Archive for year 2013
English expressions used in everyday conversation – Trying to make ends meet
06/16/2013
by Culips
in Catch Word
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Some people have a lot of money and some people have only a little bit. This episode focuses on expressions that people use when they are talking about trying not to spend money, often because they don’t have very much. There are people who pinch pennies all the time, and others who only tighten their belts when they have to. Listen to this episode to learn about making ends meet.
| Maura: | This expression is usually used when someone doesn’t have very much money. So if we continue with the example that you gave, Harp, if someone makes $500 a week, and it’s just enough money for them to be able to survive, to be able to pay their bills, like their rent of their food. |
| Harp: | Yeah. They’re not buying a lot of fancy clothes or going on any trips. They’re just making enough money to meet their basic needs. |
| Maura: | That’s right. So, the expression itself isn’t actually negative, but it’s often used in a situation where someone doesn’t have very much money or they’re trying to make ends meet. They’re trying to find a way to make enough money that they’re able to pay their bills. |
| Harp: | Yeah. It’s used when people are having trouble making ends meet, usually. |
| Maura: | That’s right. This expression, too, has a few interesting origins. And if you’re interested in those, we’ll tell you about them in our Learning Materials, which comes when you become a member. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| To feel down | To make ends meet |
| Instant noodles | A shower |
| To start someone off | To get by |
| As long as | Minimum wage |
| To get back on your feet | To pinch pennies |
| To tighten your belt | Broke |
| To cut costs |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Rap Genius
Friendship
06/9/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Over the years, some friends come and go, but others last a lifetime. This week at Culips, we’re talking about friends. First, we talk about childhood friendships and what that can be like, and we also talk about making friends as an adult, which can be much more complicated! Harp and Maura also talk about a current topic: the effect of technology on friendships. If you’re online a lot, you might already have noticed how the Internet and social networking has changed some of your friendships. Do you still have a BFF?
| Harp: | I think the negative side of Facebook is that there are people who I didn’t want to be their friend back then, and then they find me on Facebook and I feel kind of rude not accepting their friend invitation, so sometimes I’ll accept it and then delete them a little bit later. |
| Maura: | That’s true. The word friend has kind of changed, because you used to just have a friend in your life. And then you have a friend on Facebook, which isn’t really the same. And the word friend has almost become a verb. People talk about going on Facebook and friending a person, which means that you click that you want to be friends with them. It doesn’t mean that you have any special bond or that you have anything in common. It just means that you’ve made that friend connection on Facebook. |
| Harp: | Yeah. Before I used to have a lot of friends on Facebook. But recently, in the last year or so, I’ve really cut back and deleted a lot of friends because I just want people there who I would want in my life even if Facebook didn’t exist. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| Better and better | Slowly but surely |
| To block something out | To count on someone |
| Barbie | To be set |
| Drama | To make a mountain out of a molehill |
| A segue | A drawback |
| A downfall | On the other side of the globe |
| To friend someone | To go out of your way |
| To not be going anywhere |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Boots
To dot your i’s and cross your t’s
06/2/2013
by Culips
in Catch Word
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
At Culips, we always try to focus on the details and get everything right for you! The expressions in this episode are used to talk about analyzing and examining things, checking for information, or making sure that everything is perfect. Of course, at Culips, we like to dot our i’s and cross our t’s! Listen to this episode to learn about this expression and others that mean to look very carefully at something. If you’re a member, you can also go over this episode with a fine-tooth comb by reviewing the transcript!
| Maura: | The first thing that’s worth mentioning about this expression is that when we say i’s, we’re not talking about the word that’s spelled E-Y-E-S, like the two eyes in your head. It’s the plural of the letter i. And when we talk about t’s, we’re not talking about that great drink, a cup of tea. We’re actually talking about the letter t, and that is also plural, when we say t’s. |
| Harp: | Yes, so to dot your i’s and cross your t’s; we’re talking about the letters i and t. |
| Maura: | This expression means to review something carefully, to go over something in a very detailed way in order to make sure that you don’t have any mistakes. So with this expression, you’re checking something carefully to make sure that there isn’t an error and to make sure that you finished it well. |
| Harp: | Yes. So when you say to dot your i’s and cross your t’s, you’re carefully going over your work to make sure that there are no mistakes, there are no errors, everything is perfect. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| Sugar cream pie | Original and unique |
| You can’t complain | To dot your i’s and cross your t’s |
| Handwriting | To double-check |
| A CEO | To go over something with a fine-tooth comb |
| Comb | Lice |
| To bring something home | To dissect something |
| Dissections in biology class | Metaphors and stanzas |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Culips
Getting educated in Canada
05/26/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
A big thank you to Carlos for asking us about education in Canada! This episode is all about that very subject. Harp and Maura talk about the Canadian public school system, and outline what college and university are in Canada. They also talk about the programs you can take and the degrees you can earn. Then they share their own experiences in school all the way from kindergarten to university and beyond!
| Harp: | People in Canada are very proud of the free public system that exists all across Canada, and they like to support it. There are very few people I know who have been to private school. |
| Maura: | Yeah, me too. There have been a lot of laws and regulations and politicians who have worked to keep the public system good and to encourage people to send their children there. |
| Harp: | Yeah. That’s true. Because private school is very expensive and we really love our public school system here. |
| Maura: | Yeah. It is usually the upper class, or the very rich Canadians, who go to private school. |
| Harp: | Yeah. Now let’s talk about our next topic, which is post-secondary education. |
| Maura: | Right. And this is just a fancy way of saying education after high school, which is also called secondary school. And post- means something that happens after. So when we talk about university or college or any other kind of degree that happens after high school, we can say post-secondary education. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| To take advantage of something | A lucky duck |
| The Canadian education system vs. the Quebec education system | Vice versa |
| Post- | The difference between university and college in Canada |
| A handful | To maintain a certain average |
| A PhD | Specialized university degrees |
| To be a baby | A good route |
| To go away to school | Never say never |
| Only time will tell |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Canadian Education Centre
The numbers are skyrocketing
05/19/2013
by Culips
in Catch Word
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
What goes up must come down! Things are always changing in today’s world, and that’s why we decided to make an episode about things going up and going down. Especially in the news, we often hear about increases and decreases, and they use lots of different expressions to talk about this. This time, we’re talking about numbers, such as prices, statistics, and other amounts. Listen to this episode and we’ll see if our numbers start to soar!
| Maura: | These expressions are often used in business, especially talking about money or amounts of things. To be honest, when I got the idea for this episode, Harp, I was listening to the news. I heard a bunch of these expressions used on the news, and that’s what inspired this episode. |
| Harp: | Oh, I like it. Yeah, you’re right. They use these expression a lot in the news to talk about things like the price of stocks going up or going down. |
| Maura: | Right. They might use these expression to talk about statistics, too, like “35% of people believe this.” So that’s the kind of stuff that you hear on the news. |
| Harp: | Yeah. These expressions are always about an amount. |
| Maura: | All right. Let’s get to the first expression. The first expression is to skyrocket. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| A cottage | The great outdoors |
| To skyrocket | To soar |
| A homonym | To be liking – Is this correct? |
| What does up must come down | To nosedive |
| Back to the subject | At any rate |
| To hold off | To jump at the chance |
| To sink | A start-up |
| Other expressions to talk about decreasing and increasing |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Culips
