If you got a letter saying that local officials ‘wish to engage you as a stakeholder’, who could blame you if you thought it was a marriage proposal or even an offer to employ you as a barbecue chef?! In this week’s programme, William joins Yvonne as she finds out about an attempt at jargon-busting – getting rid jargon.
Listen out for the answer to this question at the end of the programme!
Bob and Jackie’s Chemistry Project
Bob: Ooh, sorry Jackie, I must have nodded off for a few minutes. Are we ready to start?
Download audio 267 K
Nod off – nodded off – nodded off
Meaning: If you nod off, you fall asleep, often during the day or when you are not supposed to be sleeping.
Grammar: This phrasal verb does not have an object. The verb and particle are not usually separated.
She nodded off
We CANNOT say: She nodded it off or She nodded off it
Example sentence: The lesson was boring and the room was so hot that I couldn’t stop myself from nodding off.
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Synonyms: drop off, doze off, drift off, doze, snooze, fall asleep, have a catnap
[from Oxford Excelllence for Matura]
Na dzisiejszą lekcję miałeś/łaś napisać wypracowanie. Niestety, nie udało ci się dokończyć pracy na czas. Rozmawiasz z nauczycielką.
Useful language:
manage
essay
dissertation
assignment
forget
promise
hand in
submit
E: Good morning, what can I do for you?
Z: I didn’t manage to finish my essay.
E: Why not?
Z: I didn’t feel too good yesterday. I wasn’t able to focus on anything. But I promise I will hand in the assignment tomorrow.
E: All right. Just make sure you get it done.
Present continuous
Bob and Jackie’s Chemistry Project
Episode 1: Let’s Get Started
Jackie: Ok, chemistry project. Let’s get this experiment set up. Are you ok, Bob?
Set up – set up – set up
Meaning: If you set something up, you make it ready for use, often by putting different parts of it together.
Grammar: This phrasal verb needs an object. It is possible to put the object between the verb and particle. If the object is a pronoun, it must go between the verb and particle.
They set up the equipment
They set the equipment up
They set it up
Example sentence: We took so much equipment to the exhibition that it took almost a full morning to set it all up.
Synonyms: assemble, put up, build
Some time ago I poseted a file with guidelines how to write postcards and short messages. Here are two tasks to revise all the necessary phrases:
Another Linguarium file
Opowiadasz znajomym ze Stanów Zjednoczonych o włamaniu w nocy do Twojego domu. Opisz:
(Rozmowę rozpoczyna egzaminujący)
Useful vocabulary:
break into
burglar
burglary
catch
damages
find out
mess
shocked
E: I heard your house was broken into last night. Where were you when the burglary happened?
Z: I was at work when I found out about the burglary.
E: And, how did you react when you saw the damages?
Z: I was terribly shocked when I saw a broken windows and a mess in my living room.
E: How did the police find out about it?
Z: My neighbor called the police.
E: What about the burglar? Was he caught?
Z: Yes, the burglar was caught and arrested.
Useful language for writing messages:
On http://tvnlingua.onet.pl there is a list of teachers who are willing to help you in your English and other foreign languages. Here is the first part of that list:
. Pozdrawiam 
