More Speak English Like an American » Lesson 2: Mark Discusses His Regrets
Example: Sue is kicking herself for quitting her job before finding a new one. Now she’s got no money and can’t get any interviews.
Example: Ted complained that his mother was always on his case about doing his homework.
Example: “So Diane’s decided to leave the company. What’s the big deal?” – “She’s one of our top employees!”
Example: When Briney Spears shaved her head, some people thought she was off her rocker.
Example: Gary has the hots for you. Didn’t you see how he was starting at you during the meeting?
Example: We’d like to let you work from home, but it would just open a can of worms. Everybody would want to work from home.
Example: Nick met a woman on the Internet, and she showed up in a wedding dress on their first date! He realized she must have a few screws loose.
Example: “You moved the chairs around in the conference room without asking me first?” – “Yes, I did. I didn’t realize you were such a control freak!”
Example: I know you don’t like your roommate, but the school year is almost over. Suck it up for another couple of months.
Example: Emily put the time and place of her next party on Facebook.com for everybody to see? That’s a recipe for disaster!
Example: Ken and Nancy got divorced two years ago, but lately they’ve been talking about getting back together.
Example: You’re too busy to walk the dog today? Okay, I’ll do it today, but I’m not letting you off the hook for tomorrow.
Example: I’m in a no-win situation. If I promote Rachel, then Bill will be angry. If I promote Bill, then Rachel will leave the company.
Example: I promised my boss I’d finish the report by Friday. Hopefully, he won’t be breathing down my neck all week.
Choose the most appropriate response to each sentence:
Mark regrets telling Ron that his ex-girlfriend Cindy was the source of his information. He doesn't want to call Cindy back because he's afraid she'll think he wants to date her again. Steve tells him he'll need to call her anyway.
Steve: What's wrong.
Mark: I'm kicking myself for telling Ron about my ex-girlfriend. He's on my case. He wants me to call her for more information.
Steve: What's the big deal?
Mark: She's off her rocker, and I think she still has the hots for me. I don't want to open a can of worms!
Steve: So she's got a few screws loose! It couldn't be that bad.
Mark: It is. She's a control freak, too.
Steve: If I were you, I'd just call her. Suck it up!
Mark: I'm afraid it's a recipe for disaster. If I call her, she may think I want to get back together.
Steve: well, Ron is not going to let you off the hook. He wants more information.
Mark: I'm in a no-win situation. If I don't call her, Ron will keep breathing down my neck. If I do caller, I'll have to talk to her!
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.