Tuesday, 17. July 2007, 16:41:42
Vocabulary
VIGILANT (adj): watching carefully and always ready to notice anything dangerous or illegal (cảnh giác, thận trọng)
Example:
+ You should be vigilant about what you say.
+ a vigilant parents with a toddler in tow
Synonym: observant, aware (of st), wary (of st), alert (to st)
PROFANE (adj): showing no respect for moral rules, foul-mouthed
Example:
+ Instead of using common profane language, your child can become creative, describing his feelings or observations with adjectives and nouns that best capture what he sees.
+ When your child hears profanity, stop and acknowledge "We don't say things like that in our house".
Synonym of profanity: cuss, curse, irreverent language, dirty word, bad word, swearing
Antonym: clean, moral, sacred
MIMIC (v): to copy or imitate closely, especially in expression, gesture, speech (bắt chước)
--> MIMIC/MIMICKER/MIMICRY(n)
--> MIMIC(adj)
Example:
+ Be vigilant! Children mimic what they see.
+ Children are encouraged to write about their ideas, to mimic the writing of their favorite authors and to try their hand at different types of writing.
Synonym: imitate, mirror, parrot, ape
Thursday, 12. July 2007, 16:51:53
Words and their stories
Today we explain some expressions about birds. For example, if something is for the birds, it is worthless or not very interesting. Someone who eats like a bird eats very little. And a birds-eye view is a general look at an area from above.
Did you know that if you tell a young person about the birds and the bees you are explaining about sex and birth? Have you ever observed that birds of a feather flock together? In other words, people who are similar become friends or do things together. Here is some good advice: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. This means you should not risk losing something you have by trying to get more of something you do not have.
Sometimes I can do two things by performing only one action. This is called killing two birds with one stone. But I would never really kill any birds. I love all kinds of animals. This is a real feather in my cap. It is something to be proud of.
Most of the people I work with are early birds. They believe that the early bird catches the worm. They think that a person who gets up early in the morning for work has the best chance of success. Everyone in my office works hard, but some people have had their wings clipped. Their jobs have been limited. This is because the office is organized by pecking order. People with more years and experience are given more responsibility.
Some bird expressions are about crows, chickens and ducks. For example, when I am driving, I always travel as the crow flies. I go the most direct way. Anyone who eats crow has to admit a mistake or defeat.
Now let's talk about my sister. She is not very young. She is no spring chicken. She will work any job for chicken feed - a small amount of money. She is easily frightened. For example, she is too chicken-livered to walk down a dark street alone at night. Often she will chicken out - she will not go out alone at night.
My sister was an ugly duckling. She looked strange when she was a child, but she grew up to be a beautiful woman. Sometimes she thinks too much about having something in the future before she really has it. She counts her chickens before they are hatched. Sometimes, her chickens come home to roost. That means her actions or words cause trouble for her. However, my sister does not worry about what people say about her. Criticism falls off her like water off a duck's back.
Politicians are sometimes considered lame ducks after losing an election. They have little time left in office and not much power. Congress holds a lame duck session after an election. Important laws are not passed during this period.
(Collected from VOA)
Thursday, 12. July 2007, 16:26:15
Grammar Notes
- When there is only one of the things we are talking about, we use the
- The sun
- The earth
- The sky
- The moon
- The ozone layer
- The sea(side)
- The moon
- The weather
- The environment
- The government
- The Prime Minister
- We also use the with cinema, theater and (news)paper
- The cinema
- The theater
- The (news)paper
- Notes: We say a/the police officer but the police
Tuesday, 10. July 2007, 09:20:45
Idioms
FIGURE SOMETHING OUT: come to understand the problem
Examples:
+ John was able to figure out the problem.
+ Sarah is a new student in class. No one can figure her out.
+ It took Tom some time to figure out what Mary was trying to say.
FILL IN (FOR SOMEONE): to do someone else's job temporarily
Examples:
+ While I was away from my store, my brother filled in for me.
+ He discovered his love of acting when he filled in for a sick friend in a college play.
+ He dropped his girlfriend a line after he had run off with another woman.
+ Could you drop me a line when you get moved in your new home?
Monday, 9. July 2007, 14:04:04
Words and their stories
Some expressions describe people who are important, or at least who think they are. One such expression is, BIGWIG.
In the seventeenth century, important men in Europe began to wear false hair, called wigs. As years passed, wigs began to get bigger. The size of a man's wig depended on how important he was. The more important he was - or thought he was - the bigger the wig he wore. Some wigs were so large they covered a man's shoulders or back.
Today, the expression bigwig is used to make fun of a person who feels important . People never tell someone he is a bigwig. They only use the expression behind his back.
BIG WHEEL is another way to describe an important person. A big wheel may be head of a company, a political leader, a famous doctor. They are big wheels because they are powerful. What they do affects many persons. Big wheels give the orders, other people carry them out. As in many machines, a big wheel makes the little wheels run.
Big wheels became a popular expression after World War Two. It probably comes from an expression used for many years by people who fix the mechanical parts of cars and trucks. They said a person "rolled a big wheel" if he was important and had influence.
The top of something is the highest part. So it is not surprising that top is part of another expression that describe an important person. The expression is, TOP BANANA. A top banana is the leading person in a comedy show. The best comedian is called the top banana. The next is second banana, and so on.
Why a banana? A comedy act in earlier days often included a part where one of the comedians would hit the others over the head with a soft object shaped like a banana fruit.
Top banana still used mainly in show business. But the expression also can be used to describe the top person in any area.
A KINGPIN is another word for an important person. The expression comes from the game of bowling. The kingpin is the number one pin. If hit correctly with the bowling ball, the kingpin will make all the other nine pins fall. And that is the object of the game.
So the most important person in a project or business is the kingpin. If the kingpin is removed, the business or project will likely fail. Kingpin is often used to describe an important criminal, or the leader of a criminal gang. A newspaper may report, for example, that police have arrested the suspected kingpin of a car-stealing operation.
(Collected from VOA special English program)
Thursday, 5. July 2007, 15:49:22
Vocabulary
FANCIER (n): one who has special enthusiams for or interest in something
Example:
+ She was a cat fancier but she did not own a cat because she was allergic to them.
+ a fancier of antiques
Synonym: admirer, devotee, enthusiast, lover, fan(informal)
ACCELERATE (v): increase speed, timing
Example:
+ This car has a lot of power so that you can really accelerate.
+ The airplane accelerated as it prepared for taking off.
+ It's always best to accelerate your efforts to elate a good friend.
ELATE (v): to make proud or joyful (làm hân hoan, làm hãnh diện) --> ELATION (n)
Example:
+ Her success elated the family.
+ Music can elate your spirit.
+ The old man and the child passed on through the glad silence, elate with hope and pleasure. (Charles Dicken)
Synonym: animate, elevate, exhilarate
Thursday, 5. July 2007, 01:59:26
Idioms
CUT IT OUT: stop doing something bad
Examples:
+ That noise is really annoying. Cut it out!.
+ Cut it out!. Stop teasing your sister.
DROP SOMEONE A LINE: send a letter or email to someone
Examples:
+ It was good to meet you and I hope we can see each other again. Drop me a line when you have time.
+ Don't hesitate to drop me a line if you meet any problem
+ He dropped his girlfriend a line after he had run off with another woman.
+ Could you drop me a line when you get moved in your new home?
Wednesday, 4. July 2007, 16:41:27
Toefl essays
Topic #2: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents are the best teachers. Use specific reasons or examples to support your answer.
In general, teachers are people from whom we learn knowledge, get experience and receive advice. During a person's lifetime, he has a lot of relationships, meets many kinds of people. Therefore, to me, parents are not the best teachers. In this essay, I outline the "roles" of parents and reasons why they are not the best teachers.
Parents, who are our closest relatives, give birth and take care of us from the day we was born. When you were a little boy or girl, parents were always beside, made up a safe and warm environment to protect us. Therefore, we lived in a life full of love. What beautiful days they are! Moreover, parents are also trustful spirit buffer for us at all time. In my country, there is a saying said that "No place is as peaceful as mother's arms". Yes, whenever we fail, we can go home, the most peaceful place, to cry with our dear parents then be encouraged to continue.
It is undoubtedly true that parents are the most important persons to us. However, they are still not the best teachers. In some cases, parents do not have the modern opinions. They do not change their thougt to be suitable with the new generation, so that they cannot deeply understand their children. In other situations, some parents want their son to become a doctor because they admire this career, no matter what their son really loves. Thus, children have to do what their parents like, not exactly what they are fond of. Additionally, during human's life a person study from their teachers, friends, bosses, colleagues, etc... more than their parents. In fact, a person from eighteen years old, live far away from home to study in a college, then go to work, then get marriage, ... The period that they live with their parents is much shorter than the time they spend with others. As a result, "the life" teaches them most. "The life" is the best teacher.
Parents are not the best teachers but the best buffer. The life teaches us but parents give us the life. We should try to live well, happily and successfully to thank the persons who give us the chances to meet our best teacher.
Wednesday, 4. July 2007, 12:52:00
Vocabulary
A RIP-OFF (n): an item that is unreasonably expensive (đắt quá đáng)
Example: You're not thinking about buying that MP3 player, are your? That's a rip-off!
BUCK(n): dollar (informal)
Example: It only costs a few bucks to buy some folders and notebooks for school.
SUCKER(n): a person who is easily tricked into doing something (gã khờ, người dễ bị lừa)
Example: I mean some online shopping websites know you're a sucker who'll pay anything, and they'll take you to the cleaners.
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