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Thursday, May 3, 2012

A bunch of

Idiom: a bunch of
Context #1:
Jim: I need to go to the store to get some pens for my class.
Steve: Really? I have a bunch of extra pens. I can give you like 10 if you want.
Jim: Are you sure? That would be great. Thanks! It'll save me a trip to the store.
Steve: No problem!
Context #2:
Jenny: Hey Cindy, can you do me a big favor? Next week I need a ride to the airport.
Cindy: Next week? No problem! Next week is the beginning of my summer vacation so I will have a bunch of free time.
Jenny: Awesome! I really appreciate it! I'll buy you lunch.
Cindy: Thanks!
Meaning: "a bunch of" is a very common idiom in American English. It has the same meaning as "a lot of" and it can be followed by both non-count nouns and plural count nouns. This can be seen in the two examples above.
 
This idiom comes from the LSI book "Speaking Savvy," which is used to teach Level 5 Speaking classes at LSI schools. For more information please visit www.languagesystems.com
 
Ty

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

To Skip Something

Idiom:  to skip something

Context #1:

Jerry:  Man, I am so hungry.
Sam: Well, didn't you eat lunch?
Jerry:  That's the problem.  I was so busy at work today that I had to skip lunch.
Sam:  You should keep some snacks at work for next time you are really busy.
Jerry:  Good idea!

Context #2:

Sara: Why didn't you come to class yesterday?
Jane:  Well, my friend has two tickets to Disneyland and she said I could have one of them for free!
Sara:  So you skipped class and went to Disneyland?
Jane:  Yeah, I couldn't say no. 

Meaning:  to skip something means that you do not do something or choose not to do something.  It is a very common idiom in American English. 

This idiom can be found in LSI's textbook titled "Speaking Savvy."  This book is used at LSI to teach the Level 5 Speaking class.  For more informatioin please visit www.languagesystems.com

Ty