So, Should I Fire Back? (text)
What a terrible day. My boss called me to her office and said I was doing a lousy job, today is my last day. I can't believe I got fired!
Should I Fire Back?
What a terrible day. My boss called me to her office and said I was doing a lousy job, today is my last day. I can't believe I got fired!
I’ll Sleep On It
Huh, what!! I was fast asleep. Why are you texting me now? It's 6AM!!
I Got Pulled Over
Ugh, I’ve been stopped by the police! Waiting for the officer... I hope I’m not in too much trouble.
Job Interview Gone Wrong
Interviewer: Hello Alex. Tell me a little about yourself. Why do you think you'd be a good fit for our restaurant?
I Love When You Horse Around
Hey Lindsay, do you know Rose is pregnant with triplets? No way, how'd you hear that, Michelle? Straight from the horse's mouth, we had lunch yesterday.
Our Last Day in Boston
It’s our last day in Boston. Are you up for sailing on the Charles?
In the Doghouse
Oh man, you look sick as a dog. What's up? Do you have the flu or something?
Is Our Play a Home Run?
Our school play opened last night. It was disappointing, we expected 500 but only 200 people came. The planning committee sure was off base!
Grease It Up
My hair is so greasy! I really need to wash it. You know it's funny how we say hair is greasy, but skin is oily. English is very strange indeed!
Items in a Home
That bed looks very comfortable. I think I'll take a quick nap.
In the Mountains
Hey, have you ever broken a bone? I did! I broke my collar bone when I was skiing 3 years ago.
Going to School in the City
Some of my friends get to school by bus.
In the Countryside
Goodbye hot smelly city. I'm so happy we're on our way to the countryside.
In Flight
Our seat backs are upright, seat belts are fastened, and electronics are turned off (well almost)!
Interview Answers: Strengths
I am a fast learner. I like taking on new responsibilities and am quick to acquire new skills.
Working in a Restaurant
Whoa, I'm exhausted. I just worked a double, fourteen hours on my feet! What about you, how was your shift?
GET Real, I Didn’t Do That!
Wow! I have to get over my ex. Ever since she dumped me, I've been a mess. I can't sleep or eat properly.
RUN for It
I had a terrible evening last night! My dog, Luke, ran away. I opened the front door, he saw a squirrel and took off!
In Trouble with the Police
Oh no! There's a checkpoint up ahead, the police are looking for drunk drivers! What are we gonna do?
Winter in the North
It’s chilly in our winter and I love it!
Concert Invitation
Ari: Hey Ami, Christina, I’m glad I bumped into you!
In the City
"Are you looking for Leo's Pizza? It's just around the block from here."
Months: in New York
January starts the new year. We had a good time in Times Square!
In the Summer
It's 100 degrees outside, but my room is cool since I have air-conditioning. My cat loves it!
Days of the Week: what I do
On Sundays I spend time outside in the park.
Waiting in Line at a Nightclub
Hey, what's the cover to get into this place?
University in Canada
'Hey! My name is Robbie. I'm studying English here. It is my first year. What about you? What's your major, what are you taking?
Baseball Idioms Ertu
I thought I'd drive 100 miles today, but my guess was quite off base.
Conversational Idioms
"Welcome everyone. Let's get the ball rolling by going around in a circle and introducing ourselves."
Baseball Idioms 2
Many politicians play hardball when they run for office. Do you think it's OK to 'slam' your opponent in order to win?
Baseball Idioms 1
Brandon expected fifty people to come to the event, but his numbers were way off base.
Eating in the Extreme
Our appetite for salt is programmed into our brains. Now scientists believe that cocaine and heroin are particularly addictive in part because they usurp that programming.
In Flight
The ride got very bumpy and an announcement told everyone to sit down and fasten their seat belts.
Crime Idioms
My new handbag was a steal. The price was so low I just had to buy it!
Comparative Idioms
I hope my friends don't get lost on the way to my house. My instructions were as clear as day!
CARD: idioms
We have to accept the buyer's terms for the sale. They hold all the cards.
Which is Which? 1
Exposure to social noise and the lifestyle choices we make - such as wearing headphones where we tend to crank up the volume - are likely to impact on our future aural health.
Which is Which? 2
Bob Dylan has gotten flak for a recent performance in China, which many thought was censored. Songs that might have overtly offended China's Communist rulers were avoided.
Persuade: Eat Insects
Hey, we should grab a bite sometime. I know a place that serves up tasty meals made from insects!
Snow and Ice (advanced)
No, it doesn’t look like a giant white ape. But the battery-powered rover has all the toughness of an abominable snowman, surveying undetected hazards at research sites in Greenland and Antarctica.
Shopping Issues (advanced)
Plummeting sales of DVD and Blu-ray movies have caused consternation in Hollywood, as more and more consumers favor streaming content online.
Idioms of the Day
That movie was fantastic. The lead's performance blew me away!
Countryside -- tag issue
It is nice to get out of the city together. This getaway should be the best yet.
I Wish...
I wish I could bring him home with me!
Informal Adjectives 2
I looked for my glasses for ten minutes before I realized I was wearing them. I feel pretty dense!
Animal Intelligence
An unnamed Belarus hunter was outfoxed by his quarry when the fox he had wounded ended up shooting him by pulling the trigger on the man's gun.
Animal Idioms
Chimps agree: a bird in the hand Is worth two in the bush. When those possessing items of medium-high value, such as carrots, were offered high-value items, like grapes, they kept the lesser food.
TURN: idioms +
Zebra make good dining companions for cattle, because they masticate the fibrous grasses that are unappetizing to cows, which in turn encourages the growth of fresh shoots.
Informal Adjectives 1
Really cute, guys. Now who's going to help me remove all this newspaper from my office?
In the Job Market
I'm applying to many different companies for a job. With luck I'll hear back from a couple of them!
Comparative Idioms 2
I need to find my glasses. Without them I'm as blind as a bat!
News Story: Inky's Escape
By the time the staff at New Zealand’s National Aquarium noticed that Inky the octopus was missing, telltale suction cup prints were the main clue to how he had broken free.
YOLA 07B: Stars in Their Eyes - all
It is dawn in the Andes. A grimy carpet of red dust stretches over rolling featureless hills towards a horizon dominated by the icy cone of Chile's Licancabur volcano.
YOLA 07A: A New Planet Is Discovered - all
Humans have long been fascinated by the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. Novels, films, and folk tales have encouraged curiosity and speculation about what might be 'out there' in space.
DAY: idioms +
It was a big day for Bandar and Sukacita. The two tiger cubs learned to swim the hard way—by getting dropped in the water!
Idioms with HEART
This is my favorite book. I know most of it by heart!
YOLA 07A: A New Planet Is Discovered - p3
Even if there is no life on Gliese 581g, its discovery reveals that habitable planets are quite common, with around 10 to 20 per cent of red dwarves and sun-like stars boasting them.
YOLA 07A: A New Planet Is Discovered - p2
Gliese 581g is part of a string of planets in the Gliese 581 solar system. Two of Gliese 581g's siblings - Gliese 581e and Gliese 581b - orbit too close to their parent star to support any kind of life on them.
YOLA 07A: A New Planet Is Discovered - p1
Humans have long been fascinated by the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. Novels, films, and folk tales have encouraged curiosity and speculation about what might be 'out there' in space.
YOLA 07B: Stars in their Eyes - p1
It is dawn in the Andes. A grimy carpet of red dust stretches over rolling featureless hills towards a horizon dominated by the icy cone of Chile's Licancabur volcano.
YOLA 07B: Stars in their Eyes - p2
The dish will direct the radio waves down into the heart of the receiver, where signals from deep space can be amplified, recorded and analysed. To compensate for the rotation of the Earth, it will need to be fully steerable.
YOLA 07B: Stars in their Eyes - p3
After the newly-born cosmos had exploded into existence and the heavens had filled with superheated particles, a thin gruel of matter somehow coalesced to produce heavy solid objects.
IELTS: 'a' words
The concept of chance, that there could be events which are neither inevitable nor intentional, is difficult and abstract but it has gained strength as science has developed.
IELTS: t-z
The Big Bang theory says our universe was created when a tiny mass (billions X smaller than a proton) exploded and began expanding very rapidly into the stars and galaxies of today.
IELTS: i-s
A suspicious package that looked like a bomb was found on a UPS cargo plane en route from Yemen to Chicago.
IELTS: d-i
Deeply ensconced in a top-secret military program, three pilots struggle to bring an artificial intelligence program under control... before it initiates the next world war.
IELTS: 'b' and 'c' words
The health benefits of humor start as soon as you anticipate the pleasure of a good laugh. New research shows that laughter reduces stress hormones and boosts immunity, effects that kick in even as you look forward to it.
IELTS: a-c
The concept of chance, that there could be events which are neither inevitable nor intentional, is difficult and abstract but it has gained strength as science has developed.
It's the Law
Buckle up. It's the law, at least in our state!
Difficult or Nice? - idioms
Wow look at that car! It must have cost a pretty penny!
Friends and Fun: idioms
That movie was a laugh a minute. You should have seen all the crazy animal tricks!
You Can Do It! [advanced]
Is she qualified to be president? Even ardent conservative Charles Krauthammer lamented in 2008 about “the paucity of any Palin record or expressed conviction on the major issues of our time.”
Phrasal Verbs with IN [advanced]
Gangnam Style by the Korean artist Psy enthralled one and all and became viral on the net. It entertained many and Bollywood took the opportunity to cash in on its immense popularity.
HEART: idioms + [advanced]
The storyline revolves around Frank, an American tourist visiting Italy to mend a broken heart. Elise is an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path.
HEAD: idioms [advanced]
It’s good, old-fashioned fun when a poor mechanic’s son named David (Alex Pettyfer) falls head over heels in love with the rich and gorgeous Jade (Gabriella Wilde) and she — amazingly — falls just as hard for him.
FISH: idioms
In school Ben was a big fish in a small pond, but after graduation he was just one of the masses applying for a job.
Emotional idioms [advanced]
A blistering op-ed about Goldman Sachs in The New York Times has prompted the typical Internet reaction to a cri de coeur: Twitter chatter, link-dropping and the inevitable parodies.
CATCH: idioms +
We're all staying home because everyone has caught a cold.
In the News
Here's Channel 17's anchor Victoria with today's top news stories.
Irregular Verbs: long to short e
The cat crept through the grass, moving closer to the birds.
Irregular Verbs: ought/aught
I think I bought too many plants. I hope they all fit in my car!
LINE: idioms + [advanced]
Workers are building entire apartments in days on a factory floor resembling an oversized assembly line. New Yorkers might not realize it, but the world's tallest prefab building is taking shape not far from where they live.
TIME: idioms +
I make my lunches for the week ahead of time so I can just grab one and go to work.
TAKE: idioms +
They say books will soon take a back seat to TV and video screens -- in cars and everywhere!
STEP: idioms +
Be brave. Break step with those who think they can't do anything.
SPOT: Idioms +
These leaves taste great, they really hit the spot! Yum!
SET: idioms [advanced]
Last year, a group of activist cartographers started walking around the Nairobi city slum Mathare typing landmarks into hand-held GPS devices. The idea is to make slums a reality for people who would never set foot in one.
RUN: idioms + [advanced]
Intelligence officials are worried that last week's bomb scare was a dry run to see whether security would detect the explosives.
Put: idioms + [advanced]
A dozen witches threw the poisonous mandrake plant into the river Danube to put a curse on officials that will force them to pay taxes for the first time.
MUCH: idioms
"Don't ask me to help seat customers, I have too much on my plate as it is!"
MAKE: Idioms + [advanced]
Former 'Harry Potter' actress Emma Watson made a splash in London as she stole the show on the red carpet of 'Noah.' For once the water was just for fun as the carpet was printed to look like waves.
It's a Mess
I came back to get my bike and found my back wheel in ruins.
It's Difficult
As they endure their daily arduous grind, the much-flogged beast of burden is paid 250 Indian rupees per day in Panchkula, Haryana.
Life is a Balancing Act
McNamara, self-described "extreme surfer", broke the world record for "Largest Wave Surfed" by conquering a 90 foot behemoth in Praia do Norte, Nazare, Portugal.
Keep It Simple
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
It's Everywhere!
Coffitivity was inspired by recent research showing that the whoosh of espresso machines and caffeinated chatter typical of most coffee shops creates just the right level of ambient noise to stimulate creativity.
Is That Really A Verb?
Beyonce electrified the crowd at the Super Bowl halftime show, belting out songs throughout her set and dancing hard and heavy in between.
Obesity in America
The FDA report says that no link has been proven but that people are more likely to eat more at restaurants because of the large portions and the convivial atmosphere.
World War II
Solving an old maritime mystery, cognitive psychologists used the testimony of German soldiers, long thought to be contrived, to locate the wreck of the HMAS Sydney.
I could eat a horse
so hungry I could eat a horse
Sure, sure... but don't be too long, Lindsey. I haven't had anything since breakfast. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!
don't blame
don't blame
No, I don't blame you. I feel the same way. It's okay to be scared as long as we don't let that get us down.
lift someone's spirits
lifted my spirits
Is it weird that it lifted my spirits to know he was angry and not scared? It makes me feel like we really can fight them.
mad as hell
mad as hell
Yeah, I think they are. My cousin saw tanks in the street yesterday. He wasn't scared, though. He was mad as hell.
in danger of
in danger of
Doesn't your family live near the fighting? Are they in danger of getting hit by the bombs?
stress out
stressed out
How am I? I don't even know. Everything is so crazy right now and I'm just so stressed out.