F2F Class Notes (Nemo)

Vocabulary

realist (n): 1-someone who hopes for or accepts only what seems possible or likely, and does not hope for or expect more:
E.g.: I’m a realist – I knew there was no way I could win, so I swam for a good finish, for points.

realism (n): 1-a way of thinking and acting based on facts and what is possible, rather than on hopes for things that are unlikely to happen:
E.g.: His decision not to expand the business shows his down-to-earth realism.

idealism (n): 1-the belief that your ideals can be achieved, often when this does not seem likely to others:
E.g.: She never lost her youthful idealism and campaigned for just causes all her life.

make an exception-to not treat someone or something according to the usual rules:
E.g.: We don’t usually accept late applications, but in this case we will make an exception.

the exception that proves the rule [IDIOM] something that emphasizes the general truth of a statement by disagreeing with it:
E.g.: Most company directors are middle-aged men, but this 28-year-old woman is an exception that proves the rule.

vowel– a letter that represents a sound produced in this way:
E.g.: The vowels in English are a, e, i, o, and u.

Grammar

When do we use a and when do we use an?

Some words that begin with a vowel letter in writing have a consonant sound:

a united group a university/ a one-year-old child-/ə ju:ˈnaɪtɪd …/ /ə ju:niˈvɜ:sɪti/ /ə wʌn …/

We use an /ən/ before a vowel sound:

an apple an old shoe an orchestra an umbrella

Some words that begin with a consonant letter in writing have a vowel sound:

/ən aʊə(r)/ an hour

/ən empi:θri: …/ an MP3 player