F2F Class Notes 24th February (Peter)

Corrections (original – corrected)

Today is a very busy day for me (past) – today was a very busy day for me

In the whole morning I finished many work tasks – I spent the whole morning working

In the three o’clock PM, I finished all of worker’s day – I finished working at 3:00 PM (read “three PM”)

…Because I need to return home to take my wife and daughter… – …because I needed to return home to take my wife and daughter…

…to do a family photography because my daughter has three months old – …to have a family photoshoot because my daughter turned three months old

Let me share one information with you – let me tell you a fact*

*Note: saying it this way sounds like Chinglish even though it is grammatically correct. A better way to express the same idea is with the phrase “speaking of [something]…” Refer to “expressions” for an example.

We are used to make some photos when our children 100 day old

I know some history about Palestine

Vocabulary 词汇

Middle East – a part of the world in West Asia and North Africa, 中东

Ex. The Middle East includes all of the countries as west as Egypt (埃及), as north as Turkey (土耳其), as east as Iran (伊朗), and south as Yemen (也门).

Israel – the country bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon,

以色列

Ex. Israel was established as a country in 1948 after a long war with its neighboring Arab countries.

Inhabited – containing people

Ex. Jericho, which was first settled in the year 9000 BCE, is the oldest inhabited city in the world.

Expressions 成语

The phrase “speaking of [something].” Normally, this phrase comes before a new perspective in a conversation that is ongoing (cannot be used to start a conversation).

Ex. Let’s say Peter is talking about Palestine and Palestinian history. Since Jay wants to share what he knows about Palestinian history, he can say “speaking of Palestine, I studied Palestinian history when I was younger and learned about the Crusades (十字军东征).”

The phrase “when it comes to [something].” Normally, this phrase can be used on its own without someone else beginning the conversation (can be used to start a conversation).

Ex. Let’s say Peter is talking about Palestine and Palestinian history. Since Jay is uncomfortable talking about politics, he can say “when it comes to the Middle East, I prefer to not discuss politics.”

The phrase “[something] is key” is used to describe something that is essential. It is the shortened form of the sentence “[something] is the key to [result]”

Ex. When it comes to learning English, persistence is key. (Persistence is the key to learning English)