Today is Independence Day in Vietnam, so let’s start with Uncle Ho, Ho Chi Minh (1890 – 1969). He has some very sage advise, especially for Vietnamese students:
“We need to work much harder.”
Don’t take my word for it, listen to Uncle Ho. Now, let’s go back to Ancient China and listen to Master Kong … Kong Fuzi … Latinised as Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC):
Moving forward, and westward, we come to Ancient Greece and the philosophy of Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC). I think he deserves two quotes n’est-ce pas ?
Our inspirational journey takes us my homeland, a “Precious stone set in the silver sea,” (Shakespeare, and more from the Bard, later). The court of Queen Elizabeth, and her adviser and alchemist, the mysterious John Dee (1527 – 1608 or 1609), furthermore, the man credited with coining the phrase “British Empire.”
As promised, something from Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)
I totally agree. The quote is from Henry VI, Part II.
Yesterday I blogged a database of idioms, collocations and negotiation language. That is just the tip of the iceberg. If you have looked at English-language study books, you will, no doubt, have seen several dictionaries solely devoted to idioms; we use them so often, and there are so many.
For my IELTS students, I have repeatedly taught half a dozen (six) in order for the students to incorporate them into their natural speech … without idiomatic language, you will not break past the 5 score (taken along with grammar, vocabulary and intonation, naturally).
Therefore, for Top Cat students, or anyone looking to learn some more, this blog is for you.
Expressions or idioms
Ring any bells ? // do you remember //
More or less // not exactly but approximately
Get the gist // do you understand the main point ?
Right up your street // this is something you will really like
Rabbit, Rabbiting on // UK slang, especially in London … talking too much
Piece of cake // no problem, very easy, sure
Tongue in cheek // not being serious about something
Now … how you use them:
Student A: Hello, we met last year at Julie’s party.
Student B: Sorry, that doesn’t ring any bells (I don’t remember).
Student A: Are you ready to go ?
Student B: Go where ?
Student C: Cake, food, drink, singing, dancing … ring any bells ?
Student D: Oh, Tony’s birthday party. Sorry, I forgot.
Student A: Are you ready for the test ?
Student B: Yes, more or less.
Student C: I’ll wait for you.
Student D: I won’t be long, I’m more or less finished.
Student A: Do you have to read all the document ?
Student B: No, just to get the gist.
Student A: You should listen to this CD, it’s right up your street.
Student B: Oh, French piano music, I love it. That’s right up my street.
Student A: What did your girlfriend want ?
Student B: She was rabbiting on about something to do with her clothes, I wasn’t really listening.
Teacher A: Hey ! Miss Mary … stop talking. You’re a little rabbit !
Student A: Can you drive me home ?
Student B: Sure, piece of cake.
John’s new business shirt
Student A: Have you seen John’s new shirt ? It’s so elegant.
Student B: Are you serious ? It’s terrible.
Student A: I know ! I was being tongue in cheek.
Now … your turn.
Add the correct idiom [answers at end of blog]
1) Shall we see the new action film ? It sounds ______________
2) Are you still talking ? You are such a __________
3) She said I was the best student but I think she was being ___
4) You said you would bring something … cheese, tomato, garlic bread ____________ ?
5) The IELTS speaking test was a ________ after reading Thay Paul’s blogs (I hope).
6) Student A: Did you understand the project ? Did you ________ of the idea ?
Student B: Well, ______________ but not every single detail.
This film, starring Shu Qi looks right up my street.
Right up your street 2. rabbit 3. tongue in cheek 4. ring any bells 5. piece of cake 6. get the gist / more or less.
A database of common UK & USA expressions, phrases and idioms for students who want to learn more, in order to increase their command of and respect for the English language. I have provided my IELTS students with half a dozen (a dozen = 12, therefore half a dozen = 6. Having said that, a ‘baker’s dozen’ = 13 … welcome to English !) idioms, but this blog is aimed at students who are willing to go above the barest minimum.
We kick off (start) with expressions and idioms, as they are tremendous fun, then move on to collocations. How words fit together is a powerful tool in learning English … huge chunks of texts suddenly group themselves into small word blocks, enabling you to predict what will be said (especially useful in listening exercises).
Finally, we wrap up with some negotiation phrases. In the next blog, I’ll give you a chance to use these in sentences, but for now, familiarise yourself with a handful of new expressions … it could be right up your street.
Alice Sara Ott – German-Japanese pianist. I recommended her to a musician friend and he said it was right up his street.
Expressions / idioms
Ring any bells ? // do you remember //
More or less // not exactly but approximately
Get the gist // do you understand the main point ?
Right up your street // this is something you will really like
Rabbiting on // UK slang, especially in London … talking too much
Piece of cake // no problem, very easy, sure
Tongue in cheek // not being serious about something
“I think Donald Trump is the greatest US President …” Do you think President Obama would say this and be serious ?
Keep your hand in // to practise something so you don’t forget how it’s done
Bucket down / raining cats and dogs // raining very heavily
Have a go / give it a bash / give it a shot // to try something
Call it a day // to stop work and go home early
Go ahead // sure, do it
Under one roof // everything in one place
Through thick and thin // together in good times and bad times.
To spill the beans // to tell a secret, or to share some private information
I should cocoa // UK slang, old-fashioned = I really don’t believe it or you
kick-off // A sports expression from football – means to start
tied up / snowed under / rushed off our feet / flat out / up to my eyes // very busy
daylight robbery // much too expensive, very over-priced.
on your bike // go away !
to throw a wobbly // to become angry and shout and curse
Bang up to date // totally modern and new or completed all your work on schedule
otherwise engaged // busy – a polite way of saying ‘go away’
I know where you’re coming from // I understand what you are saying and how you think
to get hold of someone // try to make contact with someone by phone, in person, email etc
speak of the Devil // to talk about something and then they appear
to be into something // to really enjoy or like something or someone
to put something over someone / to pull the pull over someone’s eyes // try to trick or cheat someone
There’ll be Hell to pay // you will be in BIG trouble !
Hell breaks loose // people will be very angry and upset
I’ll give you a bell / a shout // I will call you on the phone
Knock off / to finish work
knock it off // stop doing that !
That’s proper loud // UK slang ‘proper’ meaning very – that’s very loud
Well chuffed // extremely happy
come again ? / You what ? // UK slang for say it again, please
What do you reckon ? // What do you think of something ?
Collocations
To run a business
To conduct / carry out a survey
Can I have a word with you / a quick word
Do you have minute ?
Voting with their feet
Can I put you on hold ? / to be put on hold / Hold the line
A victory for common sense
I’m none the wiser
On the button / on the money
get the hang of it
scraping the barrel
Negotiation Language
I fail to see the relevance
I don’t see how that applies
That’s as maybe
I don’t get/see your point / I think you are missing the point
I’ve spent so much time reading books about classroom activities, looking at websites and blogs only to reject the vast majority as not being suitable for my level of students. Here are a couple of games that have been successful over the years, in different centres and with different ages, though I usually employ them with students aged between 6 and 10. Adapt them as you wish, and have fun.
Word Battleship
This is based on the old paper and pencil game (later upgraded for the electronic and computer age).
A
B
C
D
1
2
3
4
Word Battleship
Board a grid as above (add more cells as required). Put the class into teams.
[I let them choose their own names, and if a student says, ‘Errrrrr,” then that’s the name I give them … additionally, this always gets a laugh]
Ask the teams questions based on previous lessons, general knowledge, whatever suits your class. You could either elicit an answer from the team as a whole, or individual members.
If the student answers correctly, they are allowed to choose a cell, example “C3.” On a separate sheet, have the same grid with scores assigned to each square. In the example that follows, C3 would score 25 points.
The following questions were used to review past tense grammar, as well as forming collocations:
Put the sentences into the past tense (simple past). Say complete sentence.
1 Last week we learn about technology
2 I buy a new iPhone last night.
3 Michael Jackson write many good songs.
4 Oh, no … I do not do my homework !
5 Have they decide what printer to buy ?
6 He see all the ‘Avengers’ films in one day !
7 It’s Friday ! I think today was Wednesday !
8 On holiday, I walk along the beach.
9 My grandmother send me an email.
10 Have you play the new video game ?
Complete the collocation
11 (go) to the cinema [I _______ to the cinema]
12 (play) guitar
13 (take) a photo
14 (chat / go) online
15 (do) voluntary work
16 (make) a decision
A
B
C
D
1
25
50
10
5
2
10
25
100
25
3
50
10
25
5
4
5
25
10
50
Snakes and ladders
Another activity based on a classic game. I first used this in a very energetic class of 9 – 11 year olds and, thanks to the size of the room, I was able to draw a grid on the floor and use students as ‘counters’, to move around the ‘board’.
If that isn’t possible, just board a grid like so:
START
GO FORWARD 2
GO BACK 1
GO FORWARD 1
HA HA BACK TO START
GO BACK 3
FINISH
All you need is a die or dice and different colour board markers. As before, arrange the class in teams, then ask each team a question. The student who answers then throws the die (preferably NOT at the teacher but one thing at a time), and I chart their progress on the board. You can decide whether or not the students need an exact score to land on Finish or not … play it by ear.
[ ‘dice’ is generally accepted for both singular and plural. For English-language learners it’s probably better to use ‘dice’.]
Some lessons can be rather hard-going, too much IELTS listening or speaking practice so, to mix things up, I use some little diversions to cleanse the palate.
[Today, I will not explain every new phrase – look them up yourselves, write them down and USE them and USE them and USE them !]
Therefore, here’s a little activity I used last week. It’s a hit song from the early 1980s, in fact, it was massive ! The song is an example of Synth pop which is pop music played, or predominantly played, on keyboards or synthesisers. Synth pop, which dominated the charts during my teen years, was not really my cup of tea, I was more into jangly guitar bands such as The Beatles, The Byrds and, in the 1980s, we had The Smiths.
Having said that, I really liked this hit by the band Human League who came from Sheffield which is in the north of England. The single was tremendously successful, staying at number 1 for five weeks in the UK as well as reaching the top of the US charts although for just three weeks which is still an amazing achievement.
Without further ado, the activity: What is happening in this video. Secondly, what is the story – can you understand what the man says and then, can you understand the woman’s reply ?
Try answering these questions:
What job did the woman have ?
How long did it take for the women to become a big star ?
Is the man leaving the woman ?
Does the woman still love the man ?
What does the woman want to do ?
And now, the full lyrics:
You were workin’ as a waitress in a cocktail bar When I met you I picked you out, I shook you up and turned you around Turned you into someone new Now five years later on, you’ve got the world at your feet Success has been so easy for you But don’t forget, it’s me who put you where you are now And I can put you back down too
Don’t, don’t you want me? You know I can’t believe it when I hear that you won’t see me Don’t, don’t you want me? You know I don’t believe you when you say that you don’t need me It’s much too late to find You think you’ve changed your mind You’d better change it back or we will both be sorry
Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me? Oh Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me? Oh
I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar That much is true But even then, I knew I’d find a much better place Either with or without you The five years we have had have been such good times I still love you But now, I think it’s time I live my life on my own I guess it’s just what I must do
Don’t, don’t you want me? You know I can’t believe it when I hear that you won’t see me Don’t, don’t you want me? You know I don’t believe you when you say that you don’t need me It’s much too late to find You think you’ve changed your mind You’d better change it back or we will both be sorry
Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me? Oh Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me? Oh
Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me? Oh Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me? Oh Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me? Oh Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me? Oh Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me? Oh Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me? Oh Don’t you want me, baby?
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS BLOG ISN’T MONETISED IN ANY WAY. THE VIDEO AND LYRICS ARE TAKEN FROM THE INTERNET. NO COPYRIGHT VIOLATION IS INTENDED, AND I WILL REMOVE THE BLOG UPON REQUEST WITHOUT PREJUDICE.
THANK YOU TO THE SONGWRITERS, THE BAND AND THE PUBLISHERS
Today, we shall learn the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. This story is over 3 000 old, and comes from the country of Greece. Here is the flag of Greece:
Greece is in Europe. It is a very hot country, and has many stories from history. The capital city is Athens.
Athens, the capital of Greece
Have you ever seen something like this before ?
This is the Minotaur, half man, half bull. He was extremely strong, extremely angry and very, very scary. He lived near Greece, on the island of Crete:
The Minotaur lived underground in a big maze called the labyrinth. Every year, the King of Athens had to send 14 children for the Minotaur to eat. This is a labyrinth, a huge maze. It is very easy to get lost inside a labyrinth.
The king had a son called Theseus. He was a hero. He decided to go and kill the Minotaur.
The King of Crete had a daughter called Ariadne. When she saw Theseus, she decided to help him. She gave Theseus a big ball of string. He tied it to the door of the labyrinth, then used it so he wouldn’t get lost:
Theseus found the Minotaur.
They had a long fight because both Theseus and the Minotaur were very strong. Finally, Theseus won and killed the Minotaur.
Then he returned to Athens with Ariadne. The people were so happy, and Theseus became a hero in Greece.
Some sample questions to help get a class speaking to each other IN ENGLISH, and prepared to do some work. I use these with students aged about 9 – 12, at lower-intermediate level.
We start with a survey where the students have to walk around, speaking to each other and trying to …
Find 3 people who:
Name // 1 // 2 // 3 //
Hobby
Play an instrument
Draw or paint
Read books
Watch films
Learn English
Have a pet What pet ?
For advanced students, encourage them to probe for more information – what books are read, what instrument(s) are played, etc.
Speaking exercise
This can be done in pairs, small groups or as a class survey.
What was the last film you saw ? Did you like it ?
How many people live in your house ?
What is hard about learning English ?
How often do you chat online ?
Which social media sites do you use ?
What is your favourite food ?
Do you often eat western food ? Do you sometimes eat fast food ?
Have you tried Korean or Japanese food ? What did you think ?
Basic friendly conversations used with work colleagues, people we don’t know very well or people we have just met.
Did you see the news on TV last night ?
How long have you worked here ?
The traffic was so bad this morning.
The weather is very cool for this time of year.
Echo questions
A continuation of small talk, we use these to show interest in what someone has just said to us. Here, John speaks to his Vietnamese co-worker Ms Tuyen:
John: I can speak German.
Ms Tuyen: Can you ? (What other languages can you speak ?)
John: Ms Nguyen went to Thailand.
Ms Tuyen: Did she ? (Did she go on holiday or for work ?)
Now … your turn. Add the echo question, then try to ask a follow-up question.
He likes K-pop
We are going to the pagoda later.
Ms Thinh has a new job.
Thay Paul loves T-ara. Does he ?
Keep conversations going:
Talk about:
house prices in your city / favourite hobby / your hometown /
why you have OR don’t have a pet / an interesting program you saw recently
What you want to do in the future.
Small talk language:
I see / Do you really think so ?
That’s a good point / I hadn’t thought of that
Oh, that’s interesting / May I just add something ? /
Oh, where is that exactly ? / Yeah, right ! / Sure / OK
Try some scenarios:
Directions to the city centre (or choose a location in your city).
One student is a tourist, the other is a local
Ask for help. Other must offer as much help; how to get there, the best way, the price, the dangers.
Body language – distance, expression, intonation, eye contact etc
Also back channeling (expressions such as “Oh, right,” “OK, yeah,” “Really, that’s great.”
Music – What do you like ?
I love it / adore it / enjoy it / I hate it / I can’t stand it
Working in pairs or small groups, gather information about these countries, then make a presentation. Add something about yourself ;would you like to visit these countries ? Why ? What would you do there ? What would you eat and buy ?
Capital cities
Brasilia (Brasil) Seoul (South Korea)
Ottawa (Canada) Egypt (Cairo)
Seoul, South Korea
Population
Brasil 183 888 841 // South Korea 51 047 000
Canada 37 000 000 // Egypt 97 055 000
Brasilia
Language
Brasil – Portuguese // South Korea – Korean
Canada – English & French // Egypt – Arabic (EgyptianArabic)
Hey ! Ho ! Let’s Go ! Let’s kick out the jams with some new vocabulary from the last lesson:
disappointed (adj) // dread (verb) // spare a few minutes (phrase) // a drive (noun) // big time ! (US expression, popular culture // popular fiction or literature // prima donna
Take a few minutes to read them … THEN …
Our school is having ________ to use less plastic, as well as encouraging people to recycle.
My sister spends so much time in the bathroom, she is such a _________
If we don’t pass IELTS with at least 7.0, Thay Paul is going to be angry at us _______
Miss Julie didn’t get the job at Apple; she was terribly ______________
I don’t understand this app, can you ________ to help me ?
I was terrified of the speaking test, I was _______ it.
The Harry Potter books, although tremendously successful, are considered ‘popular fiction’. Charles Dickens or Jane Austin, on the other hand, are classified as _____________ .
My student told me about a famous Hemingway story called ‘The Old Man and the Fish’ … I think she got the title wrong … _______________ !
“What do you mean, ‘The Old Man and the FISH ?’ I won the Noble Prize for that book.”
And now, time to put our noses to the grindstone How to get a killer IELTS speaking score … There are four areas to focus on … they are … ?
“You’ve forgotten ?”
OK, take it easy, to recap, we listen for
Fluency – use of discourse markers. WITHOUT A WIDE RANGE OF DISCOURSE MARKERS YOU WILL NOT GET HIGHER THAN A ‘5’.
Lexical resources – big words. Know synonyms and multi-syllable words to impress the examiner. Not to mention, a sprinkling of idioms, phrases, phrasal verbs, the whole nine yards.
Grammar – it’s OK to make a few mistakes, grammatically, but what we want to hear are complex structures – basically, altering the structure of a sentence or including several pieces of by using information in one sentence by using relative pronouns.
Stress and intonation – listen to native speakers and COPY how we speak, when we stress words, when we ‘swallow’ letters, our body language.
We need to hear examples of ALL the above or YOU WILL NOT GET HIGHER THAN A ‘5’. I will be furious if that happens, big time !
Now, look at these idioms:
It’s raining cats and dogs // It costs an arm and a leg // piece of cake // I’m burning the candle at both ends // once in a blue moon // pass with flying colours //
And these words:
Boring: tedious // forgetful: absent-minded // expensive: sky high // what will happen: predict // everywhere: ubiquitous.
How to use these in your responses:
IELTS question: What do you do in your free time ?
Staying at home is boring so I go swimming. I meet friends for coffee. If it’s raining, I like to play video games.
IELTS – style:
For me, staying at home is terribly tedious, so I frequently go swimming. It’s fun, healthy and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Sometimes it’s raining cats and dogs so I enjoy playing video games, big time !
IELTS question: Who do you live with ? Notice how we start we a supportive clause
Because I’m still a student, I live at home with my family, that’s my mother, father, younger brother and older sister. My sister is such a prima donna, always in the bathroom, always buying new clothes. Furthermore, she dreads doing housework because she may hurt her nail varnish. She’ll wash up once in a blue moon.
IELTS question: Do you often eat out ?
Well, that’s a great question as I detest cooking. Having said that, I’m extremely lucky because in my neighbourhood, restaurants are ubiquitous, from expensive sea food to affordable street food. I eat crab or lobster once in a blue moon as the prices are sky-high, moreover, I actually prefer simple, mouth-watering street food.
IELTS question: What are your plans for the future ?
Make your own answers, using at least TWO discourse markers, TWO adverbs, TWO low-frequency words AND the idiom given.
TEAM 1: Well, there is so much to say about that subject, where shall I start ? (use ‘nose to the grindstone’).
TEAM 2: It’s funny you put that question to me because earlier today I was just thinking about … (use ‘burn the candle at both ends’).
TEAM 3: As I young Vietnamese, I … (use ‘pass with flying colours’).
Thay Paul's Notes 