1. downhill fast
Don't expect to improve your English ~. A little bit everyday.
2. 3 bus-stops away
I live ~ from the school.
3. halfway
The shopping mall is ~ between the school and where I live.
4. as to - about
I will talk with her ~ this.
5. as for - concerning
~ the others, they will arrive later.
6. ponder - weigh in mind
They had to ~ their chance of success.
7. essentially - by nature, basically
This argument is ~ a technical one.
8. take shape - develop into a distinctive entity
I am glad to see that our plan is taking shape.
9. When it comes to coffee in Canada, it got to be Tim Hortons.
10. Give me some time and see if I can hammer out something.
11. He looked so down when I met him the other day.
12. My parents have loads of money, but they hate each other.
13. A big smile on his face, from ear to ear.
14. tag along - follow
Just do it, and I will tag along.
15. Spring has sprung! For many of us that means new beginings and a fresh start.
16. Queer ducks flock together (Birds of a feather flock together).
17. Great minds think alike.
18. I can balance a pile of dishes all the way through the town.
19. Please hold the bowl while I am beating the eggs.
20. Even a pig can't eat that much, but he can.
21. tweak - refine, adjust
My project is not done yet, I need to ~ it a little bit.
22. (to sew the button onto your coat) knot the end of the thread and start from underneath.
23. He spit on the coin and rub it to make it shine.
24. I have a stove in my apartment with 4 burners and an oven. The oven is where you can grill beaf or bake bread.
25. shed some light - provide insights
I have no idea. Can you ~ on this question?
26. I got to go/run.
Better be going.
I am out of here.
27. My back hurts.
It hurs in my back.
I have a pain in my back.
28. It's warm today, feels like summer.
I like drinking cold water, not luckwarm water.
The water is very hot, but not burning.
29. I can't just sit back and watch when I see something I can help. It's in my blood I guess.
30. White, black or yellow people, we all have the same red blood.
31. Are you saying all the big fuss is for nothing?
32. pinpoint/nail down - locate exactly
First of all, we have to ~ (what) the problem (is).
33. The following are some English sayings, easy and useful:
- Break a leg(good luck)
- A picture is worth a thousand words
- Back to square one (no any progress, just like the situation at the beginning)
- Caught in red hand (caught right at the scene)
- Knock on wood (keep fingers crossed)
- Money is the root of all evil
- Nothing is certain but death and taxes
34. lottery - a drawing of lots
They have a ~ for patients to be picked up by a family physician because there's a shortage of family physicians
35. I am training for the upcoming marathon.
36. Currently, the government has a right to cover up wrong doings.
37. Nothing can be perfect, but there's still a lot room for improvement.
38. next to impossible - possible, but not likely
The government is making the project bidding process more open so that corruption will be ~.
39. in attendance - people attending the meeting
During the meeting, most ~ agreed with the decision.
40. Be understanding of kids, but you don't have to be tolerant of criminal activities.
41. Criminals commit crimes.
42. It looks suspicious to me.
43. Everybody that I worked with so far is a friend of mine.
44. According primary souces, the current education system is unfair and illogical.
45. blockbuster - movie with violence
You may think I am talking about a Hollywood ~, but sadly, I am talking about the situation in my community at one time (sometime in the past).
46. slum - crowding, poor, dirty place
The downtown area is really a ~.
47. In a place made up of people from all over the globe, racism is not a black-white issue, it's one faction would be against another. Not all of them can get alone with each other.
48. pick cherry - a lot
It's like picking cherries, you can learn English from everywhere. But don't expect significant change would happen overnight. It's a gradual process.
49. I am cautiously optimistic that everything is well taken care of, and I pride myself.
50. This area used to be a hotbed for crimes, but now people stand up for themselves and don't allow the few bad apples to ruin the everyday life for everyone else.
51. I can do anything, you name it.
52. Friday is my garbage day. They collect the garbage and truck them to a landfill.
53. I helped her with her gardening, and she gave me a bunch of flowers in turn.
54. I am not money hungry. I am going for the experience, the pay is a benefit.
55. He made a lot of money by taking advantage of the loopholes in current taxation system.
56. labor - move with great effort
She answered only one question in ~ed French, since she can't speak fluent French.
57. In France, the students are increasingly using wildcat disruptions to force the government to repeal the First Job Contract law that would make it easier to hire and fire young people.
58. It cost me five dollars/I bought it for five dollars.
59. slacks - casual pants
Don't worry about the stain on your ~, it will wash out.
60. The employee was a new hire, and he was let go after the accident.
61. He was knocked out by a falling tree, and he came to in a moment or two.
62. Consecutive spring rain caused flood. The flood subsided a week later.
63. She threw her arms around his neck and hung on.
64. All of a sudden, a truck appeared out of nowhere and she had to slam on her brakes and turn sharply.
65. He walks to and from work. When it's raining, he takes a bus.
66. When a new movie comes out, he goes to the theater to watch it. When it goes to video, he would buy one.
67. barter - trade, exchange
68. This area is overgrown in grasses and bushes.
69. I know you have never done this before, but there is a first time for everything, right?
70. Her wallet was missing from her purse.
71. She was talking my head off.
She was crying her eyes out.
72. Where do you think I can find one again? They don't grow on trees.
73. The gas price is skyrocketing/shooting. It hit record hige/reached all time high/reached the peak last month.
74. This gas station is very busy. The lines often run 10 to 20 vehicles long. A young man pumping gas said he had waited in line for 20 minutes.
75. Smugglers still believe Canada ― and B.C. in particular ― is an easy route to sneak into the U.S
76. The housing price is crazy. Everyone says the bubble has to burst sometime.
77. They are inconsiderate/They have no concideration for others.
78. They might diminish, but they will probably never disappear.
79. A tenant(renter) leases(rents) from the landlord.
80. This shopping mall is a very good hangout for teenagers.
81. Shopping is most women's pastime.
82. On Canada's national day, there is a sea of people gethering in front of the parliament building.
83. I'll go grab something to eat./You can come see me tomorrow.
84. the grassroots/everyday citizens/ordinary people/normal people
85. odds/chances of winning
What are ~ you can win lottery?
86. acronym/abbreviation
USA is an acronym for the United States of America, Jan is a abbreviation for January.
87. My brother is a hardcore fan of Yao Ming.
88. Nothing worthwhile is easy.
89. The are doing Latin style dancding, and they have great chemistry (天衣无缝).
90. Speaking of dancing, partnership is very inportant, pretty much everything.
91. I am not asking or suggesting, I am telling you to stop it.
92. I can do that too and I can do it better.
93. Talking to people and meeting new people, that's what I like about the job the most.
94. Hearing my boss say "good job !", that is very nice.
96. When he was young, he droped out of school and got kicked out of his parent's house.
97. A herd of cattles /a flock of birds /a school of fish
98. One up somebody - to do better than somebody
She decided to learn guitar and one up his brother.
99. Yes, I quit. It's not a money thing, it' more of fairness.
100. ify - not sure about something
You sounded so ify about it.
-------------------------------------------------
101. cling onto/hold onto
~ a true friend with both hands.
102. A bonfire is a large campfire. It's a bunch of wood you picked up from the natural sorroundings, put it in a pile, light it on fire.
103. Here is how some western students think of the chracters in Hongloumeng:
Lin Daiyu - she is whiny (喜欢抱怨)
Xue Baochai - she is a bit calculating (太有心计)
Wang Xifeng - she is a capable woman
104. Four things I like the most of travel - appreciating scenery, meeting people, learning culture and trying food.
105. She not only talks the talk, she walks the walk.
106. Just hold on to your horses/wait just a minute.
107. By the time she came to Canada, she had made herself quite a portfolio (collection of your work experience)
108. I went there recently on vacation/business/a visit.
109. Bees are very busy when flowers are in bloom.
110. Nothing to do at home, but she has to find something to keep herself going.
111. Web page design is really that marriage between art and technical skills.
112. She primarily does housekeeping, but she also volunteers time working in the library.
113. pester - bother
Sometimes you have to pester, pester and pester somebody to get what you want.
114. garage band - non-professional band
115. It's hard enough to speak English, it's even more difficult to host a meeting.
116. my two cents - comments
We should stop it right away - that's my two cents.
117. mitigate - reduce the severity of
A project plan must address how to ~ the risk.
118. Life is hard enough. So make it easier on yourself.
119. parts of a payphone
- phone booth
- hook, receiver, ear piece, mouth piece, cord
- coin slot, coin release, coin return
- dial
120. It's suspicious. I just don't believe it.
121. I am bored of seeing the same people, day in day out.
122. A: She is lucky to have you.
B: Actually, it's the reverse.
123. He is a humble (谦逊) person/He is really haughty (傲慢).
124. The nature is calling (I need to pee).
125. dodge - to evade (as a duty) usually indirectly or by trickery
He was dodging the question.
126. Nice tea. I can't even stand to smell it, let along drink it.
Don't expect to improve your English ~. A little bit everyday.
2. 3 bus-stops away
I live ~ from the school.
3. halfway
The shopping mall is ~ between the school and where I live.
4. as to - about
I will talk with her ~ this.
5. as for - concerning
~ the others, they will arrive later.
6. ponder - weigh in mind
They had to ~ their chance of success.
7. essentially - by nature, basically
This argument is ~ a technical one.
8. take shape - develop into a distinctive entity
I am glad to see that our plan is taking shape.
9. When it comes to coffee in Canada, it got to be Tim Hortons.
10. Give me some time and see if I can hammer out something.
11. He looked so down when I met him the other day.
12. My parents have loads of money, but they hate each other.
13. A big smile on his face, from ear to ear.
14. tag along - follow
Just do it, and I will tag along.
15. Spring has sprung! For many of us that means new beginings and a fresh start.
16. Queer ducks flock together (Birds of a feather flock together).
17. Great minds think alike.
18. I can balance a pile of dishes all the way through the town.
19. Please hold the bowl while I am beating the eggs.
20. Even a pig can't eat that much, but he can.
21. tweak - refine, adjust
My project is not done yet, I need to ~ it a little bit.
22. (to sew the button onto your coat) knot the end of the thread and start from underneath.
23. He spit on the coin and rub it to make it shine.
24. I have a stove in my apartment with 4 burners and an oven. The oven is where you can grill beaf or bake bread.
25. shed some light - provide insights
I have no idea. Can you ~ on this question?
26. I got to go/run.
Better be going.
I am out of here.
27. My back hurts.
It hurs in my back.
I have a pain in my back.
28. It's warm today, feels like summer.
I like drinking cold water, not luckwarm water.
The water is very hot, but not burning.
29. I can't just sit back and watch when I see something I can help. It's in my blood I guess.
30. White, black or yellow people, we all have the same red blood.
31. Are you saying all the big fuss is for nothing?
32. pinpoint/nail down - locate exactly
First of all, we have to ~ (what) the problem (is).
33. The following are some English sayings, easy and useful:
- Break a leg(good luck)
- A picture is worth a thousand words
- Back to square one (no any progress, just like the situation at the beginning)
- Caught in red hand (caught right at the scene)
- Knock on wood (keep fingers crossed)
- Money is the root of all evil
- Nothing is certain but death and taxes
34. lottery - a drawing of lots
They have a ~ for patients to be picked up by a family physician because there's a shortage of family physicians
35. I am training for the upcoming marathon.
36. Currently, the government has a right to cover up wrong doings.
37. Nothing can be perfect, but there's still a lot room for improvement.
38. next to impossible - possible, but not likely
The government is making the project bidding process more open so that corruption will be ~.
39. in attendance - people attending the meeting
During the meeting, most ~ agreed with the decision.
40. Be understanding of kids, but you don't have to be tolerant of criminal activities.
41. Criminals commit crimes.
42. It looks suspicious to me.
43. Everybody that I worked with so far is a friend of mine.
44. According primary souces, the current education system is unfair and illogical.
45. blockbuster - movie with violence
You may think I am talking about a Hollywood ~, but sadly, I am talking about the situation in my community at one time (sometime in the past).
46. slum - crowding, poor, dirty place
The downtown area is really a ~.
47. In a place made up of people from all over the globe, racism is not a black-white issue, it's one faction would be against another. Not all of them can get alone with each other.
48. pick cherry - a lot
It's like picking cherries, you can learn English from everywhere. But don't expect significant change would happen overnight. It's a gradual process.
49. I am cautiously optimistic that everything is well taken care of, and I pride myself.
50. This area used to be a hotbed for crimes, but now people stand up for themselves and don't allow the few bad apples to ruin the everyday life for everyone else.
51. I can do anything, you name it.
52. Friday is my garbage day. They collect the garbage and truck them to a landfill.
53. I helped her with her gardening, and she gave me a bunch of flowers in turn.
54. I am not money hungry. I am going for the experience, the pay is a benefit.
55. He made a lot of money by taking advantage of the loopholes in current taxation system.
56. labor - move with great effort
She answered only one question in ~ed French, since she can't speak fluent French.
57. In France, the students are increasingly using wildcat disruptions to force the government to repeal the First Job Contract law that would make it easier to hire and fire young people.
58. It cost me five dollars/I bought it for five dollars.
59. slacks - casual pants
Don't worry about the stain on your ~, it will wash out.
60. The employee was a new hire, and he was let go after the accident.
61. He was knocked out by a falling tree, and he came to in a moment or two.
62. Consecutive spring rain caused flood. The flood subsided a week later.
63. She threw her arms around his neck and hung on.
64. All of a sudden, a truck appeared out of nowhere and she had to slam on her brakes and turn sharply.
65. He walks to and from work. When it's raining, he takes a bus.
66. When a new movie comes out, he goes to the theater to watch it. When it goes to video, he would buy one.
67. barter - trade, exchange
68. This area is overgrown in grasses and bushes.
69. I know you have never done this before, but there is a first time for everything, right?
70. Her wallet was missing from her purse.
71. She was talking my head off.
She was crying her eyes out.
72. Where do you think I can find one again? They don't grow on trees.
73. The gas price is skyrocketing/shooting. It hit record hige/reached all time high/reached the peak last month.
74. This gas station is very busy. The lines often run 10 to 20 vehicles long. A young man pumping gas said he had waited in line for 20 minutes.
75. Smugglers still believe Canada ― and B.C. in particular ― is an easy route to sneak into the U.S
76. The housing price is crazy. Everyone says the bubble has to burst sometime.
77. They are inconsiderate/They have no concideration for others.
78. They might diminish, but they will probably never disappear.
79. A tenant(renter) leases(rents) from the landlord.
80. This shopping mall is a very good hangout for teenagers.
81. Shopping is most women's pastime.
82. On Canada's national day, there is a sea of people gethering in front of the parliament building.
83. I'll go grab something to eat./You can come see me tomorrow.
84. the grassroots/everyday citizens/ordinary people/normal people
85. odds/chances of winning
What are ~ you can win lottery?
86. acronym/abbreviation
USA is an acronym for the United States of America, Jan is a abbreviation for January.
87. My brother is a hardcore fan of Yao Ming.
88. Nothing worthwhile is easy.
89. The are doing Latin style dancding, and they have great chemistry (天衣无缝).
90. Speaking of dancing, partnership is very inportant, pretty much everything.
91. I am not asking or suggesting, I am telling you to stop it.
92. I can do that too and I can do it better.
93. Talking to people and meeting new people, that's what I like about the job the most.
94. Hearing my boss say "good job !", that is very nice.
96. When he was young, he droped out of school and got kicked out of his parent's house.
97. A herd of cattles /a flock of birds /a school of fish
98. One up somebody - to do better than somebody
She decided to learn guitar and one up his brother.
99. Yes, I quit. It's not a money thing, it' more of fairness.
100. ify - not sure about something
You sounded so ify about it.
-------------------------------------------------
101. cling onto/hold onto
~ a true friend with both hands.
102. A bonfire is a large campfire. It's a bunch of wood you picked up from the natural sorroundings, put it in a pile, light it on fire.
103. Here is how some western students think of the chracters in Hongloumeng:
Lin Daiyu - she is whiny (喜欢抱怨)
Xue Baochai - she is a bit calculating (太有心计)
Wang Xifeng - she is a capable woman
104. Four things I like the most of travel - appreciating scenery, meeting people, learning culture and trying food.
105. She not only talks the talk, she walks the walk.
106. Just hold on to your horses/wait just a minute.
107. By the time she came to Canada, she had made herself quite a portfolio (collection of your work experience)
108. I went there recently on vacation/business/a visit.
109. Bees are very busy when flowers are in bloom.
110. Nothing to do at home, but she has to find something to keep herself going.
111. Web page design is really that marriage between art and technical skills.
112. She primarily does housekeeping, but she also volunteers time working in the library.
113. pester - bother
Sometimes you have to pester, pester and pester somebody to get what you want.
114. garage band - non-professional band
115. It's hard enough to speak English, it's even more difficult to host a meeting.
116. my two cents - comments
We should stop it right away - that's my two cents.
117. mitigate - reduce the severity of
A project plan must address how to ~ the risk.
118. Life is hard enough. So make it easier on yourself.
119. parts of a payphone
- phone booth
- hook, receiver, ear piece, mouth piece, cord
- coin slot, coin release, coin return
- dial
120. It's suspicious. I just don't believe it.
121. I am bored of seeing the same people, day in day out.
122. A: She is lucky to have you.
B: Actually, it's the reverse.
123. He is a humble (谦逊) person/He is really haughty (傲慢).
124. The nature is calling (I need to pee).
125. dodge - to evade (as a duty) usually indirectly or by trickery
He was dodging the question.
126. Nice tea. I can't even stand to smell it, let along drink it.
for you.
