha ha...

This slang is quite new and rarely used by older people. It is not used often in conversation. You probably will never need to use this, but it's starting to become more popular in pop culture.

Slang: I'm loving it

In your English study, you probably learned about 'action' verbs (like work, eat, run, do) and 'state' verbs (like be, know, love, believe).

You probably also learned that 'state' verbs do not usually use an -ing form.

"I was knowing John for two years." X

"He is believing in God." X

"I am liking coffee. X

These sentences are incorrect. You should say, 'I knew John for two years', 'He believes in God' and 'I like coffee'.

However, sometimes we do use -ing state verbs in a slang way, especially verbs of like or dislike. It's to express our state in a more 'dynamic' or lively way.

"I'm really liking what I'm hearing."

"You can see he's really hating this song."

McDonald's has a famous slogan, 'I'm lovin' it'.

Be careful though. This language makes the like or dislike into a temporary action. Use it for short-term things. If you always love cake, don't say 'I'm loving cake'.

If you're eating a particular cake which tastes good, you can say 'I'm loving this cake'.
If you didn't eat much cake before, but you suddenly started enjoying it, you can say 'I'm loving cake at the moment'. Here, 'at the moment' means 'these days'.

These examples are not 'good' or correct English, but are quite common in casual speech, especially with younger people.

How about you? Is there a TV show you're loving at the moment? Is there a particular food or product you're liking?

Culture: reality TV

'Reality TV' is a type of television program which uses 'real' people doing 'real' things. (See I am using scare quotes. ^_^) You can see real people reacting to different situations, and watch their relationships with other people on the show.

Some popular examples of reality TV include:

Big Brother - this show had a lot of rather stupid people in a house together. They were always being recorded by video cameras. They would fight, gossip, bitch about each other, and have romantic relationships. Every week, one house member would be voted out of the house, and at the end of the series, the last person in the house would win a lot of money.

American Idol/Australian Idol/Pop Idol. Many different countries have this TV show. This is a singing talent contest. Young people sing on stage and are judged. Each week, one singer is voted out; the final singer at the end is the winner, and will become a pop star.

Survivor - a group of people must live on a tropical island (or other remote location). They have to work together to survive - set up a camp, collect food and cook. They must complete special challenges and scheme to be popular so they can stay on the show. Every week, someone is voted off the island.

The Amazing Race - several teams of 2 people race around the world. They have to complete challenges and navigate around foreign countries. It is stressful, so the teams often fight or have trouble. Each week, the last team to reach the finish point will leave the race.

There are many, many other 'reality' TV shows - dating shows, cooking shows, weight loss shows. It has become a very popular TV phenomenon in the last 10 years.

Do you have reality TV shows in your country? What kind of reality show do you like or dislike?