VIP Class Notes (Nick)

Next Class Focus

Quickly go over “in on at” for locations.

Do the conversation practice prepared for this class.

Vocabulary

Thigh – the upper part of your leg (or the whole top)
Quadriceps (quad) – the front muscle on the top of your leg
Hamstring – the back of the top of your leg
Calf – the back of the bottom of your leg (or the whole bottom)

Circulatory System – the blood system

Stab – to hit someone with the point of a sharp object

Vacuum – space without air (n); when you use that machine to clean a carpet (v)

Suck – to pull a liquid or air into another location
e.g. He didn’t realize that his milk tea had bubbles, and he almost choked when he sucked one up.

Quack – someone who pretends to be a doctor but isn’t actually a doctor; a doctor who is very unqualified (insulting)
e.g. He made me sicker than before! What a quack!

Suck up – to try to get something from a superior by saying good things about them, doing favors, paying them, buying gifts
e.g. Jake really wants the new business account, so he has been busy sucking up to the boss this week. He took him out for dinner and bought him new golf clubs.

Grammar

Prepositions
Some prepositions change the meaning of a verb entirely, and together this is a phrasal verb
e.g. “Throw up” is totally different from “throw”
e.g. “Suck up” when used to talk about trying to get favor from a superior is totally different from “suck”
Other prepositions combine with verbs just to indicate the direction of the action
e.g. “Suck” and “suck up” are the same when we are talking about milk tea

In / out – usually, these are about the boundaries of something
e.g. I am in the house (I am on the inside of the walls that define this house)
e.g. I am going outside (I will not be inside of any structure)

In, on, at with time
In – large time periods
— Millennia, Centuries, Decades, Years, Months, (in some cases, weeks)
e.g. In the first millennia of human history…
e.g. In the 1960’s . . .
On – days, weekends (and therefore, also dates)
e.g. On Tuesday
e.g. I like to ride my bike on the weekend.
e.g. On the 4th of April
At – specific times
e.g. At 7 o’clock
About / around – non-specific time, but near a specific time
e.g. I will see you at about 3
e.g. I will see you around 3
BUT, use in for parts of the day, or for seasons
e.g. In the summertime
e.g. In the evening, in the morning

To and for – often used to show the purpose for something
To – movement from one person or place to another
e.g. I bought this for you (I bought this in order to give it to you) = I bought this gift to give it to you
— Here, “to” first expresses purpose, and then express the movement of the gift.
For – exchange
e.g. I will give you my bike for ten dollars (in exchange for ten dollars)

Forward vs. Front vs. Ahead – movement vs. position vs. time (travel instructions)
e.g. Please take three steps forward.
e.g. The building is right in front of the park.

In vs. Into – position vs. movement
e.g. Please come into the house
— “come in” is one idea, the verb and direction; “to the house” is the adverbial phrase that modifies the verb
— “To” adds the idea of change of location, moving from outside to inside; just a slight change in focus

I won’t arrive until nearly three vs. I will arrive around three
— negative and positive

Until – as a conjunction for future action, it shows that one part a sentence is a condition for the other part; the part that comes right after until is the condition for the other part
e.g. Until you clean your room, you won’t get any candy.
e.g. I won’t be able to go out until I finish my paper.
In the past, “until” indicates something that changed the “normal” situation
e.g. I was homeless until I got a good job.
e.g. I practiced dance until I got injured.

I was practicing vs. I had been practicing
— The first is more about a moment with a period around it
— The second is more about a long period that is related to a moment
— The first focuses on a MOMENT, the second on a PERIOD

This situation is now between two expressions that both focus on a period related to a moment:
I had practiced dance – this one puts us outside the period we are talking about; I’m talking from now
I had been practicing dance – this puts us inside the period when I was practicing dance
— These are only different because they use different perspectives.
— Also, the second allows me to introduce an interrupting action.
e.g. I had been eating lots of meat when I had a heart attack and decided that was a bad idea.

When one thing interrupts another, you usually use a “progressive” verb tense (-ing); these are ongoing actions
e.g. I was eating when he called.
e.g. When you arrive, I will probably be painting my living room.
e.g. I was walking on West Nanjing Road when I was hit by a car.
e.g. I have been driving to work, but my car broke down today so I took a bus.