Conversation:

Fumi:  What chapter did Mr. Johnson want us to read for homework in history class?

Hana:  Beats me.  We could call Sarah and find out.

Fumi:  Maybe we could put it off and do it tomorrow night.

Hana:  I don’t think so.  I remember he said we had to write a chapter summary and hand it in tomorrow.

Fumi:  That’s right.  I forgot.  Let’s call Sarah right away.

Hana:  Hang on.  I just remembered something.  Sarah told me she is looking after her niece tonight , so she won’t be home.

Fumi:  Let’s look up her aunt and uncle’s number in the phone book and call her there.

Hana:  Good idea.  Go ahead.  I’ll turn down the music.

Vocabulary:

• chapter:  part of a textbook
• history:  the story of people, countries, and war
• summary:  a short paragraph with the main ideas
• niece:  brother’s or sister’s daughter
• aunt:  mother’s or father’s sister, or uncle’s wife
• uncle:  mother’s or father’s brother, or aunt’s husband

Idioms:

beats me            I don’t know
find out             get information
put off                do (something) at a later time
hand in             give to the teacher/boss
right away       immediately
hang on            wait
look after         care for
look up             get information from a book or the Internet
go ahead          start / go before
turn down      decrease (sound, light, or heat) / say no to an offer

Notes:

Beats me and search me have the same meaning.

Hand in and turn in have the same meaning.

Hang on and hold on have the same meaning.

Look after and take care of have the same meaning.

Go ahead has 2 meanings.  The second meaning is “go before.
Example:  You only have a few items to buy, so you can go ahead of me.

Turn down has 2 meanings:  The second meaning is “say no to an offer.”
Example:  I asked her if she wanted to go to a movie with me, but she turned me down.

© 2004 Ambien Malecot

Sexist words have been part of the English language since men dominated the world.  Today, with the equality of the sexes, the English language has changed.  Gone are words like policeman, stewardess, fisherman and housewife, all of which indicate the sex of the person mostly likely to have that job.  The first words to change were those with -man on the end, such as fireman and policeman.  What about the women who hold these same jobs?  Should there be two different words – one for women and one for men, or should there be only a single word for both sexes?  Many people agree that English should reflect the equality of the sexes, so little by little the language has been getting rid of its sexist words.  Here is a list of words that have changed to become non-sexist.

Don’t use man:

Man is always exploring the limits of his environment.

Use people:

People are always exploring the limits of their environment.

Don’t use  mankind:

Mankind has not yet solved the problem of global food distribution.

Use humanity / humankind / people / human beings:

Humanity has not yet solved the problem of global food distribution.

Don’t use manpower:

They can’t build that bridge without trained manpower.

Use workers / workforce:

They can’t build that bridge without a trained workforce.

Don’t use man-made:

Nylon was one of the first man-made fibers.

Use artificial / manufactured / synthetic:

Nylon was one of the first synthetic fibers.

Don’t use businessman / businesswoman:

As a businessman with interests around the world, he’s always traveling.

Use business  person / business executive:

As a business person with interests around the world, he’s always traveling.

Don’t use chairman:

She became chairman of the fund-raising committee.

Use chairperson / chair:

She became chair of the fund-raising committee.

Don’t use fisherman:

For three months a year, he is a fisherman off the coast of British Columbia.

Use fisher:

For three months a year, he is a fisher off the coast of British Columbia.

Don’t use fireman:

Firemen are well-respected in the community.

Use fire fighter:

Fire fighters are well-respected in the community.

Don’t use foreman:

His foreman fired him for not wearing his hard hat.

Use supervisor:

His supervisor fired him for not wearing his hard hat.

Don’t use mailman:

The mailman delivered the package I had been waiting for.

Use letter carrier:

The letter carrier delivered the package I had been waiting for.

Don’t use policeman / policewoman:

She told the policeman that she hadn’t heard the gun shot.

Use police officer:

She told the police officer that she hadn’t heard the gun shot.

Don’t use salesman:

The salesman understood exactly what I needed. 

Use sales person / sales clerk:

The sales person understood exactly what I needed. 

Don’t use actress:

She was a stage actress for twenty years.

Use actor:

She was a stage actor for twenty years.

Don’t use ballerina:

She’s a ballerina with the Royal Ballet in London.

Use ballet dancer:

She’s a ballet dancer with the Royal Ballet in London.

Don’t use heroine:

Annie, the heroine of the story, escaped and came back home.

Use hero:

Annie, the hero of the story, escaped and came back home.

Don’t use hostess

As everyone sang Happy Birthday, the hostess brought out a cake with thirteen candles.

Use host:

As everyone sang Happy Birthday, the host brought out a cake with thirteen candles.

Don’t use housewife:

After ten years in the corporate world, she quit to become a full-time housewife.

Use homemaker:

After ten years in the corporate world, she quit to become a full-time homemaker.

Don’t use stewardess:

She got a job as a stewardess with Air Canada.

Use flight attendant:

She got a job as a flight attendant with Air Canada.

Don’t use waitress:

She’s been a waitress at the diner ever since I can remember.

Use server:

She’s been a server at the diner ever since I can remember.

Also, the pronouns he/him/his and she/her, if unknown or unimportant, can change to they/them/their in informal language.

For example:

Formal:  Everyone who bought tickets to the concert can get his or her money back.

Informal:  Everyone who bought tickets to the concert can get their money back.

Formal:  Someone on the bus told me that he needed to buy his son a new bike.

Informal:   Someone on the bus told me that they needed to buy their son a new bike.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

accurate:     with no mistakes
I don’t think my watch is very accurate; it has a different time than my computer.
Are you sure the number of homeless people is accurate?

antique:     made a long time ago
She wants nothing but antique furniture in her apartment.
That vase may seem antique, but it’s a modern copy.

compact:     a lot in a small space, packed
They had to dig up the compact soil to make a garden area.
He drives his compact car to work every day.

fantastic:     unbelievably imaginative, exceptionally good
That was a fantastic meal we had at your house last Friday night.
He drew up fantastic plans for a settlement on the moon.

fascinating:     very interesting, holding your attention
The professor’s talk about his experiences in Sudan was fascinating.
I saw a fascinating photo of the Crab Nebula in astronomy class today.

foreign:     from another country
He has a love for foreign cars, especially those from Italy.
They’re going on a trip to six foreign countries in South America.

frustrated:     angry when unable to do something
She was frustrated that she couldn’t remember where she parked her car. 
His inability to pass the entrance exam made him frustrated.

imminent:     going to happen very soon
It looks like rain is imminent; I see thunder clouds coming this way.
When the professor walked in, the students knew that a quiz was imminent.

impulsive:     done without thinking
Many people do impulsive buying when shopping at the grocery store.
His proposal of marriage seemed impulsive to her.

The public washroom was not sanitary, so she went back to her hotel.
The nurses knew everything had to be sanitary in the operating room.

secluded:     far away from other things, alone
They live on a secluded island off the coast of British Columbia.
John and his sister Joanne felt secluded in their new school.

tolerant:     accepting of other people
Canadians are generally tolerant of foreigners.
He was tolerant of his neighbor’s parties because they were only once a month.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

Conversation:

Mary:  Hi Julie.  What’s up?  You look tired.

Julie:  I got up early this morning to put together this new bicycle that I’m giving to Jamie for his birthday.

Mary:  Oh, that’s sweet of you.  I’m sure he’ll like it.  Listen, the reason I stopped by is to ask you to come shopping and help me pick out something to wear to John and Susan’s wedding.

Julie:  I thought they broke up, and the wedding was called off.

Mary:  That’s right, but they made up yesterday, and the wedding is on again.  I heard they cried so much, they used up a whole box of tissue.

Julie:  Is that so?  You know, all of a sudden, I want to go shopping too.  I have nothing to wear either.

Mary:  Let me help you clean up and put away these tools.

Julie:  Thanks.  You know, it’ll be fun to dress up for this wedding.  I like wearing nice clothes.

Vocabulary:

• sweet:  nice
• wedding:  marriage ceremony
• on:  happening
• tissue:  soft paper used on the face
• so:  true
• tools:  instruments used to put something together, like pliers and screw drivers

Idioms:

what’s up                  what’s happening
put together             build out of parts
stop by                        visit (someone) informally
pick out                      choose
break up (with)      end (a relationship, meeting)
make up                     become friendly after a fight or argument / create (a story)
use up                         use completely, have no more
all of a sudden       without warning, suddenly
put away                   return (something) to its proper place
dress up                    put on good clothes

Notes:

Stop by and drop by have the same meaning.

Break up is followed by with if an object is used.
Example:  Paul broke up with Judy.

Break up is never followed by with when it means “end a meeting.”
Example:  The meeting broke up at 8:00.

Make up has two meanings.  The second meaning is “create (a story)”
Example:  Johnny didn’t do his homework again, so he had to make up an excuse.

All of a sudden and all at once have the same meaning.

© 2004 Ambien Malecot

There are many expressions in English that have double words.  Here is a partial list with examples of how they’re used:

Time:

hours and hours – many hours

        It took him hours and hours to do his taxes.

days and days – many days

        It rained for days and days.

weeks and weeks – many weeks

       He had been working for weeks and weeks on the project.

months and months – many months

       They’ve been trying to sell their house for months and months.

years and years – many years

       She’s been renting that apartment for years and years.

time after time – every single time

       He keeps helping her time after time.

time and time again – periodically

       He returns to Vancouver time and time again.

hour after hour – one hour after another

       He studied hour after hour with no break.

day after day – one day after another

       It kept raining day after day.

day by day – each day

       She has no future plans; she’s just trying to live day by day.

week after week – one week after another

      Week after week she stays at home and doesn’t go out.

month after month – one month after another

      He would ask his parents for money month after month.

year after year – one year after another

      Year after year the rent on their condo went up.

little by little – gradually

      He started to lose his hair little by little.

again and again – repeatedly

       She called his name again and again, but there was no answer.

on and on – continuously without stopping

       He talked on and on about his adventures in Indonesia.

over and over – repeatedly

       She kept saying over and over how lucky she was.

Comparatives:

more and more – a little more each time

      Every day she likes him more and more.    

less and less – a little less each time [uncountable nouns]

      As time went on, he became less and less interested in art.

fewer and fewer – a little fewer each time [countable nouns]

      As time went on she made fewer and fewer typing mistakes.

better and better – a little better each time

      Every day he’s feeling better and better.

worse and worse – a little worse each time

      My stomachache is getting worse and worse.

harder and harder – a little harder each time

      It seems to be getting harder and harder to find a used CDs store.

bigger and bigger – a little bigger each time

      Vancouver is getting bigger and bigger.

longer and longer – a little longer each time

      The waiting time for a trial date is getting longer and longer.

smarter and smarter – a little smarter each time

      His grandson is getting smarter and smarter every year.

stronger and stronger – a little stronger each time

      By working out, you’ll get stronger and stronger.

Other expressions:

round and round – in circles

The children turned round and round until they fell over.

all in all – considering everything

      All in all, it wasn’t a bad movie.

word for word – each word the same, exactly

      She told him what her girlfriend told her word for word.

step by step – all the steps necessary

      There were step by step directions on the back of the package.

item by item – each and every item

      They had to clean everything item by item.

pound for pound – each and every pound

      He can match his brother pound for pound.

street by street – every street

      The police searched street by street for the missing children.

face to face – facing each other

       Their first face to face meeting was at Starbucks.

shoulder to shoulder – touching the shoulder of the one next to you

The union members stood shoulder to shoulder facing the angry mob.

by Bon Jovi

an American rock band consisting of Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Hugh McDonald, David Bryan, and Tico Torres.  This song was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Max Martin for their album, “Crush,” released in 2000.

This ain’t a song for the broken hearted
A silent prayer for faith departed
And I ain’t gonna be just a face in the crowd
You’re gonna hear my voice when I shout it out loud

It’s my life
It’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
It’s my life
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frank, he said “I did it my way“
I just want to live while I’m alive
It’s my life

This is for ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never back down
Tomorrow’s getting harder make no mistake
Luck, it ain’t enough, you gotta make your own breaks

It’s my life
It’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
It’s my life
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frank, he said “I did it my way“
I just want to live while I’m alive
It’s my life

Better stand tall when it’s calling you out
Don’t bend, don’t break baby, don’t back down

It’s my life
It’s now or never
‘Cause I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
It’s my life
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frank, he said “I did it my way“
I just want to live while I’m alive
It’s my life
It’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
It’s my life
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frank, he said “I did it my way“
I just want to live while I’m alive
It’s my life

Vocabulary:

ain’t – isn’t
broken hearted – people whose hearts have been broken by a love affair that ended
prayer – a communication with God
faith – belief in someone
departed – gone
gonna – going to
shout – say very loudly
out loud – so other people can hear
want to live – want to have a good life full of experience
Frank – Frank Sinatra, who say sang a song called “I Did It My Way”
I did it my way – I lived my life the way I wanted
ones – people
stood their ground – didn’t let other people tell them what to do
Tommy and Gina – a fictional, working-class couple
back down – refuse to fight
gotta – have got to
make your own breaks – do what’s necessary to be successful
better stand tall – you’d better get ready for action
it’s calling you out – the time comes to do something

Notes:

As Jon Bon Jovi later wrote:
When I was writing “It’s My Life,” I thought I was writing very self-indulgently about my own life and where I was in it.  I didn’t realize that the phrase “It’s My Life” would be taken as being about everyone–by teenagers, by older guys, mechanics, whatever.  “It’s my life, and I’m taking control”.  Everyone kind of feels that way from time to time.

© 2015 Ambien Malecot for vocabulary lesson only  

Articles a, an, and the are a challenge for many students.  The basic rule is that a and an are used when indicating “one out of many” and are only used before countable nouns (nouns that can be made plural) such as a man or an animal.

They are also used for generalities:  A weasel is an animal.
Note:  The plural forms are also used for generalities (Weasels are animals.)

An is used before a vowel or a silent ‘h’, for example, an hour, but not before a pronounced ‘h’, for example, a hero.  Watch out for words that begin with ‘u’.  If they sound like a ‘y’, then use a, as in a university (you-ni-ver-si-ty).  If “u” doesn’t sound like a ‘y‘, then use an, as in an uncle.

The, on the other hand, is used for specific things, things that are known by the speaker and the listener.  For example, in “Please close the door.” the listener knows which door the speaker is talking about.

The is also used when the speaker indicates which thing he/she is talking about by using an adjective (The first time…), a prepositional phrase (The book on the top shelf…), or an adjective clause (The socks that I bought yesterday…).

The is used when there is only one of the thing, as in the moon, the beginning, or the President.

Finally, the is used when referring to general words that are all the same, such as the bathroom, the bus, the newspaper, the (tele)phone, the radio, the street, the government, the police, the fire department, and the army (navy, air force, marines)

It’s also used for musical instruments, such as the piano, the clarinet, the guitar.

Study this lesson, and when you’re ready, take the following quiz.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

LINC stands for Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada and is the standard for the entire country of Canada.  This grammar test will tell you if you are ready for a LINC 7 (Advanced) class.  A score of Excellent or Good is a pass.

Multiple choice.  Choose the correct answer:  a,b,c or d.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

Conversation:

Diane:    Hold still, Ellen.  Now smile and say cheese.

Ellen:    Don’t take my picture!  Let me brush my hair and put on something nice first.

Diane:    Okay.  By the way, have you heard from your brother?

Ellen:    Yes.  He called me last night and said he was coming back to Canada for good.  He’s tired of traveling.

Diane:    Well, it’s about time he grew up and got a job.  He’s been away for what – four years?

Ellen:    About that long.  He told me he came down with a bad case of homesickness when he saw a  Canadian flag on someone’s backpack.

Diane:    When does he get back?

Ellen:    The day after tomorrow at 4:00.  Do you want to come to the airport with me to pick him up?

Diane:    Sure.  But we should play it safe and get there well ahead of time.

Ellen:      I’ve got a better idea.  Let’s go in the morning and hang out. We can have lunch in the cafeteria and have a look around the new airport.  We can keep an eye on the arrivals on the monitors, so we’ll know when his plane lands.

Vocabulary:

• say cheese:  when you say the word cheese, it puts a smile on your face.
• by the way:  not on the topic
• it’s about time:  it has been long enough
• homesickness:  a feeling of wanting to go back home
• backpack:  a bag carried on the back
• monitors:  TV sets

Idioms:

hold still                     don’t move
put on                          start to wear
hear from                  get a letter, phone call, e-mail, or text message from
for good                     forever
grow up                      stop acting childish / become an adult
come down with     become sick with
get back                      arrive back home
play it safe                 be cautious, be careful
hang out                     stay in one place doing nothing
keep an eye on        watch and (sometimes) protect

Notes:

Put on has an opposite, take off, meaning “remove (clothing).”
Example:  Many people take off their shoes when they enter someone’s home.

Grow up has two meanings.  The second meaning is “become an adult.”
Example:  Where did you grow up?

© 2004 Ambien Malecot

alert:        awake and ready for action
As an air traffic controller, he has to stay alert for hours at a time.
Get some sleep tonight if you want to be alert for your test in the morning.

constant:    continuing without stopping
There is constant noise coming from the worksite.
In the end their arguing became constant, so they broke up.

edible:        okay to be eaten
I don’t think those berries are edible; the birds aren’t eating them.
The brilliant thing is that the ice cream cone is entirely edible.

exhausted:    very very tired
After a double shift at the hospital, he was mentally exhausted.
At the end of the game, everyone was exhausted.

fatal:        causing death
There was a fatal shooting at the mall this morning.
He made the fatal mistake of not being prepared.

immense:    very large, huge
The Canadian north is an immense land with few people.
There is immense interest in the discovery of life off the earth.

occasional:    rarely happening
He has the occasional cigarette and only when he’s at a party.
Once in a while she’ll have the occasional glass of white wine.

obvious:    easy for anyone to see or understand
It’s obvious she’s not going to finish the race after that fall.
The obvious choice for club secretary is Julianna because she’s had experience.

portable:    able to be carried
There were four portable toilets at the worksite.
She has a portable sewing machine at home.

rare:        uncommon, unusual
His grandfather’s collection of rare 18th century coins was put in the safe.
Yellow diamonds are especially rare.

repulsive:    causing you to feel sick about it, disgusting
The car accident was a repulsive sight.
The odor in the carpet is repulsive.

severe:        strong, powerful
There were severe winds last night that blew over several trees.
I’m sorry; she has a severe headache and can’t come to the phone.

suitable:    proper, correct
Go back and change your clothes; that is not suitable for high school.
There is no suitable explanation for why you cheated.

tardy:        late
The twins have been tardy to class everyday this week.
As a child, he was a tardy reader.

urgent:        needing immediate action
Your sister wants you to call her right away; it’s urgent.
The Prime Minister is giving an urgent message in 30 minutes.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study. 

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot