2018 June Flashcards
You bought a helmet and pads to wear while riding your bicycle. Now you’re looking at yourself wearing them in the mirror, and you don’t like how it looks. You think this to yourself.
I look like a dork.
(something) looks like a (something)
When you want to explain how something looks by comparing it to something else, putting it in a category, use “look like a ___”:
│ He looks like a really nice guy.
│ This looks like a good spot to set up camp. What do you think?
This is different from how you use an adjective. When you’re just using an adjective, you can use “look ___”:
│ That looks expensive.
a dork
A “dork” is an uncool person. It’s someone who wears clothes that aren’t in style, who does things that are silly, or who has really specialized interests that other people might think are boring. You can call your close friend “a dork” if they do something that’s fun but not quite mainstream. For example, if your friend goes to a comic book convention, you can tease him by saying:
│ You’re such a dork!
The word “dork” is slightly negative, but in a fun and harmless way. If you call a stranger a “dork”, they might get mad at you. But if you call a close friend a “dork”, they’ll probably laugh and insult you right back.
The word “dork” is similar in meaning to “nerd” and “geek”. They are very small differences in the meanings of these words. English speakers like to discuss the differences between them, but there’s not a clear-cut difference and they’re all used in mostly the same situations.
You’re talking to your friend about a book that you recently read. It was a really good book, so you stayed up late every night reading. You say this to your friend to explain why.
I couldn’t put it down.
This is a phrase that people say when talking about a great book. It means that, while you were reading it, you didn’t want to stop reading. Or you may not have even been able to make yourself stop reading.
People usually use this phrase to describe books with really addictive stories, like mysteries, really interesting biographies or memoirs, or romance novels. You don’t usually say “I couldn’t put it down” about a textbook or a work of serious literature.
Another way to describe a book like this is to call it “a page turner”. This means that the book makes you want to turn to the next page quickly to find out what happens next.
You’re at your uncle’s house. It’s pretty cold. You’d like your uncle to turn the heat up, and you also want to know why it’s so cold there. You ask him this question.
What do you have the thermostat set on?
a thermostat
A “thermostat” is a device which controls the temperature of a heater. A thermostat allows you to choose a certain temperature that you want a room to be. When it gets warmer than that temperature, the heater will turn off.
Most thermostat control the heat in a house, but some cars also have thermostats now as well. So do hot water kettles, swimming pool heaters, and other devices which need to maintain a constant temperature.
have (something) set on (a level)
A level which you are able to choose on a device can be called a “setting”. We also use the verb “set” to describe putting something on a certain level:
│ I have the chicken set on low, so it’ll cook like that for an hour or so.
│ When you move them to the dryer, can you set it on low heat?
│ It was set on “easy” mode, but I still couldn’t play it.
These sentences mean nearly the same thing:
│ The thermostat is always set on 68 degrees.
│ I always have the thermostat set on 68 degrees.
However, the second one is more personal. You’d only say “I have…” if you chose that setting yourself, like in your own home.
Your nephew is visiting your house. He seems to be cold. You offer to turn the heat up.
I can adjust the temperature, if you want.
I can (do something) if you want. This is one way to offer to do something.
This is a casual way to make an offer. It’s good for conversations between family members or friends. It conveys the idea that you’re letting the person you’re talking with make the decision. You may not care, or may not agree. For example:
│ I can heat up a can of soup if you want.
You can say this to a family member who seems hungry. If the person isn’t as close, it’s more polite to ask:
│ Would you like me to make you some soup?
adjust (something)
To “adjust” something means to make small changes to it. Adjusting the temperature of the room on a thermostat is a great example. You’re only changing the temperature by a few degrees.
Some other good examples of “adjusting” something are:
· After sitting for a long time, you “adjust your position” in a seat.
· Comparisons of money between the past and present are often “adjusted for inflation”. That means that the older amounts are multiplied by the amount that the value of money has risen by over time. So $400 in 1980 might be equal to $900 today. for example.
· Before you start driving, you’re supposed to adjust the mirrors on your car so that you can see behind the car easily.
· You adjust the settings of a machine, a computer program, or an appliance.
A coworker is visiting you at your home for the first time. You want to be polite, so you offer him something to drink.
Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea?
Can I get you something to drink?
This is a set phrase that people use when offering drinks to visitors to their home. It sound polite and friendly, and adults use this phrase with all kinds of guests, from friends to repair people to colleagues.
You can also ask:
│ Can I get you something to eat?
│ Can I get you a drink?
The difference between “something to drink” and “a drink” is that “a drink” usually means alcohol, while “something to drink” can mean water, juice, coffee, etc.
Someone you work with has come over to your house to visit. You offered him something to drink, and he said that he’d like a coffee. You ask him this to find out if he likes sugar or milk in it.
How do you take it.
Ask this to find out how someone wants to drink tea or coffee that you’re giving them. Most people have a preferred way of drinking these beverages. Some people like milk and sugar in them, while others don’t.
Here are some possible answers to this question:
│ I take mine black.
(This is used more for coffee than for tea.)
│ Just like this is fine.
(When someone has made some coffee or tea and you don’t want them to put anything in it.)
│ Just a little sugar, please.
│ A little milk and sugar, please.
