Lesson 6 - At the dinner table

illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories 2 » Lesson 6 - At the dinner table

Word List

as a rule

most of the time; normally

→
You should wash your white clothes and colored clothes separately, as a rule.
You should eat less meat and more vegetables, as a rule.
As a rule, the teacher does not like it when students leave early.
A: Do you think I can eat this banana?
B: Well, as a rule, eating is not allowed on the subway.
be at a loss

be unable to think

→
I'm at a loss for words.
She was at a loss about what to do with the elephant in the backyard.
I know the man you are talking about, but I'm at a loss to think of his name.
A: I am at a loss as to what to cook for dinner.
B: Let's order pizza!
come up with

think of

→
We have to come up with a plan.
When did you come up with that idea?
He came up with a plan to solve the problem.
A: You named your dog Tweety?
B: I s the best I could come up with!
for short

a shorter way to say a name

→
This is my friend Koronotino Calenotangae. His friends call him KC for short.
My name is Alexander, but you can call me Alex for short.
I work for Seattle Auto Company or SAC for short.
A: What kind of car is that?
B: It's a sport utility vehicle- SUV for short.
in spite of

regardless of something; despite

→
In spite of the rain, they went to the beach.
In spite of the bad weather, we will go hiking.
The company kept hiring new employees in spite of its decreasing sales.
A: How was your trip to Mexico?
B: I had a great time in spite of the hurricane!
look to A for B

turn and ask A to give B

→
She usually looks to her parents for support.
You should look to your parents for help if you don't have enough money.
He looked to his best friend for advice when he needed a job.
A: Don't worry about the test. We can study together.
B: It's nice to know that I can look to you for help. Thanks!
neither A nor B

both A and B do not or are not

→
Neither I nor my brother is as tall as our father.
Neither I nor my sister is as beautiful as my mother.
She looked for her professor, but he was neither in his office nor in the classroom.
A: Neither Jim nor Amy are going to the movie.
B: I guess it's just the two of us then.
point out

indicate

→
Excuse me. Could you point out a barbershop?
The waiter pointed out the chef's special on the menu.
He pointed out the places he visited on the map.
A: Wow! That girl is really ugly!
B: I should point out that she's my sister.
run into

meet by chance

→
I had a feeling. I'd run into you!
I often run into people I know at the bus stop.
While I was in Hollywood, I ran into a famous actor in the supermarket.
A: What took you so long at the store?
B: I ran into my old elementary school teacher
when it comes to

regarding; when dealing with

→
He doesn't know very much when it comes to mathematics.
When it comes to explaining difficult subjects, she is the best teacher.
He doesn't know very much when it comes to cars.
A: Can you help me install this computer program?
B: Sorry. When it comes to computers, I am a real dunce.

Practice

Choose the best answer.

________, I never go swimming right after I eat.
- a. Asa rule
- b. In spite of
- c. Neither here nor there
He was ________ for words when he won the award.
- a. at a loss
- b. as a rule
- c. for short
How did you ________ such a clever idea for a story?
- a. be at a loss
- b. come up with
- c. look to
She was the prefect choice ________ finding someone to organize the conference.
- a. ran into
- b. when it came to
- c. was at a loss
There was no need to ________ the mistake. Everyone could see it.
- a come up with
- b. look to
- c. point out
He drank ________ because he was driving.
- a. neither beer nor wine
- b. in spite of
- c. for short
We ________ an old friend of ours at the movie theater.
- a. came up with
- b. ran into
- c. were at a loss
You could ________ your grandparents for information about your ancestors.
- a. point out
- b. look to
- c. run into
________ the terrible weather, we had a nice time on our vacation.
- a. In spite of
- b. When it comes to
- c. As a rule
Although our team name is the Buccaneers, people call us the Bucs ________.
- a. in spite of
- b. as a rule
- c. for short

Answer Key

Choose the best answer.

a
a
b
b
c
a
b
b
a
c

Answer Key

Dialog

Fill in the blanks.

am at a loss
for short
coming up with
ran into
in spite of
neither blonde hair nor

At the dinner table:

Alice: Guess who I today?

Tom: Who?

Alice: Robert Smith!

Tom: Who?

Alice: Robert Smith, the boy who used to cut our lawn.

Tom: I . What does he look like?

Alice: Remember? He had blonde hair and glasses. He was really short.

Tom: Nope. I'm not any kid like that in my memory.

Alice: Anyway, he's starting college. Now he has glasses. He has dark hair and he's much taller. But the fact that he is grown up, he still chews bubble gum!

Tom: Now I remember him! We used to call him Bob .

Alice: Right! Bubble Gum Bob!

Read the following story

My husband and I went to a high school reunion party in our old town. Almost one hundred people were there. As a rule, I enjoy meeting people. But when it comes to large, noisy parties, I get very tired. I told my husband that I would prefer not to stay for too long. My husband pointed out that we should at least say hello to the people that we knew. We did run into several old friends at the party, so in spite of the crowd I still had a good time.

During the party, a young man came up to us. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Brown," he said to us.

He looked familiar, but I didn't know where I had seen the young man before. I knew it was no use looking to my husband for help. He is terrible at coming up with names to match with faces. This time, we were both at a loss to think of his name. We talked with the young man for a while and then a couple came up to us. It was Don and Liz Wilson. (Her name is Elizabeth, but everyone calls her Liz for short). They were friends of ours. We had kept in touch, but had not seen them for many years.

The young man left after a few minutes to talk with some of his other friends. I told the Wilsons, "I'm sorry we did not introduce you to that nice young man. Neither my husband nor I could figure out his name."

"That's all right," said Mr. Wilson, "He is our son."

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