2017 February Flashcards
Your teacher has graded your class’s tests and is returning them to you. You want to know what grade your friend got on the test, so you ask this.
What did you get?
get (a grade)
In most schools, teachers give students grades (which are sometimes also called “marks”). The traditional grading systems in the United States are letter grades from “A” to “F”, or number grades from 0 to 100.
When you talk about a student’s grades, you may use the word “get”. For example, you can ask a student about the results of a test:
What did you get?
That means “What grade did the teacher give you on the test?”
The student might answer:
I got a B.
In general, English speakers talk about “getting good grades” or “getting bad grades”:
I got pretty good grades in high school, but in college I partied too much and my grades started to suffer.
You’re chatting with a coworker during your lunch break. You have a department meeting scheduled for this afternoon, but you don’t think it will last long.
I bet the meeting this afternoon’ll be pretty short since David’s out.
I bet (clause) Saying "I bet..." is a casual way of guessing about something. You can use this in all kinds of situations where you are guessing about something and want to compare what you think with what other people think:
I bet there’ll be a lot of traffic at the beach this weekend.
I bet you can’t guess what just happened to me.
I bet the meeting this afternoon will be pretty short since David’s not here.
pretty (adjective)
You use “pretty” before an adjective to show how much of that quality something has.
“Pretty ___” is somewhere between “kind of “ and “really”. It basically means “a little more than you expected”. For example:
This soup is actually pretty good.
I think I have a pretty good shot at getting the job.
That song is pretty catchy.
(something)’ll (do something / be something)
The word “will” can be contracted to “‘ll” after a noun like this:
My wife’ll give you a call later.
The sun’ll be setting soon.
No one’ll find out!
This happens in casual spoken English. Avoid it when speaking or writing formally.
(someone) is out
When someone is not at work or school today, you can say that they are “out”:
A: Where’s Claudia?
B: She’s out today.
Just send me an email ahead of time if you’re going to be out.
since (clause)
English speakers sometimes use the word “since” to mean “because”. You can use it when you talk about the reason for doing something:
I thought I’d give you a call since I’m visiting France for work and I knew that you lived here.
You can also use “since” to talk about the cause of something:
It gets really hot there since it’s so close to the equator.
You’re not in very good shape. Your friend is giving you some advice. She says that you should exercise every day, but you’re very busy so it’s not easy to find time to exercise. You think in response to your friend’s suggestion.
Easier said than done.
(something is) easier said than done
Use this expression when someone talks about something and makes it sound easy, but you think it’s difficult.
For example, if your business is losing money and a friend says:
Why don’t you do some advertising and get some more customers?
You know that getting new customers is really difficult, so you might say or think:
Ha! That’s easier said than done.
You can use this phrase in a variety of situations, from casual to formal.
There’s a new employee who’s just started working in your department today. You’re training her. You realize that she doesn’t have computer login and password yet, so you offer to help her get one.
Let me send an email to I.T. and have them give you access to the network.
Let me (do something) When you're offering to do something to help someone, you say "Let me \_\_\_". For example, when your friend arrives at an airport and is carrying heavy bags, you can offer to help carry them by saying:
Let me help you with those.
When you use the phrase “Let me ___”, it’s common to end the sentence with “for you”:
Let me look that up for you.
have (someone) (do something)
When you are in charge of someone, like an employee, you can “have them” do things for you. For example:
I’ll have my assistant send you those documents later today.
Why don’t we have the waiter bring us the check now so that we can leave quickly?
You also use this expression to ask someone to pass a message like this:
Can you have her call me?
send a (message) to (someone) This is how to talk about messages like emails, text messages, letters, and so on:
I sent her an email this morning but I haven’t heard back from her yet.
I.T.
“I.T.” stands for “Information Technology”. It is the part of an organization that manages computers, email accounts, servers, and other technology.
I couldn’t figure out how to log in, so I called someone in I.T.
You can also use the phrase “I.T.” to talk about the field of work:
I’ve worked in I.T. for over 20 years.
give (someone) access to (something)
“Giving access to” something means giving someone the permission to use it. For example, giving someone access to a room would mean giving them a key. Giving them access to a computer system would mean giving them a login ID and password.
Can you give me access to the admin page so I can delete some unused accounts?
We use the word “access” a lot when talking about computer systems, passwords, security, information, and so on. Here are some other examples of phrases using “access”:
We have access to all kinds of personal information about the patients.
Sorry to keep pestering you, but who can I speak to about getting access to the shared drive?
Starbucks announced that they’re going to offer free Internet access at all their locations.
the network
A “network” is any group of things that are connected to each other in some way. Here are some examples of different kinds of networks:
a television network
a social network
a spy network
But these days, the most common use of “network” is to talk about connected computer systems. Many companies, schools, and other organizations have their own “network” which is a group of computers and servers that are connected to each other over the Internet. These networks usually require special permission to access.
A: Where can I find the marketing template you were showing me?
B: Oh, it’s available on the network. Just log in and look in the “Z” drive.
You’re telling a story about something that happened while you were eating out with a friend. You can’t remember the name of the restaurant, so you ask your partner to help you remember.
Ah, what was the name of that little diner on the corner of 69th and Broadway?
a diner
A “diner” is a specific type of restaurant. Some qualities of a diner include:
being open 24 hours or at least until late at night
serving breakfast items throughout the day
having a 1950s-style decor
serving standard American food like hamburgers and French fries
on the corner of (a street name) and (another street name)
To explain where something is in a city, give the names of the “cross streets”:
It’s on the corner of 25th Avenue and Lexington Street.
This means that the location is at the place where those two streets cross each other.
If you think that the listener knows what streets you’re talking about, you can leave off the words “Street”, “Avenue”, “Road”, etc.:
It’s on the corner of Main and Duke.
You can also give directions by just saying the street names, without “on the corner of”:
It’s on 69th and Broadway.
What was the name of that (thing)?
This is a question that you can ask when you’ve forgotten the name of something:
What was the name of that movie that we saw about the priest who gets stuck in a cave?
What was the name of that bar that we used to go to near campus?
You ask this question to someone who shares the memory with you. In other words, they saw the same movie, went to the same bar, read the same book, etc.
Ah, what was the name of that little diner on the corner of 69th and Broadway?
Oh yeah, they’re loaded.
(someone) is loaded
A person who is “loaded” has a lot of money.
The term “loaded” can be rather rude if you use it with the wrong person and in the wrong way. You can describe someone as “loaded” when:
You’re gossipping with a friend who you trust about someone else.
You jokingly say this to a close friend who has a lot of money.
You say it about someone who you and your listeners don’t know personally, like a celebrity.
You can say this about yourself as a joke if you’re actually poor.
If you call someone “loaded” when you’re speaking to a person you don’t know well, it might seem rude. It might also seem like you’re obsessed with how much money other people have.
Oh yeah.
“Oh yeah” means “definitely yes”, and it also suggests that the answer is very obvious.
For example, if you are an emergency room doctor and someone asks if you have to work long hours, you can answer:
Oh yeah.
You and your husband are looking for a house to buy. You just saw a house that’s for sale and you’re discussing it. Your husband complained that it was a little small, but you point out something good about the house.
On the other hand, it is in a really good school district.
on the other hand
Use “on the other hand” when giving an opinion that’s different from one that was just said. You can contradict another person’s opinion, or you can contradict your own.
A: Flying there is going to cost a lot.
B: Yeah, but on the other hand, we can stay with my sister so we won’t have to pay for a hotel.
I don’t know what to do. On one hand, I’ve always wanted to be a writer. On the other hand, I have a great job now and it would be a shame to give that up.
When you use “on the other hand” in speech or writing, it makes you seem careful, intelligent, and thoughtful. It’s not really the best choice when you want to disagree with someone angrily.
really
“Really” means “very” but is better for casual conversation. “Very” is correct in written English, but can sound a little formal and old-fashioned in spoken conversation.
I thought it was a really original take on the story.
Also, “very” can only be used to modify an adjective:
It’s very small.
I’m very tired.
“Really” can be used for adjectives as well as verbs:
It’s really small.
I’m really tired.
I really wanted to go
Do you really think so?
a good school district
In many places, children are assigned to a public school based on where they live. A “school district” is an area in which all of the children are assigned to a set of public schools.
One of the factors that you have to consider when buying a house is which school district it’s in.
Most cities have several school districts, some with good schools and others with schools that aren’t as good. Because of this, families sometimes decide where to live based on the school district.
You and a friend get into a conversation about outer space. You start to talk about the size of the universe and how many stars are in it, and you feel amazed by it. You comment on your feeling.
Just thinking about how enormous it all is… it blows my mind!
(something) is enormous
“Enormous” means “very, very, big”. Here are some things that you can describe as “enormous”:
an enormous amount of money
an enormous explosion
enormous potential
an enormous responsibility
it blows (one's) mind When something is amazing and unbelievable, you can say that "it blows your mind":
Whenever I think about how many people live there, it blows my mind.
It blows my mind how talented Katie is at such a young age.
Sometimes people use this phrase to talk about something that’s surprising in a negative way:
It blows my mind how some people can just lie right to your face.
You can also use this expression in the past tense:
A: How was the exhibit?
B: Oh, it absolutely blew my mind!
You’re a teacher in an elementary school. You’re teaching your class about the planets and the sun. You explain the size of the sun.
The sun is many times larger than all of the planets in the solar system put together.
(something) is many times (more) than (something)
You probably know that you can use the word “twice” to talk about a value that is double some other value:
I’m almost twice as heavy as she is.
When one value is 3x, 4x, 5x another value, you can say this:
The average salary in Singapore is five times the average in my country.
The phrase “many times ___” can be used to talk about a number that is even higher:
You’re many times more likely to die in a car accident than in a terrorist attack in this part of the world.
the planets in the solar system
We call our sun and everything that orbits around it the “solar system”.
The “planets” in our solar system include Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune.
We’ve just started to explore the other planets in the solar system.
(more) than (several things) put together
This phrase means that one person by himself is stronger than the combined force of three other people:
He’s stronger than the three of you put together.
Here’s another example of “___ than ___ put together”:
The U.S. spends way more on its military than all of Europe put together.
You’re watching an interview with the producer of a very popular television show that’s been on the air for many years. The interviewer says this about the show.
It had a huge impact on, not just television, but the entire entertainment industry.
the entire (something) "Entire" means "whole" but is more formal.
I once ate an entire watermelon in one sitting.
the (something) industry
An “industry” is the complete collection of businesses that do something similar to each other. When you’re talking about all these businesses (and the people who work in them) together, you use the phrase “the ___ industry”. Some examples of industries that everyone has heard of include:
the tobacco industry
the auto industry
the oil industry
the entertainment industry
the phrarmaceutical industry (Selling medicines and (legal) drugs.)
the restaurant industry
There are also lots of other industries. Some of them are only known to a few people who work in that industry. For example, “the crafting industry” includes businesses who make supplies for customers who want to do crafts at home like knitting, jewelry making, and so on.
(something) had a huge impact on (something)
When something happens that causes a lot of things to change, you can say that the event “had a huge impact”. For example, you could use this phrase to talk about changes in technology:
The advent of the Internet has had a huge impact on every aspect of society in the last 20 years.
This means that the Internet has changed almost everything in our society. Here’s another example, talking about music:
The rise of hip-hop music in the 1980s has had a huge impact of popular culture.
Instead of “huge” you can also use words like:
an enormous impact
a gigantic impact
an undeniable impact
not just (something), but (something) Use this expression when you want to talk about two different things. The first thing is big or important. However, the second thing is even bigger or more important. Here are some examples:
She’s not just super smart, but also hard-working and easy to get along with.
Kids who learn martial arts gain not just strength and fighting skill, but confidence as well.
Another phrase that’s used in the same way is “not only ___, but ___”:
You not only disobeyed me, you betrayed my trust.
television
“Television” is also called “T.V.”. You can use “television” to talk about:
a T.V. set the television industry Grace used to work in television. T.V. shows I admit, I do watch a lot of television.
Your brother is getting ready to go out on a date. When he comes out of his room, he’s dressed nicely. You say this to him.
My my! Don’t you look dapper?
My, my!
“My, my!” means something like “Wow. I’m impressed.”
However, English speakers rarely use “My, my!” when they’re honestly impressed. More often, they say “My, my!” to tease someone. For example, if someone in your family usually wakes up late, you can say this when they wake up earlier:
My, my! You’re up early.
Although we use “My, my!” to tease people, it doesn’t seem mean or offensive. It’s fun and playful.
Don’t you (do something)!
Use the phrase “Don’t you ___!” to mean “You really ___. Wow!” For example:
Don’t you smell nice!
This only works with positive things; you can’t say things like “Don’t you stink!” This phrase is especially used to compliment how someone looks.
You stress the word “you” when you’re using this phrase. Although the sentence is formed as a question, you should pronounce it as a statement, not a question.
You can also use “Aren’t you (something)!” in the same way:
Aren’t you smart!
(a man) is dapper
“Dapper” is an old-fashioned word that means “handsome”. You call a man “dapper” when he’s clean, dressed nicely in a formal way, has a neat and stylish haircut, and so on.
Aside from calling a person “dapper”, you can also say that a man’s clothes are “dapper”:
He wore a dapper white suit.
The word “dapper” sometimes appears in the combination “a dapper gentleman”.
You’re leading a meeting at work. It’s the end of this meeting, so you say this to signal that you’re finished.
All right. Have a good day.
All right
This is an expression that people use near the end of a conversation. For example, if you’re visiting someone and you think that it’s time for you to leave, you can say:
All right, well I guess I should be going.
“All right” can be said in response to something that another person says. For example:
A: Guys, let’s call it a day.
B: All right, we’ll pick it back up in the morning.
But you can also say “all right” on its own to show that you’re ready to end the conversation, even if no one else has said anything.
Have a good day
Tell someone to “Have a good day” at the end of a conversation, when you’re about to leave:
A: OK, well it was nice talking to you.
B: You too! Have a good day.
A: Thanks, you too. Bye.
B: Bye.
This is a friendly, polite phrase that you can use with almost anyone.
Use “Have a good day” in the morning or afternoon. In the evening, you can say “Have a good night” instead.
Your coworkers are supposed to email you when they make changes to a spreadsheet that you’re responsible for. Lately, some of them have forgotten to do that, so you send a short email to remind them.
This is just a polite reminder to please notify me whenever you update the extensions spreadsheet.
Please (do something).
Writing “Please ___” is a formal way to ask a question. You can use “Please ___”:
for very important requests
when you are angry at someone and don’t want to be too friendly with them
when you’re writing to someone who you don’t know
when you’re writing or making an announcement to a group of people
For a friendlier, but still very polite, way to make a request, you can write:
If you could get back to me by the end of the day, that would be appreciated.
notify (someone) of (something)
To “notify” someone of something just means to tell them. You “notify” people of things that are new and that the person might need to know or might find interesting.
The word “notify” is more formal than just “tell” and is often used in business situations. Here’s another example. When writing an e-mail to a client, you can offer to help when they have problems by saying:
Please notify me of any problems or questions that come up.
extensions
An “extension” is extra time that someone gives you after a deadline to finish something. So the “extensions sheet” is probably a document where people record when things can be finished that are going to go past the usual deadline.
This is a reminder to (do something)
When you want to remind people to do something, you can use the phrase “This is a reminder to ___”:
This is a reminder to please fill out your time sheets by end-of-day Thursday.
You can also add the word “polite” to make your announcement sound less bossy:
This is a polite reminder to clean out the break room refrigerator at the end of the day each day. Please do not leave personal items overnight.
This phrase is formal, so you should use it when writing an email or making an announcement to a group of people. When you’re talking to someone one-on-one, it’s friendlier to say something like:
Hey, don’t forget to fill out your time sheet by Thursday.
update (a document)
“Updating” a document means changing it in some way.
I updated my website with some new photos.
Things that you can “update” include:
a website a résumé / CV a report a spreadsheet a spreadsheet A "spreadsheet" is a kind of document that people use for entering numbers and making calculations. Spreadsheets have rows and columns.
The most popular programs for spreadsheets are Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.
You work at the checkin counter at an airport. A customer wants to check in her bag, but when you weigh it, it’s too heavy. You have to tell her that she’s going to need to pay extra.
Ma’am, it seems to be six pounds over the allowed weight. There will be an additional overweight baggage charge for that.
(something) seems to (do, have, or be something)
You can say that something “seems to be ___” when you notice something but you’re not completely sure that you have identified it correctly. For example, if you’re video chatting and it takes her a few extra seconds to answer your questions, you can say:
There seems to be a bit of a lag.
You can also use “seems to…” to politely point out a problem.
For example, imagine that you’re paying for a shirt that you buy at a department store, and you give the cashier some cash. But after he counts it, he says to you:
You seem to be a bit short.
That means “You don’t have enough money.” But the cashier just says “You seem to be…” to be polite. “Seems to…” is a way to act like you might be wrong about what you’ve seen or heard, even if you’re actually sure that you’re correct.
baggage
The word “baggage” means suitcases, bags, and other things that people take on trips.
Airline and airport employees use the word “baggage”. Passengers don’t usually call it “baggage”, though. They call it “luggage” or “bags” or “suitcases”.
pounds
“Pounds” are a unit for measuring weight in the U.S. One pound is equal to about 0.45 kilograms.
Ma’am
“Ma’am” is a title that people use to address a woman. It’s the female equivalent of “sir”.
This word is used differently in different English-speaking regions. Throughout most of the U.S., employees at banks, airports, post offices, and so on call female customers “ma’am” as a sign of respect. Students also traditionally call their female teachers “ma’am”.
In the southern parts of the U.S., “ma’am” is even more common. Some men call any older woman that they don’t know “ma’am”.
“Ma’am” was originally short for “madam”, but people don’t really think about that when they use this word in modern times.
the allowed weight
The “allowed weight” is the amount of weight a company or government allows. For example, when you’re flying, the “allowed weight” for your luggage is the weight that the airline will let you bring for free.
“Allowed” is used in this way in a few other expressions, like “allowed deductions” (on a tax form) and “allowed dosage” (of a medicine).
an additional (something) "Additional" means "extra" or "more", but it's more formal. Employees in customer service jobs use "additional" when speaking with customers sometimes. You can also find "additional" in official letters written to customers:
If you have any additional concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
a (something) charge
A “charge” is money that you have to pay for something. It’s different than a “price”, which is the amount that you pay when buying something. A “charge” is more often for a service, or a penalty that’s added into a bill.
Some examples of different names of charges include:
a storage charge
a fuel charge
administration charge
In most cases, “fee” can also be used instead of “charge”.
You’re driving to the cinema when your friend says he doesn’t know the neighborhood you’re in. You tell him it’s a nice area with some good places to visit.
There’re some good restaurants around here.
around here
“Around here” means “nearby” or “in this neighborhood”. It’s a slightly casual expression.
There is/are (something)(somewhere)
It’s common to use “there is ___” or “there are ___” when you’re describing a scene or situation:
When you go in his office, there are books scattered all around.
You could also describe a scene this way:
When you go in his office, books are scattered all around.
But that’s not as common, because it doesn’t communicate the sense that you’re giving a description. It sounds more like you’re stating a fact. “Facts” are pieces of information like this:
Math textbooks cost a lot of money.
But a “description” has a slightly different feeling. It kind of invites the listener to imagine that they are in the situation you’re describing:
There was a math textbook at the campus bookstore that cost a hundred and ninety dollars!
So when you’re describing a scene, it’s more common to use “There is”, “There are”, “There were”, etc.:
There were books scattered all over.
There’re
When people pronounce “There are” they often shorten it to “There’re”.
There’re a lot of people who I went to college with who live nearby.
When you listen, it might even sound like the speaker is just saying “they”.
Something else that English speakers sometimes do is say “There’s” when “There’re” would be more correct.
There’s a lot of people who I went to college with who live nearby.
