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Showing posts from April, 2012

Cooking Verbs (Part 1)

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Source: Wikipedia     to add - to bake - to beat /biːt/  - to blend - to boil  /bɔɪl/     - to chill /tʃɪl/ - to chop - to cool - to cover - to crush - to cut (into strips) - to defrost - to dice /daɪs/ - to fill /fɪl/  - to fold - to fry /fraɪ/ - to grate /greɪt/   - to grease /griːs/ - to grill - to heat (up)  - to knead /niːd / - to liquidise /ˈlɪk.wɪ.daɪz/   - to melt - to mix /mɪks/ - Complete the following sentences with one of the verbs in the correct form: I've never ___ a cake but I'd like to make one for my friend's birthday. Eat your ice-cream quickly before it ___. You need to ___ six eggs together for the omelette. I ___ some bacon and eggs for breakfast this morning. ___ it before serving. Warm white wine is horrible. If you make too much, you can ___  what you don't eat the next day in the microwave. You should ___ the water before adding the pasta. ___ the parsley finely but be careful not t

Carry v Take v Wear

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Wear , take and carry can be translated as llevar in Spanish so they are often confused. Source:  engin akyurt on Unsplash We wear clothes, jewellery, etc ie we have them on our bodies. I don't have to wear a suit to work on Fridays. I don't like wearing glasses so I often use contact lenses. What are you going to wear to the party on Saturday? Source:  Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash Take  has different meanings. One of them is to move something or someone from one place to another. She takes her children to school every morning. I didn't take my umbrella with me today and I got soaked. He took them to a nice restaurant. Source: Jordan Koons on Unsplash Carry  is similar in meaning to "take" - transporting something from one place to another but it has a more limited use. You usually use your hands and emphasis is more on the weight. Can you carry the suitcase, please? It's too heavy for me. If I have too much to drink, you'll ha

Gym vocabulary

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Image Source : localfitness.com.au  abs - a bench - to enrol (at a gym) - an exercise bike - to be fit - to get fit - to keep fit - an instructor - a leotard - lockers - to lose weight - a mat - muscles - muscley - to be out of breath - personal trainer - push ups - a rope - a rowing machine - a running machine - to be in good shape - to get in shape - to stay in shape - sit ups - stamina - (to be / to feel ) sore all over - (to do) stretching - sweat (n) - to sweat - a towel - a tracksuit - tracksuit bottoms - to train - trainers - a treadmill - to warm up - (to lift / to do) weights - to work out - a workout - to do yoga (pilates, spinning, step) - Translate the following sentences:   1. Se necesita mucho aguante para hacer spinning.   2. Entrena almenos tres veces por semana.   3. ¿Cuántas flexiones puedes hacer?   4. Pregúntale al monitor si no sabes qúe hacer.   5. Hago calentamiento c

What's up?

Not so long ago, if someone asked me "What's up?", I might have replied - "Nothing. I'm just tired that's all." "What's up?" meant "what's the matter?" You would ask the question to someone who looked sad or seemed in a bad mood . Nowadays, for many people, it's a way of saying "hi" or asking "how are you?". I suppose, like many expressions, it is an import from America. It's the second use that gets on my nerves . Do you remember Bugs Bunny chewing a carrot and then saying "What's up, Doc?"? I suppose in this case it was like "What's the matter?", because Elmer Fudd (Elmer Gruñon) was always grumpy . And I imagine the instant messaging application that everyone seems to have - WhatsApp, is a play on words. In this case - it'd be "Hi! How are you?".

An 11-word apology

A: "I 'm sorry. I made a mistake. It won't happen again" B: The King said that he was sorry and he had made a mistake. He also said that it wouldn't happen again. C:  The King apologized for go ing on a safari trip during a financial crisis. He admitted mak ing a mistake. He promised not to do it again. A is a quote from the King. See more posts on quotes here . B is an example of reported speech. See more posts on reported speech here . C is an example of reporting verbs/verb patterns. See more posts on reporting verbs  here . Don't forget that you can find related labels at the end of every post. If you want further practice on reported speech or verb patterns, click on the labels below this post.

Wait v Expect v Hope v Look Forward To

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Consider the following sentences : 1. I am waiting for my student. 2. I expect he'll arrive shortly. 3. I hope he hasn't forgotten. 4. I'm looking forward to my next class. It should be fun. Source: Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash to wait - to pass time (inactively) until something happens. e.g. I am waiting for my student (to arrive). e.g. He's been waiting for an operation for 4 months. Source: Erik Mclean on Unsplash to expect - to think sth will happen or sb will arrive; to see sth as probable or likely e.g. I expect he'll arrive shortly (he normally phones to say if he's going to be late). e.g. She's expecting a phone call from her brother (he said he'd phone today). Source:  Ron Smith on Unsplash to hope - to want something to happen; an emotional desire e.g. I hope he hasn't forgotten about the lesson (I'll be annoyed if he has). e.g. I hope (that) I'll pass the exam (I'll be disappointed if I d

Should the King abdicate?

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Image source King of Spain faces calls to abdicate after elephant hunt The 74-year-old monarch has faced a barrage of criticism over his extravagant lifestyle at a time when Spaniards are suffering harsh austerity measures in a nation mired in economic crisis. Left wing leaders called for greater transparency of Royal accounts and one even suggested it may be time for the once popular monarch to give up his throne. Source: Daily Telegraph Vocabulary : to face calls - to injure - amid - a barrage of criticism - harsh (adj) - to be mired in stg - duty (n) - a branch (of a party) - to call for stg - to set an example - hardship (n) - a lack of stg - across the board - a breakdown of its accounts - in light of stg - to sum up the feeling - to be discharged from hospital -

King's austerity drive (lol)

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Image Source King to tighten belt as cutbacks affect Royal Household budget The Royal Household is embarking on its own austerity drive after the government included a two-percent cut in its allocation in the draft 2012 state budget. King Juan Carlos and his entourage will receive 8.2 million euros from the state this year, 170,000 euros less than last year. The many cuts will be in personnel costs and spending on protocol and public relations. Sources close to the Royal Household said Wednesday that the reductions in salaries would be applied progressively so that they affected mostly those on higher wages. The remuneration of 11 top officials in the king's entourage are in the front line.  Sources said it had not been ruled out that the assignations of individual members of the Royal Family would also be cut. The other areas where belt-tightening will be applied include official gifts, hotels used during trips and receptions to honor guests. Current spending on such ite

No sympathy for elephant hunting King

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Image Source King Juan Carlos of Spain operated on after 'elephant hunting' accident. He was operated on for four hours to replace his hip at a hospital in Madrid on Saturday morning, after suffering a triple fracture which the Royal Palace said was "linked to arthritis". The accident happened in Botswana during what the palace described as a private hunting trip. Many Spaniards reacted with anger, with criticism of his expensive hobby at a time when his nation is mired in economic crisis with high unemployment and real suffering, especially for the young. Source: Daily Telegraph Vocabulary : a hip - hunting (n) - to be mired in stg - unemployment (n) - to shoot (shot, shot) - target practice - to be questioned (by police) - to issue (a license) - to feed (fed, fed) - to set off controversy - fevered (adj) - distress (n) - to puzzle - fate (n) - endangered (adj) - left-leaning - daily (adj) - to cull - a

Royal accident

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Source:  Sebastian Pociecha on Unsplash   Spanish King Juan Carlos' grandson *shoots himself in foot Felipe Juan Froilan, 13, was with his father, Jaime de Marichalar, when the accident happened on Monday afternoon at a family country house in the province of Soria in northern Spain. He was wounded in his right foot after misfiring a small 36-calibre shotgun, the palace said, adding that he was taken to hospital in Soria city for treatment. He was later transferred to a private clinic just outside Madrid for “surgical cleansing” of his wound. His mother, the Infanta Elena, who is the eldest daughter of the King and divorced from Felipe’s father spent the night at his bedside. Upon leaving the hospital with Queen Sofia, Felipe’s grandmother, the Infanta said: “Kids do give you shocks.” She added that her son was calm and was playing with his mobile phone when she left him. “He’ll be in hospital for as long as the doctors say, but I think he’ll make a quick recovery.”

Suspiciously generous tip

Source: newsy.com Waitress Sues Police After They Seize Her $12,000 'Tip' A big tip is always appreciated by a waitress... but for a waitress in Minnesota, a twelve-thousand dollar tip was apparently a little too generous. So, she reported it to the police and now she’s suing to get the gratuity back. Source: newsy.com Vocabulary : to sue - to sieze - a tip - to report stg (to the police) - wads of bills - to come forward - to claim the cash - to smell like stg - to award - an anchor (TV) - a frying pan - to struggle - a paycheck - to deserve - finders keepers - Do you think that the waitress should get the money? Why / why not?

New anti-smoking law

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Image Source Video vocabulary : Shops Banned From Displaying Cigarettes Tobacco has been banned from displays in shops as the latest anti-smoking law comes into effect in England. The new rules mean all cigarettes and tobacco products will be kept hidden behind screens or under the counter in large shops and supermarkets. Vocabulary : a display - to come into effect - to hide (hid, hidden) - a counter - appealing (adj) - to close down - aimed at - smoking rates - to discourage - to take up (a habit) - a range of measures - vending machines - to scrap - overall (adj) - a razor blade - a battery - to encourage - a brand - to carry on - Source: Sky News Do you think they should introduce an similar measure in Spain? Why / why not?