Subject Index: English Vocabulary: Vocabulary building & exercises.

4th December 2020

Vocabulary building

Adjectives // Beginners’ English

Adult class (various) // Adult Class // 17- 19 December 2019

Animal idioms and expressions // A – D // 3rd April 2022: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2022/04/03/animals-idioms-phrases-and-interesting-facts-a-d/

Animal idioms and expressions // A – D (Part 2) // 6th April 2022: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2022/04/06/animals-idioms-phrases-and-interesting-facts-a-d-part-2/

Business meetings // Business English: What’s on the agenda ? // 5th May 2020

Cinema choice // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2: Cinema // 9th May 2020

Cities, areas, descriptions // IELTS // 31st December 2018

Clothes // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2: Describing clothes // 19th March 2020

Coffee shops // Adult Speaking Class, level 2

Colour association Signs // Young Learners, Level 4 // 1st June 2019

Come or go // Beginners’ English Part 4

Computer phrasal verbs // Young Learners 5 // 17th November 2019

Crime and punishment // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3. Theme: Crime & Punishment

Cultural differences (Ha Noi) // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3 // 24th April 2020

Drama films // Adult C, L 3 // 12th November 2019

Driving expressions // Beginners’ English

Emotions // Young Learners, Level 2 // 6th July 2019

Emotions //Beginners’ English: How do you feel ? // 17th March 2020

Expressions and phrases // IELTS // 19th February 2019

Expressions // Adult C, L 3 // 18th March 2019

Expressions // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2

Film vocabulary // Beginners’ English /// Adult Speaking Class, level 2

Food // Adult Speaking Class, Level 1

Foot expressions // IELTS // 25th November 2022: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2022/11/25/ielts-some-footnotes-to-help-you-stand-on-your-own-two-feet/

General // IELTS: Final Review // 5th March 2019

Friends and occupations (photos) // Adult Class, Level 3 // 5th September 2019

General // Young Teens // 29th November 2018

I live in a … // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2, Part 4

Indian lady teaches vocabulary // Adult Class, Level 3 // 11th December 2021: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2021/12/11/two-birds-with-one-stone-listening-and-vocabulary/

IELTS // Film for IELTS // What do you like this film ? // 6th April 2020

IELTS // General // 19th February 2019

IELTS // Idioms (sweets) // 19th February 2019

IELTS // Preparing for speaking test // 14th May 20202

IELTS language // IELTS 5 – 6.5. Writing example // 15th March 2020

IELTS // Like or dislike // 16th April 2019

IELTS // Music // 16th April 2019

IELTS 5-6.5 // Music // 11th September 2019

IELTS 5-6.5 // Music // 25th September 2019

IELTS // Phrases // 21st January 2019

IELTS vocabulary & expressions review // IELTS: The story so far // 7th July 2020

Job and interviews // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3. Theme: Job interviews // 12th Feb 2020

Jobs // Asking about jobs // Young Teens // 21st February 2019

Low-frequency words // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3, Part 2

Low-frequency words // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3, Part 3

Low-frequency words // Adult Speaking Class, Level 3, Part 4 // 27th January 2020

Money and shopping // Adult Class, Level 3 // 14 November 2019

Money expressions // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2: luxury day // 12th March 2020

Opinion phrases // Young Learners 4 // 26th October 2019

Opinion phrases // Adult Speaking Class, level 3: Art // 13th April 2020

Science jargon // Radio telescope // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2 // 1st March 2021 : https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2021/03/01/adult-speaking-class-level-2-maintain-radio-silence/

Science jargon // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2 // 2nd March 2021: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2021/03/02/adult-speaking-class-level-2-breaking-the-silence/

Semantics // New Words // 5th May 2022: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2022/05/05/semantics-new-words/

Shell expressions // Teaching Notes // 3rd February 2023: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2023/02/03/shell-phrases-in-a-nutshell/

Shopping // Adult Speaking Class, level 2

To what extent … ? // Adult Class, Level 3 //19th August 2019

Tourism language // Teenagers // 20th January 2019

Travel advert language // Adult Speaking Class, level 3: Holiday of a lifetime // 9th June 2020

Travel with new expressions // Adult Class, Level 1 // 26th February 2019

Vietnam War // Adult Speaking Class, level 3: April 30th // 5th April 2020

Vocabulary review // Adult Speaking Class, level 2

Vocabulary exercises:

How was your day ? // Adult Speaking Class, level 1: How was your day ? // 5th April 2020

Small talk, idioms, dialogue practice // Adult Speaking Class, Level 2 // 8th July 2020

Tourism presentation // Teenagers // 20th January 2019

Compilation of exercises:

https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2019/12/09/vocabulary-building-exercises/

This compilation includes:

Match new vocabulary with definitions then practice.

Personality adjectives

Relative pronouns

Small talk responses

Travel with new expressions

Travel – hotel guide

Travel – life in Sai Gon

What Difference Does It Make – definitions of similar words

Young Learners, Level 6: Round, Round, Get Around

19th November 2020

Everybody Up 6, Unit 1, Lesson 4

A Beautiful South Korean Girl Wearing A Traditional Red And Black Dress Hanbok In A Royal

flamenco | music and dance | Flamenco dancers, Flamenco dancing, Flamenco

Ronaldinho endorses far-right Brazilian presidential candidate

Can you guess the three countries ?

Divide the class into three teams, named after Brazil, South Korea and Spain. On the board write three columns or project an image like this:

Numbers One Two Three 1 2 3 Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 8101098.

Ask questions and one player from each team has to run to the board and slap the correct number

Example: The capital of the UK is: 1 Manchester 2 Cardiff 3 London

What language do people speak in Brazil 1) Portuguese 2) Spanish 3) French

The Great Wall is in 1) Japan 2) Germany 3) China

How do you say ‘Hello’ in Spanish ? 1) Xin chao 2) Hola ! 3) Annyeonghaseyo

You can walk under 1) the street 2) the fountain 3) the train tracks

Walk around 1) the fountain 2) the stairs 3) the river

Which country doesn’t have camels (not in zoos) 1) China 2) Egypt 3) Japan

Now, run and write

Where can you:

see fish, sharks and sea creatures ? buy clothes and shoes and books and toys ? ride a rollercoaster ? borrow books ?

Now, sentence building

Show students two flashcards from previous lessons. They have to combine to form a long sentence, using the past tense.

EXAMPLE:

First I walked over the bridge then took the train to the museum

First I walk__ ______ the river then _____ the ferry to the aquarium

First we walk__ _____ the train tracks then _______ the subway to the department store.

He walk__ ______ the fountain then ______ a car to the library

She (run) ________ the stairs then __________ a taxi to the zoo

Now, guess the country: This music is from ?

Start clip around 0:40

If the class is active and outgoing, they may want to try some Flamenco dancing, in which case, Ole !

Young Learners, Level 2: I would go out tonight, but I haven’t got a stitch to wear

11th November 2020

A step up in the musical education of my younglings. After teaching them to say … to scream, “I feel good,” a la James Brown (because I cannot stand the pre-programmed, “I’m fine,”) we’re moving on to one of my favourite bands: The Smiths. This song has a reference to clothing albeit in rather high-level English. However, the motivated students, with repetition, can absorb so much and really boost their vocabulary. So, without further ado … The Smiths with ‘This Charming Man’ : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJRP3LRcUFg

The lines in question start at 0:45 – 0:51

“I would go out tonight but I haven’t got a stitch to wear.”

This means that the singer doesn’t has any nice clothes to go out or has no money to buy new clothes

Play the song and the younglings have to shout out every time they hear the lyrics.

Bonus questions:

What is the singer wearing ? What is he doing ?

What instruments are the band playing ?

Clothes: a previous blog covered clothing vocabulary. Select what is appropriate for this level, e.g. for material just choose cotton, silk and plastic : https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/03/19/adult-speaking-class-level-2-describing-clothes/

What are they wearing ?

The Smiths The Queen is dead Us tour 86 T Shirt Summer Casual Fashion Fun New T-shirt Harajuku Women's Short Sleeve Tops tees | Wish

She is wearing a white cotton T-shirt with ‘The Smiths’ in blue as well as a brown skirt and a white headband.

Now … your turn

Why Crazy Socks? Because every year a million patients lose their doctors

Swan dress - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

Flyguy Pimpin' * Antonio Fargas as Flyguy * From the Movie * I'm Gonna Git You Sucka* - YouTube

Design your own T-shirt:

Young Learners, Level 4: Which one ?

10th November 2020

E Up 4, U 2 review

Let’s kick off with an appropriate song – REM and ‘The One I Love.’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7oQEPfe-O8

I love playing guitar but I really want a new guitar.

I love playing guitar but I really want a new one.

The noun is ‘guitar‘. We can use the word ‘one‘ so we don’t need to say the same noun twice.

OK, which guitar would you like ?

Fender Player Jaguar PF, Tidepool at Gear4music

Gibson Custom Shop 1957 Les Paul Goldtop Left Hand #77121 - vos antique gold Solid body electric guitar yellow

Rickenbacker 330 Left-Handed, Jetglo at Gear4music

I would like the black guitar.

I would like the black one.

T-shirts – which one would you like ?

ROARR! - Hand Printed Kids T-Shirt | DESIGNSMITH

Star Wars™ Yoda READ kids t-shirt — Out of Print

Doughnuts – what is the question ?

Best Baked Doughnuts Ever Recipe - Food.com

Animals – which one is the fastest ?

Protecting big cats is the call of next year's World Wildlife Day, 3 March 2018 | CITES

QUIZ

Birds – which one can fly backwards ?

Insects – which ones never sleep ?

Mammals – which ones can fly ?

Which ones can’t jump ?

Which one can’t make a sound ?

Review

What do you like doing ? Are you good at it ?

Thay Paul's Notes – General Notes about my English lessons and life in Viet Nam.

I like riding elephants. I really like riding elephants. I’m good at it.

What do you not like doing ? What are you not good at ?

Confused man is confused. | I can explain

I don’t like speaking Vietnamese. I’m not very good at it.

IELTS: Be “industrious, hard-working, incredibly energetic” students

6th November 2020

IELTS Mindset 2 Unit 1:Listening

How to start turning standard English into IELTS-style answers

Tips:

Introduce your answer

Paraphrase the question

Use low-frequency words (LFW)

Think what idiom or expression is appropriate

Use intonation and stress

Speak fluently and pace yourself

For a database of idioms and IELTS – language you will need to know, click here:

https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/10/22/ielts-language-bank-idioms-and-l-fws-you-need-to-have-at-your-beck-and-call/

Example:

Last week we used these words:

city centre / industrial / residential / suburban

quite / safe / vibrant / boring / peaceful

bustling / gritty

Which adjectives could describe the four types of area ?

NEXT UP:

Speaking exercise – imagine you live in the first picture. Describe the neighbourhood and your life. However, when you get a high-paying job, you want to take out a mortgage and move to the second picture. Describe that neighbourhood.

New Barlinnie super-prison to be moved next to iconic Provan gasworks - Glasgow Live

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Residential Living - London Belgravia Real Estate

NEXT UP:

Introducing and expanding your answer

Coffee Shop (Jin and Ru) | Cute korean girl, Ulzzang korean girl, Ulzzang girl

Starbucks in Seoul: How the Seattle Chain Flooded South Korea

Do you like coffee ?

I like many drinks however coffee is my favourite because it tastes great and makes me wake up although too much will stop me from sleeping at night but, in my opinion, the benefits far out weigh the disadvantages.

NB (Latin – nota bene = note well, please read, important information)

I didn’t answer immediately but introduced the question.
Use of discourse markers to extend the answer
Saying something positive and negative about the subject
This was all one sentence – a complex sentence which you will need to start using in order to pass IELTS with flying colours

Try these:

Living in HCM
Free time
Working and studying.

New vocabulary

ubiquitous everywhere, very common

naïve innocent, inexperienced

stroll a gentle walk, for exercise (collocation: take a stroll)

a bazaar (noun) a permanent, covered market

bizarre (adjective) very strange, unusual

absent-minded extremely forgetful

sky-high, astronomical very expensive, maybe too expensive

predictable it is possible to guess the answer, people doing the same thing

hawkers

Street _______ are common in Vietnam, and they are _________ in District 1. It is nearly impossible for a westerner to take a ________ without being approached. Some claim to sell Ray Bans or designer sunglasses, but you would have to be extremely ________ to believe they are genuine ! They are all fake, probably made in China. Many people try to _____(collocation) money by selling to tourists especially around Ben Thanh Market, a kind of _______, though this is strictly for tourists as the prices are ____________ !

Pronunciation Practice

First time in Viet Nam – First impressions of Viet Nam

A vlog by Divert Living, posted just over two years ago and which has already received more than a million hits:

[American English accent]

Try 04:44 – 04:53

” … and I asked them, ‘How much is aqua (water) ?’ Aqua’s fifteen thousand, beer’s twenty thousand … of course I’m gonna get the beer, now … it’s just as expensive as the water.”

09:00 – 0913

“Fun fact, Vietnamese cuisine is considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world … and, to go with the food, the size of the dining tables and chairs are super small.”

Young Learners, Level 4: Safety First … and the gunpowder plot !

29th October 2020

E up U 1, L4 & U 2, L1

Objectives:

review recent vocabulary

sentence building

develop the use of intonation and stress in natural speech.

Warm Up:

Two teams – on the board, six sports but the letters are tangled. One member of each team has to write the correct spelling.

kis // odosabrnw // cie-etksa // ni-niel akste // aabkrdoset // furs

Next up:

Three boys and three girls holding the six sports flashcards. Three hold the cards the right way up, the others hold their cards upside down.

If the card is the right way up, it means the student is good at the sport.

First I will ask: Is he or she good at (surfing) ? The class will answer, using previously taught vocabulary,

“Yes, he’s / she’s very good at it.”

“No, he’s / she’s not very good at it.”

Partner work:

Ask each other, or in small groups, “What are you good at ?”

Examples:

Safety Last (Harold Lloyd, 1923, USA, 73', BW, silent) | BOZAR Brussels

I’m very good at climbing

67 Best Big Fish images in 2020 | big fish, fish, monster fishing

I’m very good at fishing

I was so happy': 8-year-old Japanese drummer talks viral fame, Robert Plant and the secret to great drumming | CBC Radio

Is she good at playing drums ? Yes, she ….

frank spencer is rollerskating.wmv on Make a GIF

Is he good at in-line skating ? No, he …

Adjective round up:

A chance to encourage students to extend their English skills.

First, opposites

Big _______ // huge ________ // scared ________ // dangerous _______ // happy ______ // cheap ________ // boring ________ // hard-working ____

Next, tell me about the man. What does he look like ? What does he wear ? What is he doing ? Is he scared ? Is he brave ?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEcTjhUN_7U&t=148s

start clip at 03.00

Which brings us to the theme of safety and the book work for the Saturday Class.

E up U 2, L 1

British culture

As a break, a little introduction to the UK and its history and traditions. The beginning of November sees Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night

In 1605, a group of men wanted to kill the King of England, James I. They wanted to blow up the building where the King was going to be, so they hid 36 barrels of gunpowder under the building. However, the King’s soldiers found one of the men, Guy Fawkes, and arrested him. The King was safe ! To celebrate, people made giants fires called bonfires : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnq7aqHLCSM

Start and play up to 0:52 to explain the background, then from 3:25 and have the class copy the children in the video. This helps with pronunciation as well as learning new words, and learning about Britain.

We still do this today. Also, children help to make a Guy Fawkes from old clothes and old bags, and then adults put it on the fire. Finally, there are fireworks, sometimes at home, sometimes in parks so everyone can see.

Many different types of fireworks are used:

Some young children are holding sparklers – they have to wear gloves and be VERY CAREFUL.

Image result for 5th nov fireworks — 5th November fireworks in London

IELTS: My hometown

28th October 2020 Mindset 2 Unit 1: Speaking

A new class, new students, so let’s hit the ground running, get the students mixing, talking to each other and up from their seats. I prepared a questionnaire. They have to interview different classmates and learn a little about them

Gather information about your classmates

Question	Name	Response
Why are you studying IELTS ?
Where would you most like to visit and why ? Would you like to live abroad ?
What is the hardest thing about learning English ? How do you solve this ?
How often do you use English ? Do you read, write or speak at school or at work ?
What do you most like about western culture or countries ?
What idioms do you know ?

This lead into the idiom it’s raining cats and dogs which most students had heard (it means raining heavily).

Today’s lesson is based on types of housing and areas; some extra terms:

gritty / industrial

quite / safe / residential

boring / peaceful / suburban

bustling / vibrant / city centre

Which would you apply to these:

underthepier,southwold/alternative arcades

All photos are from the UK

Ask each other about your hometown or your neighbourhood.

What do you like about your neighbourhood ?

What don’t you like ?

Explain why you don’t like something.

Vietnam on Video: Part 2

26th October 2020

A collection of clips predominantly featuring western people and their views on Vietnam. I have also added some suggested sequences for pronunciation practice … and so, without further ado …

First time in Viet Nam – First impressions of Viet Nam

A vlog by Divert Living, posted just over two years ago and which has already received more than a million hits:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHnQKvU8OiA&t=547s

Pronunciation Practice:

[American English accent]

Try 04:44 – 04:53

09:00 – 0913

“Fun fact, Vietnamese cuisine is considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world … and, to go with the food, the size of the dining tables and chairs are super small.”

This vlog was shot in Ha Noi, so let’s get their take (their opinion, view, experience) on Sai Gon:

What to expect – Saigon or HCMC

Now they travel to my neck of the woods (the area I live in or was brought up in), and they encounter, among many other delights, coconut coffee:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iw_K-1AmVk&t=661s

Pronunciation Practice:

09:50 – 10.00

“Wow … that’s so strong, but it’s got a ball of coconut ice-cream in the middle … whoah !”

And the young lady who I believe is Korean adds:

“I wanna try … This is the coffee king … ahhhhhhhh !”

Talking Point:

The young travellers give their views on the environment and cleanliness of District 1 which is the city centre [UK] or downtown area [USA].

To what extent do you agree with them ?

What do Vietnamese students think of the Vlogger’s appraisal of Sai Gon ?

Let’s move on and talk about traffic which is quite a serious issue in Vietnam. Firstly, attending driving school … what can go wrong ? A clip from the world-famous motoring show from the BBC, ‘Top Gear.’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1xNTBLgq4c

[UK English accent]

Right from the get go (from the very start) we have some great lines:

“Cheer up … this is gonna be a doodle … [Vietnamese] … it wasn’t !”

01.23 – 01:45

“How the hell … what did you just do ?”

“It was eighteen. Eighteen years old.”

“How did you know ?”

“Did you not bother learning Vietnamese before we came here ?”

“Well, no.”

“You’re screwed, then.”

Time for some food and the ubiqitous Phở My favourite TV chef, Mr Keith Floyd, who sadly passed away in 2009. He came to Asia, and visited Vietnam and now he’s going to tell you about Phở:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO6cSQ8Vly8&list=PL4JTuMl25i9kPkTq5rGPVRNyhU0GPK1PT

[UK English accent]

02:32 – 02:38 and continuing up to 03:05

“Vietnamese are industrious, hard-working, incredibly energetic people …”

“So, the most essential thing here in Vietnam is a great breakfast, a thing called a pho.”

What goes in a pho, Keith ?

“You might put chicken, you might put meat, you might put fish but as long as you’ve got noodles and a rich stock, you can’t go wrong.”

How English people dress …

Top 5 Coolest Celebrity Chefs Ever! « Appliances Online Blog — Cheers

Far Flung Floyd | DVD | Buy Now | at Mighty Ape NZ

Top Gear Vietnam Special - Tour Vietnam With Quality Motorbike Rentals — Three Englishmen in Sai Gon

How English people really dress. Thanks for visiting my blog. All the best.

Vietnam on video Part 1

23rd October 2020

A compilation of videos about Viet Nam for use in class. Some clips are made by westerners, other by Vietnamese speaking English. The clips can be used for listening practice, learning vocabulary, pronunciation, or just to learn more about the country.

Contents:

Vietnamese beer review

Vietnamese culture:

Vietnamese superstitions

Lights, camera, action !

Vietnamese beer review (Sai Gon Red): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKr6Cj-Xr9g&list=LLfquznE0joCgmA3v1PIQ0CQ&index=8&t=1s

This is an English man, a beer-lover, who uses lots of everyday language, slang and metaphors. Listen out for:

Let’s dive in / coming in at … / head (the white foam on top of beer) / oh, blimey, that’s awful ! /

Vietnamese culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBAi_b__l_c

To what extent do you agree with her comments ?

I agree totally // I agree to an extent // I’m not sure I totally agree // That has not been my experience // She is spot on ! // She is over-simplifying // There’s an element of truth in what she says // She’s talking nonsense !

Vietnamese superstitions:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmtyCvW9nbc

The speaker has a long introduction so you can listen to her American accent and try to imitate her, as well as learning new expressions.

Which superstitions have you heard of ? Do you believe in them ? Have you experienced any ?

What does she say about three people in a picture ?

About sleeping with your feet facing a mirror

About saying someone’s full name at night (04:15)

Wearing what colour brings good luck ? (06:00) How about, “Wearing white in your head ?” (07:24)

How about if you run over a cat ? (08:20)

IELTS: Language bank. Idioms and L-FWs you need to have at your beck and call.

22nd October 2020

A database of idioms that my physical classes covered previously as well as new idioms plus a reminder of some low-frequency words that are guaranteed to impress the examiner. Let’s kick off with some vocabulary building:

computer literacy (noun) computer literate (adjective)

flexible / flexibility / flexi-hours

to adapt / adaptability /

prospects

standard of living

networking

future skills

essential workplace skills

prosaic [cf with ‘run of the mill’]

cf is Latin for ‘compare’ // e.g. is Latin meaning ‘for example’ // i.e. is Latin for ‘that is’.

Now …

18 Relatable Tiger Mom Memes | SayingImages.com

Complete the sentences:

If you learn English you will increase your job ____________

Nowadays, most young people are _____________ _________________ . They are able to use programs such as Word, ___________ & ________

When selecting a university, you may have to be ______________ in case you don’t get into your first choice.

Getting a great, well-paying job is essential if you want a high ________________________ .

One student moved to Boston where the temperature can drop to below freezing. He’s really having ________ to the new culture.

My actor friend is busy 24/7, attending parties, setting up meeting, pitching ideas and Tweeting. That guy is constantly ______________ .

Class Game

Split class into two teams. One team selects a word or phrase and the other team has to use it, correctly of course, in a sentence. Bonus points for throwing in any appropriate idioms.

I would love this guitar which is a left-handed Rickenbacker, a famous American company with a very distinctive look and sound, yet, to my dismay, it costs ______________________

Idioms from Semester 2

Another string to (your) bow – a new skill or learning experience

bear with me – please wait a very short time (usually spoken as opposed to written)

bit of a sore point – something that makes you sad or angry

down in the dumps – depressed, unhappy, feeling gloomy

hit the ground running – to start something immediately and with all your energy

like a madhouse – a place or area that is crazy, too noisy, too busy etc

run of the mill – ordinary, typical, normal, usual, boring

up in arms – to be very angry about something, to protest strongly

you take your life in your hands – doing something that is extremely dangerous

Idioms from Semester 1

Which you should all know by heart and be able to reel off at the drop of a hat.

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

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! | Chynna Pope: The Beacon Hellion

Extra expressions for Top Cats:

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

Tongue in cheek // not being serious about something

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.

Remember these old chestnuts ?

without further ado // tricks up your sleeve // ace the test

pass with flying colours // do yourself proud //

you are in the driver seat (or you are in the driving seat) //

occur // inevitably // pertinent

This taxi has put me in the driver's seat of my life': Female taxi driver shares inspiring story - it s viral - Hindustan Times — Guess who’s in the driver’s seat ?

Personal and personality adjectives:

patient / firm / authoritative / determined / brave / energetic / level-headed / down-to-earth / strong / fit / healthy / imposing / honest / loyal / civic-minded / caring / hard-working /

Finally, some adverbs you must have in your arsenal:

very / extremely / amazingly / unbelievably / quite / rather / undeniably / remarkably / totally / absolutely /

Phew!. The last time I wrote it was so long… | by Vaibhav Sinha | How I Learnt Piano | Medium — Phew ! Thay Paul is a Tiger Teacher

For those who really want to expand their horizons, an extensive collection of idioms, expressions and collocations can be found on this blog: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/08/25/adult-speaking-class-level-3-ielts-english-expressions/