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Last night, my wonderful co-teacher, Ms H, was speaking about a student in our class who has really blossomed. The student used to be very shy and speak in a barely-audible whisper; now the student is a Top Cat.
Ms H referred to the transition mistakenly as, “In a nutshell,” when the correct expression is to ‘come out of his or her shell.’ Thus, today’s blog will focus on the use of the word ‘shell’ in common phrases.
a word in your shell-like
This means that someone wants to speak to you about something serious. Ears are shaped a little like shells, so here ‘shell-like’ comes from ‘shell-like ear.’ We often hear this on UK TV police dramas when an inspector wants to speak to a suspect.
The phrase is used by people in positions of power, so don’t use this when speaking to your manager or parents !
coming out of her shell
If someone is very quiet or shy, they are said to be ‘in their shell’, like a tortoise. When someone starts to be more sociable, speaking more, showing their potential, we say they are ‘coming out of their shell.’
ghost in the shell
A phrase taken from ‘ghost in the machine’. The French philosopher Rene Descartes wrote about the separation between the mind and the physical body. The mind is not physical, but could be compared to a ghost.
Basically, it is the difference between the mind and the body even though they co-exist.
Ghost in the shell refers to what is the true essence of a person, what someone is really like, no matter how they look.
Today, the phrase is linked to the Japanese manga series, cyberpunk and video games. The main character has a robotic body but still has enough of her brain (mind) to be her real self.
in a nutshell
When you have a lot of information to tell, but not much time, you just say the main points. The idea is that there is not much space inside a nutshell, so only the most important things can be included.
A popular range of computer books use this idiom, as well as this title below:
People may be interested in astronomy but may be put off by the maths and equations. This book will explain all the important facts in a way that is understandable.
The phrase is an alternative for ‘to cut a long story short,’ or ‘long story short.’
shell of his former self
In the classic Martin Scorsese film ‘Raging Bull’, Robert De Niro plays a boxer who changes from a powerful athlete into an overweight nightclub owner.
When someone changes so dramatically, we say they are ‘a shell of their former self,’ and yes, De Niro really did gain all the extra weight to play this role.
shell out
This means to pay for something, usually something unexpected and unwanted, for example:
“My laptop broke. I had to shell out £200 to get it fixed.”
shell shock or shellshock
A term used to describe the psychological effects on soldiers during the First World War, with constant bombs or shells exploding. Many soldiers suffered serious mental problems.
Today the phrase has been replaced by PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
shell voicing
In music, chords are formed by playing two or more notes simultaneously. In shell voicing, often used in Jazz or Math Rock, only three notes are played: the root (or first), the 3rd and the 7th.
Let’s take the C Major scale
C D E F G A B
The root, or first note is C, the 3rd is E and the 7th is B. To play a Cmaj7 chord, the C, E & B are played together.
walking on eggshells
Being very careful about what you say or do, in case you make someone angry or sad.
“Our manager was in a bad mood. We were walking on eggshells all day.”
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
My IELTS students have some speaking tests coming up, so I’d like to boost their confidence by giving them a speaking exercise. I shall choose topics they feel confident with, namely pets, and shopping.
Firstly, a reminder of what you need to do in order to pass with flying colours.
An introduction to the question
Use complex sentences and relative clauses
Use an idiom or two
Use L-FWs (replace basic words with ‘better’ ones e.g. use ‘ubiquitous‘ instead of ‘everywhere’ ‘tedious‘ instead of ‘boring’)
Check your pronunciation and intonation.
Now, without further ado, the questions:
Do you have any pets ?
Do you like shopping ?
What is your favourite possession and why ?
Image from unsplash.com
Let’s start with pets (I know one of my students has three cats).
Introduction
Do you like all animals, some or only one type ?
Are you allowed to keep pets where you live ?
Talking points
What are the names of the animals ?
How old are they ?
What do they look like ?
What are their personalities ? (You now have an opportunity to use great adjectives)
Where did you get them ?
Who looks after them ?
Do you have any funny stories about they did ? How do they make you feel ?
Idioms: burning the candle at both ends (Playing with my pets helps me unwind after I’ve been burning the candle at both ends with work and study.)
Moving on to shopping, so much to talk about …
freepik
Introduction
What do you feel about shopping ?
Is shopping something you dread doing, or is it fun, or even an obsession ? Are you a shopaholic ?
What stops you from shopping ? (Lack of money, or safety concerns now during the pandemic ?)
Talking points
Tell me about the types of shops and shopping areas (street markets, small independent stores, chain shops, malls).
What do you like buying most ?
With whom do you go ?
What else do you do at a mall ?
Do you have a funny story about buying something, or having to return an item ?
What do you think of online shopping ? What is good and bad about it ?
Is internet shopping becoming more popular in Vietnam (your country) ? Why do you think so ?
Idioms: costs an arm and a leg (I really enjoy going to Diamond Plaza and just looking at the beautiful designer dresses. However, as a student, I can’t afford one because they cost an arm and a leg.)
Sample answer
A Kindle Fire ebook and tablet
My Kindle
One of my favourite electronic devices is my Kindle, an ebook reader, which is small and light. I always take it with me when I travel; I’d be lost without it.
The Kindle is primarily a way to buy, store and read books in electronic format. At first, I wasn’t convinced, I liked reading real books. However, books take up a lot of space and, at least in the UK, are rather expensive. When I saw what a Kindle can do, and that so many books are free, I was hooked ! I had to get one. I bought my device in 2014 and I’m still using it today.
As mentioned, I use my Kindle for reading. Literature and poetry is one of my passions. Instead of going to a shop, I just browse the online store, click and wait for it to download. With reasonable wifi, this can just take a minute or so … then I can start reading. It is no surprise that ebooks are ubiquitous in the UK.
Although I read a lot, the Kindle is more than just an ebook. It has wifi so I can access the internet, play music, write notes and play games.
The wifi is vital, especially when I travel. I can maintain contact with friends and family, watch YouTube if the hotel TV is less than enthralling, or read travel guides such as Trip Advisor. Naturally, I can also book tickets or make reservations and therefore pay significantly less.
I recently travelled to Thailand to meet some friends. I didn’t want to buy a new SIM card, and my friend only had an old phone, so there was a dilemma; how to stay in touch ? Thanks to my Kindle, I had email access, so we could plan when and where to meet.
I can’t watch Vietnamese TV, due to the language barrier. Consequently, the Kindle plays an even bigger part of my life, as I need some way to relax after burning the candle at both ends.
The choice of books is amazing. In the stores, a single book can cost around £10, but recently I downloaded the entire output of the Russian writer Tolstoy for less than £1.50 … incredible !
Kindles come in many shapes and sizes, so before you buy, you need to ascertain how you’ll be using it. For example, do you want a basic ebook reader, just for books, or the latest model with wifi ? This will, naturally, affect the cost. Then you have to decide upon the extras, for example how much storage space do you require, or a super-fast charger or protective case ? All of these bump the price up considerably.
If you’re interested in purchasing one, I have some information for you. I did a quick Google search and saw prices started at under 2 million VND, averaged around 5 million, but some were over 15 million. That, for me, is too extravagant.
In conclusion, my Kindle is very much a part of my life. It accompanies me everywhere. I simply don’t know what I would do without it.
A UK expression meaning good luck
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
Tonight’s class will focus on the town of Green Bank, Virginia (which is a southern state in the USA). Green Bank is a very small town. The population in 2019, according to Wikipedia, was 182 yet it has become famous as the town without Wi-Fi. Wireless internet is banned and mobile phones (cell phones USA) are unable to make or receive calls, nor can they send texts. The reason …
the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope
Telescopes can be used for light or for sound. The above picture shows the radio telescope, which is 485ft tall, at Green Bank. It listens out for sounds from space. You may hear electromagnetic radiation in the class video.
Light and sound travel in waves. A star will emit light waves but electromagnetic radiation can also travel by radio waves. Giant telescopes are situated in areas with low light pollution while radio telescopes need to be in areas without Wi-Fi or mobile telephone, which can cause interference. You may have experienced this on an airplane when you are told to switch off phones during take-off and landing.
And so to work … as a warm up, get a partner or a small group and ask each other the following questions. Remember to encourage each other to speak in longer sentences and give reasons.
Could you live in a town with no Wi-Fi ?
What would you miss most if you had no phone or Wi-Fi ?
How important is your mobile phone to you … why ?
How often do you use Facebook ? Is it essential or fun ?
Do you think you spend too much time on social media ?
If you are with friends and your phone rings, or you get an alert, do you ignore it or stop talking to your friends ?
How to build sentences: explain your answers … ‘because‘ // such as … //
Tell me your experience: ‘For me, mobiles phones are …’ // ‘I couldn’t live without Wi-Fi because …’ // ‘I rely on …’
New vocabulary: essential // imperative // convenient //
It would be like losing an arm // a vital part of my life // I control my Wi-Fi use, it doesn’t control me // prohibitively expensive // I would lose my mind !
Indeed … next week is the speaking test, so I get to interview the students, one-to-one, to see how much they have listened to me and retained the information.
For some students, the biggest test will be NOT using their phones for ten minutes. Be that as it may … No time for learning anything new, tonight will just be as many activities as reasonable, and then practice.
I shall offer my help to those that request it.
So, let’s kick off with the first game:
Two teams … on the board, single words. Teams have to complete the idiom and give the definition.
mouth // candle // cats // piece // arm // grindstone // sky // blue //.
Next, one team selects a word, then asks one member of the other team to use it in a sentence.
Moving on up: Complex sentences. I shall give the names of some famous companies and the teams have to compose a complex sentence using relative pronouns and discourse markers.
For example:
I have my heart set on buying a pair of Converse, which is an American company with a star logo, who make very fashionable, not to mention very cool, footwear.
The teams have to choose from:
Rolls Royce
McDonaldsOppo Chinese phone companyIkea Swedish furniture
Keep the ball rolling with a pronunciation game. I’ll play two clips of native speakers. The teams, one by one, have to copy using correct intonation and stress.
The following is a list of words and expression I’ve used, and blogged, over the course of this course. How many do the teams know … I want definition and an example in a sentence:
without further ado // tricks up your sleeve //inevitably // ace the test // pass with flying colours // pertinent // do yourself proud // you are in the driver seat // occur
Think on your feet
A classic excuse for British schoolchildren, when they haven’t done their homework, is to tell the teacher that their dog ate their homework.
I will give the teams some scenarios and they have to come up with a creative response:
You are late to class … why ?
You have been using your mobile phone the whole lesson, despite knowing the centre rules … why ?
You have been riding a motorbike with three people on it … why ?
You only got a 3.5 in your IELTS test … why ?
And now, it just remains to wish the teams all the luck they deserve.
See you next week … revenge is a dish best served cold
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
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 ?
Why the long face ? Someone looks miserable or unhappy.
She can talk the hind legs off a donkey ! Talking non-stop !
The tip of the iceberg.
Piece of cake No problem, easy, no trouble
Same thing, day in, day out everyday is exactly the same, very boring.
On the lookout looking for something
Cooking the books cheating with the company accounts. Writing false information.
A bright spark someone who is very clever
You’re pulling my leg ! joking but pretending to be serious.
The boot’s on the other foot the situation has changed.
You can’t miss it you will certainly recognise it when you see it, when you are there.
Big time ! (US modern popular culture) Absolutely, totally, very, very much
Brass monkeys it’s extremely, painfully cold
Once in a blue moon something that happens extremely rarely
Bob’s your uncle there you are ! No problem, all fixed ! (UK slang)
Now … your turn
Practice using these saying in everyday conversations … answers, as per usual, at the end of the blog.
1) I love the beach. but I rarely go, just ……………………………….
2) If you’re late for class again, the teacher will be furious …….
3) You look so sad ……………………… ?
4) I’m freezing ! It’s ……………………. in here
5) Seriously ? You can marry three wives in UK ? No, you’re ……..
6) Oh, my job is so tedious, …………………………
7) She wouldn’t shut up ! She ….
8) It’s no problem; I’ll clean your laptop, remove the virsus and Trojans and ………
9) I used to earn more than my wife but she got a big promotion, so now …………. She earns more than me !
10) I need a new pair of shoes. I’m ………………… for some high quality Italian leather.
11) The accountant was sacked. He was ……… but that was not all ! That’s just the …………………… He was also stealing computers and selling them.
12) This lesson was a ………………… for me because I’m such a ……………….
13) I didn’t use ‘you can’t miss it.’ Write your own sentence.
Answers
1) once in a blue moon
2) big time
3) why the long face ?
4) brass monkeys
5) pulling my leg
6) Same thing, day in, day out
7) can/could talk the hind legs off a donkey.
8) Bob’s your uncle
9) the boot’s on the other foot.
10) on the lookout
11) cooking the books / tip of the iceberg
12) piece of cake / bright spark
Well, if you’re such a bright spark, write you own sentences and test your partner.
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
Thay Paul's Notes 