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September 4, 2009
August 19, 2009
Lesson 6 – It’s a Scorcher Out There! – The Answers
This week we took a look at some casual, everyday English. Thanks to everyone who wrote with their comments and questions. I’ll presend the answers now.
Here is the original paragraph
It’s a scorcher out there today. In fact, we would probably say this is one of the dog days of summer. It’s like a hundred degrees in the shade out there and the humidity is through the roof. I think I’m gonna melt. Really. Even my shades aren’t helping. Maybe I’ll put on my flip-flops, a pair of cutt-offs, and head to the beach.
Here is an explaination of the vocabulary
- it’s a scorcher. “Scorch” means to burn very much. So we use this expression to mean “it is very, very hot.”
- dog days of summer. ”These are the dog days of summer” means, “These are the hottest days of the summer.”
- shade. This is the area where the direct sunlight is blocked, like under a tree.
- through the roof. The roof is the top of the building, which can be very high up. So, when something is “through the roof,” it is very high.
- shades. “Shades” is a slang term for “sunglasses.” You can say to someone, ”I like your shades,” which means, “I lke your sunglassses.”
- flip-flops. These are a kind of casual shoe, worn without socks.
- cut-offs. If you take a pair of jeans, and cut the legs off to make them into a paid of shorts, these are called “cut-offs.”
Try using these expressions in your everyday comversations, and your English will sound much more like a native.
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July 15, 2009
Lessson 4 – What’s up, Doc?
I was walking on Fifth Ave. yesterday on my way to the Chelsea Campus when I ran into a friend of 
mine who I haven’t seen in a long time. “What’s up?” he asked. Actually, that was the first thing he said. For me, it was a pretty usual question. For some people though, it could cause them to look in the sky…
English is a language where conversation is driven by questions. Questions are the starting point of our greetings as well. Please note that we are talking about greetings between people who already know each other, not greetings used when meeting someone for the first time. With that in mind, note that there are two basic types of questions we greet each other with. These are “what” and “how.” Let’s take a look at greeting questions with “what.” Here are some examples:
- What’s new?
- What’s up?
- What’s shaking?
All three of these have exactly the same meaning and usage. They are interchangeable when used as a casual greeting. They are conversation starters, and you have a few choices in terms of how you reply. Make sure you reply about something, and not about your feeling (see below). Some general replies are like this:
- What’s new? Not much, how about you?
- What’s up? Nothing special. What’s up with you?
- What’s shaking? Same old, how about you?
You can also reply by saying something that is new with you, some news you know about or heard, or some point of fact that you will begin a conversation with from this launch pad.
- What’s up? I just finished my TOEFL class….
- What’s shaking? Did you hear? There is an afterschool trip today….
- What’s new? I’m going to sign up for another month of lessons….
Now, you have also heard the “how” greeting questions, haven’t you? Here are some common examples:
- How are you?
- How’s it going?
- How’s everything?
When you respond to a “how” question in a greeting, you generally answer something that reflects how you feel.
- How are you? Fine thanks, and you?
- How’s it going? Great! How are you doing?
- How’s everything? Pretty good thanks, and you?
Be Careful! Don’t mix up the replies to the “how” and “what” questions. Doing so is quite common and you can take your English to the next level by listening carefully to the question word and remember this:
The reply to “how” is a feeling. The reply to “what” is news.
So, for example, this sounds strange for a native English speaker….
Brian: Hi Peter! What’s up?
Peter: Fine thanks.
Peter should not reply using a feeling. Instead, he should reply with some news. Here’s an example:
Brian: Hi Peter! What’s up?
Peter: I just finished lunch.
So, spend some time practicing this, and more importantly, pay attention to native English speakers when they greet each other.
