To Rob vs To Steal Revisted

Over a year ago I talked about steal/rob/mug and I think it is time to revisit the difference between steal and rob.

To steal is used with THINGS.

A: Get out! (throws guy onto the street)
B: Help! He stole my car! I've been carjacked!

Someone stole my new cellphone!

Did you ever steal anything?

Have you ever had something stolen?

To rob is used with PEOPLE or PLACES.

My house was robbed!

Jim: I need money fast so I'm gonna rob a bank.
Don: Are you crazy?

Did you ever rob someone?

Have you ever been robbed?

The meaning is pretty much the same but the usage is quite different so be careful! You GET robbed and you HAVE things stolen from you.

Harry: Someone broke into my house, I've been robbed!
Policeman: Did they take anything?
Harry: Yeah they stole my flatscreen TV, laptop and iPad.

Any questions?

Phil

I'm lost versus I lost.

Do you guys understand the difference in meaning between the two sentences? 

The other day one of my students said "I'm lost" during our lesson. This means "I don't know where I am" (迷っている)　needless to say, I was kind of surprised!

What she meant to say was "I lost" this means you didn't win a game, you failed to win. (負けた)

Now you can see how a very small difference can lead to a big difference in meaning!

For example:

go out for a drink

This means lets go out for 1 or 2 drinks. We use this when we want to go out for a short time.

go out for drinkS

This means go out for MORE than 2 drinks. We use this when we want to go out for a long amount of time.

Helen: Would you like to go out for a drink after work?

Samantha: Sure, that sounds like fun. Let's go to happy hour at Popeye's.

Helen. Great idea!

Samantha: But I have to leave at 7pm.

Helen: No problem.

-----------------

Ben: Wanna go out for drinks tonight?

Dan: Sorry man, I gotta get home early.

Ben: Alright, how about going out for a drink?

Dan: Sure, I can grab a quick drink on my way home.

Have a good week,

Phil

That's a low blow!

Hey guys, do you know the meaning of that expression? It comes from boxing, when you box you aren't allowed to hit "below the belt" any punch that goes below your waist is a low blow. It is considered mean and unsportsmanlike.

According to thefreedictionary it means:

• 1. Sports An illegal blow in boxing that lands below the opponent's waist.
• 2. An unscrupulous attack; an insult.

The idiomatic meaning is #2, it means someone says something VERY mean to hurt your feelings.

Harry: You're a real jerk Tom.

Tom: Screw you Harry!

Harry: Now I know why Sara dumped you! You're such a loser.

Tom: !!! (starts crying and runs off)

Bill: Harry that was a low blow! You made him cry!!! I know you guys are fighting but Sara was his girlfriend since high school. He really loved her and is still depressed about it.

Harry: ...I guess I was in the heat of the moment, I'll apologize... when he started crying and ran off I knew I went too far...

In the heat of the moment means that you were so excited/angry/etc that you said (or did) something without thinking.

So even if you get angry remember to think before you say anything too mean. If someone says "low blow" or "That was a low blow" you look really mean to them!

Have a nice weekend,

Phil

I'm in a bind.

Do you guys know what this expression mean?

It means I am between a rock and a hard place, I am in a tough situation.

A: Hey man, what's wrong?

B: Can you help me out? I'm in a real bind.

A: What happened?

B: I forgot my wallet at home~!

A: That sucks, don't worry though. I can cover you tonight. You can pay for me next week.

B: Sure, that sounds great. Thanks alot.

To cover someone means to pay their share.

A cuter way of saying I'm in a bind is I'm in a pickle!  When you use this expression it sounds cuter and softer.

Sam: OK Don, why did you call me...?

Don: Sam, I need you to give me a hand!

Sam: Looks like you got yourself into a bit of a pickle.

Don: Yeah, I locked myself out and was trying to squeeze through the window.

Sam: Are you crazy? That window's tiny!

Don: Just push me through.

----PUSH----

Sam: There you're inside! Next time call a locksmith...

Do you know what a locksmith is? It's someone who builds, sells, installs and fixes locks.

Have a nice week!

Phil

 

How do you like your steak?

Today we are going to talk about steak. If you go to a steak restaurant the waiter will pretty much always ask you:

"How do you like your steak?"

There are 6 ways to answer this question:

"I'd like it..."

...very rare.

This is barely cooked, the inside is still red and bloody.

...rare.

The outside is cooked but the inside is still red and a bit bloody.

...medium-rare.

 The outside is cooked, the inside is mostly pink.

...medium.

This steak is mostly cooked but it only has some pink in the middle.

...medium-well.

This steak is mostly cooked and has only a hint of pink inside.

...well.

This steak is completely cooked on the outside AND inside. There is NO pink anywhere.

If you want to see some photos of this you can find them here:

http://bbq.about.com/od/steaks/ss/aa101606a.htm

Have a nice weekend,

Phil

Did you enjoy your long weekend?

So everyone did you all enjoy your long weekend?

Do you know how to say long weekend in Japanese? It is renkyuu (連休 - れんきゅう). Basically, a long weekend is when you have a holiday on monday so you get 3 days off in a row.

That is why we also call it a three-day weekend or a 3-day weekend!

Have a great week!

Phil

A great article on how to boost your vocabulary.

I was reading the art of manliness today and they had a great article about the importance of having a large vocabulary and how to increase your vocabulary.

Check it out here:

http://artofmanliness.com/2012/10/03/the-importance-of-building-your-vocabulary-and-5-easy-steps-to-doing-it/

IELTS Practice 3 app

I just saw that this app is free at the moment so for everyone who has an iphone/ipad/ipod touch why not download it and give it a try.

Here is the link:

http://itunes.apple.com/app/ielts-practice-3/id534465805?mt=8

Remember, the important thing when learning a new language is practice practice practice!

Phil