- To be in the red
- To be in the black
- Profits (not benefits!)
Watch the Macy’s parade. On TV. If you are or have kids. This traditional parade on Thanksgiving Day, in New York, is sponsored by the big department store Macy’s. Huge inflated balloons. Described as “an unbelievable experience”.
Cook. A lot. Not only turkey, but pie, cake, vegetables, sweet potatoes and a very large turkey. Thanksgiving = Turkey. Also pumpkin.
For some people this is fun. For other people it is maximum stress. Newspapers and magazines will have already devoted pages on recipes and tips on how to survive in the kitchen.
Eat turkey. A lot. In the middle of the day, which is strange for us. Usually with your whole family, wherever they normally live. Planes, freeways and buses all busy carrying people from East to West and West to East. Also North and South. Many people start the meal with a prayer. Many people in the US do that every day any way. Other people don’t.
Watch football on TV.
Eat more. And drink.
Get ready for tomorrow, Black Friday.
According to his survey, “the largest ranking of English skills by country, we found that in almost every one of the 60 countries and territories surveyed, a rise in English proficiency was connected with a rise in per capita income. And on an individual level, recruiters and HR managers around the world report that job seekers with exceptional English compared to their country’s level earned 30-50% percent higher salaries.”
The Captain laid himself down on some boards and went to sleep. When he woke, Michele was surrounded by pots of paint he had used on the outside of the village. Just in front of the Captain was a picture of a black girl. She was young and plump. She wore a patterned dress and her shoulders came soft and bare out of it. On her back was a baby slung in a band of red stuff. Her face was turned towards the Captain and she was smiling.
“That’s Nadya”, said the Captain. “Nadya…”
Today let’s have a look at some English grammar that many Spanish speakers have difficulty remembering.
Internet está plagado de anuncios como “Aprenda inglés en un mes” o “Aprende inglés con 1000 palabras”. Estas campañas, que son similares a las que dicen “pierda peso sin esfuerzo en 2 días”, simplemente no son verdad. No te ayudan a saber cómo aprender inglés.
enable
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To make something or someone able to do something. The chip enables you to speak a language.
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Note the grammar:
It enables YOU TO speak a language.
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aim at
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To have as a target or goal. They are aiming at helping Altzheimer victims.
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Note the grammar:
To aim at DOING something
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tiny
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Very, very small. A tiny chip
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end up
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This phrasal verb gives us the idea that something happened as a result of something, or after a long time. He ended up marrying his high school girlfriend.
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Don’t confuse this with “finish”.
You finish your work.
You end up with a broken arm after your car accident.
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have it taken out
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You don’t take out the chip yourself. Ouch! Too painful. You have it taken out by someone else.
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We use this construction when other people do the work for us:
Have your hair cut.
Have your car cleaned.
Have a tooth taken out.
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Basic Vocabulary for today
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go back to the days
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This means to return to previous times
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Notice GO BACK TO as a phrasal verb. An easy one!
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recipe
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Instructions you follow in when you cook something.
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NOTE: don’t confuse recipe with prescription, a paper your doctor gives you so that you can buy medicine.
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soak up
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This work is similar to “absorb”.
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You can sit on the beach and soak up the sun.
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Know this expression? A ceiling is the top boundary of a room, opposite the floor. If it’s glass, you can’t see through it.
1. ceiling
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The part of the room opposite the floor.
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“She painted the kitchen celing white.
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2. the glass ceiling
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Invisible cultural restrictions that prevent women from advancing.
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She was never promoted because of the glass ceiling,
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3. a thing of the past
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Something that doesn’t exist in the present
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Are paper books a thing of the past?
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4. not even close
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If you are very far from something, physically or in theory
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We are not even close to achieving peace in the world.
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5.the gender
conversation. |
This expression refers to the debate about men’s and women’s roles in our society.
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Will the gender conversation ever be over?
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6. juggling act
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If you go to the circus, you will see a clown with 6 balls he can throw and catch at the same time.
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Work and home is a juggling act for many people.
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7. male
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A man is male. A woman is female.
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Male birds are more colorful than female birds.
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8. introduce
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When you meet someone for the first time, perhaps someone introduces you.
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Don’t confuse “introduce” with “present”. You can present someone at an event, but you introduce people so that they will know each other.
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9. bad manners
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If you are not polite.
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He has very bad manners; he never says please or thank you.
Don’t confuse manners with education. Education refers to what you learn from books, at school.
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10. a lie
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If you say something intentionally not true
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The politician told a lie about his finances.
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Send us your comments! Have you eperienced the gender divide in your work experience?