26/6/09


Prepositions of place : at-in-on


We use ‘at’ to talk about a place as a point.
We use ‘in’ to talk about a place as an area.
We use ‘on’ to talk about a place as a surface.


1. We use ‘at’ when we are thinking of a place as a point in space.

She waited at the bus stop for over twenty minutes.

‘Where were you last night?’ - ‘At Mick's house.’

2. We also use ‘at’ with words such as ‘back’, ‘bottom’, ‘end’, ‘front’, and ‘top’ to talk about the different parts of a place.

Mrs Castle was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

They escaped by a window at the back of the house.

I saw a taxi at the end of the street.

We use ‘at’ with public places and institutions. Note that we also say ‘at home’ and ‘at work’.

I have to be at the station by ten o'clock.

We landed at a small airport.

A friend of mine is at Training College.

She wanted to stay at home.

We say ‘at the corner’ or ‘on the corner’ when we are talking about streets.

The car was parked at the corner of the street.

There's a telephone box on the corner.

We say ‘in the corner’ when we are talking about a room.

She put the chair in the corner of the room.

3. We use ‘in’ when we are talking about a place as an area. We use ‘in’ with:

a country or geographical region

When I was in Spain, it was terribly cold.

A thousand homes in the east of Scotland suffered power cuts.

a city, town, or village

I've been teaching at a college in London.

a building when you are talking about people or things inside it

They were sitting having dinner in the restaurant.

We also use ‘in’ with containers of any kind when talking about things inside them.

She kept the cards in a little box.

4. Compare the use of ‘at’ and ‘in’ in these examples.

I had a hard day at the office. (‘at’ emphasizes the office as a public place or institution)

I left my coat behind in the office. (‘in’ emphasizes the office as a building)

There's a good film at the cinema. (‘at’ emphasizes the cinema as a public place)

It was very cold in the cinema. (‘in’ emphasizes the cinema as a building.)

5. When talking about addresses, we use ‘at’ when you give the house number, and ‘in’ when we just give the name of the street.

They used to live at 5, Weston Road.

She got a job in Oxford Street.

Note that American English uses ‘on’: ‘He lived on Penn Street.’

We use ‘at’ when we are talking about someone's house.

I'll see you at Fred's house.

6. We use ‘on’ when we are talking about a place as a surface. We can also use ‘on top of’.

I sat down on the sofa.

She put her keys on top of the television.

We also use ‘on’ when we are thinking of a place as a point on a line, such as a road, a railway line, a river, or a coastline.

Scrabster is on the north coast.

Oxford is on the A34 between Birmingham and London.

18/6/09

LET'S LEARN SOME PROVERBS

Between the devil and the deep sea

To choose between two equally bad alternatives in a serious dilemma.

Where there's a will there's a way

When a person really wants to do something, he will find a way of doing it.

A burnt child dreads fire

A bad experience or a horrifying incident may scar one's attitude or thinking for a lifetime.

First come, first served

The first in line will be attended to first.

A friend in need is a friend indeed

A friend who helps when one is in trouble is a real friend.

A hungry man is an angry man

A person who does not get what he wants or needs is a frustrated person and will be easily provoked to rage.

Empty vessels make the most noise

Those people who have a little knowledge usually talk the most and make the greatest fuss.


An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit

It is better to be careful and discrete than to be clever.

A penny saved is a penny gained

By being thrifty one will be able to save up.

Barking dogs seldom bite

Those who make loud threats seldom carry them out.

Better late than never

To do something that is right, profitable, or good a little late is still better than not doing it at all.

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush

Something that one already has is better than going after something seemingly more worthwhile that one may not be able to get.

Birds of a feather flock together

People of the same sort of character or belief always go together.

Call a spade a spade

If you say that someone calls a spade a spade, you mean that they speak frankly and directly, often about embarrassing or unpleasant subjects; an informal expression.

Charity begins at home

A person's first obligation should be to help the member of his own family before he can begin thinking of talking about helping others.

Every cloud has a silver lining

If you say that every cloud has a silver lining, you mean that every sad or unpleasant situation has a positive side to it. If you talk about silver lining you are talking about something positive that comes out of a sad or unpleasant situation.

All that glitters is not gold

Do not be deceived by things or offers that appear to be attractive.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

One should not risk everything he has in a single venture.

Every one can find fault, few can do better

It is easier to find fault in other people's actions or methods than to do it properly or correctly.

Fair exchange is no robbery

A contract is fair as long as both the parties understand and agree to the conditions willingly; after a deal is closed neither side can turn around and say that he was unfairly treated.

11/6/09

BUM AROUND


“I was kind of bumming around, thinking, ‘You’ll never reach the goals you set for yourself.’”
- Robert Pattinson talking about his life before Twilight. (Us Weekly)

1. Definición / Definition
waste time by being lazy or wandering around aimlessly

2. Uso /Slang Use

A bum is a person who doesn’t work or doesn’t have a home. It isn’t very nice to call someone a bum, and it’s usually negative to say that someone is just bumming around, since it suggests that they’re being lazy and wasting time.

On the other hand, to bum around isn’t always considered a bad thing. Many backpackers are happy to bum around from one hostel to another, or travel from place to place without following a strict plan or schedule. Bum around can also mean relax or take it easy. So it might be bad if all you ever do is bum around, but if you feel like bumming around a bit after a hard day’s work, who could blame you?

Before he became a famous actor, Robert Pattinson, the star of Twilight, felt bad about himself for bumming around and not doing anything with his life. These days, he’s probably so busy that he doesn’t have any time to just bum around. Maybe he even wishes he could go back to his bumming days for just a little while.

Examples :


“Heidi’s dad is worried that she’s going to spend the rest of her life just bumming around.”

“I wish I could just bum around today but I have too much work to do.”

“After I graduated college, I didn’t want to start working right away so I bummed around Europe for a while instead.”


4/6/09

Dissatisfied or Unsatisfied

Don’t mix up issatisfied with unsatisfied. Dissatisfied applies only to people who are unhappy, frustrated or disappointed with a thing, person or situation. ( insatisfecho pero con sentido de infeliz o frustrado)
Examples:

I was dissatisfied with the service I received at the restaurant.
She was dissatisfied with his response to her question.



Unsatisfied refers to the feeling of needing more and can be used with abstract items. ( Insatisfecho pero cuando hablamos de que nos hemos quedado con ganas de más, por ejemplo, más dinero, más comida, agua, sexo , etc.)

Examples:

Despite the hearty meal, his hunger remained unsatisfied.
She has had the bill for three weeks, but it still remained unsatisfied.