Read the sentences and decide if the idioms describe feeling good or bad:
1 - Not so long ago I was down in the dumps. I lost my job. However, last week I jumped for joy when I was offered a new job.
As you know, learning English is more than just learning vocabulary words and grammar rules. To really know the language, you have to know the culture. American football is such a big part of American culture that the vocabulary from this great sport (please hold the chuckles) has seeped into everyday use.
This month's joke is based on the double meaning of the idiom put one's foot down:
1 - To put your foot down - To act firmly / To tell someone strongly that they must do something or that they must stop doing something:
"You can't just let him do what he wants, you'll have to put your foot down."
Here are some idioms which all use the word 'house':
An organisation or a plan that is very weak and can easily be destroyed:
'Although the organisation looked solid it turned out to be a house of cards.'
If two people get on like a house on fire, they like each other very much and become friends very quickly:
'My neighbour and I got on like a house on fire from the first time we met.'
So, way back in 250 BC, a very clever person invented the world's first ever computer. Some people believe that the name of this very clever person was Archimedes, purely because the design of this first computer very closely resembled some of his other designs...
What do you like to do in your spare time (free time)? What activity makes you happy? Let's use 'swimming' as an example.
As you know, you can say "I love swimming" or "Swimming is my favourite activity".
Today, let's take a look a new phrase that you can use which shows your favourite activity:
The following adjectives are positive character traits essential to learning English. I have included very concise (short, brief) definitions. Please consult a dictionary for a complete understanding of each word because many of the words are very similar in meaning. These words are worth incorporating into your vocabulary, so the next time someone asks you to describe yourself; you won't have any difficulty coming up with 11 positive character traits.
A short quiz for you today. Take a look at the five sentences and choose which word has the closest meaning to the key-word.
How many of you can get all five correct?
Youth club organisers have found a new weapon to drive out teenagers who overstay their welcome - songs from the musical 'The Sound of Music' have been used to encourage youngsters to go home when youth clubs wrap up for the night.
Staff at the Hilton Community Centre were having difficulty dispersing teenagers, who were reluctant to leave when the youth club ended at 10pm on Thursdays and Fridays. Hearing the singing nun pipe up is the way they are told that the party's over.
Here are some sample sentences using English idioms. After you read the sentences, see if you can match each idiom with the definition.
1. After he was cut by the team, he turned over a new leaf and started working out.
2. I couldn't believe he actually passed himself off as a native speaker.
