My English Course Level B2- C1: julio 2018

domingo, 15 de julio de 2018

PROBABILITIES

In all likelihood

There is every likelihood that

In all probability
You are likely to become a teacher
It is unlikely that...
the odds are against her passing the exam

Against the odds
The oods are he'll get the job

The chances are small that
By accident
By chance

OBLIGATION- PERMISION

Permission

Permission denied
Let you
Allow: in the passive form and more formal

You are not allowed to enter the room

Obligation

It's compulsory
It forces you to
It compels you to study more
To be compelled to
To be bound to
It is required
to be eported

Students are reported to...

You are supposed to )+ informal)
I feel obliged to
to comply with( cumplir con, acceder a)
To be under no obligation to
To be

DVDs are to be returned ( more formal)

A duty
a commitment
to be engaged in

Prohibition

It is forbidden
It is banned
Under no circumstances

Advice

It's advisable
It is sensible to
It is advantageous
It is wise to
It is prudent to
I advise you against sth

You'd better phone home

CONSEQUENCES- CAUSES

Cause

Verbs

Triger off (a protest)
to spark off ( a war)
to precipitate
Spring form

to spring from a feeling of insecurity

Set off

the scandal sets off a serves of events

To bringabout

This has brought about a lot of changes

to account for (to find the cause)
To lie behind

What lies behind ?

In an attempt of
On account of
the lack of
Because of
Thanks to
As a result of
Result from

Illiteracy results from a poor childhood education

due to
Owing to
As
Since

Consequence

As a result,
to result in

a poor childhood education results in illiteracy

for this reason
As a consequence
consequently
That's why...
Therefore
Thus (formal)
Hence
So
So...that
When people are the cause

To produce (a report, good results)
To generate (revenues, complaints, interest)

Your action has resulted in chaos
to provoke a feeling of anger
In this way
By doing so
All in all, in brief, to put it in a nutshell
to put it simply, to make a long story short
In the long run /term / haul

DOING THINGS

To do it

from scratch
By hand = manually
on the spur of the moment

To be good / bad / hopeless at doing sth
Spare time

To do your own thing = to please yourself
to have time to yourself

Commit yourself

to give your all
To make a strong commitment to
To stick to sth

I stick with my new regime ( as I had planned)

to restrain yourself form doing sth.

With difficulty

To manage
To face up
to tackle
To fend for ...
To handle a problem
How are you copping it?
To run the risk
To do without sth

To be

on the verge of
on the point of
about to
bound to
reluctant to take up an activity

Assembling- taking apart

To pull things apart
To fit all the pieces together
to take things to bits

What the bad guys are up?
I ended up doing everything form this to that
Compensate

To make it up to sb

I will take her somewhere to make it up to her

To make up for sth

CONTROLLING

To be careful / prudent / cautious
to keep your temper /your cool
to lose your temper
to pull yourself together
to rein in

Can you rein in your constant criticism?

to calm down
To control ( the mouse controls the computer)
To check ( at the airport)
To watch out
Mind out
Look out
to be under the watchful eye of sb ( with sb's help)
to keep an eagle eye on sb.

sábado, 14 de julio de 2018

BINOMIALS

This is part and parcel of the job
It's rough and ready (improvisado / tosco pero preparado)
It's touch and go (a uncertain situation)
the weather is hit and miss (unpredictable)
Fluctuations

The ins and outs of progress
The ups and downs of a business
The highs and lows of life
The ebbs and flows of the market
Off and on ( de vez en cuando)

To have meetings on and off

Cafés here and there (scattered)
Back and froth
To and fro ( de un lado para otro) / back and forth ( también "dudar, vacilar")
Give or take (more or less)

Emotions

to be sick and tired of
Peace and quiet
Safe and sound

Ways of doing things

In leaps and bounds
by and large
Through thick and thin

Time

Now and then
As and when I can
Sonner or later

A black and white film
Give or take a few miles (más o menos)
A hustling and bustling city
Proverb

Take it or leave it
Sink or swim

First and foremost
He is down and out
He is up and about
Believe it or not
the law and order

LES FILMS

People

The cast
To be typecast ( encasillar en un papel)
The lead actor
the main role
an actress
The main role

S. A. Johns will star the film

The screen writer
The costume designer
The viewer

The plot

The script / a weak script
The plot summary / the story line
Based on a true story

Begining

To take place
The setting
To be set on
Fromthe very onset
The opening scene

The end

the final plot twist
A twist in the tail
The denoument
thefinal scene
Theend was heartbreaking

The performance

To pull off / to give a remarkable / astonishing performance
to fulfill the criteria
Correct in all the details

Emotions

To keep glued to the screen / to your seat
Agripping film
a moving story
To keep you in the suspense
To get under your skin
Entertaining

Opinion

The overall impression
Positive

A masterpiece
An standing ovation
to be lauded / highly praised
Rave reviews
A memorable performance
3 awards
Outstanding, exiting, realisticfrightening, unusual

Negative

An overrated film
a far-fetched story
A harrowing / upsetting performance

Actions

To dub
To rewind
A 2ond viewing
to watch it more than one
When you go to the cinema you SEE a film ( at home you WATCH /SEE a film)
released on DVD / to come out on DVD
A new version/ remake of a well-know story
Invest = put into

The cinema

The box office
The back row
the front row

The review

To catch the reader / the viewer
What a difference a good script can make
Plot

Refreshingly, nail-biting, gripping, moving
a compelling dramatic situation (irresistible, interesante)
Persuasive, convingcing
a reluctant, vulnerable hero

summarise

Events revolve around
The book thells the story of

viernes, 13 de julio de 2018

SPEAK AND UNDERSTAND

I can't make head or tail of it
To miss the point
to get the wrong end of the stick
To take the words out of my mouth
To get a word in edgeways
To have a got at each other (criticise)

jueves, 12 de julio de 2018

MUSIC

A choir
The lyrics, a note, the rhythm
out of tune
Alto, soprano
to be a soloist
The score (partitura)
the conductor
The orchestra
to rehearse / a rehearsal
a highly coveted prize
an award
a trophy
An influential artist
a performer
agig / concert
one performed live / a broacast live o pre-recorded
I am not into music myself

PEOPLE'S LIFE

Life expectancy
Life-span
Stages

Infancy

A baby
a toddler

Adolescent

A youngster
People under / over fifteen

an adult

Coming of age
To be mature
a middle-aged woman
in his early / mid / late twenties
a grown-up
maturity
to turn 40

the elderly

to live in a sheltered accommodation (residencia)
He has all his wits about him
to grow old= to age

the dead

to pass away /on
to perish
to bequeath
An inheritance
To inherit = to come into
My late mothers's sister
The will
the cremation
The ashes scattered

Actions

to bring up a child
to be raised in
to grow up
to make himself
This cames with age

Behaviour

A childish behaviour (-)
Childlike behabiour (+)

TYPES OF ATMOSPHERE AT SCHOOL

Disciplined
Creative
Relaxed
Efficient
chaotic
Friendly
Stimulating
repressive
hard-working
liberal
helpful
cooperative
bullying in schools
Room for self-expression

TO BE BORN

Conception

sperm + ovum
The womb
contraception

Pregnancy / pregnant

Embryo, an unborn , a foetus (fi:tes)
a mother-to-be
abortion
miscarriage / termination
to lose a baby
to have a baby
Symptoms

sickness
fatigue

Delivery

Midwife
Sb's waters break
labour
give birth
to deliver / delivery
baby bullocks presented first
a stillborn
Births certificate

Adoption
Surrogacy

ARGUMENTS AND ROWS

Resentment
Hate, rage
Ruthlessness
Humiliation
Frighten / frightening / fearful
Quarrel= row= argument= a falling.out
to fight, to struggle, to hit, to battle, to strike
To fall out
To make up / hacer las paces)
To get ratty about
To spark off a row
to have outbursts with sb about sth.

ANIMALS

Breed (raza)
Tail
a neutered cat
A tiger stalks its prey ( acechar)
A mammal
Expressions

You cant teach and old dog new tricks
A leopard can't change its spots
Like a dog with a bone
To be like a fish out of the water

HANDICAPS

Disabled people
Acaretaker
A caregiver ( you don't pay for it
A muscle disease
A wheelchair user
Autism
Asperger ( Áspergher)
A misfit person ( desadaptado)
ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder).

SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Demonstrations

Unrest (descontento)
Protesters
a mob ( multitud)
A fuss (alboroto)
a turmoil (alboroto)
to remonstrate about
Riot / rioters

Public opinion

Opinion poll ( encuesta)

Civil rights

Discrimination
tolerance
a Plight (situación grave)

Poverty

Misery
To live on / to scrape by
to manage to break even
to make ends meet
to lead a dog's life
Hardships (privaciones)
to be raised on state benefits

Charities

Principles

Goodness
humanitarian principles
Helpless people (indefensos)

Money

fundraising
to raise money for a worthy cause
door-to-door raising money
The donors
Reluctant givers
to donate a monthly sum to a worthy cause
Celebrities endorsements

Volunteering

A voluntary work placement
to be keen to do voluntary work
Chrity work calls for a great deal of commitment

Our hostel is mot reliable on charity
social pressure

The dirtiest side of humanity

DIFFERENT CULTURES

Communication

Miscommunications abound
A breakdown in communication
communities thriving through leasing

Customs

the prevailing cultural attitudes
cultural conventions
Local customs
Different walks of life

Contrast

A direct approach
A cultural shock

It is all part and parcel of living abroad

Confront our prejudices
Learn rather than judge
to break out your confortable cocoon

Hand-made folk art
Situations

To live abroad
to set off

Advantages

a rewarding experience
to forge our character
to broaden your horizons

CLOTHES

Clothes

I usually wear bright colours
I like loose / tight shirts /jeans
A knee-size long dress /gown
High-heeled shoes
sneakers /trainers
A torn t-shirt
Designer clothes

Ways of dressing

a suit and tie company
To be overdressed /underdressed
To dress up
to dress down on fridays (less formal)
To be dressed to kill
the right outfit for an interview
A self-confessed scruff

Fashion

All the rage = very fashionable
In the hight of fashion
to set a new trend for leather trousers
to be ahead of your time
If a fashion /trend cashes on
a slave of fashion

To wrap up wll in winter
To do the zip
a hoddie wearing geek

I'm size 38
Can I try this on?
a changing room
It doesn't fit
Do you have these in size 40?
Can I have a bigger /smaller size?
Would you like a hem on theses trousers?
This jacket matches your shirt
This goes with your hat
It really suits you

miércoles, 11 de julio de 2018

COMPLAINING

To complain

It tastes disgusting
It's overpriced
It'stoo far expensive
I'll claim damages
You'll hear my layer
I demand fresch towels at once
A letter of complaint

If I hear nothing from you, I will
I wouldbe greteful if you could
I await your response
Not only was I unable to...
I enclose my ticket herewith
A promise to make a full refund
To take fully responsability for the inconvinience

A constant complaint has been...

To apologise

I can give you a refund
I can offer you a reduction / a discount /a free.. / a repair
This won't happen again, I promise

TRAVELLING

Travelling

Are you a light traveller?
do you tend to forget stuff at home?
do you prefer backpacks, suitcases or trolleys?

Problems with your luggage: missing, too heavy, broken..

To take a year off to travel abroad
to plan carefully

Tourism

To keep toursits away from...
It's a pity tourists numbers were restricted even further
to pack in a lot of activities in a short time
To have a guide
Headsets for tourists
To buy souvenirs
Hords of people
To scape the crowds
To offer value for money

Hotels

Luxurious or cheap hotels
A guest house
A B&B
all-inclusive resorts
an en-suite bathroom in your room
facilities of the premises
Check in /out
To pack as much as you can
all rooms have balcony and sea view
A low-standard accommodation

I don't mind roughing in

half board / full board / media opension completa)

Beaches

Unspoilt beaches
Cristal-clean waters
the resort
sunshine
The hotel is on the water-front

Mountains

A hill range / a hillock /rolling hills
The wilderness
to be in the wilds
The natural beauty
Do you fancy a hike-up the mountain?

to go on a hike

hiking up the mountain / a peak

To go for a ramble
a trek / trekking
Long-day walks
To climb in a mountain
On the mountain top / to the top of the hill / to the top hill
Muddy slopes
Steepy slopes
Gentle slopes
To go up hill / down hill

It is harder on your knees

a gorge-harness

to go backpacking
A stranded trekker

to be stranded
to lose your bearings
to retrace your steps

to pitch a tent
to sleep rough
To sleep in the open
To sleep under the stars
A log cabin / a wooden cabin
The flora and fauna
A wild-bush area
A virgin forest
A natural reserve
Off the beaten track
Expressions

To be over the hill (to be exhausted - para el arrastre)
To make a mountain aout of a molehill

Dont' blow out something aut of proportion

It's downhill

It's easy
Ir de capa caída

Landscapes

A scenic position
Awe-inspiring
Stunning

Means of transport

To rent a car
Flying

A standby= a cheap ticket for a flight
Types

to fly with low-cost companies
An economic flight
Scheduled flight
A holiday flight
A direct flight
A first-class flight

troubles with your luggage
Are you scared of flying?
To be a frequent flyer
My scheduled flight to America (ˈʃedjuːld)
This flight is delayed
To miss the flight
The flight is fully booked / cancelled
to catch a connecting flight
The plane comes to an halt
to hop into a plane
a featherweight plane
A stopover - to break your journey between two destinations

By ship

To take a cruise
The upper deck

to laze onthe deck
relaxing in the cabin

Do you like sailing?

Space

Space tourism

Risks

Risk-takers
Risk-seekers

to be addicted to danger
An hasardous crossing on her own
To run the risk / to take the riske / to take the gamble
Life-threating activities

Risk-averse people
Risk-tolerant people

A quick safely check
To think twice about taking risks

to face a difficult danger /task
Travel plans go wrong
Tricky situations
Novel and unexpected situations
To fend for yourselves
To find yourself marooned in the middle of the ocean
to survive to tell the tale

Ways of travelling

a tour bus
a long-distance bus
To take a cruise
Cycling is fraught with danger
to go backpacking around the world
hunting for treasure
A four-by-four car

Attitudes

To unwind
To rewind
Relaxing
To recharge your batteries
To laze on the deck

Culture

different cultural customs
travelling can yield many benefits

TO BEGIN WITH

I'd start by
For a start
Well, firstly
First of all
Primarily
to begin with
Initially
In the first place
On the one hand
As far as I am concerned
Concerning /regarding
At the outset
From the outset
In terms of
In order to

Conversely / otherwise
Unlike
Fartherevidence isfound in
Unless
Needless to say
Wht's more
Which is why

SPEAK- TALK- SAY

cry
call
whisper
respond
demand
ask
reply
excalim
state
remark

Opinion

To speak your mind out

To say a word about this

To have your say on

Discuss

To bring up a new topic
To talk over some topic ( discuss)
To get your point through (explain)
To talk out of (persuade of not doing something)
To talk into ( persuade)

Languages

single language speakers

Switch between two systems of speech

Needless to say
It goes without saying
To speak highly about sb
Not to be on speaking terms with
To be at loss of words
He didn't say a word
To speak up ( raise your voice)

Make small talk

LANGUAGE

Illiterate / literacy
to improve your language skills
to be fluent
bilingualism
languages evolve
a constant state of flux
Every newly invented word
a word fades away / falls into disuse
a proverb

IN CONVERSATION

Start

You first
Go ahead
Fire away
split it out
to bring up a topic

Opinions

to speak your mind about
To speak your mind out
To say a word about this
To have your say on
to speak highly of sb
To curse
for me
As a matter of fact
what I really love is
Personally speaking, I'd say
Mainly
Believe or not
Let me think,
I've never given it a lot of thought
I'm pretty certain
When it comes to restaurants...

Agree

You can say it again!

Surprise

for real?
No way!

to adress sb as "tu" (tutear)
To keep a conversation

As I was saying
That reminds me
Come to think of it
to keep the conversation rolling along
to go on about sth (siempre hablar de lo mismo)
to catch your breath= to pause
a rapid-fire dialogue
a fast-spaced chatter
a gripping / entertaining dialogue
a heated discussion

to answer

to respond
to snap (abruptly or sharply)
to go oof a tangent ( irse por las ramas)

To interrupt

To get a word edgeways
May I say something?
sorry to interrupt but...
I'm almost done
Please let me finish
I haven't made my point yet

To explain sth

To get through
to get over= to communicate= to transmit
to drop hints
To take my words right out of my mouth

Verify comprehension

Are you with me?
Got it?
I hope that's clear
If you see what I mean
Do I make myself clear?
Are you with me? (I)
Get it? (I)
Right? (I)
Got the message? ( I)

To miss the point

I think I'm missing the point
You lost me htere
I am not following
I beg your pardon
What's that again?
What do you mean?

Paraphrasing

Let me put it this way / another way
What I getting at
What I'm driving at
Here's the thing
Heres's what I mean
Anyway, back to the point

topics of conversation

To talk business
To make small talk to people

To change the topic

Let's move on

Not to speak

Not to be on speaking terms with sb

Listening

Listening builts trust and self-esteem

HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

To visit sb

To drop in / round (unexpectedly)
to call round
to come over (ir a casa de alguien)
to ask sb over /round (pedir a alguien que venga acasa)

To get on

= to get along with sb
to hit it off
To get on like a house on fire
to keep in touch with / in contact with
to become close to sb
to come to terms with
To make it up to sb ( compensar algo hecho con anterioridad)

To have a soft spot for
To fall for the new guy / go for him
To go out with
To ask sb out
A well-mathced couple

Groups

I don't fit in this group
To fit into (a group, a plan) = to slot in (encajar)

To quarrel

She let me down
to break up with = to break off= to split up
to get over a break-up
to finish with sb
we have been drifting apart
to fall out / a falling-out = an argument
to make up 7(hacer las paces) / reconcialiate (reconciliarse)
to keep sb at bay (mantener a raya)
to rub sb the wrong way
to have its ups and downs in arelationship
they don't see eye to eye

Features

Loyal, faithful, considerte, affectionate
to be fond of

Individual

To keep yourself to yourself
To value my privacy

How do you behave in class?

to misbehave

The children who misbehave will not go to the outting
to ask for trouble
unacceptable/ undesirable behaviour
disorderly conduct /behaviour
to be bad-tempered
To throw a paper
slam thedoor
Thechair being thrown back
To kick somebody else

To push each otherHit
Slap
Break
to bully sb.

Disobey
Disrupt ( disruptive)

Disturb
Noises at the back row
A class full of chaotic students
to play up in class

Miss the lessons
Mobiles are banned at school

Acceptable alternatives to behave

to behave appropriately
to apologise
force the student to attend extra-classes
to learn social skills
Use humour
changethe routine
Remove objects that cause problems
Ignore the behaviour

Attitudes

Indifferent = uninterested
Dissafected
Rebellious

Causes

Too many unreasonable rules
Poorcommunication
An overly competitive atmosphere
Failure to anticipate problems

Consequences

To tell on (chivarse al profe)
To contact the family
To be indulgent- indulgence
To be utterly incapable of acting
to take the mobile away from the student

Punishments

To repair / make the student repar the damage
Pay for the material
to keep sb away from oher people
to tell off

I was so mad at him that I told him off

to scold
to rebuke
Missing break
To get a detention
to put in detention

He was put in detention for behaving badly in class

To learn from the mistakes
Agressive discipline
Expel
suspend ( expel)

Expressions

When the cat is away the mice will play

martes, 10 de julio de 2018

EMOTIONS

Strong emotions

to take it personally
a moving film
poignantly
feelings run very high
a strong sense of insecurity / despair
to be overwhelmed
keep your emotions in check
a string of passions
the highs and lows
a lasting impression
Unexpectedly strong reactions
don't bottle up your emotions

Happiness

gald
pleased
delighted
thrilled
joyful
cheerful

Love

Joy

Sth makes us happy
To be in high spirits

to be high-spirited
To be on a high the whole time
to be on a real high
Lift your spirits

To be thrilled to beats

To get a thrill when

To be over the moon
To be on cloud 9
To be in the seventh heaven
to be on top of the world
To jump for joy
to be walking / floating on air
This has made my day
to have the time of my life
It would be wonderful if
I revel in sth (deleitarse)

in making up new words
in Shakespeare

to be blown away with (pleasantly surprised)
to soak up the atmosphere
sth enthralling (to enthrall)
a great enthusiasm

Euphoria
To be exhilarated
Extremely happy

to get a buzz from (very excited and happy)
to cheer up
To brighten up

Laughing

Sens of humour
A touch of humour
A bit of fun
to laugh at / about
A joke
witty (gracioso) = funny
quick-witted
Laughter (risa)
To be delighted
He is good fun
smile
to beam
to chuckle
smirk ( smile scornfully)= sneer
giggle
To grin
To grin and bear

Cry

to burst into tears
I welled up (almost crying)
weep
whimper
sob
whine
moan
complain

Sadness

Pain, grief, misery

Depression

to be under the weather
to be down in the dumps
Depressed
To be really down
to be low-spirited
Discouraged = daunted = dishearted
just grin and bear it
It is not the end of the world
To be out of sorts

In a bad mood

Sullen
Surly
sulky
moody
grouchy
grumpy
ratty
to be out of sorts

Surprise

To be taken aback by
to be startled= stunning
To be staggered by sth
What strikes / struck me...
amazed, astonished +
astounded, shocked -
A gasp of awe, awesome (reverence, admiration)
to be bewildered, puzzled

Anger

angry
harsh anger
to be annoyed at
to be cross
ratty

My parents are ratty

to fly into a rage
Seething with rage
to lose your temper / to lose your cool
sth winds me up
To drive me round the bend / up the wall / mad
This is putting me out
to make an scene
to make a fuss
In the heat of the moment
to spark off a row
to threaten
to argue with
to get revenge
to be after somebody's blood
to provoke
to irritate
To snap at

Row

Quarrel
An argument
to dispute
a heated discussion
to fall out
to hit - to strike
to batter
to bully
to get revenge
Not to be on speaking terms with sb
to see eye to eye = to agree completely

to scorn

to scorn at / to laugh at
To be scornful about= to despise

to scold

to give a piece of your mind = to give sb an earful
To rebuke
to tell off
to reprimand

Nervous

this gets on my nerves
this gets my back up
to be stressed
to be strained= tense
To be distressed by = upset
anxious about
distracted
It drives me mad
To rub sb up the wrong way
to be under pressure
to feel pressurized
my patience is wearing thin
to be ON edge
Don't get in a flap

Concern

to be concerned

It is an issue of particularconcern

worried
to be bothered
distressed

to be anxious about the exams
to be anxious FOR Tom / news
To be beside oneself
This unsettles me
to be obsessed
The unrest
to be uneasy
To be cautious / wary
To have hang-ups (complexs)
to be self-conscious
I couldn't care less
to be relieved

Disorientation

To be puzzled
at a loss
to be baffled
perplexed
dazed (aturdido)
to be muddled (muddle = lío /confusión)º
directionless
I'm all at sea

Calm

To pull yourself together
To keep your temper /your cool
Chill out
Relax un unwind
quiet and peace
Calm down
Pull yourself together
Keep your temper
to keep your head
keep /remain calm
Be unflappable
a laid-bak person
to let one's hair down
let yourself go

Pity

To be pity on sb
To feel sorry for sb (sentir pena)

To feel sorry about = regret doing something

Tiredness

To be exhaust
To be frazzled
to be tired of
I'm sick of doing thesame work
to befed up with
to be sick and tired of sb
To be disaffected WITH = discontented with ( rebellious, resentful)

Fear

Panic
a hang-up ( unnecessary embarrased fear)
shame- ashamed
embarrassed
to feel apologetic
Intimidated
Bullied
fearful
scary
Scary stiff
Sth terrible / terrifying / awful
to put the cat among the pigeons
To threaten

A threating behaviour

Thoughtless

To do things in a whim ( capricho)

Madness

He is not all there
He's got a screw loose

lunes, 9 de julio de 2018

THE CHANCES

To do sth for a change ( paravariar)
Do you have 6 euros in change?
Can you change me these euros into dollars?
This makes a change ! ( menudo cambio)
It takes me 5 minutes to get changed

viernes, 6 de julio de 2018

MEANS OF TRANSPORT

Elements

Pedestrians walk on the pavement (sidewalk, in America)

Traffic lights

to jump a red light is a serious offense

a junction
a give-way sign
a roundabout

Traffic congestion

busy roads
a build-up of traffic / a pile-up
to be caught on a traffic jam
a tailback = a long line of traffic
A gridlock
to avoid the rush hour

Pollution

Noise pollution
Exhaust emissions
Toxic fumes
lead-free petrol

Bad luck

Something goes wrong
To deal with a difficult situation
to be icy on the road
a puncture /a flt tyre / burst a tyre

Inflate, fit, replace a tyre

a breakdown

To get stuck
to be stranded in the middle of nowhere

to pull over

Reckless driving

Road rage
Speeding

Accidents

To lose the control of the car
to go off the track (salirse de la pista)
To run into another car / to crash into
a crash / a collision
to collide
a head-on crash
to run over
to be knocked-down
a pile-up = crash with several vehicles
a hit-and-run accident / a hit-and-run driver
the car was a written-off (siniestro total)

Sanctions

An offence
A fine
On the spot fine
to be banned from driving
to result ina ban for several years
Penalty points
On-th-spot fines for careless driving

Cars

Driving

A Pedestriancrossing
Adriving licence
To give sway
A give-way sign
To have the right of way

Parts

To put the key in the ignition handbrake
to release the clutch
the shift gear
To press your foot on the brake / the clutch pedal
seatbelt

Buckle / undo your seat belt

Worn tyres
To hoot / to boot/ to beep / to sound your horn
Tyretreads (roderas)

Speed limit

To break it / to observe it / to drive the speed limit
to be caught on a speed camera
to pay a fine

Actions

to go into a car (chocar por detras)
To hit the road ( to go home)
To pull over
To pull up
to slid / skid
to crash

Trucks

A carrier (transportista)

Trains

platform
change (transbordo)
Next train is due to arrive at platform 4 at 9 p.m.

Buses

Buses run every ten minutes
They are full up
I missed the bus (~~lost~~)
The bus stop
The fare (billete)

Sailing

To burn all my boats (abandon)
To be palin sailing (easy)
To push the boat ( decide to do sth)
To sail close to the wind ( wait until the last minute)
To miss the boat (pasarse el plazo)
to take the wind out of his sails

Cortar las alas / bajar las alas /dejar a alguien sin poder rebatir

He sailed through the trials with flying colours

Flying

To be a frequent flyer
My scheduled flight to America (ˈʃedjuːld)
This flight is delayed
To miss the flight
the flight is fully booked / cancelled
to catch a connecting flight
the plane comes to an halt
to hop into a plane
a featherweight plane
to soar upwards
to glide= planear
to swoop

An eagle hovers ready to swoop at any moment ( ttack)

an engine failure
a customer service desk
provide any assistance
To take fully responsability for the inconvinience
to make a full refund
the airline
To fly into a rage

IN THE CITY

WHERE TO LIVE ? TOWN OR COUNTRY?

Town	Country
A wide range of shops	There are only a few shops
Night-life	It's boring
dirty	clean
stressful	Calm and relaxing
noisy	Quiet and peaceful
polluted	peaceful setting
crowded	Has a lot of open spaces
dangerous	safe
the hustle and the bustle of	a close-knit community
a good networking of	An isolated place
	Close to nature

THE FAMILY

Siblings
A close-knit family atmosphere
to live away from their parents
to live apart form their parents

HOUSEWORK

Enjoy routine domestic tasks
Labour saving- devices
General

To tidy up
To fix up the apartment
To mop the floor
Sweep up the mess
to vacuum the floor

Bedroom

To make the bed

Table

To clear / to lay / to set the table

Clothes

To do the laundry
to hang up the washing
To pick up the clothes
to fold the clothes

DISASTERS

Ferocious tornadoes in recent USA history swept through several states

A hurrican HITS the Caribbean
the storm just never let up ( stop)
a heavydownpour
to be snowed in for two days
To be rained off ( not start an activity because it's raining)
A flood
A drought
A powerful earthquake

At least, 20 deaths recorded
Casualties

jueves, 5 de julio de 2018

BUYING AND SELLING

to haggle = to bargain

In what sort of places do you haggle OVER the price?

to swap = to barter
to rip off / to shell out / to cahs in on
to beat sb down to X euros
to pick it up / to snap it out
an acquisition / a takeover /a purchase

to make a purchase

to chip in together for a gift / to club together for a present

To sale

to sell off = to get rid off
to sell out = completely
to be on sale (rebajas)
sale skills
A customer
A house FOR sale ( en venta)
an offer = a bargain

to spot a bargain

A pawn shop
Online shopping
An auction

Ways of buying

To be a shopping binge ( atracon /maraton)
What things do you BULK buy?
Do you believe in retail therapy?
Are you a savvy shopper ( listo)
A fashion victim

To pay

To split up the bill / to pay my own way
To cut costs
To pay in full / a discount / installments
To pay up front rather than on credit
to be on a loan

My car is on loan

It's affordable
Delivery costs
Shipping costs

Spend and Prices

To cost the earth / a small fortune/ an arm and a leg
Prices rocketing
a steep rise in price
It's incredibly expensive
to pay over the odds for sth
It's a reasonable prize
a knock-down price
to buy it for a song
It's inexpensive
rock-bottom prices
something to be good value for money
Women are the biggest spenders
a spendthrift
to dip in your savings / in your pockets
Women are far more likely to compare prices
To rein in our spend habits

to store / to stock up
Places

A store
a mall
an outlet= a shop

To buy clothes

I usually wear bright colours
I like loose / tight shirts /jeans
A knee-size long dress /gown
High-heeled shoes
to shop around
to do window shopping
To spend considerably more on clothes
He spends nothing like as much on shoes as her
I'm being already served ( by another assistant)
I'm size 38
Can I try this on?
a changing room
It doesn't fit
Do you have these in size 40?
Can I have a bigger /smaller size?
Would you like a hem on theses trousers?
This jacket matches your shirt
This goes with your hat
It really suits you
I'll take this / I'll leave that
These are on sale
I'll pay for it
May I have a ticket?
a receipt
Can I return this and get my money back?
I am afraid we can only give you a voucher

AT WORK

To seek a job

Job ads
to apply for a job
a job seeker
To turn down an application
An impressive CV
a stroke of luck
To seize opportunities
First impressions
a good character reference
Personnal recommendation
to achieve your aims
To make her dreams come true
Make contactas
Set my heart onn becoming...
Toseize opportunities
To put a lot of efforts into...

Work placements

Gain hands-on experience

To get a job

Going straight into a permanent job
to find a job nearer home
I was taken on for a 3- month work
a mapped-out career plan
The main priority
A strong preference
a hand-on experience
a false career start
to change track
Terms and conditions agreed beforehand

Places

I work IN a bank
I work FOR (name of a company)
The workplace
Working environment

Elements

the powerforce
a co-worker
Team players
A close-knit team
trade unions

collective arrangements reached
collective bargain ( el convenio colectivo)

Qualities

Tenacity
Self-confidence
Ruthlessness
determination
ability to take risks
a clear focus
half-hearted

types of work

a 9 to 5 job
shift work
part-time / full time
Flexible time
to do / to work overtime
to work in a assembly line (cadena de montaje)
A permanent job
a causal job
to be self-employed

To be a trainee ( the very junior person in a company)

Different tasks

A daily routine
A run-of-the mill job
to keep at it / to work at it
to steer / direct / guide /lead
To be in charge of
to do paperwork
To write memos, arrange meetings
No matter how hard she works

Problems

To get to grips with managing a workload
Tight deadlines
to be under pressure
to be tied up at work
to cach up with
to be mad at work recently
Overload of work
heavy workload
to be snowed under
to be burned out
Working hours
to commute
to go on a strike
to be overworked and underpaid

Improving

Wage scales
to take pride indoing her job
a promotion
a fresh challenge
further career prospects

Without job

dismiss / sack
to be laid off / to get fired
to be redundant
to step down /to resign / to quit
to be unemployed
to be retired

Payments

a pay rise
Sick pay
holiday pay
Income tax
Lucrative job
A salary increment

holidays

How much holidays do you get
A voluntary leave

To be sick

A maternity/ paternity leave

Jobs

a firefighter

a fire brigade

soldier

An army

Pilot

Air force

Police officer

Police force

To work in a stall /( in a market)
To work AT a computer
To run a coffee bar

THINGS WE LIKE

spare time, entertainment

To do your own thing = to please yourself
to have time to yourself
to take up an activity / to give up

To be mad about
Develop a fascination for
to look forward to sth
I can't wait to
I die for a cup of tea
I'm delighted
to be keen to do sth
The stuff we crave
To set his heart on a specific job
Enjoy getting together
to be hooked
to be caught up in
To be engaged with

Dislike

This may not appeal to you
Not to be into sth oneself

to care for = like

to care about = important

I don't care much for them
He cares about money

Types

A risk-averse type of person
A risk-taker

Activities

Going round the shops
A shopaholic
to hang out with friends
to knock around together / to hang out with sb.
to take up ballroom dance / to be reluctant to take up
To sign up for a new play
To form a drama group
I'm not into ballet myselfs
a kickround
DIY ( do it yourself)
A couch potato
cycling is fraught with danger

Consequences

Rewarding
relaxing
demanding
Therapeutic
lucrative
Time consuming

TELEVISION

A soap opera
a game live or recorded highlights
channels
satellite dish

PERIODICALS

Newspapers

Newspapers come out dialy
The largest circulation ( nº readers) is The Times
Broad sheets are bigger = quality press
Tabloids are smaller= popular press
A bulletin
features= longer articles about special subjects
A columnist
A press conference
a scoop (primicia)
A disclosure
News leaked out

A newsreel (resumen de actualidad)
To broadcast = to put over
The presenter
The viewers

Some words

Reportedly / allegedly dead (supuestamente)

alledged police brutality

a bid = an effort, a try / an attempt

New bid to cut teenage smoking

COMPUTERS AND INTERNET

My computer may crash
to have a bug
to make a back-up copy
Now computers are USER-FRIENDLY

THE MOBILE PHONE

Parts

The ringtone
The loudspeaker

on the phone

Is that Silvia? (ar~~e you S, is it S?~~)
Hello, it's Silvia (~~here is S, I am S~~)
Hold the line please

Actions

To dial out
To dial the wrong number
to hang on = hold on
To get through somebody

It's hard to get through my parents

To put through somebody
To leave a message
To press a key / a button
to call somebody back / ring back
To hang up = to ring off= to put the phone down
It got cut off
text messaging
To barely use my mobile phone
A long distance call
The line was engaged ll the time
To speak loudly / to speak in a low voice / to speak softly

Abbreviations

ASAP ( as soon as possible)
BTW (by the way)
ROTFL (rolling on the floor- laughing)
ICBW (it could be worse)

Opinions

Mobiles have been a bad thing for...
One of the objections to the use of ...
If pushed to make a choice, I'd come down on the side of mobile phones
The advantages outweigh the disadvantages

miércoles, 4 de julio de 2018

OFFICIAL PAPERWORK AND BUREAUCRACY

The visa runs out / expires. You have to renew it.
A landing card ( when you enter a country)
An pplication form (for a job)
A registration form (for a course)
An official piece of paper needs to be stamped
The marital status
There are queues

domingo, 1 de julio de 2018

SYNONYMS OF FOR EXAMPLE

https://plus.google.com/+MyenglishteacherEu/posts/HiWcQ533Qsx