Words & phrases with "SHAPE" & "WEIGHT"

A: Combine the words on the left with either SHAPE or WEIGHT and fill in the blanks. 

• In                            SHAPE
• Out of                     WEIGHT
• Lose
• Over
• Under

1. Tom looks good, but he's actually ______ because he doesn't work out.
2. The doctor told Mindy to eat more at each meal because she is a little ______.
3. Mindy's health is fine. She just needs to ________. Her doctor said another 5 pounds would be good.
4. Sarah keeps saying she's ______, but she's actually the right size for her height.
5. John is a health fanatic. To stay ______, he runs, swims, rides his bike, and watches what he eats.
6. Peter used to weigh 200 lbs. However, he was determined to _______. Now, he weighs 50 pounds lighter!

Thanks for trying out the exercise. For the answers and for more practice, please visit the main NYLC blog. 

Using "HIT" in expressions - part 2

Do you sometimes dream of HITTING IT BIG on Broadway?

How familiar are you with this second set of idioms with the word "HIT"? (If you missed the first set, check out this post.) 

• HIT IT BIG                  HIT IT OFF
• HIT THE SACK            HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD
• HIT THE HAY              HIT THE GROUND RUNNING

Try the following exercise, and see how well you know the idioms above. If you're not familiar with at least two of them, stop by our main blog for their definitions and to read a sample dialog using the idioms. 

1. Most aspiring actors move to New York hoping to __________.
2. Apparently, Brad and Angelina just __________ while working on a movie together. Now they have many kids.
3. Most of his coworkers disagreed with what he said at the meeting, but the president thought he __________.
4. The kids __________ before 10 p.m. on a school night.
5. A lot of contestants __________ at the beginning of a competition but run out of steam very quickly.
6. Even though the judge thought the defendant __________ when he complained about the law, the judge still gave him the toughest sentence.
7. Jake and Tammy __________ at the party, but a week later they can't stand each other.
8. Bill's a night owl. Even though he has to be at work very early, he can't __________ before 1 a.m.
9. The mayor's team __________ on his first day in office, and they've accomplished a lot in his first four years.
10. Some celebrities who __________ in the 90s are now living ordinary lives away from the spotlight.

Are you ready for some trivia on this July 4th?

The flag on this cookie only has 12 stars and 7 red-and-white stripes. The U.S. flag obviously has more. Do you know how many stars and stripes the U.S. Flag has and what they represent? If you don't know, stop by our main blog for the answers and for more historical trivia on this July 4th. 

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Using "HIT" in expressions - part 1

NYC beaches are still somewhat empty, but once the temperatures start to reach
the 90s, everyone's going to be HITTING THE BEACHES, and they will be packed.

Are you familiar with the following idioms using the word "HIT"?

• HIT THE BOOKS       HIT THE BEACH      HIT THE JACKPOT
• HIT A HOMERUN      HIT THE MARK       HIT THE ROAD

If you are, try the exercise below and see how well you know them. If you need a quick explanation, head over to our main blog for a quick lesson!

1. Don't you have a big exam next week? When are you going to __________?
2. Let's __________ early tomorrow before traffic gets heavy.
3. The meteorologist's predictions really __________.  It rained, then it snowed just as he said.
4. They usually don't __________ until July when the water gets really warm.
5. Tom's still in Las Vegas. He says he won't come back until he __________.
6. I don't understand why Sarah didn't win the competition. I totally think she __________ with her last performance.
7. It's still beautiful out. Let's __________ after dinner and just take a walk.
8. Sarah is always __________. It's no wonder she always graduates at the top of her class.
9. It's getting late. I should __________. I have an early start tomorrow.
10. I honestly thought I'd failed the test, but I found out I actually aced it. I was so worried, but I had no idea I'd actually __________.

Using idioms with the word "CUT"

How well do you know the following idioms?

CUT IT CLOSE; CUT CORNERS; CUT OUT FOR; CUT OUT TO; MAKE THE CUT; 
CUT SOMEONE SOME SLACK; CUT IT OUT; CUT THE CRAP; NOT CUT IT

If you're familiar with all of them, then head over to our main blog for a quick exercise & check how well you can use these idioms in sentences.

If you're unsure about what some or all of them mean, read on for our quick lesson and look at the examples below first before heading to our main blog and trying the exercise.

-- CUTTING IT CLOSE means to almost be late for something or to not give yourself ample (enough) time before a scheduled event.

Give yourself ample time for your flight. You don't want to CUT IT TOO CLOSE and be stressed going through airport security. 

-- CUT CORNERS means to miss steps in a process.
His manager advised him not to CUT CORNERS in order to make a good impression with his colleagues.

Adriane's tips for improving your English

The latest teacher featured on our main blog is Adriane Lee, a senior ESL instructor and former coordinator at New York Language Center's Jackson Heights branch. Adriane has a long personal and professional background in dance performance and choreography, which she equates with TESOL. Read about Adriane's profile at our main blog.

Adriane motivates students to work on their English by encouraging them to do something fun, such as watching your favorite tv shows and movies and using these fun and relaxing activities to improve your skills in reading, listening, vocabulary, and pronunciation. She says you can accomplish this by repeating subtitles until you're comfortable saying the sentences, yourself. You can also press the mute button and voice the conversations on the screen. She also suggests recording yourselves using your phones for one minute and transcribing (writing down) what you've said so you can check for grammatical mistakes.

An exercise on WISHING correctly

How good are you at WISHING in English? Have you read our four-part lesson on how to wish correctly? If you need a refresher, go to PART 1 to review wishing in the present, PART 2 to read about wishing someone the best, PART 3 for wishing about the future, and PART 4 for wishing about the past, also known as regret or blame. Once you're ready, try the following exercise. (You'll find the answers below.) GOOD LUCK!

1. Sarah wishes she _________ a larger oven. (She doesn't have a larger oven.)
2. Tom wishes Sarah _________ at the party. (Sarah was not at the party.)
3. John wished they __________ tear down the old, historic building downtown. (They will tear it down soon.)
4. Tom decided to go to the party. Now, he wishes he ___________; he's bored.
5. The Smiths own a beautiful boat, but sometimes they wish they ________. Maintenance is so expensive & they hardly use it.
6. They wish the kids __________ the horror movie. Now, they can't sleep.
7. When the job gets too stressful, Peter wishes he __________ the manager. (But he is.)
8. He wishes Sally __________ to his party. She's not going because she has to work.
9. She wishes she ________ to set her alarm. (She forgot to do it.)
10. John wishes he _______ sick. He'd be more productive. (He's not feeling well.)

How did you do? Did you find the practice helpful? Share it with friends! You can use the buttons below; you can also share it on Facebook and on Twitter. Just tag your posts #ilovenylc. Thanks!

ANSWERS: 1. HAD   2. HAD BEEN   3. WOULDN'T   4. HADN'T GONE   5. DIDN'T   6. HADN'T SEEN/HADN'T WATCHED   7. WEREN'T   8. WERE GOING/WOULD GO   9. HADN'T FORGOTTEN   10. WEREN'T/DIDN'T FEEL

-- Joe Yu, ESL instructor