A bystander is someone who, by chance, is present at some event, and sees what happened.
"After the crash, the police asked the bystanders what they saw"
Learn more English online at SmartLanguageSolutions.com
Showing posts with label Grammar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grammar. Show all posts
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.
In this mini English lesson I want to explain the English Idiom "put your money where your mouth is".
The first thing to note is that this idiom is not offensive and is safe to use.
The origin of this idiom is not very clear, however there are two theories and both of them are related to gambling.
The first theory states the phrase has its origin in the pubs of Ireland where people used to play gambling games while they drank, and the second theory says that the phrase has its origin in the world of poker playing.
However, in modern parlance the phrase is used in many different situations to tell someone that if they truly believe in what they are saying, then they should do more than just talk about it.
For example:
Speaker 1: "I am so upset at the plight of all the poor people living in the city"
Speaker 2: "You have been saying that for so long, why don't you put your money where your mouth is, and go and work for a charity"
In this exchange, the first speaker expresses their opinion that they are upset about the bad conditions in which some poor people the city are living.
The second speaker suggests that the first speaker has been talking about this situation for such a long time that the first speaker should really take some action rather than just taking.
To put your money where your mouth is, an English idiomatic expression used to encourage people to do more than just talk about a problem.
Learn English online with native speaking professional teachers at SmartLanguageSolutions.Com
The first thing to note is that this idiom is not offensive and is safe to use.
The origin of this idiom is not very clear, however there are two theories and both of them are related to gambling.
The first theory states the phrase has its origin in the pubs of Ireland where people used to play gambling games while they drank, and the second theory says that the phrase has its origin in the world of poker playing.
However, in modern parlance the phrase is used in many different situations to tell someone that if they truly believe in what they are saying, then they should do more than just talk about it.
For example:
Speaker 1: "I am so upset at the plight of all the poor people living in the city"
Speaker 2: "You have been saying that for so long, why don't you put your money where your mouth is, and go and work for a charity"
In this exchange, the first speaker expresses their opinion that they are upset about the bad conditions in which some poor people the city are living.
The second speaker suggests that the first speaker has been talking about this situation for such a long time that the first speaker should really take some action rather than just taking.
To put your money where your mouth is, an English idiomatic expression used to encourage people to do more than just talk about a problem.
Learn English online with native speaking professional teachers at SmartLanguageSolutions.Com
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Packed in like Sardines
The other night I was teaching a client in Moscow and he asked me to explain the phrase, "packed in like sardines" which he had heard was a good way to describe rush hour on the Moscow Metro, however he was a little unsure if it was an offensive phrase or not.
The phrase is not offensive and in fact comes from the business of food processing.
Sardines, as you know are a type of fish, and we normally buy our sardines in small tins. When we open a tin of sardines, its normal that there are a lot fish in the tin and there no free space.
Therefore the phrase packed in like sardines is used to describe a situation where people are in an area or space with little room to move.
So it is not offensive and in fact a very good way to describe the Moscow Metro during rush hour.
"Every morning I take the Metro to work, it is always full and there is no room to move because everyone is packed in like sardines."
Packed in Like sardines = No space to move
Learn more English online- SmartLanguageSolutions.com
The phrase is not offensive and in fact comes from the business of food processing.
Sardines, as you know are a type of fish, and we normally buy our sardines in small tins. When we open a tin of sardines, its normal that there are a lot fish in the tin and there no free space.
Therefore the phrase packed in like sardines is used to describe a situation where people are in an area or space with little room to move.
So it is not offensive and in fact a very good way to describe the Moscow Metro during rush hour.
"Every morning I take the Metro to work, it is always full and there is no room to move because everyone is packed in like sardines."
Packed in Like sardines = No space to move
Learn more English online- SmartLanguageSolutions.com
Friday, 26 February 2010
English Lesson - Bailout or Bail Out
In this mini English lesson I want to look at the phrase bailout, which when used as a noun is one word and when used as an intransitive verb is two words.
Bailout - noun
and
Bail Out - intransitive verb
If you have been following the business news in English over the last few months you will have heard the phrase bailout used as a noun.
Bailout - used as a noun
For example:
" The bank happily took the bailout given to them by the government, but they still are paying themselves big bonuses."
In business English we use the phrase bailout to describe the act of giving money to a bank or company who is danger of financial failure.
When we spit bail out into two different words we are using it as an intransitive verb.
Bail Out - when used as an intransitive verb, has three distinct:
1) To describe the act of parachuting from an aircraft
"I bailed out of the plane with my parachute at 20,000 feet and it took me 4 minutes to land"
2) To describe the act of leaving a harmful or difficult situation
"We bailed out of the bar when the two men started fighting"
In American English when we use bail out to describe the act of leaving a harmful or difficult situation bail out can be shortened to balled.
"I bailed on maths class because I didn't have me homework done."
And 3) to describe the act of removing water from a boat
"It was a nice day so we rented a row boat to go out on the lake, unfortunately the boat was leaking and we had to use our shoes to bail out the water"
So there you have it Bailout or Bail Out, now you know!
If you would like to learn more English go to our website www.SmartLanguageSolutions.com
Bailout - noun
and
Bail Out - intransitive verb
If you have been following the business news in English over the last few months you will have heard the phrase bailout used as a noun.
Bailout - used as a noun
For example:
" The bank happily took the bailout given to them by the government, but they still are paying themselves big bonuses."
In business English we use the phrase bailout to describe the act of giving money to a bank or company who is danger of financial failure.
When we spit bail out into two different words we are using it as an intransitive verb.
Bail Out - when used as an intransitive verb, has three distinct:
1) To describe the act of parachuting from an aircraft
"I bailed out of the plane with my parachute at 20,000 feet and it took me 4 minutes to land"
2) To describe the act of leaving a harmful or difficult situation
"We bailed out of the bar when the two men started fighting"
In American English when we use bail out to describe the act of leaving a harmful or difficult situation bail out can be shortened to balled.
"I bailed on maths class because I didn't have me homework done."
And 3) to describe the act of removing water from a boat
"It was a nice day so we rented a row boat to go out on the lake, unfortunately the boat was leaking and we had to use our shoes to bail out the water"
So there you have it Bailout or Bail Out, now you know!
If you would like to learn more English go to our website www.SmartLanguageSolutions.com
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
English Idiom – Packed in Like Sardines
This idiom is used across the English speaking world.
Packed in like sardines, is used to describe the situation when a place is very crowded.
“The night club was so full everyone was packed in like sardines.”
The idiom is sometimes spoken as “packed like sardines”
“The night club was so full everyone was packed like sardines”
Learn more English online and interactive with our professional teachers at www.SmartLanguageSolutions.com we look forward to meeting you soon.
Packed in like sardines, is used to describe the situation when a place is very crowded.
“The night club was so full everyone was packed in like sardines.”
The idiom is sometimes spoken as “packed like sardines”
“The night club was so full everyone was packed like sardines”
Learn more English online and interactive with our professional teachers at www.SmartLanguageSolutions.com we look forward to meeting you soon.
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
IELTS – Speaking Module
The IELTS speaking test is about 10 to 15 minutes long, and has three parts.
The test is a one to one interview, just you and the examiner.
Part one
The examiner will ask you about something familiar such you, your family, country and so on.
We recommend that you use this part of the test to relax and get over any nerves you may have.
Listen to the examiner, and only answer the questions that you are asked.
Part two
You will have to talk for about 2 to 4 minutes. The examiner will give you a topic and one minute to prepare a small talk. The topic the examiner will give you will be based on your personal experience.
We suggest that you don’t just list off the words in the question that that examiner has given you.
Part three
This section is a two way discussion, not a question and answer. The examiner will ask you questions broadly linked to the topic you spoke about. You should give long coherent answers. Give reasons for your answers!
There are many self teach books for the IELTS which are very good. However you will need the input of a professional native speaking English teacher who can help you with your speaking and listening.
Smart Language Solutions (www.smartlanguesolutions.com) is the online language school who can help you.
The test is a one to one interview, just you and the examiner.
Part one
The examiner will ask you about something familiar such you, your family, country and so on.
We recommend that you use this part of the test to relax and get over any nerves you may have.
Listen to the examiner, and only answer the questions that you are asked.
Part two
You will have to talk for about 2 to 4 minutes. The examiner will give you a topic and one minute to prepare a small talk. The topic the examiner will give you will be based on your personal experience.
We suggest that you don’t just list off the words in the question that that examiner has given you.
Part three
This section is a two way discussion, not a question and answer. The examiner will ask you questions broadly linked to the topic you spoke about. You should give long coherent answers. Give reasons for your answers!
There are many self teach books for the IELTS which are very good. However you will need the input of a professional native speaking English teacher who can help you with your speaking and listening.
Smart Language Solutions (www.smartlanguesolutions.com) is the online language school who can help you.
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Word – Ahead
Ahead is an adverb, and has a number of meanings.
In English we use ahead to describe the position of being in the front:
John is ahead in the race at the moment (John is leading the race)
Move something to a different time in the future:
We need to move the start time ahead by a day from Monday to Tuesday.
To move in a forward direction:
The queue moved ahead slowly
When learning a new word it’s important to check all the meanings of the word. Above are just a few of the meanings of “ahead”!
Learning English is fun, but it is best to learn with professional native English speaking teachers.
You can learn English online at www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
In English we use ahead to describe the position of being in the front:
John is ahead in the race at the moment (John is leading the race)
Move something to a different time in the future:
We need to move the start time ahead by a day from Monday to Tuesday.
To move in a forward direction:
The queue moved ahead slowly
When learning a new word it’s important to check all the meanings of the word. Above are just a few of the meanings of “ahead”!
Learning English is fun, but it is best to learn with professional native English speaking teachers.
You can learn English online at www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
Monday, 17 August 2009
Phrasal Verb – Make Up
Make Up is used in English to describe the situation when people reconcile.
John and Mary have been friends for a long time, but they had a row last week, I really think they should make up.
Of course the phrasal verb Make Up has more than one meaning and you should be careful when using it, in fact it best to learn English from a professional native speaking English teacher, which you can do at Smart Language Solutions.
www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
John and Mary have been friends for a long time, but they had a row last week, I really think they should make up.
Of course the phrasal verb Make Up has more than one meaning and you should be careful when using it, in fact it best to learn English from a professional native speaking English teacher, which you can do at Smart Language Solutions.
www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
Friday, 14 August 2009
Some Mispronounced words
Some Mispronounced words
In English we do not have a system of accenting our vowels. This can lead to problems when pronouncing words.
Here are some words that are commonly mispronounced:
Utmost – mispronounced as – Upmost
Wasn’t – mispronounced as – wadn’t
Yolk – mispronounced as – yoke
Suite – mispronounced as – suit
Nuclear – mispronounced as – nuclar
Close – mispronounced as – clothes
Be careful when learning new words! Its good to learn English with a professional native speaking teacher. You can do that with Smart Language Solutions
Learn English on line at www.SmartLanguageSolutions.com
In English we do not have a system of accenting our vowels. This can lead to problems when pronouncing words.
Here are some words that are commonly mispronounced:
Utmost – mispronounced as – Upmost
Wasn’t – mispronounced as – wadn’t
Yolk – mispronounced as – yoke
Suite – mispronounced as – suit
Nuclear – mispronounced as – nuclar
Close – mispronounced as – clothes
Be careful when learning new words! Its good to learn English with a professional native speaking teacher. You can do that with Smart Language Solutions
Learn English on line at www.SmartLanguageSolutions.com
Monday, 10 August 2009
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
In English we class our nouns into countable and uncountable.
Countable nouns are nouns we can physically count:
5 Apples
2 People
7 Books
Uncountable Nouns are nouns we can’t physically count:
Water
Electricity
Rice
Money is an uncountable noun!
Some and Any
We use some in positive sentences with uncountable and plural nouns:
There is some water in the pool
There are some apples in the kitchen
We also use some when we ask for and offer things:
Can I have some rice please?
Would you like some books to take home?
We use any in questions and negative sentences with uncountable and plural nouns:
Is there any electricity in the house?
There aren’t any people at the party.
How much/many
We use how much with uncountable nouns:
How much rice is in the pot?
We use how many with countable nouns:
How many people were at the party?
Learn more English as a foreign language at smart language solutions
www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
Countable nouns are nouns we can physically count:
5 Apples
2 People
7 Books
Uncountable Nouns are nouns we can’t physically count:
Water
Electricity
Rice
Money is an uncountable noun!
Some and Any
We use some in positive sentences with uncountable and plural nouns:
There is some water in the pool
There are some apples in the kitchen
We also use some when we ask for and offer things:
Can I have some rice please?
Would you like some books to take home?
We use any in questions and negative sentences with uncountable and plural nouns:
Is there any electricity in the house?
There aren’t any people at the party.
How much/many
We use how much with uncountable nouns:
How much rice is in the pot?
We use how many with countable nouns:
How many people were at the party?
Learn more English as a foreign language at smart language solutions
www.smartlanguagesolutions.com
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