Grammar Lesson: Phrasal Verbs

What are they?

Phrasal verbs are verbs that contain multiple words.

Like regular verbs, there are thousands, but you can find an extensive list below.

https://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/verbs/list-of-phrasal-verbs/

Now that you’ve seen plenty of examples, it’s time to learn how they can and can’t be used. The video below is very helpful.

Ready to test what you have learned? Try our quiz below.

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Idiom of the Week: “A Blessing in Disguise”

Meaning: A blessing in disguise is something that seems to be bad but actually there is a positive result.

Examples:

I wasn’t accepted to my first choice school, but it was a blessing in disguise because another school accepted me and that’s where I met my wife.

Having a baby in high school was a blessing in disguise since it turned his life in a positive direction by making him realize he had to grow up himself.

Sometimes we don’t see a blessing in disguise right away – it could be years before we see the blessing.

Pop Quiz:

Which of these sounds like a blessing in disguise?

a. I had no money, then won the lottery.

b. When I tripped and fell on the street, I hurt myself but found $100.

c. I failed my test, but my mom still bought me ice cream.

Read More to see the answer.

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Idiom of the Week: “Cutting Corners”

Meaning:

Cutting corners is to take the fastest way to finish something in order to do less work, however the result is also lesser.

Examples:

Copying other students’ homework is just cutting corners – you may fool the teacher but you won’t learn.

The big assignment was due Thursday morning and Wednesday he hadn’t started, so he cut corners to finish.

Cutting corners will only get you so far – eventually you will be passed over by those who work harder.

Pop Quiz:

True or False? When you cut corners, you…

1. Work as hard as you can

2. Leave out details

3. Finish quickly

4. Do the best job possible

5. Will always succeed

Read More to see the answers.

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Teacher Orientation!

Before student orientation that will kick off this weekend, we just finished our 3 day teacher orientation, 2 days online and 1 day in person. We don’t have any new teachers this year because everybody is returning either from last year or many years ago! Welcome back, everyone! We talked about our teaching materials, lesson planning, classroom management especially for this COVID-era, and a bunch of other things. Good luck and health with a new school year!

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Acronyms

An acronym is a group of letters that stand for a phrase (each letter stands for a word).

For example, U.S. is an acronym for United States.

Here are some more common acronyms and examples of how we use them:

  1. RSVP – Répondez S’il Vous Plaît (please reply)
    • Remember to RSVP for the party by Friday. Billy needs to know how many people will be there.
  2. ASAP – As Soon as Possible
    • Your car is parked illegally. You should move it ASAP to avoid getting a ticket.
  3. TBA – To be Announced
    • The date for the first day of class is TBA but will be sometime in September.
  4. N/A – Not Applicable
    • This section about kids is N/A – You don’t have to fill it out since you don’t have kids.
  5. AKA – Also Known As
    • I love New York, AKA the Big Apple.
  6. DOB – Date of Birth
    • What is your D.O.B.?
  7. ETA – Estimated Time of Arrival
    • The ETA of my package to my home is 7 days. It should arrive by then.
  8. BC/AD – Before Christ/Anno Domini (in the year of the lord)
    • The Punic Wars took place from 264-146 BC.
  9. RIP – Rest in Peace
    • RIP to my grandfather who was a great man.
  10. AM/PM – ante merīdiem (before midday)/post merīdiem (after midday)
    • Is your flight at 8 o’clock AM or PM?

Read more to see the answers.

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