train

by train =travelling on a train  

catch/get a train  

get on/board a train  

get off a train 

 take a train =travel using a train  

wait for a train  

miss a train =be too late to get on a train  

a train pulls into/out of a station 

 freight/goods train =a train that carries goods  

passenger train =a train that carries people  

commuter train =a train that people going to work use 

 train journey/ride 

 train  fare =the money you pay for a train journey

Character and personality

Character  and  personality

You won’t find him in the corner at the party.                         Outgoing

That’s her doing the can_  can  on the table.                              Extrovert

She has no problems.                                                                 Carefree

He never frowns.                                                                      Light hearted

She tells no lies.                                                                        Truthful

He has few secrets.                                                                    Open

He’ll tell you if he doesn’t like your make up .                          candid

She’ll tell you if she doesn’t like your after- shave.                    Frank

He’s the person to ask for that five pounds you are owed.                    Easygoing

He knows what he wants and he usually gets it.                         Strong willed

She never gives up without a fight .                                                              determined

He knows he’s good .                                                                     self assured

She knows she’s as good.                                                            Selfconfiden                                                      

She likes to be the boss ,the one on top .                                       Dominant

He wants to be even bigger ,even better – the best.                      Ambitious 

And expects high standards of performance from others .          demanding 

The happiest people

The happiest people in the world are not those who have no problems, but those who learn to live with things that are less than perfect

The condition things are in

Most of the things around us are not in perfect condition.They're in some way defective ,flowed or damaged   

Our toothpaste tube is leaking  

My razor blades are blunt  

The hot tap keeps on squeaking 

And the cold one's back to front 

The bathroom door won't lock 

The water pipes are blocked  

And the basin's full of muck

food idioms

apple of her/his eye
MEANING: someone or something that one likes a lot

EXAMPLE
The little girl is the apple of her grandfather’s eye

bad egg

MEANING: a bad person, bum

EXAMPLE
That man is a bad egg so you should try and avoid him if you can

big cheese

MEANING: an important person, a leader

EXAMPLE
He is a big cheese in his company so you should be very nice to him

bread and butter

(MEANING: basic needs of life (food,shelter,clothing

EXAMPLE

The voters are worried about bread and butter issues like jobs and taxes
bring home the bacon

MEANING: earn your family’s living

EXAMPLE
Recently he has been working very hard trying to bring home the bacon. He has no time to do anything else

butter up
MEANING: flatter someone to try to get their favor or friendship

EXAMPLE

He spends most of his free time trying to butter up his boss so that he won’t have to work so hard

carrot and stick
MEANING: promising to reward or punish someone at the same time

EXAMPLE
The government took a carrot and stick approach to the people who were illegally protesting against the construction of the dam

eligibleــillegible

eligible  -  suitable, worthy 

She is looking for an eligible bachelor for her daughter 

All Malaysian citizens of twenty-one years and above are eligible to vote 

illegible - too unclear to be read 

He had to type his work since his writing was illegible  

stationaryــstationery

stationary  - not moving 

He hit a motor-cyclist then collided with a stationary bus 

stationery - writing materials 

I buy all my stationery from the bookstore next door

hanged, hung. Hanged

hanged, hung. Hanged refers to executions   

The murderer was hanged for his crime 

The wall was hung with photographs 

He hung his clothes in the closet

advanced idioms

He's not really doing anything serious at the moment because he's just marking time until hen finds a proper job   

:means  

waiting for the right opportunity 

You mark my words you do as I say and you'll be all right 

 

:means   

 listen to me carefully 

 

 

 

The dancers were marked down in the competition because the man fell over half way through 

 

:means    

lost marks   

 

There wasn't much time to waste and in order to secure a place, you had to be quick off the mark

:means     

 

be first in the queue
 

 

 

When you look back over her lifetime you can see that she will have made her mark

:means  

be remembered  

 

From an early age he was marked out to become leader of his party
 

:means   

destined 

 

They were very fussy about their products and any item not up to the mark was discarded 

:means    

of a high standard 

 

 

 

As they were very slow off the mark, they missed some of the good bargains 

:means     

not ready on time

grub-guled to your seat

Grub 

Food, with the implication that the food is basic and simple 

The grub they serve in the cafeteria is pretty good

Glued to your seat 

To be extremely interested in something; to be so involved with something that you cannot move 

As soon as the movie started, Holly was glued to her seat  

Gumshoe 

A detective or private investigator 

Captain Harris assigned two gumshoes to the case

Catching a Cold

Catching a Cold Vocabulary  

cure (n,v  

 something that makes you well after being sick 

 literally (adv)- really, actually, exactly   

virus (n)- very, very small --- that causes sickness 

 to get rid of (v)- to stop, to throw away

 congestion (n)- stopped up when your nose is congested you can't breathe)   

miserable (adj)- very terrible feeling 

fever (n)- heat in your head and body 

 remedy- (n) cure, something that makes you well 

 liquid (n)- wet and runny like water milk 

to get over (v)- to finish  

Many people catch a cold in the springtime and/ or fall. It makes us wonder... if scientists can send a man to the moon, why can't they find a cure for the common cold. The answer is easy. There are literally hundreds of kinds cold viruses out there. You never know which one you will get, so there isn't a cure for each one. When a virus attacks your body, your body works hard to get rid of it. Blood rushes to your nose and brings congestion with it. You feel terrible because you can't breathe well, but your body is actually "eating" the virus. Your temperature rises and you get a fever, but the heat of your body is killing the virus. You also have a runny nose to stop the virus from getting to your cells. You may feel miserable, but actually your wonderful body is doing everything it can to kill the cold. Different people have different remedies for colds. In the United States and some other countries, for example, people might eat chicken soup to feel better. Some people take hot baths and drink warm liquids. Other people take medicines to stop the fever, congestion, and runny nose. There is one interesting thing to note- some scientists say taking medicines when you have a cold is actually bad for you. The virus stays in you longer because your body doesn't have a way to fight it and kill it. Bodies can do an amazing job on their own. There is a joke, however, on taking medicine when you have a cold. It goes like this: If takes about 1 week to get over a cold if you don't take medicine, but only 7 days to get over a cold if you take medicine.

phone call

If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say?  And why are you waiting