When you say an email address:
Remember that @ is pronounced ‘at’ and . is pronounced ‘dot’: reservations@beachhotelbern.com is ‘reservations at beach hotel bern dot com’.
Sometimes there is a . in the person’s name: jeffery.amherst@britishcouncil.org is ‘jeffery dot amherst at british council dot org’.
_ in an email address is called ‘underscore’: teaching_ job@english_academy.com is ‘teaching underscore job at English underscore academy dot com’.
Since the Coronavirus disease oubreak, we have been learning many words, expressions, idioms, in order to be able to speak about the virus, herd immunity, safety measures, our new routines, work from home, remote learning, emotional responses… Videos, songs, poems, jokes, which refer to the pandemic, that inform, entertain or motivate us.
Four months of Blog posts, which would result in an extensive list if I added the links here. So scroll down andreaalthoff.com.br, to view them.
So now I want to show you a few more useful phrasal verbs, a verb and expressions, all in context, through this beautiful, inspiring message.
This sentence is used when a person is annoyed very much, that he or she cannot mentally, emotionally, or physically deal with or adjust to something or someone anymore.
Check also I can’t bear it.
Portuguese learners like to say that there isn’t a word for “saudades” in English. But there’s not really accurate. The truth is, that there isn’t a noun that is used the same way as the Portuguese noun.
However, miss, a verb, in the context of the video, means to feel sad because you do not have something or cannot do something you had or did before:
I miss the car, but the bus system is good.
Aside from that, miss verb, means to feel sad because someone you love is not with you:
She missed her family badly.
“And I think to myself…”
That’s a verb + preposition. Think of/about is used to ask someone for their opinion: What do you think of your new school?
To die – use this when you want to avoid saying the word ‘die’. Check the Blog post for more.
To come successfully to the end of an unpleasant experience or period of time, or to help someone do this:
I know we’re going to get through the pandemic.
Check this video for get through in context.
If time goes by, it passes:
Things will get easier as time goes by.
To make someone feel unhappy and tired:
His lack of social life was beginning to get him down.
Language is constantly adapting and changing to reflect our changing lives, experiences and cultures. And it’s not just the words themselves which change; the way in which we use them can shift too.
We have recently worked on greetings, on different ways to say hello and good bye, as well as on answers to them, depending on how you are feeling.
When we meet people we know, we often ask about their health or their general situation.
Formal answers are:
Very well, thank you. And you?
Fine, thank you.
And informal answers are:
Fine/Great, thanks.
All right.
OK.
So-so.
Not too bad.
(It) could be worse.
But be careful! Context determines what is more appropriate.
The following video shows you three options to use in contexts in which you can’t use so-so the same way you would use it, to answer a How are you doing, question. And although so-so is found in grammar books as an answer to a How are you doing question, some teachers say that it is used only by people who are learning how to speak English. Natives don’t use it that much.
So, watch carefully, take notes and practice!
For the post on kinda and sorta, click here.
Improving your English language skills involves a lot of dedication. And after you’re comfortable enough with basic vocabulary such as “hello”, it’s important to push yourself to the next level and learn how to express yourself in a number of other ways – after all, English language speakers have many different ways of saying the same (or similar) things.
With this in mind, here are some ways to meet, greet and say goodbye in English:
Next video shows some answers to greetings and farewells.
1. Hello, hi, hey
Within the English speaking world, people often say “hi”. Some people also say “hey” – usually when meeting people they are particularly close to or have met many times before.
It’s also important to know that the word “hey” can be used to grab someone’s attention. So, if you’re using it to say “hello” to a person, try to say the word in a calm, relaxed way rather than with emphasis as you might do when trying to make them notice you from afar.
2. How’s it going? How are you doing?
As well as “how are you?” many people also say “how’s it going?” or “how are you doing?” to which the reply might be something like “it’s going well” or “I’m fine/I’m good”.
It’s important to note the pronunciation of “going”. Said quickly, “going” can sound like “go-in”.
3. What’s up? What’s new?
If you bump into someone you’ve not seen in a while, it’s normal to say something like “hey, what’s up” or “hey man, what’s new?” This is an informal way of starting a conversation and showing interest in someone’s life. While some people will answer with “nothing” or “not much”, others will engage in a little small talk about something interesting that is happening or has happened.
If someone asks you this question, feel free to say as much or as little as you like depending on what’s appropriate at the time. Be aware, however, that in English culture, people don’t typically give away a lot of personal information during a brief, informal or accidental meeting.
3. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening
Instead of saying “hello”, you can say “good morning”, “good afternoon” or “good evening” depending on what time of day it is. To make the greeting less formal, you could also simply just say “morning”, “afternoon” or “evening” with a nod of the head, hand wave or smile. If you want to wish someone well for the night before leaving or sleeping, you can also say “goodnight”.
1. Bye!
Instead of “goodbye”, you can quite simply say “bye” or “bye, bye”.
2. See ya, see you soon, hope to see you soon
If you are leaving but plan to meet a person in the near future you can say anything like: “see you” or “hope to see you soon”.
3. Take it easy, take care, take care of yourself
These three ways of saying goodbye encourage the person in question to look after themselves until you see them again. While informal, they are a polite, friendly way to end a meeting.
So, how are you greeting people now, during COVID-19?
Okay! Learn about your preferences and have fun using these greetings now!
For more on greetings click here.
We have been talking about the pandemic, about health, and remote classes with your device, which requires that you charge/recharge its battery.
And what about you? Do you need to recharge your batteries?
to take a break from activities which are tiring and difficult, or to rest and relax for a period of time, so that you feel energetic again:
She took a trip to the South of France to recharge her batteries.
He wanted to recharge his batteries and come back feeling fresh and positive.
What do you do to recharge?