F2F Class Notes (Raph)

Vocabulary

Minor (adj): 1- having little importance, influence, or effect, especially when compared with other things of the same type.
E.g.: It’s only a minor problem.
E.g.: There’s been an increase in minor offenses, such as traffic violations and petty theft.
E.g.: She suffered only minor injuries.

Major (adj): 1- more important, bigger, or more serious than others of the same type.
E.g.: All of her major plays have been translated into English.
E.g.: Sugar is a major cause of tooth decay.
E.g.: There are two problems with this situation, one major, one minor.

Minority (n): 1- a smaller number or part. 2- any small group in society that is different from the rest because of their race, religion, or political beliefs, or a person who belongs to such a group (ethnic/religious minorities, etc.)
E.g.: It’s only a tiny minority of people who are causing the problem.
E.g.: Children with single parents at my school were very much in the minority (= there were very few).
E.g.: The plan was designed to help women and minorities overcome discrimination in the workplace.

Majority (n): 1- the larger number or part of something.
E.g.: The majority of the employees have university degrees.
E.g.: In Britain women are in the majority.

Being (n): 1- a person or thing that exists. 2- the state of existing.
E.g.: A nuclear war would kill millions of living beings.
E.g.: Strange beings from outer space are still a popular subject for sci-fi movies.
E.g.: We do not know exactly how life first came into being (= began to exist.)
E.g.: I never imagined things being so difficult.

Human being (n): 1- a person.
E.g.: There are over 7 billion human beings on Earth.

Beyond (adj): 1- further away in the distance (than something). 2- outside or after (a stated limit):
E.g.: In the distance, beyond the river, was a small town.
E.g.: From the top of the hill we could see our house and the woods beyond.
E.g.: The path extends beyond the end of the road.
E.g.: Few people live beyond the age of a hundred.
E.g.: We cannot allow the work to continue beyond the end of the year.
E.g.: I’ve got nothing to tell you beyond (= in addition to) what I told you earlie

Alien / ET (n): 1- 外侨

Jupiter (n): 1- 木星

Grammar

I have a little bit cold. – I have a little cold. / I have a bit of a cold.

Pronunciation

Break: /breɪk/

Allergy: /ˈæl.ɚ.dʒi/

Allergic: /əˈlɝː.dʒɪk/

Bother: /ˈbɑː.ðɚ/

Homework

Go to www.breakingnewsenglish.com, pick an article, read it and then write a paragraph about it.