English the American Way: A Fun ESL Guide to Language and Culture in the U.S. » Review: Units 7–9

Vocabulary

Match the words to their meanings.

______ 1. rain checka. values of money
______ 2. appliancesb. a very good price
______ 3. settle downc. advertising and papers that come in your mail (that you never asked for)
______ 4. stereotyped. small carriage or cart for small children
______ 5. direct deposite. become established, start a new life
______ 6. strollerf. a form that allows you to buy an item at a special price when it becomes available again
______ 7. bargaing. moving your home and work
______ 8. denominationsh. a belief (that may not be accurate) about a group of people
______ 9. junk maili. system that allows your company to deposit your pay directly into your bank account
______ 10. relocatingj. large machines for household chores

Match the words to their meanings.

11.Hi Tom. It looks like you’re selling your house. Yes, we’re _____ to Florida for my job.
How exciting!
12.Angie, I hear you’re getting married!
Yes, I decided it was time to _____ .
Congratulations.
13.Washing machines, dryers, and stoves are all types of _____ .
14.Anything interesting in the mail today?
No, just the usual _____ . It can all go straight into the trash can.
15.Do you get paid by check?
No, I prefer _____ . Then the money goes straight into my bank account.
16.I’d like to withdraw $200 from my bank account.
Is it okay in two $100 bills?
No, thanks. I’d prefer different _____ . Can you give me five $20 bills and ten $10 bills?
17.Are all doctors in the United States men?
No, that’s a(n) _____ . There are plenty of women doctors.
18.It’s a lovely day. Let’s put the baby in the _____ and go for a walk in the park.
19.Look, there’s a sale at my favorite store. Maybe if we go early, we’ll get some great _____ .
20.Hi, I see you’ve sold out of the chicken that’s on sale. Can I get a _____ so I can buy it next time I’m here?
Informal Language

Look at how these expressions are used in a sentence. Can you explain what they mean?

  1. I’m sorry Alfredo, but you’re out of luck. You can’t have a day off right now; we’re much too busy.
    out of luck: ___________
    _____________
  2. I’ll let you off the hook about coming to work late if you promise not to do it again.
    off the hook: ___________
    _____________
  3. I’m exhausted! I really need a vacation to get away from it all for a few days.
    get away from it all: ___________
    _____________
  4. Wow! Look at Fred’s new car. He must be making some big bucks!
    big bucks: ___________
    _____________
  5. Are you going on vacation again? You must have money to burn!
    money to burn: ___________
    _____________
  6. Living in a new country takes some getting used to.
    takes some getting used to: ___________
    _____________
  7. Julia, you look like a million bucks in that dress today!
    look like a million bucks: ___________
    _____________
  8. I took my new girlfriend to that expensive new restaurant last night. It was great, but it cost me a huge chunk of change!
    chunk of change: ___________
    _____________
  9. I love my new job, but it’s a real headache getting there through all the city traffic.
    headache: ___________
    _____________
  10. You have to stop talking to your mother for so long every week. I’m worried that we’ll get slapped with a huge bill.
    slapped with: ___________
    _____________
Grammar

Underline the errors in this conversation. What should the person say?

CARRIE: Hi, Mike. Did you enjoyed your vacation?
They should say:
_____________

MIKE: Vacation? It weren’t a vacation. Everything possible went wrong.
They should say:
_____________

CARRIE: Did it rained?
They should say:
_____________

MIKE: Yes, it rained all the time. I spent most of the time drinking coffee in cafés!
They should say:
_____________

CARRIE: Did you visited many places?
They should say:
_____________

MIKE: No, I didn’t went anywhere. It was just too awful to go out. We wasn’t happy campers.
They should say:
_____________

CARRIE: Well, was it a nice hotel?
They should say:
_____________

MIKE: No, it was really old and very expensive.
They should say:
_____________

CARRIE: How many money did you paid?
They should say:
_____________

MIKE: You don’t want to know. Way too much! The only good thing is I spent fewer money than if we was able to go out!
They should say:
_____________

Answer Key
Vocabulary
  1. f
  2. j
  3. e
  4. h
  5. i
  6. d
  7. b
  8. a
  9. c
  10. g
  11. relocating
  12. settle down
  13. appliances
  14. junk mail
  15. direct deposit
  16. denominations
  17. stereotype
  18. stroller
  19. bargains
  20. rain check
Informal Language
  1. out of luck: don’t have a chance
    Sorry Alfredo, it’s not going to happen!
  2. off the hook: not held responsible for something
    I will not hold you responsible for coming in late—this time!
  3. get away from it all: leave responsibilities and relax
    I need to take a vacation and not think about work!
  4. big bucks: a lot of money
    Fred must be earning a lot of money to buy such a beautiful new car!
  5. money to burn: have a lot of extra money
    You must have a lot of extra money because it costs a lot to go on vacation—especially more than one time!
  6. takes some getting used to: need to become accustomed to
    It may take you some time to start enjoying life in the country if you lived in the city before.
  7. look like a million bucks: look GREAT!
    Julia, you look great in that beautiful dress!
  8. chunk of change: large amount of money
    The meal cost me a large amount of money.
  9. headache: something complicated and annoying
    Driving through the city is really hard, because it is so large and it takes so long!
  10. slapped with: charged for
    We’ll get a huge phone bill, because you spend so much time talking!
Grammar

CARRIE: Hi, Mike. Did you enjoyed your vacation?
They should say: CARRIE: Hi, Mike. Did you enjoy your vacation?

MIKE: Vacation? It weren’t a vacation. Everything possible went wrong.
They should say: MIKE: Vacation? It wasn’t a vacation. Everything possible went wrong.

CARRIE: Did it rained?
They should say: CARRIE: Did it rain?

MIKE: Yes, it rained all the time. I spent most of the time drinking coffee in cafés!

CARRIE: Did you visited many places?
They should say: CARRIE: Did you visit many places?

MIKE: No, I didn’t went anywhere. It was just too awful to go out. We wasn’t happy campers.
They should say: MIKE: No, I didn’t go anywhere. It was just too awful to go out. We weren’t happy campers.

CARRIE: Well, was it a nice hotel?

MIKE: No, it was really old and very expensive.

CARRIE: How many money did you paid?
They should say: CARRIE: How much money did you pay?

MIKE: You don’t want to know. Way too much! The only good thing is I spent fewer money than if we was able to go out!
They should say: MIKE: You don’t want to know. Way too much! The only good thing is I spent less money than if we were able to go out!

Answer Key
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