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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