English in the Community: It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas

Thursday, December 2, 2010

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas

This weekend many families will begin decorating for Christmas. If the weather is good, they might put lights outside their homes. Even a few lights look bright and cheerful. (For information about how to put up lights, safety and energy-saving lights, click here.)

Some families have an Advent Calendar. Each day of December, one person (usually a child) opens the door on the calendar for that day. Sometimes there is a chocolate inside! Everyone is counting the days until Christmas.

Learning Tip

Repeat what you hear or learn in your head!
Did you just read something you want to remember? Stop, close your eyes and repeat the information to yourself . Better yet, tell it to a friend who is sitting next to you.... "Hey, Amir, did you know ...." If you do that often, you are more likely to remember what you just learned.

Be an eavesdropper! That means you listen to other people's conversations. You don't have to be rude. Just listen to conversations in a store or on a bus. Listen for new expressions. Listen to the 'music' of people speaking - how does English sound when you 'sing' the words in your head? This is a good way to listen to real English speech.

Outreach Idioms

OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD = WITHOUT THINKING TOO MUCH Morna asked Anderson where he wanted to go for lunch next week. He replied, "Off the top of my head, I don't know. Let me think about it. I'll tell you tomorrow."
HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE = HEARD IT FROM A FRIEND WHO HEARD IT FROM A FRIEND WHO HEARD IT FROM A FRIEND Susan told Kit that Barb was having another child. Susan said she had heard it through the grapevine.
THAT RINGS A BELL = THAT SOUNDS FAMILIAR Pari was trying to remember the name of a restaurant she and Decan had been to. Decan said she thought it was called The Flying Empress. Pari said, "I'm not sure if that's right but it rings a bell."
SLEEP ON IT = THINK ABOUT IT Masomeh couldn't decide where to go for her vacation so she decided to sleep on it.
ON THE TIP OF MY TONGUE = TO ALMOST REMEMBER SOMETHING I know the name of the park we visited last year. .. Oh, what is it? It's right on the tip of my tongue!
BEND OVER BACKWARDS (FOR SOMEONE) = DO MORE THAN WHAT IS EXPECTED FOR SOMEONE Negin bent over backwards for her new friend but her friend wanted her to do even more. This upset Negin.
MAKE TIME (FOR SOMETHING) = CHANGE YOUR SCHEDULE TO FIT IN A NEW THING Mahmoud thought he was too busy to join a chess club, but his wife told him he should make time for it. Now he's happy he did.
CHEER UP = BECOME HAPPIER, OR MAKE SOMEONE HAPPIER She loves to see her grandchildren because they always cheer her up.
GET COLD FEET = CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT A PLAN After she promised to get married, she got cold feet and broke off her engagement.
SAVE SOMETHING FOR A RAINY DAY = SAVE SOMETHING UNTIL YOU REALLY NEED IT. "Will you be okay financially if you lose your job?" "Not great, but I've saved some money for a rainy day."
MAKE A FRESH START = START FROM THE BEGINNING When you move to a new city, everything is new and you can make a fresh start.
DROP IN = VISIT WITHOUT A PLAN OR INVITATION Over the summer holidays, many people will drop in to visit their friends.
GIVE IT A SHOT = TRY SOMETHING Don’t be shy about trying something new. Give it a shot!
CHECK (SOMETHING) OUT = LOOK AT SOMETHING; FIND OUT ABOUT SOMETHING "The Information Night looks pretty interesting. We should check it out."
SIGN UP = REGISTER; PUT YOUR NAME ON A LIST New students can sign up for Outreach community classes on April 11th and 12th.
GET IN TOUCH = CONTACT SOMEONE You can get in touch with Outreach staff by phone or e-mail.