illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories 2 » Lesson 16 - In the elevator
Man: Hey! Why did the elevator stop?
Woman: . Push the button for the first floor again.
Man: It's not working! Stupid elevator! It probably to the time of the dinosaurs!
Woman: Calm down, sir. I'm sure the problem is serious. Someone will fix it soon. We just try to relax. There's nothing we can do.
Man: How can I relax? We're probably running out of air! I'm going to try and open that little door on the ceiling and climb out of here. Once I'm on top of the elevator, I'll the cable and I can climb up to safety. I saw that in a movie.
Woman: I'm not going to lift you up there. Are you crazy?
Man: We can't just wait here to die!
Woman: Oh! See. The elevator is moving again. I knew the repair people wouldn't .
Man: We're saved!
A man and his wife were on a short business trip to China. They had some free time one afternoon and thought they might as well see some sights. They signed up for a tour of a local temple. When they arrived, a monk came up to greet them. He told them that they would have access to special places in the temple. The couple hoped they would see some beautiful things and they were not let down.
The monk led the way to a small building. It was very dark inside. Then the monk lit a candle. Inside there were many rare paintings and sculptures. The gold statues really stood out. The monk said that many of them dated back to the twelfth century. The monk put out the candle and they went outside again. After he shut the door, the monk asked, "Would you do us a favor? Would you write something in English for our future visitors?"
Of course, the couple did not have to think over the monk's request.
"Not at all," the diplomat's wife said. "It will be our pleasure."
The monk quickly ran off to find something for the couple to write on.
"Any idea what he wants us to write?" asked the wife.
"Beats me," her husband said.
Finally the monk came back with two pieces of wood.
The monk said, "Could you write the word 'ladies' on this piece of wood and 'gentlemen' on the other piece?"
If you already speak some English and now would like to speak more like a native, “Speak English Like an American” will help you. One of the keys to speaking like a native is the ability to use and understand casual expressions, or idioms. American English is full of idioms. Speak English Like an American will help you understand and use idioms better. It contains over 300 of today's most common idioms.
Speak Business English Like An American covers over 350 idioms and expressions you're likely to encounter in today's business world. Familiarize yourself with all of them.
English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because idioms don't always make sense literally, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare English idioms to the idioms in your own language.
English the American Way: A Fun ESL Guide to Language and Culture in the U.S. is your very own ... well, guide, to... yes, American language and culture . You’ll find tons (a lot!) of vocabulary, all of it used in real-life ways.
The purpose of the Illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories series is to introduce English language learners to common idioms through humorous examples and illustrations. The lessons in this book will both entertain and enlighten students while providing exposure to how each idiom can be used in a variety of contexts.
Do you want your English to sound natural and fluent? Idiomatic expressions are essential to natural sounding English, but they can be challenging to remember, and even harder to use in conversation. This simple and straightforward program can help you master hundreds of useful and common idiomatic expressions. Best of all, you don't need a book, so you can listen anywhere and anytime it's convenient. It's a piece of cake!