Wednesday 20 December 2023

Angelina Jolie receives the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2013 Governors Awards

 


Watch the interview and answer the question:

What problem does Angelina raise in her acceptance speech?

The most common English idioms

 

These English idioms are extremely common in everyday conversation in the United States. You will hear them in movies and TV shows and can use them to make your English sound more like that of a native speaker. 

IdiomMeaningUsage
A blessing in disguisea good thing that seemed bad at firstas part of a sentence
A dime a dozenSomething commonas part of a sentence
Beat around the bushAvoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortableas part of a sentence
Better late than neverBetter to arrive late than not to come at allby itself
Bite the bulletTo get something over with because it is inevitableas part of a sentence
Break a legGood luckby itself
Call it a dayStop working on somethingas part of a sentence
Cut somebody some slackDon't be so criticalas part of a sentence
Cutting cornersDoing something poorly in order to save time or moneyas part of a sentence
Easy does itSlow downby itself
Get out of handGet out of controlas part of a sentence
Get something out of your systemDo the thing you've been wanting to do so you can move onas part of a sentence
Get your act togetherWork better or leaveby itself
Give someone the benefit of the doubtTrust what someone saysas part of a sentence
Go back to the drawing boardStart overas part of a sentence
Hang in thereDon't give upby itself
Hit the sackGo to sleepas part of a sentence
It's not rocket scienceIt's not complicatedby itself
Let someone off the hookTo not hold someone responsible for somethingas part of a sentence
Make a long story shortTell something brieflyas part of a sentence
Miss the boatIt's too lateas part of a sentence
No pain, no gainYou have to work for what you wantby itself
On the ballDoing a good jobas part of a sentence
Pull someone's legTo joke with someoneas part of a sentence
Pull yourself togetherCalm downby itself
So far so goodThings are going well so farby itself
Speak of the devilThe person we were just talking about showed up!by itself
That's the last strawMy patience has run outby itself
The best of both worldsAn ideal situationas part of a sentence
Time flies when you're having funYou don't notice how long something lasts when it's funby itself
To get bent out of shapeTo get upsetas part of a sentence
To make matters worseMake a problem worseas part of a sentence
Under the weatherSickas part of a sentence
We'll cross that bridge when we come to itLet's not talk about that problem right nowby itself
Wrap your head around somethingUnderstand something complicatedas part of a sentence
You can say that againThat's true, I agreeby itself
Your guess is as good as mineI have no ideaby itself

Make up 3 sentences with any of these idioms and post them in the commentary section below.

‘People are proud of this green spirit of ours’: how a small Spanish city rejected cars

 click here to read the article

The Vitoria-Gasteiz skyline showing the green ring

Read the article and answer the questions:

1. Why is Vitoria-Gasteiz called 'the green ring'?

2. Has the population of the city increased or decreased over the years?

3. When did the plan to build the city arise?

4. Are there any other climate-neutral cities in Europe?

Monday 11 December 2023

Harvard, Penn, MIT Heads Defend Response to Israel-Gaza Protests on Campus

 


Comment on the video below. According to you, does freedom of speech exist in the US?

Word of the Year

 

FILE - AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken, June 23, 2023. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

The editors of the Oxford dictionary left the selection for Word of the Year to language lovers.

Over 30,000 people voted and selected four finalists for word of the year. They were “Swiftie” (fans of Taylor Swift), “situationship” (an informal romantic or sexual relationship), “prompt” (an instruction given to an artificial intelligence program), and “rizz.”

If you are not familiar with “rizz,” it is time to learn its meaning. It is Oxford’s word of the year. “Rizz” is believed to come from the word “charisma.” Oxford says it means having “style, charm or attractiveness.” It can also mean the “ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner.” The word is popular among Generation Z -- people born during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

“Rizz” can be used as a verb, too. To “rizz up” means “to attract, seduce, or chat up (a person).”

Oxford editors said they chose “rizz” as “an interesting example of how language can be formed, shaped, and shared within communities, before being picked up more widely in society.”

Read the article and make up a sentence with the word 'rizz'. Post it in the commentary section below.

Harvard professors defend president amid calls to resign after statements on antisemitism

 A woman in a blazer and glasses looks ahead.

click here

Read the article and answer the questions:

1. What happened to the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and MIT amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

2. What was the students' reaction to the crisis?

3. What was Claudine Gray's response to the accusations?


Leave your answers in the commentary section below.

Monday 27 November 2023

Angelina Jolie receives the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2013 Governors Awards

  Watch the interview and answer the question: What problem does Angelina raise in her acceptance speech?