Kat's "Idiom of the Week" Skype Chat (Thu., Sep. 10, 8 p.m.)

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Kat C
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註冊時間: 週三 9月 08, 2010 10:31 am

Kat's "Idiom of the Week" Skype Chat (Thu., Sep. 10, 8 p.m.)

文章 Kat C »

Dear all,

As a follow-up on my previous "5 minutes English A Day" posting, I'm trying out a Skype Chat for those who would like to squeeze in more practice between our regular meetings. More English, more fun! :lol: I also hope that it can be a way for me to stay connected - and helpful - to Yoyo once I'm away again.


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(Just a joke! :mrgreen: Hope we don't have to fight to get our word in.)


So the idea is to work more on idioms and error-correction, two things I believe most helpful to our group. We meet on Skype for a group chat. It'll run about half an hour. I'd like to do a trial run next Thursday, Sep. 10, at 8 p.m.

The website we use for the idioms:
https://www.englishclub.com/ref/idiom-of-the-day.php

It's a great site that gives you an idiom a day. You should check it out EVERYDAY! :D



Here's how to participate:

1. Download Skype for free. Add contact / search: “moreopenmind@gmail.com” (you can do this any time - like now!)
2. Get on Skype at 7:45pm. Set your mood/status as “Online” and send me a message: "Hi, this is ____ from Yoyo." You won't see me on, but send the message anyway.
3. Don't call me. At 8 pm I'll conference-call everyone for a group chat.
4. We go over Sep. 10's “Idiom of the Day.” Prepare before the chat by learning the idiom. At the chat, give me a new example using the idiom. Be ready for error-correction.
5. Once everyone has gone over the idiom - and if there's still time - we can take a look at the phrasal verb, slang and saying of that day.




No need to RSVP. Just pop in! Any questions, please leave them in this thread. Hope to see you then!



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最後由 Kat C 於 週四 9月 03, 2015 8:44 pm 編輯,總共編輯了 1 次。
Tina Sun
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註冊時間: 週三 10月 02, 2013 3:23 pm

Re: Kat's "Idiom of the Week" Skype Chat (Thu., Sep. 10, 8 p

文章 Tina Sun »

THANK YOU, Kat. I guess we've been blessed that we can have you in Yoyo. :love: :love:
Normally, I should be still on my way home around 19:45 - 20:00. I can send you the Skype message with my cell as your request and I will try to get home before 20:00 on Sep.10. :ssmile:

By the way, here's another interesting "resource?" I found recently. I saw it on Instagram. Its account name is "idiom.land."
For people who don't use IG, you can also check it out as the web page with your computer or tablet device.
https://instagram.com/idiom.land

It provides the meaning and two usage samples, and one of the them is the movie lines with the short video. Quite interesting.
I don't know if the idioms from this "land" are good or they are kind of out of fashion........ L.O.L.
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Kat C
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註冊時間: 週三 9月 08, 2010 10:31 am

Re: Kat's "Idiom of the Week" Skype Chat (Thu., Sep. 10, 8 p

文章 Kat C »

Hi Tina,

I've added you on Skype! And no worries - I'll stay on Skype till at least 9 p.m. for the chat so please don't rush home. Walk/drive/ride/travel safely! :D

The site you've shared is great fun! Some idioms may be a bit old (such as "like a cat on a hot tin roof." It's now mostly associated with the classic Tennessee Williams play as well as its film adaptation, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Use "fresh off the boat" only when referring to the TV show of the same name. It's otherwise a very offensive term! :shock: ). Look for idioms that pop up on contemporary shows and you'll be fine. The clips on that site are really helpful in that regard.

Looking forward to the chat!

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Tina Sun
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註冊時間: 週三 10月 02, 2013 3:23 pm

Re: Kat's "Idiom of the Week" Skype Chat (Thu., Sep. 10, 8 p

文章 Tina Sun »

Thank you so much, Kat. You are really so sweet and nice. Hahaha :D
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Kat C
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註冊時間: 週三 9月 08, 2010 10:31 am

Re: Kat's "Idiom of the Week" Skype Chat (Thu., Sep. 10, 8 p

文章 Kat C »

Just a quick reminder. :wink:

SKYPE CHAT tonight at 8 pm. The idiom for today is "the upper crust". But I'll also go over yesterday's "steer clear of" as it's an even more useful one. :D Please prepare by going over the pages below and coming up with an example/sentence using the idioms (one for each). Share with us at the chat.

Yesterday's idiom: https://www.englishclub.com/ref/esl/Idi ... of_697.htm

Today's idiom: https://www.englishclub.com/ref/idiom-of-the-day.php

I'll be on by 7:45 pm if you need to test your Skype/mic/speaker. Don't call me, just follow the directions on the first post of this thread. I'll call EVERYONE at the same time as a conference call. Turn the camera off to avoid "delays/freezes" (the video slows down the audio sometimes). I'll stay on Skype till at least 9 pm. You can join us any time before that. We'll take turns talking. I'll do "instant" correction so be ready for that. :mrgreen: This is our first try. It'll be fun!!! :D

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Kooper
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註冊時間: 週三 4月 11, 2007 11:40 pm

Re: Kat's "Idiom of the Week" Skype Chat (Thu., Sep. 10, 8 p

文章 Kooper »

The idiom of the day has become The Rat Race. Please use the link https://www.englishclub.com/ref/esl/Idi ... st_492.htm to access The UPPER CRUST
Iris Wu
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註冊時間: 週二 5月 20, 2014 4:33 pm

Re: Kat's "Idiom of the Week" Skype Chat (Thu., Sep. 10, 8 p

文章 Iris Wu »

Once again, many thanks to Kat for making the effort to organize the event for YoYo members to join and learn freely!
Just jotted down some of the words and expressions that we learned in the session for your reference.
(As usual, Kat or anyone, please correct me if you see any errors. Thank you!)

Vocabulary and Expressions
Verbatim: word for word and letter for letter; in exactly the same words; (一字不差地, 逐字地…)
  • - She played the part by reading from a script assembled almost entirely out of verbatim (Sarah) Palin quotes.
    - Blake Griffin is a senior editor for the Players’ Tribune, but that doesn’t mean all of his stories run verbatim. "Everything gets edited," Griffin said earlier this week.
Clique: a small group of people who spend their time together and do not welcome other people into that group; (小集團,小圈子, 派系…)
  • - Miley Cyrus has revealed that she is not a fan of Taylor Swift's ever growing celeb clique.
    - Our golf club is run by a very unfriendly clique (of people).
    - There is a clique at work that never talks/who never talk to anyone else.
Break into the circle
  • - How to break into your CEO's inner circle? To break into the CEO inner circle one needs to really believe in the company's mission and not be afraid to be a trusted adviser to the CEO which means sometimes telling him things he might not like to hear.
Segue into: to move easily and without interruption from one piece of music, part of a story, subject, or situation to another; (流暢的轉換)
  • - Shades of navy blue are a good way to segue into late summer without heading for the autumn colours too early.
    - (Elon) Musk and (Stephen) Colbert segue into talking about living on Mars, which Musk believes we can one day do. “Eventually you can turn Mars into an Earth-like planet,” says Musk.
    - His performance of “Caroline” segued into a cover version of “My Tears”
Versatile: able to change easily from one activity to another or able to be used for many different purposes:
  • - A ​leather ​jacket is a ​timeless and versatile ​garment that can be ​worn in all ​seasons.
    - Cilantro, mint make a versatile condiment in Indian cooking.
    - Versatile Mike Pennel (a football player) keeps ascending along Packers' (a football team) defensive line.
muffin top (or love handles): fat ​flesh that ​shows over the ​top of someone's ​trousers, ​especially because these are too ​tight; (游泳圈/鮪魚肚)
  • - “I have womanly hips—soft and grabbable, and they really fill out my low-rise Levi’s. I’ve got muffin tops for days,” Colbert shares.
    - To get rid of my muffin top, I have to steer clear of all the junk food.
Ripped from the headlines: (直接從頭條新聞剪接過來)
  • - Florida Man Art Show is ripped from the State's Most Ridiculous Headline.
    - Every episode as far as I can see is ripped from US Foreign policy issues of the past 10 years often without even a change in the country or the name.
    - Ripped-from-the-headlines is the latest TV trend but will too much reality bite?
get cleaned up: (taking a shower, etc...)
  • - Let me get cleaned up first and then I'll head your way.
Wash up or get washed up: (to wash your hands, face, especially before a meal)
  • - Go ​wash up - ​your dinner's ​ready.
refrain from: to avoid doing or stop yourself from doing something (避免, 忍住, 節制…)
  • - G-20 countries vow to refrain from currency depreciation.
    - “We will refrain from competitive devaluations and will resist all forms of protectionism,” G-20 finance ministers and central bankers said in their communiqué Saturday following two days of talks in Turkey.
    - We refrained from talking until we knew that it was safe.
    - The sign on the wall said “Please refrain from smoking.”
Merits: the quality of being good and deserving praise (優點, 價值, 功績)
  • - The committee will consider/judge each applicant on his or her own merits.
    - Kat's book has the merit of being both informative and readable. :)
    - Dueling (雙方激烈的,決鬥式的) political events discuss merits of Iran nuclear deal.
Misc.
  • - live a luxury lifestyle; a luxurious lifestyle
    - to fit into my wedding gown
    - One from my collection: The stuffed animal is one from my collection.
    - Be allergic to: How do I know if I am allergic to aspirin?
    - give my dog a bath
    - late at night, late in the evening, (work) till late into the night
(Disclaimer: Most of the words and expressions have multiple meanings, sometimes depend on the context. We can only list the common ones or the ones that we discussed during the Skype session.)
Kooper
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文章: 2725
註冊時間: 週三 4月 11, 2007 11:40 pm

Re: Kat's "Idiom of the Week" Skype Chat (Thu., Sep. 10, 8 p

文章 Kooper »

Ripped-from-the-headlines is the latest TV trend but will too much reality bite?
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio ... -good-wife

Whether TV episodes whose storylines are almost exactly ripped from the recent headlines will attract audiences may remains unknown. It however seems like a good topic for YoYo to discuss. Let's "jump on the bandwagon" and also do some "ripped from the headlines" meetings!

This will be a ripped-from-the-headline meeting on the ripped-from-the-headlines episodes :wink:
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Kat C
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註冊時間: 週三 9月 08, 2010 10:31 am

Re: Kat's "Idiom of the Week" Skype Chat (Thu., Sep. 10, 8 p

文章 Kat C »

Wow, Kooper, you're getting really good with idioms! :D

This is from today's headlines on the New York Times, and an amazing story:

A Dying Young Woman’s Hope in Cryonics and a Future

Cancer claimed Kim Suozzi at age 23, but she chose to have her brain preserved with the dream that neuroscience might one day revive her mind.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/us/ca ... f=cta&_r=0

Kat

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