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Showing posts with label #languagesystems #englishschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #languagesystems #englishschool. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

To mingle

Example 1:

Jason: I really want to make many friends while I'm here in the USA. Do you have any advice for me, Shelby?

Shelby: Well, I think you should try to mingle with your classmates as much as possible. Don't be shy. Introduce yourself to as many people as you can. You can meet many people this way!

Jason: Thanks! I'm going to a party tomorrow night. I will try it!


Example 2:

I took my girlfriend to my company's holiday party last weekend. As soon as we arrived, she started introducing herself to all of my co-workers. She mingled with everyone all night! I didn't see her again until we were ready to go home.

Meaning:

to mingle 
verbit means to mix socially with other people when at a party or other social occasion. This verb implies that the person who is mingling is moving from one person to another to meet and/or chat for a brief period. A person who mingles does not stay in one place with one specific person/group for very long.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

To have (something) both ways

Idiom: to have (something) both ways; used as a verb.


First Example: Mario has been dating Erika for six months, but he also likes Tina and would like to ask her out. Mario wants to have it both ways. He would like to date both Erika and Tina.

Meaning: to have (something or it) both ways means to get the best of a situation by getting the benefits of two opposite things. In this example, Mario likes his relationship with Erika, but he also likes Tina. However, he can't date both of them at the same time because he has been dating Erika for six months. This idiom can apply to any situation where there are two opposite things that can't be done at the same time. It's used as an infinitive in this example. 
Here is another example: 


Second Example: John works long hours and makes a lot of money, but he would like to have more time off to do the things he enjoys. However, John can't have it both ways. He either works hard and makes a lot of money, or he takes more time off and makes less money. 

Meaning: In this case, the two opposite things are working a lot and taking more time off. John can't make a lot of money if he does both of these things at the same time. He must choose one thing. In this example, it's used with the modal "can't." 
This idiom is from LSI's book "Speaking Savvy," which is used in the Level 5 Listening/Speaking classes.