ESL in Ho Chi Minh City

Contact us here or at ESLHCMC@gmail.com for the answers and additional information. 1- Which of these expressions mean "at a time in the future"? some day one of these days one of those days these days 2- Which of these sayings would you like to hear? That'll be the day Your days are numbered This is definitely not my day You made my day 3- Which is the odd one out? all day and everyday day in, day out day by day day after day 4- Which one means "from the beginning"? from day to day from one day to the next from day one from that day forth 5- When you are getting married, you certainly ... ? end your days name the day save for a rainy day have seen better days 6- Which of these animals can be eaten? a home bird a fatted calf a cold fish a sitting duck 7- Which does not mean “to have a lot of money”? in the money have money to burn made of money on the money 8- Which guy is rich? Thomas Achilles Midas Alec 9- Who is the most wanted by girls? Uncle Sam Prince Charming plain Jane John Q. Public 10- Which is the odd one out? Mr Parkinson Mr Big Mr Nice Guy Mr Right 11- Which means "money is not important"? Money is nothing Money is no problem Money is no object Not for love or money 12- Which doesn't emphasize the power of money? Money makes the world go round Money talks Money makes money A golden key opens every door 13- Which has nothing to do with money literally? on the money value for money have your money’s worth have a good run for your money 14- Which of the following isn't about money? golden handshake peanuts goose egg nest egg 15- Which means lots of money; money earned with hard work? easy money pin money good money money for old rope 16- How should you spend your money? throw money around put your money where your mouth is spend money like water money burns a hole in your pocket 17- Complete this proverb " A miss is …" as happy as the day is long as pretty as a picture as cool as a cucumber as good as a mile 18- Which noun can go with “black and white”? elephant sheep spot issue 19- What can't you bite? teeth fingernails tongue lip 20- Complete this proverb "Better the devil you know than…" a country bumpkin the black sheep of the family the devil you don't the devil's advocate 21- Which one did not originate from Latin? bona fide alumnus carpe diem fait accompli 22- When having your picture taken, you have to say when say cheese say what say the word 23- Who is important? the back-room boys the boys in blue the boy next door the blue-eyed boy 24- Which "old" in these expression is "old, ancient”? old flame old woman old man old maid 25- What would you say if you do not believe what somebody has said? a tall story a sob story a likely story a cock-and-bull story 26- Which one is not close to ""What a life!"" in meaning? Such is life This is the life That’s life C’est la vie 27- Which one doesn’t mean “talk a lot”? talk a hind leg off a donkey talk a blue streak talk nineteen to the dozen talk turkey 28- Which “talk” do couples prefer? talk big talk dirty talk shop talk back 29- Which of these two expressions are similar? facts and figures the facts of life the birds and the bees the fact of the matter 30- Which “big” isn’t good? big cheese big name big mouth big fish Review our previous podcasts for the answers and contact us to check your work.

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***WARNING - This podcast contains adult subject matter - Listener discretion is advised *** Due to the sensitive nature of this subject, please write to ESLHCMC@gmail.com for the transcript or exercises based on the material covered in the podcast. Thanks.

Exercise 1: Match the animals with their definitions Donkey, whale, shark, goose, eel, parrot, tiger, fly A large fish with very sharp teeth and a triangular fin on its back This fish is a mammal and it breathes through a hole on its head This animal is a water bird; it looks like a duck but larger and is famous for being a house keeper This bird can be trained to copy human voice. You can see this animal in a zoo. It normally has black stripes. It belongs to the cat family. It’s a long thin snake-like fish It’s a small insect with two wings. You can find it in dirty places. It’s a horse-like animal with long ears. This insect can jump very high and it has long back legs and only eats plant. Exercise 2: Match these animals with their babies Goat, dog, cat, horse, cow, frog, duck, goose, pig, bear Duckling, gosling, puppy, kitten, foal, cub, calf, kid, tadpole, piglet

A petite story: They met when she was an au pair for an English nouveau riche family and he was a chauffeur for the next door cafe owner. They had to work their way through college although he was the son of a chargé d'affaires and she was the daughter of a bureau de change owner. It was coup de foudre. Both shared an interest in music genres such as ballet and opera. They were au fait with music themes and could go on and on about them without making any faux pas. They had a great passion for cuisine. They loved to have croissants or omelettes for breakfast. For entrees, it had to be always a sauted or a flambéd dish. And their favorite beverage was red wine. They had many romantic rendezvous that were beyond description. She dreamt of becoming a coiffeur and a couture designer and was on her way to make her first debut. He wanted to be a fashion connoisseur and manage the creme de la creme of the fashion houses. However she made friends with a few faux amis and they were jealous of her dream like relationship. They tried to sabotage her liaisons with him. Her laissez-passer was expired and she couldn’t have it renewed at that time so she had to return to Italy. They maintained their great rapport par avion. After a few months being away from her, he decided she was the one and his only raison d'être. He started to move in with her and flew back and forth between the two countries. Now she was a femme fatale working for a haute couture in Milan. He was an entrepreneur possessing many boutiques in London. In terms of appearance, she’s a brunette with a unique dressing style. She looked stunning all the time whether she wore her hair au naturel or not. He’s a homme du monde always wearing things a la mode. They were a chic matching couple. After five years de facto marriage, she agreed to become his fiancé. They even chose a venue for a soiree to announce their engagement. Then en route to a mansion, which he was going to buy as a wedding present for her, she had a car accident. Now go ahead and write the ending to this story using French-inspired English words from the vocbulary lesson and other French words not in the lesson. The following exercise may help you with that. Exercise One - Here are other familiar English words borrowed from French, let’s see if you know when and how to use them: attaché à la carte coup d'état hors d'oeuvre entourage c'est la vie avant-garde carte blanche cul-de-sac déjà vu double entendre fait accompli je ne sais quoi laissez-faire Mardi Gras nom de guerre protégé risqué RSVP touché voilà! tête-à-tête tout de suite par excellence matinee Which "word/ phrase" ... is eaten before the main course? is used at the end of an invitation card? is seen on a menu? describes a holiday celebration? can describe art or new ideas? means a dead-end street? is used to advise people to accept a bad situation? is a movie shown during the day? can be a type of briefcase? can be a group of friends? do governments guard against? is a name you earn in battle? is one that you can’t quite put your finger on? is one of the best? wouldn’t you use in front of your granny? means “finished?” is an art of word play? gives you creative freedom? needs to get done immediately? wants to be left alone? wants to be instructed and guided? is shared between friends? is shared between opponents? is that gut feeling you just experienced? is the only one left from our French word list?

ABC of Love - Version One with idioms A is for apple. You’re the apple of my eye. B is for blind. I choose to be blind willingly. C is for conquer. Our love conquers all. D is down. You never let me down E is for eyes. I only have eyes for you. F is forgive and forget. That’s how you are. G is short for gold. I struck gold when I found you. H is when I’m head over heels in love with you. I is short for if. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it: I love you. J is joy; my heart jumps for joy when I see you everyday K is for kiss. I’m glad we have never had to kiss and make up L is large. You are larger than life. M stands for mean. You mean the world to me. N is never. With you I never say die. O is as in One. You’re the one and only P is for promised land. Together, we have arrived in the Promised Land. Q is quiet; I find peace and quiet when I’m with you R is rhyme or reason. My love for you defies rhyme or reason. S is sweet- you’re just perfect for my sweet tooth. T is for take. You take my breath away every time you whisper in my ear U is under; you have me under your spell V is short for Venus. When we’re together, you make me feel like Venus W is for wish. You’re a wish that comes true. X stands for X’s and O’s. My hugs and kisses are countless. Y is for you. Thank you for having stolen my heart. Z is for Z’s. Lying next to me, you cannot catch some Z’s. Definitions are dictated in the podcast ABC of Love - Version Two exercises Please complete these exercises before listening to ABC of Love version 2 Re-arrange these words to make meaningful lines of ABC of love. A is for addicted: you/ to/ addicted/ I’m. B is for bliss; you/ to/ bliss/ is/ know. C is from/ I/ long/ caressing/ you/ which/ for. D is for are which is to what me darling you. E is for your embrace, never can I get something of. F is for fun. you/ of/ me/ no/ fun/ bring/ end. G represents give. you/ my/ all/ I/ heart/ give. H is for home. with/ home/ I’m/ you/ last/ at/ at. I stands for impossible. With/ impossible/ you/ is/ nothing. J is for join. joined/ we/ sooner/ I/ have/ could/ wish/ hands. K : kisses/ better/ make/ your/ only/ things/ can. L is laughing/ created/ loving/ and/ we/ have/ memories. M stands for match; heaven/ made/ match/ in/ our/ is. N is me/ in/ you/ the/ thing/ is/ which/ best/ naughtiness/ out. O is as in One; I’m pretty sure you’re the one P is passion; I’m/ for/ we/ the/ glad/ share/ each/ passion/ other/ same. Q is for queen. a/ queen/ like/ me/ you/ treat. R is for/ we/ have/ each/ other/ respect. For the rest of the letters, complete the sentences by adding your own words: S is for strength. Your ______ gives me strength. T is for tears. Tears of ________ that I will never _________. U I hadn’t _______________ until I met you. V is short for valentine; I’m _______ to be yours. W is words with wings that you____________________. X stands for extra super special; now you know ____________________. Y is yes- your _______ to all my __________. Z I feel like a zillion dollars when ________________________________.

green belt give someone/ get the green light be/ go/ turn/ make someone green with envy have a green thumb green about the gills the green-eyed monster a grey area grey matter men in grey suits be in the pink see pink elephants be tickled pink brownie points turn/ go/ be as red as a beet be in the red catch somebody red-handed roll out/ put down/ lay out the red carpet a red herring a red letter day red tape see red paint the town red yellow streak grow grey-haired Exercise 1: Collocation: Match these colors with their appropriate noun combination. Pink Green Grey Red Yellow Carpet Matter Elephant Streak Thumb Exercise 2: Fill in these sentences with the above expressions: They rolled out the _____________ for two special guests. This is a complicated problem. You need to use your ______________ If you want any gardening tips, you need to ask John. He has a _______________. All the tomatoes he has grrown are big, red and juicy. John saw ________________ again last night. He kept calling his exgirlfriend’s name last night instead of mine. He really showed his ______________ when confronted by an elephant. He wetted his pants and ran for his dear life. Exercise 3: Decide if these sentences are True , False or Not Given Jill’s father and Jack hit it off from the beginning. Jack met Jill outside of the city. Jill was a beautiful girl. Jack did many illegal acts to please Jill’s father. Jack and Jill had a very big celebration the day when he proposed to her.

To kindle your creativity as well as make light work of your English learning, we thought of an activity called “Life project”. If you look "life" up in a dictionary, you will find its transcription; “life” ends with a dipthong: the vowel sound /ai/. We would like you to find all possible words ending with this /ai/ sound. Below are our examples classified according to their parts of speech. Noun: light, sight, tight, knight, night, height, fight, flight, sky, line, eye, dice, ice, rice, lice, mice, spy, spice, pie, kite, side, size, nine, five, knife, wife, wine, why, sci-fi, vice, mind, site, guy, bike Pronoun: mine, I Verb: fly, buy, tie, drive, ride, hike, type, write, rise, shine, hide, lie, die, pry, whine, slide, might, find, like, bite, sigh, sign, dive, invite, provide, decide, surprise, design Adjective: my, right, bright, tight, nice, fine, kind, polite, shy, sly, blind, slight, high Adv: quite Prep: behind, by, beside Exclamation: hi After you finish listing all the /ai/ sound ending words, try to put them in a meaningful sentence. Here are a few tasks for you: 1 Find an expression that contains an /ai/ sound ending word. Ex: One’s stomach is bigger than one’s eye 2 Make a sentence that ends with an /ai/ word Ex: I don’t know why you said goodbye. (Boulevard lyrics) 3 Make a paragraph in which all sentences finish with an /ai/ word. This is slightly the same as task 2 but all your sentences must connect in some way. In this lesson, we are going to teach you proverbs that have at least one /ai/ dipthong word in them. Proverbs are sayings that date back from long ago and give us useful advice. Here are three proverb exercises: Exercise 1: Re-arrange these sentences to make meaningful proverbs: mice/ cat/ will/ play/the/ when/ is the/ away in/ beauty/ of/ beholder/ the/ is/ eye/ the the/ spare/ and/ spoil/ child/ the/ rod right/ wrongs/ a/ don’t/ two/ make is/ while/ hot/ the/ strike/ iron the/ life/ variety/ spice/ is/ of time/ a/ saves/ stitch/ in/ nine wishes/ beggars/ horses/ if/ might/ were/ ride comes/ fall/ pride/ before/ a life/ hope/ is/ there/ where/ is/ there Exercise 2: Match the above proverbs with their meanings If you do not punish a child for behaving badly, he/ she will behave badly in the future If you are too proud or confident, something may happen which will make you look foolish People enjoy themselves more and behave with more freedom when the person in charge of them is not there Do something immediately because now is a good time to do it What one person thinks is beautiful may not seem beautiful to somebody else Wishing for something does not make it happen If someone does something bad to you, it doesn’t give you the right to do the same way to them A variety of different activities, interests, people, etc. makes your life more enjoyable In a bad situation, you must not give up hope because there is always a chance that it will be better If you act immediately when something goes wrong, it will save you a lot more work later Exercise 3: Use the above proverbs in the correct context A: Beauby is a spoiled little brat. Did you see how Rich pampered her? No wonder the other day she talked back to her teacher at school. B: ______________________________ A: Have you met John’s girl friend? I can’t wait to be introduced to her. He kept talking about her. I bet she must look great. B: Well, __________________________. Believe it or not, she’s just a plain Jane. A: It seems all doors are closed to Mike. He was fired; his wife left him and his own company went bankrupt. B: He still has a house and I heard he’s done with the mortgage. ______________________ He can start it over. A: Pitt keeps bragging about his success. B: He went over my head to present his idea of a new robot with the director. Just he waits; ____________________. Let’s hope his new product won’t make any mistakes. A: Why are you sitting here? Aren’t you supposed to be writing that sales report? B: Give me a break! _______________________________________. The director is on vacation until next week, and I don’t think I should prove myself to you or anyone else here. A: Mike deflated my tyre after school the other day and I had to walk home for 30 minutes. I’m going to play a prank on him this time. B: Come on! ___________________________. If you do it, you’re not different from him. When asked what they wanted in life, my students normally said they wanted to have lots of money, a big house, a sports car, a beautiful wife. But when I asked them how they would get those things, they had no idea. Then I would say to them “_______________________________”

-Exercise One- Please assign the correct rating to the following movies. The movie ratings are G, PG, PG-13 and R. The Lord of the Rings trilogy The Back to the Future trilogy The Matrix trilogy The Toy Story Trilogy Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets -Exercise Two- Please match the following groups of movies with the most appropriate matching genre. Action The Fellowship of the Ring, Dragonheart, Clash of the Titans Adventure Spaceballs, Shaun of the Dead, Disaster Movie Fantasy There's Something about Mary, The 40 Year Old Virgin Sci-Fi Unforgiven, Tombstone Superhero Die Hard, The Transporter, The Rock Romance Nightmare on Elm Street, Night of the Living Dead, The Ring Comedy An Inconvenient Truth, The Corporation, Fahrenheit 911 Parody Children of Men, Se7en, The Sixth Sense Romantic Comedy Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the King Animated Star Trek, Star Wars, The Matrix Family Austin Powers trilogy, Naked Gun trilogy Drama American Beauty, Crash, Requiem for a Dream Documentary Moulin Rouge, Across the Universe Thriller Iron Man, The Dark Knight, The Watchmen Horror The Notebook, Titanic Western Waking Life, Ghost in the Shell, Monsters Inc. Musical Never Ending Story, Babe, Finding Nemo -Exercise Three- Match the Oscar to its past winner or winners. Best Motion Picture Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Best Actor (in a Lead Role) Star Wars Best Actress (in a Lead Role) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Best Actor (in a Supporting Role) Denzel Washington (for Training Day) Best Actress (in a Supporting Role) Silence of the Lambs, The Departed Best Director Silence of the Lambs & The Departed Best Original Screenplay Angelina Jolie (for Girl, Interrupted) Best Adapted Screenplay Halle Berry (for Monster's Ball) Best Documentary Steven Spielberg (for Saving Private Ryan) Best Foreign Language Film Heath Ledger (for The Dark Knight) Best Animated Feature Film Return of the King Best Visual Effects The Incredibles -Conversation Sample Questions- 1- What is the name of the movie nominated for Best Screenplay? 2- What awards are given first? The Oscars or the Golden Globes? 3- What are the genres of the movies the friends saw tonight? Write to us eslhcmc@gmail.com and find us on facebook.

Phrasal verbs and idioms using the word "look" look like look alike look around look over look through look into look away look the other way look down on look down one's nose at look sharp look small look back never look back look after look out for someone look out for something look out look for look for trouble look forward to look up look up to look something up look someone up look someone up and down look someone in the eye (or eyes) look to the future be only looking be just looking look the part a dirty look a faraway look a blank look a come-hither look look one's age look for a needle in a haystack the devil looks after his own look on the bright side look high and low look like something the cat dragged in look like the cat that swallowed the canary look good on paper if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it is a duck Now write a story that uses at least 12 of these phrases. Here is an example for reference: Mary Anne is a senior citizen. She’s in her seventies but she doesn’t look her age. She lives alone and looks after herself. This September will be her last year in college. She’s looking forward to it. Looking back on the first semester, she had some trouble fitting into the school. Everybody always looked out for her and tried to help her in the most possible ways. Although she appreciated it, it made her look small sometimes. She knows most of her classmates look up to her though, since not many people could take up a third language at her age. Mary Anne was in many teachers’ good books. She never looked for trouble or got into fights like some other students. Even if she ever did, the teachers probably would look the other way. She was well aware that she didn’t look the part, but she worked really hard. She looked up everything she hadn’t heard of in encyclopedias. She was lagging behind for the first two months and it took her lots of energy, effort and time to catch up with them. Things have looked up since then. Now she has all the right to look to the future with a smile. Theresa and I will personally write back to everyone who submits a story and will share the most creative ones on a future podcast. Write to us here or at eslhcmc@gmail.com

-Pre-listening exercise- Match the animals with their group name. Example - A school of .... fish A colony of... cattle A pack of..... gorillas A pod of...... beavers A gaggle of... ants A swarm of.... wolves A family of... bees A herd of..... rats A flock of.... ants A band of..... birds A plague of... geese Paragraph exercise I have a brother. He’s 2 years older than me. When we were kids, we looked like two peas in a pod although we were not twins. He wouldn’t say boo to a goose and never horsed around. However, my brother grew up to be the black sheep of the family. He drank like a fish, ate like a horse and smoked like a chimney. Birds of a feather flock together and he hung out with guys just like him. He became violent and we fought like cat and dog all the time. Since he was not a smart cookie and also all fingers and thumbs; he had to do donkey’s work to earn money. He could never make ends meet, so he always bugged my mom for extras. Tired of the chickenfeed he received for his work, he decided to sell hard drugs. My mom smelt a rat but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She watched him like a hawk. Therefore, he flew the nest, moving in with his girlfriend. Every dog has its day. My brother’s business was good for a few days. Then on a fateful day when it rained cats and dogs, he was caught red-handed. His lover left him like a rat deserting a sinking ship. With the amount of drug he had on him, he could go to jail for donkey’s years. He’s no spring chicken; by the time he gets out of jail, he would have been in his late thirties. My mother went to visit him last week. He looked like something the cat dragged in.We are having butterflies in our stomach waiting for his trial. Although we are not as thick as thieves, I put aside a nest egg to buy him food every week. After all, he’s my flesh and blood. -Reading comprehension- How many idioms that deal with money subject are there? Do you know other money idioms? How many idioms are related to family and people in the family?

I’m pretty sure any of us here whether a native speaker or English language learners have learnt the English alphabet. We have a variety of songs to teach ABC to children in general and adults in some cases. In order for learners to memorize the pronunciation of these letters, we, educators associate them with things around us. For example A is for apple, juicy and sweet; B is for books with new things to learn, it’s neat. These lyrics were written and the song was composed by Golden Books for nursery kids. Today we are learning how to make ABC of friendship. If you have a close friend or even a best friend and his/ her birthday is coming up, why not make something original to express your feelings? Anyway, we don’t need a special occasion to show how grateful we are to our friends or how wonderful they are. Why don’t you drop them a line or “26 lines” to let them know? I believe everyone can be creative if they are guided enough. Even if you are not a poet at birth, it’s the thought that counts. Do your best, and who knows, you may even be a poet and not even know it. How many letters are there in the English alphabet? I’m sure you will say 26. This is how you are going to do it. You write 26 letters down on a sheet of paper, double spaced. You need to think of any verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs or prepositions that start with the letter intended. Let’s take G for instance. An adjective that starts with G is good. A noun that begins with G is gift Give is a verb that commences with G. Then you have to make a sentence using the above words to talk about your friend, his/ her appearance, attitude, memories between you, your friendship, how lucky you are to have him/ her as a friend. A typical sentence will go like this G is for gift. You are a gift from God. G stands for give and take. You have given me more than taken from me. G represents good. You’re too good to be true. Then you repeat the process for the rest of the letters. Our examples: the answer to one’s prayers look on the bright side as cool as a cucumber down to earth open one’s eyes fair-weather friend have a heart of gold A trouble shared is a trouble halved have one’s best interest at heart take a joke one of a kind laugh at make one’s day call sb names one in a million pull my leg beyond question read me like a book a shoulder to cry on take the heat get under my skin in vain wish someone well of the year zoom out of

Achilles Cinderella Tom Alec Dick John Hancock Larry Jack Thomas Murphy Hobson Freud Jane Riley Pandora Jones Adam Dr. Jekyl Parkinson Sheila Midas McCoy Friday Parker Uncle Tom Prince Charming Solve the paragraph of riddles to find the names. Draw a family tree using these names. What is the surname of this family? He’s just an ordinary man. However his brother is a know-it-all guy. His father’s very good at making money at whatever he turns his hand to. His father’s married to a beautiful woman who worked as a maid and whose beauty is only recognized and cherished by only one person. They have one daughter who takes after her mother, growing up to be a good looking young lady. They all live under one roof and their bread and butter is growing and exporting tea. Once in a blue moon, he comes to visit his grandfather. He’s a miner and he lives where his line of work never runs out. His grandfather is a very skeptical person. This man has three sons. One is light hearted and always smile. Another one is a doctor who leads a very complicated double life. He sometimes helps people; other times, he watches them die. One of his uncles is married to an average looking girl who is nothing to write home about. Their only child usually hangs out with Tom and Harry. This fellow came of age last year and flew the nest. He doesn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps to become a doctor. He dreams of being an astronaut instead. You can always find a way to this family's place. His other uncle didn’t seem to have any luck either when he got married to an unwise woman who tends to cause trouble whenever she interferes in anything. He has two other cousins besides the young adult one. These guys are like two peas in a pod. They are chips off the old block. One is overly inquisitive, which he finds annoying sometimes. The other is quite quick; this lad loves to try his hand at many things but so far he hasn’t found anything that he really likes or good at. No matter where he and his close and distant relatives live, people are still envious and try to keep up with them. I guess you can’t please everyone. -Bonus Exercises: Location- Who lives in Rome? Who lives in China? Who lives in the town of Newcastle? Who is the last guy married to? His immediate family live in the middle of no where and very far away. Where do they live? -Bonus Exercises: Relationships- (fill in the blank) Pandora is Dick's __________ Jack is Thomas' ____________ Parker is Cinderella's _____ Jane is Midas' ____________ Sheila is Jane's ___________ Thomas has six _____________

This podcast part one of a short series and will teach you some common words, expressions and American slang used to describe the movie going experience. This lesson will have 3 parts. Part one will be vocabulary; Part 2 will be a sample conversation; and Part 3 will test your understanding with several questions. Parts 4 and 5 are for ESL Disciples only. If you'd like to find out what an ESL Disciple is or get a full transcript of this episode, email me and Theresa at ESLHCMC@gmail.com. Part I - Vocabulary Movie Movie theater Cinema big screen go to the movies see a movie catch a flick Showtime release/release date opening night opening weekend midnight showing/release blockbuster Trailers/previews teasers opening/closing credits admission ticket booth box office ticket ticket stub concessions concession stand usher movie/projection screen movie projector projection booth matinee second run theater double feature intermission Part II - The Conversation (download podcast for audio, write to ESLHCMC@gmail.com for transcript) Part III - The Questions Do you think the theater they went to was also playing the 3D blockbuster? Could they have waited a few more hours and seen a matinee that night? Why do you need to show your ticket stub to an usher? Do movies normally play trailers after the closing credits? Can you normally buy food at the box office? If a movie's release date is Friday, when is its the midnight showing? Generally, when do the most people go see a new movie? Part IV and Part V - The Plot Thickens and The Cliffhanger (write to ESLHCMC@gmail.com to become an ESL Disciple)

This podcast will introduce you to common American idioms that use the word "white". In the first half of the podcast we will review the expressions. The second half is a dictation exercise that will test your understanding of these idioms. If you would like a full transcript of this podcast or additional exercises, please write to us at ESLHCMC@gmail.com PART I- Idioms a white elephant = something that is either large or expensive and has no useful purpose. a white lie = lie that you tell in order not to upset someone white collar = mental work, such as office work be as white as a sheet/ ghost = be very pale because of fear, shock, illness be as white as snow = be very white whiter than white = completely good and honest or pure pretend/say that black is white = to say the opposite of what is really true. the men in white coats = doctors for the mentally ill a white knight = a hero or savior, or someone who gives money to a company in order to prevent it from being bought by another company white trash = poor, uneducated, American white people white bread = ordinary and boring people or things, often used to describe white, American people. to raise/wave a white flag = to signal that you have been defeated and are ready to give up white tie event/affair = an event that requires formal dress whitewash = conceal an error or offense; or conceal the truth. Make light of an error or offense. Carte blanche = a French expression meaning freedom to do what you want PART II- Dictation Exercise My dad was a normal American. He had an office job working for a large financial company. He had a dumb and poorer brother who was trying to run a moving company. One day my uncle went to see my father. His face was pale from fear. My uncle had invested in another company that had hidden its losses. His company was now in the red $50,000 and he was about to give up and fire his 20 blue collar workers. He begged my dad to be his savior and save his company from bankruptcy. My dad agreed to help, even though my mom called him crazy and told him he should be forced into a mental hospital. My dad sponsored a very formal event and raised enough money to save my uncle's company. My dad gave the company freedom to operate, and my uncle was extremely grateful. A few weeks later my uncle showed up at our house with an expensive and useless gift: an old Chevy Camaro that would not fit in our garage. My dad had always been honest and sincere; he would never say the opposite of what is true. However, my dad told his first innocent lie that day by saying that he loved the gift. After that, my dad still took the bus to work each and every day.

-Exercise One- Match the expressions with the correct definition. A heavy sleeper a light sleeper insomnia go out like a light not sleep a wink/not get a wink/not get a wink of sleep a- medical condition where one cannot sleep properly or sleep enough b- fall asleep or lose consciousness suddenly c- one who can sleep through noise or distractions d- not sleep at all e- one who cannot sleep though noise or distractions; easily awakens List as many expressions as you can that mean "to start sleeping" -Exercise Two- sleep something off oversleep sleep like a baby sleep through sleep easy sleepwalk sleep on it snug like a bug in a rug sleepover sleep rough early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise

She’s my neighbor. She goes ___ ___ ___ ___ Silly or at least people ___ ___ ___ to her face like that. She has a one-track mind, namely, to ___ ___ name for herself. In ___ ___ ___ fame, she has many times embarrassed herself. She ___ ___ ___ in all competitions organized by big corporations, game shows, promotion campaigns... ___ ___ ___, in hopes of winning a big prize. She once joined a beauty pageant and won a consolation prize for the most energetic person, ___ ___ ___. Later, she made up her mind to become a writer ___ ___ ___ of A.Q. Nobody knew for sure what it was short for or whom she ___ ___ ___. She wrote about the big names she hung out with, or so she said. She gave me and others that impression when she dropped names, however we have never seen anyone near her house. Speaking of the house, she lives in a beautiful two-story house which is not ___ ___ ___ but she’s the only heir to it. Anyway, she didn’t stay long in the writing business since, on the spur of the moment, she ___ her boss ___ and got the pink slip. But she never gave up her dream of ___ ___ ___ to something, so she turned her house into a store that sold absolute anything- food, flowers, household appliances and clothes, to ___ ___ ___. She built up hopes that one day her store would become big. However, she went out of business only after two months because she kept losing money. But every cloud has a silver lining. Thanks to the store, she met a guy like her and they ___ ___ ___ shortly after. She feared that unhappiness would ___ ___ ___ ___ ___. So far, so good though. In fact, she’s going to be a mother. And for the first time in her life, she is achieving something-___ ___ ___ to her baby. Idioms and expressions: is someone's middle name by the name of call someone names in someone's name in name only name names put down one's name enter one's name to name a few to name but a few under the name you name it put a name to name the day make a name for oneself in the name of give one's name to have one's name on it name someone/something after

Coming to you from the heart of Vietnam, This is Mr. Richard's ESL in Ho Chi Minh City. Welcome one and welcome all, I am your host, Mr Richard. Thanks for tuning in, this is the 31st epidsode of ESL in Ho Chi Minh City: Western Names. We will review vocabulary and go over some of the finer points of names. If you'd like a transcript of this episode, you can find it at ESLHCMC.podomatic.com. If you are looking for more information, exercises and intermediate or advanced lessons; please contact either myself or Theresa Truong at ESLHCMC@gmail.com We have many extra lessons for privileged members, and ask about our online lessons through Skype or in person lessons if you are in HCMCity. Okay, now onto our vocabulary lesson. So what exactly is a name? Let's find out, your vocabulary lesson starts now- Name = a word or set of words in which a person, place or thing is referred to full name = a person's complete name, such as Barack Hussein Obama Jr legal name = a person or company's complete name, such as The Coca-Cola Company proper name = a person, place or thing's complete name using capital letters, such as District of Columbia surname = the inherited name shared by family members, such as Jackson or Nguyen family name = another term for surname last name = Western term for surname, usually the last name of a full name; such as Beckham given name = personal name given at birth, such as Michael or David first name = Western term for given name, usually the first name of a full name; such as James Christian name = another Western term for given name; especially if the name can be found in the Bible or is influenced by a Saint; such as Theresa or Adam christened name = another term for a Christian name, especially if given at the time of Baptism middle name = the name between the given name and the surname; such as Hussein for Barack Hussein Obama nickname = a shortened, friendly or funny form of a name, such as Mike for Michael or Davey for David. Also, a descriptive or unique name given to a person, place or thing used with or instead of its name; such as Honest Abe for Abraham Lincoln or Sin City for Las Vegas. pet name = a familiar name, such as Jimmy for James or a private name such as “honey” for a significant other moniker = another term for nickname namesake = one who shares a same name and connection with another, such as a Jr or Sr sharing a name as well as Ford Motor Company and its founder, Henry Ford. Anonymous = not named, not known or not identified pseudonym = fake or fictitious name, especially used by an author; such as Mark Twain for Samuel Clemens pen name = pseudonym used by an author aka = abbreviation for also known as alias = pseudonym or nickname that a person is known as stage name = pseudonym used by an actor; such as Marilyn Monroe for Norma Jeane Baker nom de guerre = pseudonym used by a participant in an activity, especially violent activities; such as Desert Fox for Erwin Rommel brand name = a name given to or in addition to a product, and is usually trademarked; such as Jacuzzi or Nike sneakers misnomer = a wrong or inaccurate name, such as jellyfish (not a fish); or replacement of a general term with a brand name, such as Xerox for photocopy or Jacuzzi for hot tub Screen name = alias used online; or a pseudonym used by movie actors So, how are names chosen? There are many answers to that question, and most of the answers can be found in the distant past. Many names are based on ancient words and meanings. Most given names are based on words or phrases of ancient languages. Surnames were often used to describe social class or occupation, hometowns or areas of the home country and even physical features or color. For example, Barack is based on the word for “blessed” in Hebrew. Hussein can be translated as “handsome one” in Arabic. Obama is a common African name, possibly based on the word for tall or crooked. Many common surnames once described a families' occupation, such as Smith, Shepard and Baker. Washington, Hamilton and Lincoln are surnames that once described the area of England where the family started. Armstrong, Little and Brown are surnames that once described the appearance of the family members. Some Western surnames have prefixes. The prefixes Mc-, Mac-, and O'- mean “son of” or “child of” and can be found in such surnames as McDonald and O'Neil. Sometimes the last part of the surname is the word “son”, such as Jackson and Jefferson. So both McDonald and Donaldson mean “son of Donald”. Western names can also have suffixes. Some suffixes are added after the surname when a full name is shared by two family members, generally a father and a son. For example, Barack Hussein Obama's son is also named Barack Hussein Obama. The older Obama took the suffix Senior, abbreviated as Sr. The younger Obama, and future American President, was given the suffix Junior, abbreviated as Jr. If more than two family members share the same full name, then Roman numerals are used as a suffix. The oldest family member would be given the Roman numeral I, said aloud as “the first”. The next oldest family member would be given II, then the next oldest III, and so on for every family member that shared the name. This was very common the in royal families of Europe, so much so that the suffixes are more commonly known than the surnames. Queen Elizabeth II and King Louis XVI are examples of this. Both surnames and given names can also be based on words or phrases. Grant is based on the word great or grand; and Richard and Eric, are both based on old words for “powerful”. In modern times, it is common for nicknames, rather than given names, to be used in informal and friendly situations. These nicknames are generally a shortened version of the given name, such as Dave for David, Rich for Richard, Jon for Jonathon, Kate for Katherine, Jen for Jennifer, Tom for Thomas, Mike for Michael and Ben for Benjamin. Parents also commonly call their children by nicknames. Many of these nicknames sound “cuter” than the given name, such as Jenny for Jennifer, Tommy for Thomas and Stevie for Steven. Adding the sound E, spelled with a “y” or “ie”, is the most common way of making a name sound “cuter”. But unless they prefer it, it is impolite to use these childhood nicknames when a person becomes older. It can be seen as an act of disrespect to do so without their permission. In some cases, a nickname is preferred over the given name, even in formal situations. For example, a young Barack Obama was known as Barry to his colleagues and William Clinton is still commonly known as Bill Clinton. There are no rules in creating a nickname. Somehow Bill became a nickname for William, Bob became a nickname for Robert and Teddy became a nickname for Theodore. There's even a common nickname for Richard that makes me laugh because it is normally inappropriate to say. There are also no rules for when to use nicknames. It becomes a personal preference. Some people like to be called their nickname, even by strangers; while other people prefer their nicknames to be used only by their closest friends. If there is any doubt, play it safe and use the given name. So what name do you prefer to be called? Did your parents call you by a nickname when you were growing up that they no longer use? Do you have a unique nickname that is not based on your name? Would you like to know the possible origin of name? Write us at ESLHCMC@gmail.com to let us know. Our next podcast will be about idioms and expressions using the word name, and I will answer any questions that you send to us.