F2F Class Notes 6th November (Peter)

Corrections (original – corrected)

I think it just easy – I think it’s easy to pronounce

To take my brother’s baby – to take care of my niece

Still need work – still need to work

Vocabulary 词汇

Generation – about 20 years, we use it to talk about family lines. For example, grandparents are one generation, parents are one generation, and children are one generation.

Congested – unable to breathe comfortably through the nose

Nasal – having to do with the nose

Ex. When you’re congested, you can try wearing nasal strips.

Consonant – a letter that is not a vowel (A, E, I, O or U)

Psychology – the study of thoughts and feelings, 心理学.

Expressions 成语

To “beat around the bush” means to have bad news and be scared to say it. It literally means to say everything except what you need to say.  We can formally call this “being indirect.”

Ex. You lent me your phone so that I could make a call. I accidentally dropped your phone and completely broke it. When I see you again, I avoid talking about your phone and I change the subject. You can tell me, “stop beating around the bush; where’s my phone?”

To “cut to the chase” is the opposite of beating around the bush. It means to avoid saying anything unnecessary and to only say what is important. Therefore, we can put the two phrases together and say “stop beating around the bush and cut to the chase.”

Pronunciation 发音

When one word ends with a similar sound to the beginning of the next word, you don’t have to pause the pronunciation. Instead, we can make the shared sound double as long. For example, “I’ve got to do my homework” is pronounced “I’ve ‘gottu’ do my homework.” Sometimes, the sounds aren’t the same, just similar. For example, “I need to work” can be pronounced “I ‘needtu’ work.”

Inflamed (in-FLAMED)

Obvious (AUB-vee-us, or AWE-vee-us)

Often (OFF-tin, or OFF-in)

Psychology (sigh-CALL-uh-jee)