It was nice to see you again after these weeks without
classes.
Well, this is the countdown for summer holidays. We
need a break, don’t we?
We
started our lesson last week revising ‘moans and groans’.
·What a waste of time! Ten minutes listening to music and ‘All our lines are busy. Thank you
for waiting’. I know, it drives me mad. But worse still is that you
never get to speak to a real person anyway!
·I could kick myself. As soon as I handed it in, I remembered what the answer was. Oh, I hate it when
it happens! But do you think you’ve still passed?
·It’s not fair. I’d been looking forward to watching it all day and then the phone goes
and rings! Typical!
And who was it? Anyone interesting?
·How many times do I have to tell you? Take them off before you come
into the house! Give
me a break! I was in a hurry. Anyway, they’re only a bit muddy.
This opening line ‘How many times…’ reminds me of a song. Here it
is!
After that, we checked the meaning of some phrasal
nouns.
Bear in mind (take into consideration) that we not only have phrasal verbs, but also
phrasal nouns or phrasal adjectives. Phrasal verbs are usually two
or three words: a verb + one or two particles. Phrasal nouns or
adjectives, are usually spelt hyphenated or in one word. Most of the times,
the phrasal verb does not have the same meaning as the phrasal adjectives or
nouns that come from them.
a.The breakdown (interruption)
of communication between management and workers means the strike will continue.
b.The car broke down(stop
working) and we had to call the tow away car.
a.The outcome(result)
of the election is that the Labour party has a majority of 90.
b.I like spring; when
flowers come
out (appear, bloom).
a.There has been a
significant breakthrough(improvement,
advance) in the search to find a cure for the common cold.
b.I hate fiestas
because every place is too crowded. You have to break through (force a way through all the
people) if you want to cross the road!
a.He used to be a
highly successful pop star, but taking too many drugs was his downfall (the end
of his career).
b.He fell down
the stairs and broke his leg.
Yes, pop stars and drugs are many times related. Do you remember Amy Winehouse? I like this song: ‘Back
to black’
And we finished the class with a new topic: Determiners. That we will
continue tomorrow.
