F2F Class Notes 18 June (Peter)

Redecorate – rennovate
Except our design fee, it costs 200,000 – Not including the design fee, it costs 200,000/besides our design fee, it costs 200,000
More than 8 hours – about 9 hours
in rural space – in a rural area
many – a lot of (this is not incorrect, but it sounds more natural)*
*Note: most of the time, “many” is used in the phrase”too many,” but otherwise speakers normally use the phrase “a lot of.”
their place to live in – places they can live
places for tourists to experience doing pottery – places where tourists can try making pottery

Quantity Words
A couple means “2”
Several = more than one, but usualy means more than 3 because people say “a couple” for 2
A few = a small amount, usually 1,2 , or 3
Ex. We can say “give me a few minutes” “give me a couple minutes.”
We can use the words “about” or “more or less” to indicate that we are not giving exact numbers.
Ex. I did that about ten years ago/I did that more or less ten years ago. (Maybe it was 8, 9, 11, or 12 years ago).

Word Usage
We only use the word “actually” to show a complete change of circumstances, or the opposite result of what was expected.
Ex. I insist that I don’t like 糖醋鱼. Then, I try some, and I find that I like it. When my friend says, “you hate it, right?” I can say “actually, i king of liked it.”
Diverge – to go in opposite directions (the opposite is converge)
Binge* – 大吃大喝
*Note: In English, unless you are making a joke, the word “binge” sounds negative because it is usually used to talk about eating disorders. For example, people who binge eat usually purge (vomit) afterward because they think they are too fat.
Ice Cube – 冰块 (you can normally just say “ice”)