Posts tagged everyday English
Learn English with FRIENDS TV SHOW! Season 1 Episode 2
Jan 18th
“That would be mine!”
This is the first in a new series of lessons, Learn English with FRIENDS. If you like watching Friends to learn English, you’re going to love these lessons!
Today, let’s look at four phrases from Friends Season 1 Episode 2 Scene 3, The One With The Sonogram at the End. The phrases are:
- Be through with
- That would be
- See…
- Ball up
In this scene, while Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe are watching TV in Monica’s room, Monica is cleaning up her room very hard because her parents are going to visit her.
Joey has a glass in his hand. Monica asks him, “Are you through with that?”
To be through with [something] means, to be finished using or doing something.
- I am through with working these late hours. I’m quitting my job.
- When you are through with the newspaper, please put it in the recycle bin.
To be through with [person] means, to want to end your relationship with that person.
- Jane is angry with Joe. I think she is through with him.
- Rachel was through with Barry, so she didn’t marry him.
Monica is cleaning the house and sees a small ball of paper. She asks, “Whose little ball of paper is this?” Chandler says, “Oh, uh, that would be mine.”
[something] would be means [something] is. We use this pattern to emphasize the answer, often when we are upset or defensive when someone asks us a question.
- Jane: Do you want to date my friend Jenny?
- Joe: That would be no.
- Bob: Should I tell Cathy I want to break up with her?
- Donna: That would be not good.
Chandler continues speaking saying, “See, I wrote a note to myself, and then I realized I didn’t need it, so I balled it up and…now I wish I was dead.
See is used as a conversational topic marker. See is used in a conversation when the speaker wants to emphasize that the listener should pay careful attention to what is said after see.
- Later in this episode, Barry says to Rachel, “See, about a month ago, I wanted to hurt you.”
- See, I think we should move our vacation plans to next year.
Ball up is a phrasal verb and means to put something or oneself in the shape of a ball.
- Chandler balled up a piece of paper.
- I balled up the aluminum foil that came with this sandwich.
- My cat balled herself up and went to sleep on the sofa.
Thanks for studying today. Before you go, please leave a comment below and let me now the answer to this question:
What is your favorite Friends episode?
If you know anyone who likes FRIENDS, why not help them out! Just share this lesson with them.
Thanks for studying today!
One Point English Lesson: Using Apologize & Sorry
Dec 27th
I’m sorry I’m late!
When things go wrong which are our fault, we can use apologize or sorry. There are a few set patterns using these words you’ll want to memorize. Let’s check out this topic today.
In conversational English, apologize is a bit more formal than sorry.
Pattern #1 – Apologize + for + gerund (VerbING)
- I apologize for missing your birthday.
- Jack apologized for coming to the meeting late.
- Tommy needs to apologize for breaking Mr. Kim’s window.
Pattern #2 – Apologize + for + noun
- I apologize for the miscommunication.
- Jack apologized his mistake.
- Tommy needs to apologize for the accident.
Pattern #3 – be + sorry + for + gerund (VerbING)
- I am sorry for missing your birthday.
- Jack said he was sorry for coming to the meeting late.
- Tommy told Mr. Kim that he is sorry for breaking the window.
Pattern #4 – be + sorry + for + noun
- I am sorry for the miscommunication.
- Jack said he is sorry for his mistake.
- Tommy told Mr. Kim that he is sorry for the accident.
Also, be careful of this common mistake. Sometimes I hear students say, “I am sorry for late” or I am sorry to late,” but both of those sentences are not correct. To apologize when you are late you can say:
- I’m sorry for being late (or) I’m sorry I’m late
Do you know another way to apologize in English? If so, why not leave a comment here and share your idea?
If you know anyone who has trouble with this English language point, why not help them out! Just share this lesson with them.
Thanks for studying today!
One-Point English Lesson: Talking About Preferences
Nov 9th
Would you prefer tea or coffee?
When you want to state your preferences, you can use like better, prefer, and would rather. Let’s have a look at these three expressions today.
You can express a preference with this structure: like [something 1] better than [something 2]. In this case something can be a noun or a gerund (verbING)
- I like jazz better than classical music.
- Jack said he likes traveling for work better than staying in the office all the time.
- Do you like coffee better than tea?
You can also express a preference using prefer [something 1] to [something 2]. In this case too, something can be a noun or a gerund (verbING)
- I prefer jazz to classical music.
- Jack said he prefers traveling for work to staying in the office all the time.
- Do you prefer coffee to tea?
Finally, you can also express a preference using would rather [verb] than ~ When you use this structure, the verb is always in the base form. In a question, we usually use would rather + or when asking about preferences.
- I would rather listen to jazz than classical music.
- Jack said he would rather travel for work than stay in the office all the time.
- Would you rather drink coffee or tea?
Would you rather study grammar or vocabulary? Leave a comment here and let me know.
;
If you know anyone who has trouble with this English language point, why not help them out! Just share this lesson with them.
Thanks for studying today!
