to get a chance

Context #1:

Akiko: Guess what! Next week I'm going to go to my first American Baseball game.

Shuhei: Really? That's great!

Akiko: Yeah! I hope I get a chance to see someone hit a homerun!

Context #2:

Shane: Last Saturday I went to my 20-year high school reunion.

Tony: Wow! Did you have a good time?

Shane: I had a great time! I got a chance to hang out with a lot of my old friends.

Meaning: to get a chance is an American idiom that means you have a special opportunity to experience something. This idiom is followed by infinitive verbs, as you can see in the examples above. It is also commonly used with the definite article "the" instead of "a." You can say, "I hope I get the chance to... + verb."

This idiom is taken from the LSI textbook "Speaking Savvy." LSI teachers use this book to teach the Level 5 Speaking class. For more information please visit www.languagesystems.com

To Keep One's Cool

Context #1:

Jane: I heard you and your boyfriend got into an argument after class yesterday.

Cindy: Yeah... he was really upset and he started yelling at me.

Jane: Did you yell back at him?

Cindy: No, I just kept my cool. Later he felt bad and apologized to me. I'm glad I didn't lose my temper too.

Context #2:

Tom: In California some people are crazy drivers! People cut me off all the time.

Sam: Yeah, me too! One time I got mad and honked my horn at the guy who cut me off. What do you do when people cut you off?

Tom: I keep my cool. I don't honk my horn or give them a dirty look. I try to remain calm.

Meaning: to keep one's cool is an American idiom that means to remain calm and to not lose your temper or get angry. This idiom comes from the LSI textbook Speaking Savvy. LSI teachers use this book to teach Level 5 Speaking/Listening. For more information please visit www.languagesystems.com

To Get Back to Someone

Read the following letter and guess the meaning of the idiom in bold:

Dear Gloria,

I am writing to thank you for the wedding invitation!
I am so happy for you and Paul... I feel honored that you invited me to this special day in your lives, even though we have only known each other for 2 months.
I really want to attend it, but because the wedding will be in Australia I am not sure I can afford it. I will take a look at my finances and get back to you.

Thank you, again!

Samantha

Meaning: To Get Back to Someone means to phone, write, or speak to someone at a later time because you were busy or could not answer a question earlier.

This idiom was taken from our LSI book Speaking Savvy

To Be Crazy About Something or Someone

To Be Crazy About

Read the following e-mail and try to guess the meaning of the idiom in bold:

Dear Susan,

How have you been? I hope all is well.
Ever since we broke up I have been feeling really sad.
I know we had our bad moments and that I cheated on you, but please forgive me!
I am crazy about you. I can't live without you...
Please call me.

Jim
_______________________________________________________________

RE: Dear Susan

Dear Jim The Cheater,

If you were crazy about me, you would not have cheated on me.
Don't ever contact me again.

Susan

Meaning: To be crazy about someone or something means to really, really like someone or something a lot!

This idiom was taken from our LSI book Seaking Savvy. For more information please visit: www.languagesystems.com

Soak up the rays

Idiom:  to Soak up the rays.

This phrase acts like a verb.  What’s the meaning of “soak up”? - It means to “take in”, “absorb”, like a sponge. Rays? Rays are narrow beams of light, usually rays of the sun.

So, “to soak up the rays” means “to tan”!

Example: Our sunny season is over but there's still time to jump on a plane and soak up some rays on one of the beaches in Hawaii.

This idiom is from LSI's book " Speaking Transitions". For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/

Golden Opportunity

Idiom: Golden Opportunity, noun phrase.

Example #1:  John really likes Anna. Unfortunately, they are in different levels. John is a very shy guy and it’s difficult for him to start a conversation with her.  Last weekend, John’s classmate, Kim, had a party at his house. Kim knows both John and Anna, that’s why they were both invited to the party. John had a golden opportunity to introduce himself to Anna and let her know of his existence. He didn’t miss his chance and now they are a couple!

Meaning: Golden opportunity means a perfect chance to do something that will benefit you. The party where John could be in the same room as Anna was a great chance for him to become friends with her.

Example #2:  Marry is a big boss at a very big and successful company. She has been working like a horse, day and night.  There is so much work that Marry hasn’t had a vacation in the past 3 years! One winter there was flu virus that was spreading fast all around the company. More and more people were getting sick every day. The management of the company decided to let all their workers stay home on a paid vacation for 3 days to recover and avoid getting sick. It was a golden opportunity for Marry to forget about her work and just relax.

Meaning : The three days  off that Marry got unexpectedly was a great time for her to just relax. She took advantage of this great chance. There word “golden” doesn’t mean that’s something is made of gold. It means something is very valuable.

This idiom is from LSI's book "Speaking Savvy," which is used in the class. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/

To Take Lightly

Idiom: to take lightly; used as a verb





First example: Monica told Jeff he needed to complete his work by the end of the day. Important clients were coming in the morning, and they wanted to see the finished product. Unfortunately, Jeff took Monica’s directions lightly. He spent most of his day talking to co-workers and didn’t finish his work. The next morning, when the clients came and found the product unfinished, they were angry. As a result, Jeff was fired.





Meaning: “To take lightly” is the opposite of “to consider seriously.” Monica told Jeff specific instructions, and gave him a good reason for why he needed to finish his work. However, Jeff did not pay attention to how important it was for him to complete his work. If Jeff had not taken her instructions lightly, he would have finished his work on time.





Here is another example.





Second example:



Lisa: Hi Barry, I have a problem I’d like to discuss with you.
Barry: Sure, go ahead and tell me.
Lisa: Well, I’m a little embarrassed because it seems like a silly issue.
Barry: Don’t be embarrassed. I never take your problems lightly. I know you only talk to me about serious issues.
Lisa: Thanks, Barry. Okay, this is what I’m worried about…





Meaning: In this situation, Lisa is a little embarrassed to share her problem. She is afraid that Barry won’t think it’s a serious issue. But Barry tells her that he never takes Lisa’s problems lightly. He understands that Lisa’s problem is an important concern. This gives Lisa confidence to tell Barry what is bothering her.





This idiom is from LSI's book "Reading Horizons," which is used in the level 6 Reading classes. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/