Find examples of duo lingo questions.

Practice story telling, keep Beg/mid/end in mind throughout the story.

Find 20 vocab adjective/verbs words on the makeup entertainment industry.

Two different topics to speak about that you are terrible at.

I would love to travel in California and because i’m a big fan of the universal studio or Disneyland and the weather in California is insane, I would definitely love to live in a place with no winter, I love go to the beach and the people in California seem really interesting and I would say enthusiastic. I guess the entertainment industry there is quite developed I’ve been doing entertain job. Since I’ve been in college, i’m also a dancer and I do makeup.

Since I’ve been doing performance for years in college, because I have to do the makeup for myself or classmates, I realized I have huge interest in makeup I would love to learn makeup and become a makeup artist. This is the topic that i’m good at I feel like oh my god, I cant relate. Its really challenging me.

What do you regret, what kind of things do you regret about. One decision that you made do you regret. Maybe it will be I should have studied abroad, maybe LA, Maybe NY. Now I feel like I still have a lot of space to grow for my skills and I feel like in China there not much resources. The pop culture style and as my ages is getting older and older I feel like if I have gone to study abroad earlier then I probably would do better.

CORRECTED VERSION

I would love to travel in California and because i’m a big fan of the universal studio(s) or Disneyland and, the weather in California is (amazing) insane. I would definitely love to live in a place  (without) with no a winter, I love (to) go to the beach, and the people in California seem really interesting. and I would say (im) enthusiastic. I guess The entertainment industry there (In LA) is quite developed. I’ve been (in the entertainment industry) doing entertain job since I’ve been in college, i’m also a dancer and I do makeup.

Since I’ve been (In the entertainment industry) doing performance for years (since) in college, because I have to do the (been doing) makeup for myself (and) or classmates. I realized I have huge (an) interest in makeup I would love to learn makeup and become a makeup artist. This is the (a) topic that i’m good at, I feel (I felt excited)  oh mlikey god, I can relate. Its really challenging (for) me.

One decision that you made do you regret. (It was that) Maybe it will be I should have studied abroad, maybe (in) LA, maybe NY. Now I (still) feel like I still have a lot of space to grow for (with) my skills and I feel like in China there are not (a lot of) much resources. The pop culture style (isn’t as good) and as (I get older) my age is getting older and older I feel like if I (had went) have gone to study abroad earlier then I probably would (have done better in my industry) do better.

tell about a decision that you regret
what was your decision? What do you wish you had done differently?

This question reminds of me when I was in college, I didn’t really think piano is the important thing to me, so I gave up practicing. But now as a music producer, I realize how important piano is, like everything in this industry will connect with piano, like I need to compose songs, piano would be the easier option doing that. I wish I didn’t quit practicing piano, otherwise, it would be much easier right now.

Revised

This question reminds of me of a time when I was in college, I didn’t really think piano was important, so I gave up practicing/learning. But now as a music producer, I realize how important piano is, like everything in this industry/I do will be related to music/ producing will connect with piano, like I need to compose songs, piano would be the easiest choice of instrument . I wish I didn’t quit practicing piano, it would’ve made my life so much easier right now.

Hi Max,

I didn’t see you today, we’ll work on Duolingo next class!

Lily

Vocabulary

1. candidates= hou xuan ren
   ex: there are no other candidates.

do you agree that the weather is able to affect people’s mood or personality?

First of all, I agree the weather is able to affect people’s mood because I ‘m kind of like moody person that easily to get affect weather. For example, when it’s raining day, I feel I wanna stay in more than going out. I probably feel sleepy and calm, and not affected at all. I always feeling active when the weather is really good, like sunshine always give me energy.

Personally, I disagree with weather can affect people’s personality. I think personality is something that’s not easy to change for anyone. But the weather is changing frequently, so I don’t think people’s personality will be easily changed. In London, it’s always rain, I feel like the British people, especially in London, they feel more like introverted. They’re unlike people from LA.

Revised

First of all, I agree that the weather is able to affect people’s mood because I ‘m a moody person that could be easily affected by the weather . For example, on a rainy day, I feel like I wanna stay indoor more than going out. I probably feel sleepy and chilled. I always feel active and productive when the weather is really good, like the sunshine always gives me energy.

Personally, I disagree that the weather can affect people’s personality. I think personality is fixed. But the weather is changing frequently, so I don’t think people’s personality will be easily changed. In London, it’s always raining, I feel like the British people, especially the ones living in London, are more introverted. They’re unlike people from LA, who are more passionate and enthusiastic. 

Vocabulary

1. assertive= 主见的
ex: my mom is very assertive, you must have full obedience.

2. obey (verb)= 顺服
obedience (noun)
obedient (adj)
ex: were you obedient when you were younger?

3. disobey = not obey
disobedient
ex: I was very disobedient and dyed my hair with four colors.

4. turn XX in =举报XX
ex: you should turn yourself in.
ex: you shouldn’t turn your friends in even if they do bad things.

5. discipline= 管教
ex: some teachers discipline students in a very horrible way.

Vocabulary

1.introverted = shy
extroverted= outgoing
ex: I could be introverted or extroverted depending on my mood.

2.penalty= 罚金
penalize (verb)
ex: if you speed, you will get a penalty of 200 yuan.

3. punishment= 惩罚
punish (verb)
ex: if you play with your phone in class, you will be punished/ you will have a punishment. (stand in the corner)

4. tempting= 很诱惑的
ex: it’s very tempting to try weed in LA.

5. yucky= 很烂的 很难吃的 很恶心的
ex: I tried to cook something but it was too yucky.

6.poke (verb)= 戳👇
ex: they poked a hole on the bottle.
ex: stop poking me!

7. self-disciplined= 自律
ex: I’m not self-disciplined, I can’t wake up early to work out.

8. entrance drug= 入门级毒品
ex: Weed is an entrance drug. 

There can be several advantages to spending time living in another country. Talk about one advantage and explain how living in another country provides that advantage. use details and examples in your response.

I think living in another country can be useful/advantageous. If you want to be an independent person, it would be a good way to achieve that. You will have to do everything you need by yourself, like to pay your bills and find an apartment.

Independent Writing:
Young people nowadays do not give enough time to helping their communities? Give your opinion.

Integrated Writing:
In 1938…

Vocabulary

agitated: 焦虑不安的; 激动的

ghost writer: 枪手

formulaic: 公式化的

dynamic：changing，doesn’t stay the same

ethnic: 民族

prevalent：普遍的 wide-spread

penalize：惩罚

triumph：胜利

outline：描边 简单的描述某个计划

outliers：不规则的 异类; 异常值; 离群值

outlet（noun）：(感情、思想、精力发泄的) 出路; 表现机会

There were two girls in this video. They were both holding their cats and trying recording a video. But this video with some filters on the girls’ face, turning them into a cat face. So,  the cats watching in the screen. They were realizing the person who carry them were turning into cat face. They were literally shocking and confusing and started looking upwards to check if it’s a human or not. It’s so funny

There were two girls in this video. They were both holding their cats and recording a video. But there was a filter on the camera changing the girls’ faces into cat faces. So, the cats were watching themselves on the screens. They were convinced that the girls were turning into cats. They were really shocked and confused and started looking up to check if their owners were humans. It’s hilarious.

Vocabulary

look upwards – look in the direction of up (maybe you see something, maybe you see nothing)
He didn’t want to look at his book so he looked upwards instead

look up at – look at something which is above you
The cats looked up at their owners

Fascinating = very interesting
This is a fascinating book

Convinced that + phrase (adj) (in the state of strong belief of something untrue)
She is skinny, but she is convinced that she should lose more weight.

Convince (verb) – to make someone believe something
I convinced myself that thinner was better
Tony had to convince Tina that going on holiday was a good idea

Pronunciation

Hilarious – he le ree yis

Vocabulary

eligibility (noun) – 资格
Her eligibility to graduate was affected by her low grades in one class

eligible (adj)
He is eligible to be the leader

curriculum (noun) – what you should study for a course (课程)
The science curriculum in high school included physics and biology

seminar (noun) – 研讨班
I saw an ad for a seminar about business writing

dean (noun) – 迪安
The dean of the music department approved my graduation

fill out + form = complete a document (e.g. 登记表 / registration form)
I’m filling out the registration/application form for my new university

mandatory (adj) – you must do this
Wearing formal clothes to a formal meeting is mandatory

elective (noun) – you can choose to do it or not to do it
The extra English class is an elective in my school’s curriculum

faculty (noun) – the people of a department of the university (just one meaning)
the music faculty is planning an event.

something counts towards + a course/major = something is necessary for you to pass a course/major
The extra English course does not count towards my major

Find examples online using the phrase ‘count towards’.

Talk about ‘count towards’.

We practiced using the first 11 words from this list (except for ‘advantage’)

https://www.prepscholar.com/toefl/blog/toefl-vocabulary-list/

Vocabulary

Adjust
1) The elephants adjusted to the temperature
– the elephants changed

2) People adjusted the environment to suit them
– the environment changed by the people

Advocate (verb) – To publicly support
Tony advocates electric cars because he doesn’t like air pollution

Homework: Every day
Study the next 10 or 11 words on the list and practice using all the vocabulary in sentences you write

Vocabulary

Take for granted – fail to properly appreciate
Tony took his job for granted until he got fired. After he got fired he realized his job was great.

Pronunciation

Extinct – eks tinkt

Study some of the words on this list to help you build your vocabulary

https://www.prepscholar.com/toefl/blog/toefl-vocabulary-list/

We practiced listening with the audio files you brought to class.

Let’s focus more on understanding all the vocabulary in each audio file.

Vocabulary

Reptile – 爬行动物

Evolved – 演化

Solitary  – alone

Mysterious – something about which you don’t know the details

Vocalize – make sounds

Crocodiles are reptiles which have not evolved very much.
Crocodiles can vocalize many mysterious communications.

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should help their parents with household chores as soon as they are old enough. Use details and examples in your response.

Note-taking strategy – Write down the first thing that comes to mind (1-3 words each)

Follow the structure: 1) general-specific- 2)general-specific

*Leave out any extra words (prepositions, conjunctions, articles)

Avoid repeating the same words, avoid using idioms/expressions

Vocabulary

chore: a job or task that needs to be done regularly but is often boring or unpleasant

eg. I’ll go shopping when I’ve done my chores.

Grammar

as a person who lives here for four years – as a person/someone who has been living here for years

I still struggling with – I still struggle to 

to conquer the scariness – to overcome my fear 

another one – another reason is/the second reason + specific detail 

do wash dishes – do the dishes/wash dishes 

Hey Max, see you next time.

Hi Max, sorry to hear that you can’t come in today. See you next time.

TOEFL speaking

example answer structure:

1. Suggestion (opening statement)
2. 1 example
3. 1 example
4. Ending

Making notes – Which method works for you? Pick one that you’re comfortable with

Grammar

make friends by meeting friends’ friends – make friends by getting your friends to introduce you to their friends 

your friends kinda have same common with you – your friends share/have things in common with you

they’re like so international area – it’s a multicultural area/it’s gathered with people from all around the world   

funnest – the most entertaining/most fun 

I’m a perfectionism – I’m a perfectionist 

TOEFL speaking

Agree/disagree; Advice/opinion questions

1. Opening statement (include the question in your answer)
2. Support 1 (with 1 example)
3. Support 2 (with 1 example)
4. Conclusion (if running out of time, paraphrase the question)

Three choices questions

1. I would recommend/prefer/choose _____

2. Say why is _____ good/the most suitable? (support argument with 1 example)

3. Say why B or C is not the best (support argument with 1 example)

4. Reiterate your statement

Grammar

learn by muscle – muscle memory

Focused on how to answer TOEFL questions naturally like a conversation.

Vocabulary

one particular lady

where are you up to in the test? / what question are you up to? – where should we start from?

carbonation – the bubbles in drinks like coke / tonic water

talk about a country or culture that you would like to learn more about, what is the country and why?

TOEFL reading exercises

Vocabulary

to distribute : to hand out / to give out
I distributed the documents to each of the student
The distribution of wealth is more and more unequal

to represent : something that means something else / symbol
The cross represents the hospital
The battery bar represents the power left.

to collect : get / gather
I collected all the documents.

to manage: to run . to organize
I manage a small shop.

steady : not moving / uniform
Hold the camera steady for the picture

root : what goes under the ground and gets water to a tree / related to the origin
The roots of the tree spread under the garden
I have an American passport but I have Chinese roots.

term (n) : vocabulary / word
I don’t know this word it is a marketing term.

tissue: cell material
We studied skin tissues in the lab

plentiful : a lot of
water is plentiful when it rains.

bio – life
anti – against
ology – study

my expenses are too high – spend too much / expenditure 
expect

Shame I missed you today Max – hope you had a nice sleep in 🙂

Continue reading sections, passed questions 1-6.

Listen to what Max wants to practice for TOEFL.

C – incorrect

A – correct

C – correct

A – correct

C – correct

D – correct

B – correct

B – correct

A – correct

A – correct

D- correct

The answers typically aren’t trying to fool you as much as you think.

Sometimes they will change the word, so if you don’t see the word in the sentence, you should make your best guess quickly.

Pay attention to tone of word choice -the word that they ask you to “define” has a similar meaning to other words in the same sentence.

Get it down to two possible answers, agues and move on.

Sorry I missed you Max, check out the notes from last week.

I edited them and added in some examples for the grammar/vocabulary section.

Nicholas will review these notes with Max.

Vimeo.com

Vocabulary

to be of means – to have wealth or to comes from a wealthy family
she has means
she’s from a family of means

the way she carried herself – a person’s presence or personal style

“feeling each other out” – getting to no one another

custody – who has “ownership” of the child
e.g. The father won custody of the child.
e.g. She has custody of her son.

grounded – to be punished by parents
e.g. I was grounded so I couldn’t see my friends or use my iPad.

cut him out of my life – removed him from my life

how often did you see your friend – how [frequently] did you see your friend

Grammar

I really want to find some person
I really wanted to find some person

I was really creativity
I was really creative

I really into painting, drawing
I was really into painting 
I am really into painting 
I have really been into painting lately

I can’t remember right now
I couldn’t remember back then

Let’s review the basic vocabulary for the astronomy section.

Look at the first 2-3 words of each possible answer…

Once you can eliminate a possible answer don’t read any more of it…

The more words we take in the more confused we will be

We need to be quick strategic and decisive – keep the pace moving –

Vocabulary

nosy – too curious

Black + Asian = Blasian

I have a self-esteem that’s too big – I have an inflated self-esteem
I have an inflated ego
When the prices of things go up quickly we call this inflation.

grandiose – grand – far too big
e.g. Some dreams are far too grandiose and unrealistic.

delusions of grandeur – a dream that’s not real where you’re the king of the world
e.g. He suffered from delusions of grandeur.

but then things crash down to earth

voracious – 贪婪
e.g. I’m a voracious reader.

“falling down the YouTube rabbit hole…”

Grammar

when I go on YouTube

Original

The woman problem is he broken her arm and he’s gonna have a violin concert – she gonna play – and there’s two ways she said the first one was keep doing it but he worried about if she can doing that great because she didn’t practice for a long time and the second one was asking someone to take her place, but she said the guy who called Jim he’s probably unreliable person and he probably will be late. I think keep asking jim to take her place because give someone some chance – sometimes that are unreliable doesnt mean they are always unreliable and you can just tell him how important for you – so maybe you can just keep calling him until he’s on time.

Corrected

The woman’s problem is that she has broken her arm before her violin concert – she is gonna play – and there are two solutions she’s considering / thinking about she said the first one was to keep doing it but she worried about if she would be able to play well / could play well because she hadn’t practiced for a long time and the second one was asking someone to take her place, but she said the guy who is called / named Jim he’s probably an unreliable person and he probably will be late. I think the better solution is for her to keep asking jim to take her place because giving someone a chance / opportunity is good /a nice thing to do – if people are unreliable sometimes that doesnt mean they are always unreliable and you can just tell him how important this is for you – so maybe you can just keep calling him until he’s on time.

Correct this speaking passage

The woman problem is he broken her arm and he’s gonna have a violin concert – she gonna play – and there’s two ways she said the first one was keep doing it but he worried about if she can doing that great because she didn’t practice for a long time and the second one was asking someone to take her place, but she said the guy who called Jim he’s probably unreliable person and he probably will be late. I think keep asking jim to take her place because give someone some chance – sometimes that are unreliable doesnt mean they are always unreliable and you can just tell him how important for you – so maybe you can just keep calling him until he’s on time.

Original

The man left his schedule at the same day his day first year and he cannot find the right classroom where is. Because he said it was embarrassing but actually no one cares and people won’t remember you – and you can save time – and you probably will find your class at the first time so you probably won’t late.

Corrected

The problem is that the man left his class schedule for his first day of his first year and he cannot find where the right classroom is. He considered two solutions but I think he should do the second beecause he said it was embarrassing to go into each room without knowing the teacher, but actually no one cares and people won’t remember you – and if he just moves forward with this decision you can save time – and you probably will find your class on the first attempt / try so you probably won’t be late.

Original

The importance of visual elements is it can express the emotions…The professor said there’s two different way the first was color, she gives examples like of two colors which is red can provides the strong feeling and the blue provides the peaceful feeling – and another one is texture: because you can use physical way to feel the texture if its smooth or rough or maybe you can just assume by visual / vision to feel the texture.

Corrected

Visual elements are important because they express emotions…The professor said there are two different ways of painting visually: the first was color, she gives examples like of two colors which are red and blue. Red can provide the strong feelings and the blue provides the peaceful feelings – and another way is texture: because you can use a visual way to “feel” the texture whether it’s smooth or rough or maybe you can just assume it visually.

Original

The woman problem is he broken her arm and he’s gonna have a violin concert – she gonna play – and there’s two ways she said the first one was keep doing it but he worried about if she can doing that great because she didn’t practice for a long time and the second one was asking someone to take her place, but she said the guy who called Jim he’s probably unreliable person and he probably will be late. I think keep asking jim to take her place because give someone some chance – sometimes that are unreliable doesnt mean they are always unreliable and you can just tell him how important for you – so maybe you can just keep calling him until he’s on time.

Correction

Let’s continue practicing our note taking, listening, and speaking response skills.

Focus on only writing down the important – main ideas.

Pronunciation

access

circumstance

expression

Vocabulary

contradict / contradiction – 矛盾

e.g. Sometimes verbal and nonverbal communication contradict one another.

e.g. It’s important for parents not to contradict one another when parenting their children.

enhance – 提高

e.g. Men and women use makeup to enhance their natural beauty, or lack thereof.

e.g We also use headphones to enhance the quality of our music.

content/content – “the meat of something” – “the real message of something”

e.g. The content of the article is the article’s actual words.

e.g. The content of the message is what is said through the message.

TOEFL Note Taking Practice

daytime classes too crowded / overcrowded / not enough computers

more expenses / adding classes in evening, not buy more computers

reduce day time enrollment / guaranteed access for all students

won’t work / students busy at night / clubs social events sports / expenses – more teachers, more energy, more expensive than computers / computers are cheaper / plenty of space in the room to add computers

nonverbal / emotion – non verbal / facial expression & body movements = 2 most common types / nonverbal language enhance emotional expression with verbal language / if they contradict in the contents, nonverbal = truth

uncle visit / I said something / wife said my eyes were wide with smile jumping up and down / uncle was happy by this /

compared with daughter / birdhouse building / how to use hammer and nail / smashed thumb / verbal “dont worry” / face trembling / dad are you okay

Always end your response with a concluding sentence / conclusion sentence that answers the question clearly. 

Original

There’s two examples that professor provides and he said the first one was when his uncle visited him and he saw his uncle and was really surprised – his wife said that that was a little weird because his eyes turned really wide and huge smiling and jumping upside down – but anyway his uncle was really happy to see how happy he was. And another one is the professor with her daughter – to build a birdhouse – and he accidentally hurt himself with a hammer – even though he said to his daughter dont worry its nothing but actually his face is – shaking his hands and face and voice in pain, but his daughter didn’t believe him.

Corrected

There are two examples that the professor provides and he said that the first one was when his uncle visited him and he saw his uncle and was really surprised – his wife said that that was a little weird because his eyes turned really wide and he had a huge smile and was jumping up and down – but anyway his uncle was really happy to see how happy he was. And another example is the professor with his daughter – they built a birdhouse – and he accidentally hurt himself with a hammer – even though he said to his daughter dont worry its nothing but actually he was shaking his hands and his face and voice were in pain, but his daughter didn’t believe him. Here his verbal and nonverbal communication were different, but his daughter knew the real message was in his nonverbal communication.

Pronunciation

abroad

photograph

photography / FUH-TOG-RA-FEE

Vocabulary

have = possess

better = superior

Talk about a place you enjoyed going to or visiting when you were a child; describe the place explain why you enjoyed it.

That was my first to been abroad and I was with my family, my father, a couple of my cousins, and my grandma. Bangkok and Pattaya. Almost teenager, 12. Everything was so different to me because – it’s totally brand new experience for me, and that was my first time to Southeast Asia, because my hometown is far away from SE Asia so the death is extremely hot and humid, and I met a lot of people from all around the world, had eat/eat some food I’ve never had before. Most enjoyed part it was – I would say when I went to the beach – this was also my first time to been to beach and I actually really loved the ocean and the view is pretty amazing.

Corrected

That was my first time going abroad and I was with my family including my father, a couple of my cousins, and my grandma. We went to Bangkok and Pattaya which is in Thailand. I was almost a teenager, I was 12 years old. Everything was so different to/for me because – it was a totally brand new experience for me, and that was my first time visiting Southeast Asia, because my hometown is far away from SE Asia so the weather was extremely hot and humid, and I met a lot of people from all around the world, I ate some food I had never had before. The most enjoyable part it was – I would say when I went to the beach – this was also my first time visiting the/experiencing the beach and I actually really loved the ocean and the view was pretty amazing.

Some people have one career throughout their lives, other people do different kinds of work at different points in their lives, which do you think is better, explain why.

I definitely would say have different kinds of job is better – because you only live once and one job throughout your life is kind of boring – and like me, people always say I’m a multifunctional – like me I’m a makeup artist, I’m doing dancing, sometimes I’m doing singing, so always say that I’m multifunctional. You could try a lot of different things. Having different kind of job – you can meet a lot of different people when you having different kinds of job – to have different lifestyles.

Corrected + Upgraded Style

I definitely would say having different kinds of jobs is better/superior. Remember, you only live once — you only have one life —  and if you have only one job throughout your entire life it’s kind of boring. Take me for example, people always tell me/say that I’m a multifunctional person — I [possess]/have many different talents…why should I only use one of them for my entire life — there’s no personal growth there. I’m a makeup artist, a dancer, sometimes I even sing. I think this a better approach to life. Everyone should try a lot of different things. Also/Finally/To wrap things up/Additionally/And don’t forget when you have many jobs, you can meet a lot of different people and learn about different lifestyles.

Submit TOEFL writing responses as homework submissions

Eat at Yeshari – corner of Tianyaoqiao and East Nandan Road

Focus on a personal story – one personal story and expand on it

Try and compare/contrast things.

Continue TOEFL speaking exercise

Vocabulary

introverted / like to by themselves

social person / social people / socialize (verb)

e.g. I like to socialize when I go out drinking because I am a social person.

What do you miss most about your home when you are away? 

Original

When I am away from home, what I miss most are two things: my family and my hometown foodThe food is something that I can really live without – because there’s so different and special to me. Even if I’m in somewhere else I keep looking for my hometown food. Other things sm family because my grandma and my mom are the two most important tpeple to me so if I didn’t see them for so long I just miss them so much.

Corrected 

When I am away from home, what I miss most are two things: my family and my hometown food. The food is something that I can/can’t really live without – because it is so different and special to me. Even if I’m in somewhere else I keep looking for my hometown food. Other things I miss are my family because my grandma and my mom are the two most important people to me so if I didn’t see them for a long time I just miss them so much.

Original

When I am away from home the food I miss most is food from my hometown of Xinjiang. For example, let me tell you my favorite food: fried rice noodles. Because this is so special to me and so spicy normally people cannot take that spicy – I think Xinjiang is influenced by Middle Eastern food, so I love the spices of all the dishes in my hometown.

Corrected 

When I am away from home the food I miss most is food from my hometown of Xinjiang. For example, let me tell you my favorite food: fried rice noodles. Because this is so special to me and so spicy — normally people cannot take that type of spice / that much spice – also I think Xinjiang is influenced by Middle Eastern food, so I love the spices of all the dishes from my hometown.

Original

Let’s talk about my grandma because my Granda raised me up and actually she’s adorable elder person – because she’s very old now and her healthy is an issue so sometimes I just worry about there – and she is the one are most important to me. Her ears is not working so well. so every time I call her – she says what are you saying – but I really do want to visit her more often.

Corrected

Let’s talk about my grandma because my Grandma raised me up and actually she’s an adorable elderly person – but she’s very old now and her healthy is becoming an issue so sometimes I just worry about her life there / her – and she is the one of the most important people in my life. Her ears are not working so well these days so every time I call her – she says what are you saying – but I really do want to visit her more often. Family is really important to me so when I think of my hometown I immediately think of my grandmother.

Many universities now offer academic courses over the internet however some people still prefer learning in traditional classrooms, which is better explain why:

Original

I think traditional classroom is better because I think most people are need to connect with another and you should learn to social with many peoples so it provides an environment to improve your social skills in the future.

Corrected

I think traditional classrooms are better because I think most people have a need to connect with others. An important part of learning – for me at least, is not just what I am reading in a book, but also what I am learning from others. When you learn in a traditional classroom, it provides an environment to improve your social skills for the future — for example, I can speak with my teacher directly and ask for his guidance — where can I do this on the internet? There is no personal touch on the internet. 

Original

I think learning on internet is better because some people like me are not social people and we are just prefer to learning by ourselves and maybe that’s an easy way to focus on learning, and actually we can also social with people on the internet.

Corrected

I think learning on the internet is better because some people are like me — I’m an introvert, I’m not a social person, and like many others, I prefer to learn by myself. The internet provides a very easy way for introverted people like me to focus on learning — not on reckless classmates or students that are misbehaved and not interested in learning. And some people say you can’t make friends on the internet – well that’s not true – I can use chatrooms and technology to meet people from all over the world – you can’t do that in one classroom. 

Your Original Email

Who we are?
We are the first official house in mainland China. We are the KiKi House of Kawakubo, founded by Irina Milan in November 2018 and currently have seven members.

In the fall of 2016, Irina Milan came to China, and since then, members have gradually gathered to learn and progress together,. Then we formed the “Shanghai Vogue Crew”

Today, we have grown up together for more than two years, from the original “Shanghai Irina Vogue Crew” into a real vogue house. Members include all kinds of artist, professional dancers, stylists, makeup artists, programmers, botanists…etc

We are the promoters of voguing culture in China .We’ve all come together here to pursue the art and beauty of life, under the name “Kawakubo,” and we go on together.

The Journey of promoting Voguing in China

What is the House?

House originated in harlem in the mid-to-late last century, when LGBTQ people suffered discrimination, especially people of color and sexual minorities from third world countries.

Even so, they are filled with a desire for fashion, beauty and glory in their hearts. So they held an underground Activity and called it a “Ball”, in which people can released themselves to be who they really are or who they want to be, and displayed their posture in different styles. At the same time, some influential people in the community culture began to create their own family, namely House. They adopted many homeless sexual minority children, lived together, cared for each other, and won honor for the family in Ball together.

So far, many houses and their members have flourished in the dance and fashion industries all around the world, such as House of LaBeija (the first house in history, founded in 1969), House of Ninja (1982), House of Milan (1989), House of Xtravaganza (1982), and so on.

House is divided into Major (mainstream) and Kiki (underground). A person can only belong to one mainstream house and one underground house at the same time.

Your Edited Email

Who are we?
We are the first official house in mainland China. We are the KiKi House of Kawakubo, founded by Irina Milan in November 2018 and currently we have seven members.

In the fall of 2016, Irina Milan came to China, and since then members have gathered gradually to learn and progress together. Then we formed the “Shanghai Vogue Crew”

Today, we have grown up steadily for more than two years, from the original “Shanghai Irina Vogue Crew” into a real vogue house. Members include all kinds of artists, professional dancers, stylists, makeup artists, programmers, botanists…etc

We are the promoters of voguing culture in China. We’ve all come together here to pursue the art and beauty of life, under the name “Kawakubo,” and we go on together. [To say that you’ve “come together to do” something implies a forward-looking posture, so this part is unnecessary.]

The Journey of promoting Voguing in China

What is the a House?

“The House” (or “Houses”) originated in Harlem in the mid-to-late last century, when LGBTQ people suffered discrimination, especially those who were also people of color and sexual minorities or from third world countries.

Even so, they are filled with a desire for fashion, beauty and glory in their hearts. So they held an underground Activity and called it a “Ball”, in which people can released themselves feel free to be who they really are or who they want to be, and to displayed express themselves openly through their posture in different styles. At the same time, some influential people in the community culture began to create their own family, namely the House. They adopted many homeless sexual minority children, lived together, cared for each other, and won honor for the family in Ball together. [Without more explanation, I’m not sure what this phrase means, but it is clear that their actions as a House are honorable from the previous elements in the sentence. If you want to talk about winning prizes at walking events, then I would make a new sentence, because that seems to be a more individual thing. Bring this sentence to class if you want to discuss it in more detail.]

So far, many houses and their members have flourished in the dance and fashion industries all around the world, such as House of LaBeija (the first house in history, founded in 1969), House of Ninja (1982), House of Milan (1989), House of Xtravaganza (1982), and so on.

Ball Culture is divided into Major (mainstream) and Kiki (underground). A person can only belong to one mainstream house and one underground house at the same time.

Watch the movie Rocky Horror Picture Show and discuss it next next class.

Continue doing TOEFL prep. One class free speak, one class TOEFL prep.

Vocabulary

Transvestite- Kind of like a cross-dresser, someone who enjoys wearing women’s clothing but doesn’t necessarily want to be a woman.

e.g. In the Rocky Horror Picture Show, the main character Dr. Frankfurter is a transvestite.

Cult film- xuediandianying a movie that many people love and watch often, and usually know many of the words or lines.

e.g. Rocky Horror Picture Show is considered to be one of the best cult films

Over-the-top- When something is too much, kind of too dramatic, past the top point.

e.g. Her make-up was over the top, she was just going into the office that day!

Repress- When you keep something back or inside, especially about emotions.

e.g. in the movie, the couple repress their sexuality.

Frankenstein-  A novel that is about a Doctor who makes a monster.

e.g. Frankenstein is one of the most famous horror novels in the West.

Original

I’ve been busy for the Halloween, for the make up and costume for many events and I did a lot crazy stuff like i was doing makeup at the Vancouver film school in shanghai which is my best friend working so they threwing up a party like all the students has to create their own production like many students doing the movie character special effects and some of them are doing the creativity thing. and I’m the one who helping them to make the make-up perfectly. and I was doing mask make-up myself which is like half face mask and like floating on my face and I was pretty satisfied with my make-up.

Corrected

I was very busy during Halloween because I was doing make-up and costumes for many events and I did a lot crazy stuff, like i was doing makeup at the Vancouver film school in shanghai which my best friend works at. So they threw a party and all the students had to create their own production. Many students did their makeup like a movie character or some special effects and other creative things. and I’m the one who helped them to do the make-up perfectly. and I did the mask make-up myself which is like a half face mask  floating on my face and I was pretty satisfied with my make-up.

Vocabulary

Experiment- when you do scientific research to find out the results of something.

e.g. The scientists did an experiment to find

Van- A bigger kind of car that can sit 6-8 people.

e.g. I used a to van to move my furniture to my new apartment.

Broad-  Large, wide, a big variety of something.

e.g. I have a broad variety of interests like diving and playing the violin.

Specialize- To be very good at one thing.

e.g. I specialize in doing eye-makeup

Approach-A method, a way of doing something.

e.g. What is your approach to learning English, do you read every day or just do listening exercises?

Variety- a mix,  a group of something that is not the same.

e.g. There is a wide variety of students in my class, they come from all over the world, and from many different backgrounds.

Do both the writing tasks for next week!

Vocabulary

Campus-  The location of a university, where it’s buildings are.

e.g. Jiatong has a pudong campus and a puxi campus.

Anonymous- When someone’s identity is not known.

e.g. There is a hacker group called anonymous, no one knows who they are.

Donor- Someone who donates or gives money for free.

e.g. Bill Gates is the world’s leading donor.

Assumption- Something you think is true but don’t know for a fact.

e.g. People often make assumptions that I’m married because I wear a ring on my finger.

Lawn- A big area that has grass.

e.g. In China, you normally are not allowed to walk on the lawn.

Consensus- When everyone agrees on something.

e.g. There is a consensus that the earth has gotten hotter over the past 25 years.

Unanimously- All together, without any opinion against it.

e.g. We unanimously voted to  change our product design, everyone in the room said yes.

Competitor- someone who competes against you, who is trying to beat you at something.

e.g. Make-up Forever is  Bobbi Brown’s biggest competitor.

Do the Writing Exercise for TPo1

Vocabulary

Portfolio- Something that shows all of your professional work, like an artist.

e.g. If you’re a make-up artist, you must show them your personal portfolio before they can hire you.

Mechanical- Anything that has metal parts and moves around

e.g. The car seems to have some kind of mechanical problem

Accessible- That can be reached or seen

e.g. Lhasa is only accessible by airplane since it is very high up on the mountain.

Format- MP4 MP3 MVI JPG

e.g. What format did you save the movie in

https://www.4tests.com/exam/toefl/32/

Vocabulary

Imply-The meaning of something, what someone means.

e.g. Are you implying that I’m lying?

Extension- when you make something longer than it is, push a deadline back.

e.g. I couldn’t finish my homework so I asked for an extension.

Tuition- the money you pay to go to school

e.g. American Schools usually charge a very high tuition.

Debate- when two people each try to prove their point or opinion

e.g. When I was in high school I joined my school’s debate team.

Currency- Things to do with money RMB USD EURO BAHT

e.g. You are not allowed to bring in more than 10 000 USD in currency when traveling to China

Assign- To tell someone they have to do some kind of work

e.g. My manager assigns everyone their work every morning at 9 am.

Consuming- To use something

e.g. Counting how much money is in the store every day is very time-consuming, we almost always finish work late.

In someone’s shoes-  To understand what someone else is going through, to be in their life

e.g. Don’t judge someone without being in their shoes.

Deck- Balcony

Content-happy

Scuba diving- When you go deep underwater with extra air

Vocabulary

Where’s your ride?
Where did you park your ride?

Did you jack my phone?
My phone got jacked. = My phone got stolen.

Nice kicks.
Where’d ya getchyer kicks?

money = gold, or good idea
eg. Her idea was money.

I want to give props to my best friend for planning this amazing surprise birthday party for me!

Pronunciation

chin vs. chain

Grammar

way too many work to do – way too much work to do

Vocabulary

we take/do inventory every morning before the store opens

–

cold-calling n. – the activity of calling or visiting a possible customer to try to sell them something without being asked by the customer to do so

–

rebellious adj. – to be a rebel

–

bonus or perk n. – a gift when you do sth well

–

I want everything to go well.
I want everything to go smooth/smoothly.

Vocabulary

makeup artist

VFX (visual effects) artist

sandwich artist – Worker at Subway restaurant

one of my favorite artists (one of many)

my favorite artist  (only one)

I admire him

I look up to him

I did not expect that.     I didn’t expect to meet him.

That was unexpected. (I did not expect that situation)     Meeting him was totally unexpected.

been seeing someone – casually dating someone

eg: I’ve been seeing her for a few weeks, and she already wants to get married!

Last night was really crazy for me, I saw my idol at the place I work. Somebody told us some bosses will come to our store and visit. When they got there I recognized the one guy who in some videos I’ve been seeing on youtube. He is the global top artist in our cosmetics brand. Then I realized that guy is one of my favorite makeup artist, which is my idol. So then we had a greeting and had a conversation. I was totally unexpected that he was there. And that was completely shocked me. He’s so nice and really easy to get along with. I can’t really remember the details last night, I don’t know why. I was so excited and feel unbelievable.

Last night was really crazy for me, I met a famous makeup artist at the place I work. Somebody told us some bosses will come visit our store. When they got there I recognized one guy who I’ve been watching in some videos on youtube. He is a top global artist for our cosmetics brand. Then I realized that guy is one of my favorite makeup artists. So then he introduced himself and we had a conversation. I totally did not expect that he will be there, and that completely shocked me. He’s so nice and really easy to get along with. I can’t really remember the details from last night, I don’t know why. I was so excited and it was unbelievable.

Vocabulary

One way that some actors approach a role is called “method acting”

role – a chance to play a character as an actor, in a play or movie, or tv show.

eg: He had a big role in the play, he is the leading actor.

method acting – acting like that character, ALL THE TIME, until you are finished with the movie or play

What would your approach be, if you had to play(v.) Obama in a movie?

I would practice speaking in a low voice.

I would wear a white long sleeves long–sleeved shirt all the time.       would wearing     would be wearing

Stay with  Spend time with a woman who is looks like michelle obama.

I think that’s a good approach. Don’t forget to speak slowly and always be calm.

Vocabulary

approach n. – a way of doing sth
eg. Bobbi Brown’s approach to cosmetics is all about skincare first, then makeup.

–

one (sth) over – the next next sth
eg. One shop over is the Makeup Forever boutique.

Vocabulary

I ran here from work

I’ve worked there since last week.

Alphabet – All the letters of a particular language, English Alphabet has 26 letters, A,B,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l….

eg: Chinese language does not use an Alphabet. Korean language does use an Alphabet. Chinese language uses characters.

Alphabetize (V.) – to organize by the first letter of a word.

eg:     Ant,   Beer,   Cat,    Dog,   Elephant…..

eg: We need to alphabetize the books.

eg: The products are in alphabetical (ADJ) order. (They have been alphabetized)

Grammar

Have Done    (At least once before and finished,   UNLESS  you specify When, or How long)

Have been to (a place)  I’ve been to Japan.

I’ve eaten a snake.  (at least one time before, I ate a snake)

I’ve worked there.   (Maybe you only worked there before, maybe you still work there)   since , For(total amount of time)

I’ve worked there for a week.

Have been doing   (Continuous, from the past till now)

I’ve been dreaming about ice cream all day.

I’ve been eating cookies all afternoon.

Worked     (Finished action)

I worked there for a week.   (We know you don’t work there anymore)

Vocabulary

residence permit-居留许可证

peninsula (n): 1-a piece of land nearly surrounded by water or sticking out into the water. 2- 半岛.
E.g.: Dalian is in the south of the Liaodong Peninsula.

script (n): a set of letters used for writing a particular language.
E.g.: Arabic/Cyrillic/Roman script

diverse (adj): 1- including many different types of people or things. 2-very different from each other.
E.g.1: New York is a very culturally diverse city.
E.g.2: We hold very diverse views on the topic.

grease (n): 1-animal or vegetable fat that is soft after melting, or more generally, any thick oil-like substance.
E.g.: The dinner plates were thick with grease.

rib (n): 1-a bone that curves round from your back to your chest. 2-肋骨. 3-a piece of meat taken from this part of an animal
E.g.: My son broke a rib when he fell off a ladder.
E.g.: He cooked rib of lamb for Sunday lunch.

Vocabulary

additional source of income

hard to get around
get around (v): 1-to go from place to place. 2-to evade.
E.g.: Here you will prefer to get around by taxi.
Although tobacco ads are prohibited, companies get around the ban by sponsoring music shows

Evade (v): 1-to get away from or avoid by skill or trickery
E.g.: He tried to evade the embarrassing question.

firecracker (n): 1- 爆竹.
E.g.: The firecracker went Off with a bang.

Cambodia (n): 1-柬埔寨

photogenic (adj): 1-suitable for being photographed especially because of visual appeal. 2-上镜.
E.g.: My younger sister has a photogenic face.

Pronunciation

photogenic-ˌfō-tə-ˈje-nik

Vocabulary

She led the workshop

she held it

she taught it

that reminds me of

it’s the most impressive one I’ve seen

accentuate – to give emphasis or prominence to.

accent N. – a detail that is emphasized by contrasting with its surroundings

contrast – a difference between two things, in the look or style, for example, light and dark are contrasting colors

eg: Applying some high contrast to cheek bones, bridge of the nose, the chin and the brow bones can add more depth.

depth – 3d space, height, width, depth

eg: Without depth a person’s face could look flat and plain.

plain – very simple, without design, or style, often only one color.

eg: I just want plain cheese pizza.

eg: Her style is so plain, but it works for her.

optical illusion – an image you see that tricks your eye

eg: Mimi Choi is a makeup artist who makes optical illusions.

1.Mastering the basic make-up operation, product use, skin identification, professional makeup and literacy skills, know how to provide customers with access to quality experience. Have rich knowledge of make-up, real-time understanding of trends. Willing to help customers patiently answer all kinds of makeup and skincare knowledge or problem.
2.Understand the fashion, T, magazines, photography and other trends in front of the make-up elements, combined with makeup, hairstyles and fashion color matching art, with fashionable styling of sharpness and judgment.
3.Master studio shooting and backstage makeup makeup requirements, process and operation.

1.Trained in basic make-up techniques/operation, product use, skin identification, professional makeup and literacy skills, knows how to provide customers with access to quality experience. Has rich knowledge of make-up and quickly understands new trends. Willing to help/teach/educate/inform customers patiently to answer all kinds of makeup and skincare questions.
2.Knowledgeable in fashion, runway, magazines, photography and other make-up trends combined with hairstyles and fashion color matching art, with fashionable styling of sharpness and judgment.
3.Well experienced in studio shooting and backstage makeup requirements, process and operation.

Vocabulary

The final project was a 2-day photo shoot of the 4 looks.

–

On the last day of our photo shoot I almost:
broke down and cried because I was stressed out.
broke down in tears because I was overwhelmed with stressed. 

–

shoulder to shoulder / elbow to elbow

–

We over the time. – We finished late. / We didn’t finish on time. / We went over the allowed time.

Vocabulary

*shotgun= passenger seat in the front (beside the driver’s seat)  –> I call shotgun.

*come again? = can you say it again ?

*burping= (noun, act) a reflex that expels gas noisily from the stomach through the mouth

I think i am a very patient person. when me and my classmates go to practice, everybody finished but me, so i will get impatient. I think recently I have been very impatient. when i miss the bus or subway, that makes me so frustrated. one of my friend, she always ask me, “do you have time tonight? I want to go hangout, have some eating or shopping, when i reply ok, i think I’m free tonight, where you want to go? after half an hour, she responds me” I think i should just go home, i feel a little tired”, that really makes me so mad.

Revised

I think i am a very patient person. when me and my classmates go to practice, everybody finished but me, so i will become impatient. I think recently I have been very impatient. when i miss the bus or subway, that makes me very frustrated. one of my friend, she always asks me, “do you have time tonight? I want to go hangout, have some eating or shopping, when i reply ok, i think I’m free tonight, where do you want to go? after half an hour, she responds me” I think i should just go home, i feel a little tired”, that really makes me mad.

Vocabulary

Decoration (n): 1- the activity of making something look more attractive by putting things on it or around it, or something that you use to do this. (v: Decorate)
E.g.: He’s good at cake decoration.
E.g.: I love putting up Christmas decorations.
E.g.: I love decorating a new apartment.

Prevail (v): 1- to get control or influence.
E.g.: I am sure that common sense will prevail in the end.

Tear (v/n): 1- to pull or be pulled apart, or to pull pieces off.
E.g.: You have to be very careful with books this old because the paper tears very easily.

Politics (n): 1- the activities of the government, members of law-making organizations, or people who try to influence the way a country is governed:
E.g.: Joe is very active in politics.

Politician (n): 1- a member of a government or law-making organization.
E.g.: Harvey Milk was the first openly-gay politician in American history and was very important for the LGBTQ cause.

Cause (n): 1- a socially valuable principle that is strongly supported by some people.
E.g.: They are fighting for a cause – the liberation of their people.

Domestic Violence  (n): 1-  the situation in which someone you live with attacks you and tries to hurt you.
E.g.: She accused her husband domestic violence.

Consulate (n): 1- 领事馆

Grammar

If I don’t do that I will forgot. – If I don’t do that I will forget. 

Pronunciation

Mesmerize:/ˈmez.mə.raɪz/

Prevail: /prɪˈveɪl/

Etiquette: /ˈet̬.ɪ.kɪt/

Tear (n): /tɪr/

Tear (v/n): /ter/

Sophisticated: /səˈfɪs.tə.keɪ.t̬ɪd/

Write a short story or text with today’s words.

Vocabulary

trim = to make your hair or beard nicer by cutting small parts of it

mesmerize = attractive enough people can’t look at anything else

When I saw this girl dancing, I was mesmerized.

Seeing her walk is mesmerizing.

–

ornament = an accessory, an object used as jewelry or that decorates your room

prevail = to be very common

When looking for a job, online applications prevail. Nobody applies offline anymore.

Christianity prevails in the US. It’s the strongest religion in the country.

–

etiquette = the clear rules of good behavior in society

When eating with foreign customers, it is important to know table etiquette: wait until everyone has been served to start eating, use the smaller glass for wine, keep your hands on the table, use your knife to cut and not to tear, etc.

People will judge you on your knowledge of the etiquette.

–

sophisticated = classy, stylish, complex, complicated, experienced in fashion and culture

–

Vocabulary

mannequin (n): 1-a three-dimensional representation of the human body used especially for displaying clothes.
E.g.: That mannequin looks so real!

braid (n): 1-a length of something (hair) formed of three or more strands woven together.
E.g.: Until she was 15, she had a braid that reached to her knees.

hair straightener (n): 1-a tool we use to straighten curly hair.

hair curler(n): 1-a tool we use to curl the hair.

hair foam (n): 1-kind of a hair product we use to increase hair volume.

Vocabulary

an idiom = an expression, a way of saying things

Chengyus are 4-character idioms in Chinese.

Grammar

When a noun is used as an adjective, it is always singular.

A five-year old child is five years old.

“Pig” is a 3-letter word

My skincare routine

The first step I usually do cleaning. this step is the most because you have to keep your face clean. Then the after step

Usually in the morning I use my facial cleaner to keep my face and I use toner to hydrate my face. Then when my toner get drier, I use my hydrate serum because the serum could get deeper into your skin. After that, I will use the moisturizer to lock the water and afte the moisturizer, the sun screen is the must for everything.

I also use eye cream because my area is kinda dry. And sometimes I will use mask, like mud mask to do deep cleaning of you skin when you have some blemishes or over oil. And because, I would like to use mud mask to fix the problem. Then I will usually using the hydrate mask because the mud mask would take a lot of water of your skin, so you have to hydrate again.

–

I usually do cleaning for the first step, which is the most important because you have to keep your face clean.

Usually in the morning I use my facial cleaner to keep my face clean and I use toner to hydrate it. Then when my toner gets dry, I use my hydrating serum because it can get deeper into your skin. After that, I would use the moisturizer to lock the water and after the moisturizer, the sun screen is a must for everyday.

I also use eye cream because my eye area is kinda dry. And sometimes I will use a mask, like a mud mask to do a deep cleaning of my skin when I have some blemishes or too much oil on my face. I like to use a mud mask to fix the problem. Then I will usually use a hydrating mask because a mud mask would take a lot of water out of your skin, so you have to hydrate it again.

–

Vocabulary

get dry = to dry

My clothes have gotten dry. = My clothes have dried

Grammar

I will using –> I will use

Vocabulary

Ancient (adj):  -1. having existed for many years.  2- of or relating to a period of time long past.
E.g.: I went to an exhibition about ancient Egypt.

Emphasis (n): 1- the particular importance or attention that is given to something
E.g.: Schools here put great emphasis on written work and grammar.

Digital (adj): 1- using or relating to digital signals and computer technology.
E.g.: I took photos on my digital camera.

Normally, I went to school at 9 in the morning. Usually in the morning, we have demonstration class and the teacher tell us introduce products and tell us how to use them and do some demo. In the afternoon, we are gonna practicing, it’s only practicing I think. We have 7 students in the class, we have to do make up for each other. Like you can find another student and make a group and… In last week, we learn about how to apply the foundation and concealer, and contouring and we have homework everyday like find pictures that you think it’s pretty or teacher would tell us they want me to find some pictures about next class content. We also need to learn hair style, actually that’s kind of new for me. I’ve never done girls’ hair before. Before the hair class all the other students they think I’m gonna be the best student in this school, but when we started learn hair I just dumb as hell.

I really love this thing, I mean, I really want to improve myself especially for the hair. The most challenging thing is the hair but, I’m getting better. Teacher said that’s normal when you first time to do hair things. But if you do that after 2 times, 3 times you will be better and better. The easiest part is the makeup product… I almost use all of them product.

Normally, I go to school at 9 in the morning. Usually in the morning, we have a demonstration class where the teacher introduces products and shows/tells us how to use them. In the afternoon, we practice, it’s only practicing I think. We have 7 students in the class and we have to do each other’s make up. Like you can find another student and make a group and…

Last week, we learned about how to apply foundation, concealer, and contouring and we have homework everyday like finding pictures that you think are pretty or the teacher will tell us they want us to find some pictures about the next class’s topic/content.

We also need to learn hair styles/styling, actually that’s kind of new for me. I’ve never done girls’ hair before. Before the hair class all the other students thought I was gonna be the best student in this class, but when we started to learn hair, my hands were just dumb as hell.

I really love this experience, I mean, I really want to improve myself especially for hair. The most challenging thing is hair styling but, I’m getting better. The teacher said that’s normal when you first try something. But if you practice maybe you will be/get better and better. The easiest part is learning product knowledge because I almost use all of these/their products.

Use the vocabulary from today in some writing about dragonboat festival

Vocabulary

legend story – legend 

revolt – coup (v) – when a group tries to knock down the leader / government
revolution 
revolutionary – person

sent him into exile / banished him – to make someone leave a country / kingdom

remember her / commemorate him – to celebrate + remember sb

sweet / dessert < > savory
eg. we eat savory food for lunch and dinner, and sometimes we have sweet food for dessert and sometimes breakfast

raisin / sultana – pu tao gan

Vocabulary

Structure (n): 1- the way in which the parts of a system or object are arranged or organized, or a system arranged in this way.
E.g.: They have a very old-fashioned management structure.

Terminology (n): 1-  special words or expressions used in relation to a particular subject or activity.
E.g.: I’m very familiar with the industry’s terminology.

Empowering (adj): 1- Something that is empowering makes you more confident and makes you feel that you are in control of your life.
E.g.: For me, learning to drive was an empowering experience.

Participate (v): 1-  to take part in or become involved in an activity.
E.g.: She never participates in any of our discussions, does she?

Label (n/v): 1- a word or a phrase that is used to describe the characteristics or qualities of people, activities, or things, often in a way that is unfair.
E.g.: He seems to be stuck with the label of “troublemaker”.
E.g.: I don’t understand the need to always label people.

Grammar

I was started this Monday. – I started on Monday.

I stopped it for temporary. – I stopped it temporarily

My brain is tiring. – My brain is tired.

A foreigner woman. – A foreign woman.

Pronunciation

Obvious: /ˈɑːb.vi.əs/

Grammar

be 15 minutes late

You can’t be more than 5 minutes late.

–

today happened interesting thing –> Something interesting happened today.

–

我说到哪了 – Where was I ? Where were we ?

Vocabulary

fate, destiny 缘分 = something that is bound to happen, no matter what

–

a movie set = where a movie is shot

–

ultraviolet rays = rays from the sun that can harm your skin (violet = purple 紫, ultra = very)

English numbers are read by groups of 3 : (from comma to comma 从逗号到逗号)

2,140,026,900 = 2 billion 140 million 26 thousand 900

–

The Matrix = a movie in 3 parts about hackers and coders

–

焦虑 anxious

When the teacher entered the room, everyone became a bit nervous.

Vocabulary

content = 内容

When you translate a text, you often pay attention to the grammar and vocabulary but not a lot to the content.

–

combination skin = skin that combines dryness and oiliness

–

sensitive skin = skin that gets injuries or rashes easily

–

rash = strong itches that often turn red 疱疹

–

a moustache = a fine line of hair under your nose

–

a beard = all the hair of from your nose to your to your neck

–

–

serum = essence = the most important part of a liquid

–

ultraviolet rays = 紫外线

Sunscreen blocks ultraviolet rays.

File attached: How to take care of your hair

Vocabulary

helmet – hard hat to protect your head while riding a bike, motorcycle, snowboard, skiing
eg. A lot of people don’t wear helmets when they ride bikes or scooters in Shanghai.

Vocabulary

ironed adj.
eg. his shirt is ironed and ready to wear.

Sunshine can kill the bad things for your health… dry faster. –   Sun kills the bacteria/germs and dries clothes faster and more energy efficient. 

in an instant – immediately
eg. The delivery guy left in an instant. 

baker – person who bakes bread

butcher – person who cuts meat

combination – mixture

Vocabulary

If I’m in a group of people I’m the one that gets bit by mosquitos / attacked / eaten.

Chemicals are bad for your health.
There are chemicals in cigarettes.

The science class we took in high school was called chemistry.

That couple really likes each other, they have chemistry. / They are like magnets.

That dance instructor is electric, he is very active, entertaining, alive, very exciting as if by electric shock. 

Were you like this X time ago? = asking about personality, what were you like at that time?
eg. You are cool, confident and fashionable. Were you like this 10 years ago? 

give off a vibe – have a certain energy or way about you
eg. Max gives off a calm, cool, relaxed energy/vibe.

Vocabulary

founded – originally started
eg. Din Tai Fung was founded in Taipei, Taiwan.

founder/s – people who founded sth

dangerous slang – not good for you
eg. It’s dangerous that Celeste’s favorite chips are now sold in China. She better watch her weight.
eg. Makeup Forever just opened a new shop across the street from Max’s apartment. That’s dangerous.

snack/s vs. snake

puke / vomit / throw up

Vocabulary

tour / touring / toured / will tour
eg. We have already toured Shanghai.

flow – when sth is continuous
eg. The class flow was nice, not too fast not too slow.

Vocabulary

Do you remember last time I told you my roommate bad luck day? Kind of same thing happened to me. I had my worst day in my life on the past holiday. Honestly, I am supposed to be Chengdu this time but now I’m here it’s because I missed my flight twice in a day. OMG, can you believe that? Jesus. I was so sad because I lost my ID card on my way to the airport because, you know, Labor Day, definitely has lot of tourist. That day was crazy. My ID card was in my bag when took the subway to the airport and there a station to change so I get out the subway which only go to the airport. So, when I was waiting the second train there is a policeman who wanted me show him my ID card. I take my ID card from my bag and showing him and after that I put my ID card in my pocket because I think there is only one station to the airport and I don’t have to put it in my bag again…

Edited

Do you remember last time I told you about my roommate‘s bad luck/day? The same thing kind of happened to me. I had the worst day in my life this past holiday. Honestly, I am supposed to be in Chengdu now but I’m here because I missed my flight twice in one day. OMG, can you believe that? Jesus. I was so sad because I lost my ID card on my way to the airport because, you know,  Labor Day is a holiday and there are definitely a lot of people off of work and tourists traveling. That day was crazy. My ID card was in my bag when I took the subway to the airport. So, when I got off the subway to transfer to the airport shuttle a policeman wanted me to show him my ID card. I took my ID card from my bag and showed it to him and after that I put my ID card in my pocket because I thought there was only one station to the airport and I didn’t have to put it in my bag again…

Next Class: Edit the speaking below.

Vocabulary

sneeze – achoo!

My nose is runny. – liquid coming from your nose

write a statement – formally write on a document for the police

temporary ID card – ID card for short period of time

terminal/s – similar to a station

Do you remember last time I told you my roommate bad luck day? Kind of same thing happened to me. I had my worst day in my life on the past holiday. Honestly, I am supposed to be Chengdu this time but now I’m here it’s because I missed my flight twice in a day. OMG, can you believe that? Jesus. I was so sad because I lost my ID card on my way to the airport because, you know, Labor Day, definitely has lot of tourist. That day was crazy. My ID card was in my bag when took the subway to the airport and there a station to change so I get out the subway which only go to the airport. So, when I was waiting the second train there is a policeman who wanted me show him my ID card. I take my ID card from my bag and showing him and after that I put my ID card in my pocket because I think there is only one station to the airport and I don’t have to put it in my bag again…

Vocabulary

now the dollar is 1 to 7 yuan

so it’s 80 times 7     80 X 7.  about 560 yuan

Gb – gigabytes    Gigs

mb – megabytes   Megs

kg – kilogram    Kilos

km – kilometer

5K – five thousand

5 grand – five thousand

timing or rhythm

upper body strength

Pronunciation

App –   A.P.P.

P.S. – photoshopped

ppt – presentation/slideshow

Vocabulary

munchies n. – when you are hungry usually when you are bored or high

eg. I have the munchies.

matte vs. shiny

Avocados are black or dark green on the outside, shiny, and bumpy.  They are shaped like pears or peaches.

Inside there is a big dark brown seed and green and yellow flesh/meat. The texture is smooth and creamy like butter. 

In the midnight there are gonna be a club. – At midnight, it turns into a club.

Help your roommate:

OMG, next time you need help with anything, next time you have any questions, ASK ME!

feel free to ask me anything

That sucks! – that was bad

What a crappy day/driver/sth!

What a shitty sth! – THE WORST

NO FUCKING WAY! – when sth is unbelievable

Vocabulary

That dance class was off the hook / off the chain.

That dance class was lit.

____ is my shit. = sth I’m really good at or sth you really love

For music: This song ____ is my jam 

Vocabulary

Cooking at home is more delicious than going out (to eat/to a restaurant).
My cooking is better than restaurant food. 

crush on sb – Avril Lavigne was the first artist that we both crushed on when we were younger.

idolise / idolising / idolized / will idolise v.- to regard with blind adoration, devotion / to worship as a god

eg. We both grew up listening to Avril Lavigne and we both idolise her.

eg. Max idolizes Pink, Madonna, and Lady Gaga.

Vocabulary

daily basis – sth you do every day

eg. Wearing dark or over the top makeup on a daily basis is too much.

knock-off/s n. – fake product, not real

eg. Many men sell knock-off items on the subway when you go to Disneyland.

eg. Celeste bought many knock-offs at the fake market under the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.

Did you ride all the rides? = Did you ride all the attractions?

Grammar

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

We have been having problems for a while.

I have been having English classes for a while.

I have been having social issues for a while.

I have been having good days lately.

I have been having lunch in my office lately.

Vocabulary

telephone – office or home phone

cell phone / mobile (mo bull  )  phone / phone

phone / phoning / phoned / will phone verb – to call

eg. I phoned her last week.

need (now) vs. needed (past)

eg. I need to go to the bathroom. vs. I needed to go to the bathroom. ( I needed to go to the bathroom but now I don’t need to go. Now, I am ok)

eg. I need something to eat. vs. I needed something to eat. (I needed something to eat but now I’m not hungry.)

eg. I need you. vs. I needed you (I needed you but you weren’t available MANY POSSIBILITIES)

I want you to be my assistant. vs. I wanted you to be my assistant. (I wanted you to be my assistant but now the position is filled)

Vocabulary

Grammar

use of “having”

I’m having a party.

I’m having a blast.

I’m having dinner now/tomorrow ….

Susan had been having a hard time when Peter decided to give her a helping hand

Base Form have / Past Simple had / Past Participle had / Gerund having

PRESENT SIMPLE

We often have guests over for dinner.

PRESENT SIMPLE PASSIVE

Showers are often had in the morning.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Peter is having breakfast at the moment.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS PASSIVE

Breakfast is being had in the dining room this morning.

PRESENT PERFECT

He has had a lot of luck!

PRESENT PERFECT PASSIVE

Meals have been had in the dining room this month.

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

We have been having problems for a while.

PAST SIMPLE

Alice had a shower before she left for work.

PAST SIMPLE PASSIVE

Lunch was had on the balcony last Saturday.

PAST CONTINUOUS

We were having lunch when she telephoned.

PAST CONTINUOUS PASSIVE

Lunch was being had when she telephoned.

PAST PERFECT

Oliver had already had lunch when I arrived.

PAST PERFECT PASSIVE

Lunch had already been had when the guests arrived.

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Susan had been having a hard time when Peter decided to give her a helping hand.

FUTURE (WILL)

You will have a good time!

FUTURE (WILL) PASSIVE

A good time will be had by all!

FUTURE (GOING TO)

We are going to have a great time at the park.

FUTURE (GOING TO) PASSIVE

A great time is going to be had by all the guests.

FUTURE CONTINUOUS

This time tomorrow we will be having lunch on the beach.

Use the verb “to have” to conjugate the following sentences. Quiz answers are below. In some cases, more than one answer may be correct.

Meals _____in the dining room this month.
We often _____ guests over for dinner.
We _____ problems for a while.
Oliver _____ already _____ lunch when I arrived.
You _____ a good time!
This time tomorrow we _____ lunch on the beach.
If she _____ any problems, she would have asked Jack for help.
Lunch _____ when she telephoned.
Alice _____ a shower before she left for work.
He _____ a lot of luck in his life.

QUIZ ANSWERS

have been had
have
have been having
had had
will have
will be having
had had
was being had
had
has had

Vocabulary

It’s not easy/difficult to take her class.

Her classes are exclusive/limited.

The floor performances always leave my knees bruised. They are always black/blue/purple/green! 

Pronunciation

daniel ( dan – yull )

danielle ( dan – yell )

Grammar

talk to/with sb about sth/sb

keep doing sth / kept doing sth 

eg. She kept swearing because she was angry.

eg. I kept asking questions.

Review the vocabulary below and be prepared to make example sentences in your next class.

Vocabulary

practically adv. – almost / basically / pretty much

eg. She practically broke up with her boyfriend over their stupid argument.

eg.  I practically fell down the stairs this morning.

eg. I finished my choreography practically.

adventure – exciting or unusual experience

venture n. – sth you do and you don’t know the outcome/result

venture / venturing / ventured / will venture – to dare to do sth

eg. Max studied dance and music when he was in university. Now, he is venturing into being a makeup artist.

enriched – a lot of sth / full of sth

residue – sth that remains after being removed

Pronunciation

choreographer ( core – E – AW – gruf – fer )

choreograph ( core – E – uh – graf )

Vocabulary

admissions office – place and people who review applications and accept or deny new students

eg. I spoke with the admissions office and they said I could start next month.

tutor – one on one learning usually in the home

instructor = teacher

I mean, I’m with an American guy or whatever, we are roommates, right? So I think we should know each other better and get closer it helps to us to help each other. Because, we shared the room so there are lots of things we need to work with like the house cleaning and some situations like last week my South Africa roommate, the toilet is stuck and he doesn’t know how to make that work. He didn’t ask anybody she just bought some a bottle of cleanser and put it into the toilet. He probably think that’s gonna work to make that work but actually, it doesn’t. So, I go outside to bought a tool and I made that work. And I put that tool next to the toilet and I think maybe he will notice that and use that but actually it doesn’t happen and the toilet stuck again and again. That drive me crazy because I have to fix that. So that’s the point, of what I said. Make us to get familiar is better to live with each other.

Edited

I mean, I live with an American guy (or whatever,) we are roommates, right? So I think we should get to know each other better and become closer because it helps us (to) help each other. Because, we share an apartment, so there are lots of things we need to work on together (on) like the house cleaning and some other situations. Like last week the toilet was stuck and my South African roommate didn’t and still doesn’t know how to fix it. He didn’t ask anybody and he just bought a bottle of toilet cleaner and poured it/some in the toilet. He probably thought that’s gonna work but actually, it didn’t. So, I went outside to buy a plunger and I fixed the toilet. And I put that plunger next to the toilet and I thought maybe he will notice that and use that but actually it hasn’t happen and the toilet got stuck again and again. That drives me crazy because I have to fix that. So that’s the point, of what I said. To become familiar with each other is better for our living situation / lives / us to live together. 

help me, help you / scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours

Write a short story about what confuses you about Western culture.

Yesterday it was good because I was free and my American roommate free too. So we planded to buy something for cooking. We went to a lot of store or market then we planned to buy something for making burger and tacos. I ask him to teach me that. We made tacos yesterday and that was delicious and good experience. But, there’s one thing I can’t understand because when we walking down to the road, that was so awkward because we don’t have any conversation. I tried to make conversations but always just short and stop and silence. That makes me feel so uncomfortable. Another one, that I hate is some foreigners they don’t reply me on message or we chat. It happens a lot maybe they’re forgot or they don’t know how to answer me. Don’t reply me I feel is so impolite and because in Chinese culture if you don’t reply the message that’s rude. So, that’s what I very confusing about. I wish maybe I think if you know each other means you have a destiny. If you like this person, you should be more closer or warmer to each other.

Edited

Yesterday was good because I was free and my American roommate was free too/as well. So we planned to buy some things to cook/for lunch/for dinner. We went to a lot of stores and marketsthen we planned to buy some things to make burgers and tacos. I asked him to teach me that/I asked him to teach me how to cook tacos. We made tacos yesterday and they were delicious andit was a good experience. But, there’s one thing I can’t understand which is when we were walking down the road, it was so awkward because we didn’t have any communication. I tried to make conversation but it was always just short, quick and then there was silence. That makes me feel so uncomfortable.

Another thing that I hate is when some foreigners don’t reply to my we chat messages.

It happens a lot, maybe they forgot or they don’t know what to say./how to answer me.

I feel it’s so impolite if they don’t reply because in Chinese culture if you don’t reply to the message or to somebody, that’s rude. So, that’s what I’m very confused about. I think if you don’t dislike a person, you should be closer or warmer to each other.

Vocabulary

TV/radio commercial = advertisement

(movie) previews = short clips of a movie before the actual movie

safety tips = fire escape plan, earth quake plan

Next Class: Continue editing the story below.

Yesterday it was good because I was free and my American roommate free too. So we planded to buy something for cooking. We went to a lot of store or market then we planned to buy something for making burger and tacos. I ask him to teach me that. We made tacos yesterday and that was delicious and good experience. But, there’s one thing I can’t understand because when we walking down to the road, that was so awkward because we don’t have any conversation. I tried to make conversations but always just short and stop and silence. That makes me feel so uncomfortable. Another one, that I hate is some foreigners they don’t reply me on message or we chat. It happens a lot maybe they’re forgot or they don’t know how to answer me. Don’t reply me I feel is so impolite and because in Chinese culture if you don’t reply the message that’s rude. So, that’s what I very confusing about. I wish maybe I think if you know each other means you have a destiny. If you like this person, you should be more closer or warmer to each other.

Edited

Yesterday was good because I was free and my American roommate was free too/as well. So we planned to buy some things to cook/for lunch/for dinner. We went to a lot of stores and markets then we planned to buy some things to make burgers and tacos. I asked him to teach me that/I asked him to teach me how to cook tacos. We made tacos yesterday and they were delicious and it was a good experience. But, there’s one thing I can’t understand which is when we were walking down the road, it was so awkward because we didn’t have any communication. I tried to make conversation but it was always just short, quick and then there was silence. That makes me feel so uncomfortable.

Another thing that I hate is when some foreigners don’t reply to my we chat messages.

TBC

It happens a lot maybe they’re forgot or they don’t know how to answer me. Don’t reply me I feel is so impolite and because in Chinese culture if you don’t reply the message that’s rude. So, that’s what I very confusing about. I wish maybe I think if you know each other means you have a destiny. If you like this person, you should be more closer or warmer to each other.

Vocabulary

Bashment/Dancehall – a type of music from Jamaica (e.g. One of my favourite genres of music is Dancehall.)

Genre – is a type of music, film or book. (e.g. There are many different genres of music, all of which have very different styles.)

Horror – scary movie

Science-fiction (sci-fi) – set in the future, usually based loosely on science (e.g. My favourite sci-fi movie is the Matrix.)

Action – a movie that has a lot of explosions, guns and violence.

Thriller 

Comedy 

Romance 

Rom-Com

Graphic – Can use when describing a movie that is very bloody with a lot of violence

Re-boot – when something, like a movie, is re-made

Sequel – the next movie in a series.

Vocabulary

Weather (n): 1- the conditions in the air above the earth such as wind, rain, or temperature, especially at a particular time over a particular area.
E.g.: The weather in the mountains can change very quickly.

Climate (n): 1- the general weather conditions usually found in a particular place.
E.g.: The Mediterranean climate is good for growing citrus fruits and grapes.

Pollution (n): 1- damage caused to water, air, etc. by harmful substances or waste.
E.g.: The Chinese government is trying to create policies to fight air pollution

Uneducated (adj): 1- having received little or no education.
E.g.: 

Smog (n): 1- a mixture of smoke, gases, and chemicals, especially in cities, that makes the atmosphere difficult to breathe and harmful for health.
E.g.: Smog is a major problem in Shanghai.

Infuriate (v): 1- to make someone extremely angry:
E.g.: His attitude infuriates me.

Furious (adj): 1- extremely angry.
E.g.: I was late and he was furious with me.

Original: 

What I not like about Chinese peoople.

I hate people throw garbage everywhere, spit on the street, speak very loud and even couples fighting in public. First of all, some chinese people don’t care the environment is good or not, they just do whatever they want, no matter how the government advocating to protect nature. That’s really bad because these people are careless.

Edited:

What I don’t like about Chinese people.

I hate people who throw garbage everywhere, spit on the street, speak very loud and couples who fight in public. First of all, some Chinese people don’t care about the environment, so they just do whatever they want, no matter how much the government tries to teach them to protect nature. That’s really bad because these people are careless.

Write a short story using the vocabulary below.

Vocabulary

I’ve never tried/had authentic Taiwanese food, so I don’t know if it/JingJiang was real/authentic.

That’s really bad for the environment. / That’s a waste of paper. 

There are ayis outside of Jing’An Temple offering  fortune telling / palm reading.

What do you not like about Western culture/westerners/foreigners?

I bumped into sb, I apologized/I said I was sorry and she rolled her eyes at me. 

RBF = resting bitch face AKA poker face

Vocabulary

To curl (use a curling iron) – to make your hair curly (e.g. I want to curl my hair before going to the party.)

To straighten (use a straightener) – to make your hair straight (e.g. I want to straighten my hair because it is too frizzy.)

To perm – to make your hair curly using chemicals (e.g. Perming your hair too much is bad for your skin.)

Volume (hair) – how big your hair looks (e.g. There are many hair products that can help to add volume to your hair style.)

Thin/thick – how much hair you have (not talking about length) (e.g. I have thick hair.)

Soft/brittle – brittle means hard hard. (e.g. Everyday I have to use special hair products in order to make my hair soft.)

Strengths/weaknesses – good things and bad things. (e.g. You have to understand your strengths and weaknesses in order to improve yourself.)

Star sign – means horoscope (e.g. Max’s sun and moon sign are Aquarius. This is his star sign.)

http://www.0800-horoscope.com

Write a short story with the vocab or 2-3 example sentences for each new vocab below.

Vocabulary

see – to watch with your eyes

seek – to look for

eg. I’m playing hide and seek.

eg. What are you seeking for?

eg. He doesn’t know who his parents are. He is seeking them.

eg. Many young artists in LA are seeking fame and fortune.

fortune – wealth / a lot of money or property / luck

eg. She has good fortune.

wealthy – nicer way to say rich

eg. There are many wealthy businessmen in China.

forwards – wang qian zou

backwards – wang hou zou

towards – to go to sth

seem

eg. Max seems to be feeling better.

Grammar

Past Perfect Continuous = S + had been + v-ing + O

eg. I had been biting  my tongue when I spoke.

eg. I had been bleeding from my nose when I fell down on the ground.

eg. I had been breaking my car when I crashed.

eg. I had been bringing a cup of coffee when I went to the/my school.

eg. I had been choosing the product when I went to the market.

Future Perfect Continuous = S + will have been + v-ing + O

eg. I will have been biting my tongue when I speak.

eg. I will have been bleeding from my nose when I fall down on the ground.

eg. I will have been breaking my car when I crash.

eg. I will have been bringing a cup of coffee when I go to the/my school.

eg. I will have been choosing the product  when I go to the market.

Vocabulary

I don’t feel like doing sth = I don’t want to do sth

eg. I don’t want to go out. = I don’t feel like going out.

eg. I don’t want to talk to them. = I don’t feel like talking to them.

eg. I don’t want to take the subway. = I don’t feel like taking the subway.

eg. I don’t want to eat the pizza. = I don’t feel like eating the pizza.

eg. I don’t want to jump into the river. = I don’t feel like jumping into the river.

Grammar

Past Perfect (past participle verb) = S + had + ppv+ O

eg. I had bitten my tongue when I spoke.

eg. I had bled my nose when fell down the ground. – I had bled from my nose when I fell down on the ground.

eg. I had broken my car when I crashed.

eg. I had brought a cup of coffee when I went to the/my school.

eg. I had chosen the product  when I went to the market.

Present Perfect = S + have/has + ppv + O

eg. I have bitten my tongue.

eg. I have bled my nose. – I have bled from my nose.

eg. I have broken my car.

eg. I have brought a cup of coffee.

eg. I have chosen the product.

Future Perfect = S + will have +ppv + O

eg. I will have bitten my tongue when I spoke. – I will have bitten my tongue when I speak.

eg. I will have bled my nose when fell down the ground. – I will have bled from my nose when I fall down on the ground.

eg. I will have broken my car when I crashed. – I will have broken my car when I crash.

eg. I will have brought a cup of coffee when I went to the school. – I will have brought a cup of coffee when I go to the school.

eg. I will have chosen the product when I went to the market. – I will have chosen the product when I go to the market.

Present Perfect Continuous = S + will have/has been + v-ing + O

eg. I have been biting my tongue when I speak.

eg. I have been bleeding from my nose when I fall down on the ground.

eg. I have been breaking my car when I crash.

eg. I have been bringing a cup of coffee when I go to the/my school.

eg. I have been choosing the product  when I go to the market.

Vocabulary

Coincidence – when something happens that is very lucky but unplanned. (e.g. It was a complete coincidence  that I found a foreign roommate.)

Deposit – the money you have to pay your landlord before you can move in. (e.g. Usually landlords in Shanghai will ask you to pay 2 months deposit in advance.)

Edited:

I think dancing is important for people because it can exercise your body and improve your health. It also can train your brain by improving your eye hand coordination, balance and reaction speed. My favourite things about dancing are that it that builds your confidence, character and emotional expression. Dancing has definitely changed my personality.

Original:

I think dancing is important for people because dancing could exercise your body to get more health, and it also can practice human’s brain that to improve your coordination, balance and reaction speed. I feel the best things to me from dancing, It’s that build your confidence, character and emotion. dancing is definitely changes my person

Vocabulary

Differentiate – make yourself different from other people. (e.g. You need to think hard about how you will differentiate yourself from the other job applicants.)

Applicant – someone who applies for something (e.g. When I arrived at the office I was surprised to see so many applicants trying to get the job position.)

Industry – a particular group of businesses that are similar. (e.g. I have worked for many different companies in the entertainment industry: dance studios, clubs, bars, agencies and so on.)

Propa (pr-o-pa) – English slang for the word proper, meaning something is correct or good. (e.g. This is what I call a propa cup of tea.)

Edited:

I have liked the entertainment industry my whole life because my mum is such a good singer and she inspires me so much. When I was in high-school, one of my friends introduced me to hip hop, street and jazz dance. I was totally attracted to dance so I started learning hip hop and jazz and continued for a really long time. Then finished high-school, my mum and I decided to go to a music college in Xi’an. My mum knows me and that I love singing so I started learning to sing in college for 4 years. After I graduated, I felt that Xi’an definitely couldn’t satisfy me so I decided to come to Shanghai to improve my skills. Now I have been in Shanghai improving my skills for 1 year so now I’m starting my new life in the entertainment industry.

Original:

I have liked the entertainment industry my whole life because my mum is such a good singer and she inspire me so much. When I was in highschool one of my friends introduced me to what is hip hop, street dance and jazz. I was totally attracted to dance so I started learn hip hop and jazz for really long time. Then finished highschool, my mum and I decide to go to the music colleague in xi’an. My mum knows me I love singing so I started learn singing in highschool for 4 years and after I graduated I felt Xi’an is definitely couldn’t satisfy me so I decide to came to Shanghai for improve my skills. Then I learn them like 1 year and now I’m to start a new life.

Vocabulary

Resume

Oral and Written focus on Business English

Pop vocal coach/trainer for young aspiring artists (middle school students)

dance instructor to…TBC

aspire – to aim or strongly seek to be sth

eg. I aspire to be an amazing dancer.

use your resources / take advantage of your situation

Vocabulary

Realtor (n): 1- a person whose job is to arrange the sale, renting or management of homes, land and buildings for the owners.
E.g.: If you are looking for a new apartment, I can introduce you to a very good realtor I know.

Real Estate property in the form of land or buildings:
E.g.: We’re going to buy a piece of real estate.

Requirement something that you must do, or something you need:
E.g.: A good degree is a minimum requirement for many jobs.

Academy (n): 1- an organization intended to protect and develop an art, science, language, etc., or a school that teaches a particular subject or trains people for a particular job.
E.g.: He’s studying at the National Academy of Arts.

Grammar

More good, more easy. – Better and easier. 

Pronunciation

Resume: /ˈrez.ə.meɪ/

Vocabulary

Retail store/shop – a shop you can buy things in (e.g. I am trying to get a job at a retail store like Sephora.)

Freelance work – when you work contract to contract and not with only one company. (e.g. I want to do what I love so I hope to become a freelance makeup artist one day.)

Door to door salesman – someone who goes from one door to another door trying to sell something. (e.g. Some companies use door to door salesman to sell their products directly to customers.)

Day to day – one day to another day (e.g. I try to live day to day and not think too much about the future.)

Cold call – when you call someone for the first time (e.g. When I was doing sales for a company I had to do 100 cold calls every day, it destroyed my soul.

Next Class: Review the story and grammar below.

Vocabulary

They can use the app. – It is on the app. / You can find this bar on the app.

I can use the app at Revolucion / I can use the app there.

This spring makes everything so fresh as a beginning of this year. It’s hardly to do nothing changes for this new start. So when i came back to SH. The frist thing I do that was made a decision to moving into a new flat which’s in Wuding road,Jin’an. Live in Jin’an is much more convenient to do everything than I live in Pudong. Because all my courses that I have to go everyday is nearby. You have no idea how convenience it is. It makes my days are more productive because Jin’an is a big business district. I’m not very into live in residential areas but the Franch Concession. My cousin live in there right now and i love that place so much, because the street view there is so old fashion of SH . Maybe next time i would be move there.

Edited

This spring makes everything so fresh at the beginning of this year. I am making changes for this new start. So when i came back to SH, the first thing I did was make the decision to move into a new flat (which is) on Wuding road in Jin’an. To live/Living in Jin’an is much more convenient to do anything than when I lived in Pudong because all my courses that I have to go to everyday are nearby my place. You have no idea how convenient it is. It makes my days more productive because Jin’an is a big business district. I’m not very into living in residential areas / I’m not willing to live in residential areas except the French Concession. My cousin lives there right now nd i love that place so much, because the street views are so old fashioned. Maybe next time i will move there.

Grammar

I can’t do nothing. – I can’t do anything. / I can do nothing.

I won’t not go. = I will go.

Grammar

People think whacking is just about the arms but people ignore feet. –People think whacking is just about the arms and they ignore the feet. 

Whacking is a dance that new to China.  Whacking is becoming more and more famous/popular in China.

That studio is one of the more famous ones that’s in Shanghai.

Original

Just like throwback to 2 Years ago, last night I was totally being a “fan girl” again!!! I can’t help myself , I’m still feel so excited that I could had her class again. This woman who has literally great influence in my life. She sharing the world how passion and creativity she is and looking for inspiration all around the world with dancing.I also love the way of her teaching, she always been so strict to all the students and the attitude of dancing, It’s reaaally good for us, thank you Lockeroo! so HAPPY I could speechless. love her so much!

Edited

It was like a throwback to 2 years ago, last night I was totally being a “fan girl” again!!! I just couldn’t help myself. I still feel excited about having taken her class again. This woman who has literally had a huge  influence on my life. She shares with the world how passionate  and creative she is. She looks for dancing inspiration all around the world. I also love the way  she teaches because she is always so strict.

When the students are in class their. It’s reaaally good for us, thank you Lockeroo! so HAPPY I could speechless. love her so much!^^^ to be edited

Lina’s essay -as requested

(Question: In many countries, average life expectancy has been increasing. What problems will this cause for individuals and for society as a whole? Suggest some solutions.)

Many countries have been developing their science industries and technologies since the 21st century. The average life expectancy of humans are benefited by these breakthroughs especially in medical science and technology. It brings about some problems for not only individuals but also society as a whole.  —-You

First of all, if humans could live longer, the population would increase exponetially. This could cause a dwindling of our necessary resources like food, fuel and water. In addition, the increasing number of our/the older generation would cause a heavy burden for the working generations contributing to the social security benefits for the retirees.  This could greatly affect the individual if a higher tax is implemented.

Write a short story using the vocab below. Focus on your grammar and simple, native sentences. Upload your writing to the website.

Review

Tonight I’m going to have a productive dance class.

I made a decision to eat burger this lunch. – I made a decision to eat a burger for lunch today. / Today, for lunch I made a decision to eat a burger.  / I decided to eat a burger for lunch today. (native)

She decided to marry him.

Tonight, I’m going to a course with my favorite teacher.

I want to take a makeup course.

There are so many restaurants around my place so its so convenient for me.

There is a big supermarket below my apartment. It’s so convenient to buy stuff.

I used to live in Pudong District so there except Lujiazui are all residential area.  – I used to live in Pudong District and except for Lujiazui, it is all residential areas.

I used to live in a residential area in Pudong. (native)

Xintiandi is a very famous place in Former French Concession in Shanghai.

I usually watch YouTube videos to learn how to do my own makeup.

Vocabulary

Productive (adj): 1- having positive results or doing many things in a certain amount of time.
E.g.: We had a very productive meeting.

Decision (n): 1- a choice that you make about something after thinking about several possibilities.
E.g.: She has had to make some very difficult decisions.

Decide (v): 1- to choose something, especially after thinking carefully about several possibilities.
E.g.: They have to decide by next Friday.

Course (n): 1- a set of classes or a plan of study on a particular subject, usually leading to an exam or qualification.
E.g.: I’d like to take a writing course when I retire.

Convenient (n): 1- suitable for your purposes and needs and causing the least difficulty:
E.g.: I like to live in Jing’an, because it’s a very convenient area.

Residential (n): 1- A residential road, area, etc. has only private houses, not offices and factories.
E.g.: Rents in residential areas are lower than in the business district.

French Concession (n): 1- 上海法租界

Grammar

(Original – Edited)

How to do make up to yourself – How to do your own make up.

Review Step 1 and Step 2. Think of a way to use the rest of the vocabulary.

Next class: Continue telling the story below.

I have a fast metabolism.

I can hardly breathe.

Vocabulary

skin metabolic rate – skin’s etabolic rate measures how fast your cells talk to one another, respond, and take action.

My Workout Routine

Every time when I go to dance the first important thing is stretch because you need your body to get warm. Otherwise, you will get injured.  Then you will hardly dance.

TBC

Pronunciation

worm ( were m  )

warm ( wOR m )

Vocabulary

metabolism – xin cheng dai xie

carbs / carbohydrate – tan shui hua he wu

protein – dan bai zhi

injury – hurt a part of your body
eg. if I get an injury

injured 
eg. if i get injured i’ll be really unhappy

hardly – not quite / almost none
eg. I have hardly any time to exercise = I don’t have much time (almost none) to exercise

to dance very hard – to put a lot of effort in

Do you have any money? how much do you have?
I have none = 0
none = not any

There is no money here.
There is none here.

I live near SE
I live nearby

stretch – move and pull your muscles to warm up and cool down
eg. I have to stretch a lot before exercising

Slowly read the edited story below. Focus on your pronunciation.

After this Chinese new year, I came back to SH from my hometown. And I got my new flat was the most excited thing last week. The location of the apartment is at Kangding road, I love that place beacuse there are so many bars and good restaurants around there,  this is definitely a reason I’ve chosen that place. you know I love foods and beer:) There are 3 Roommates lives with me, one Chinese girl and one American girl. i haven’t meet the American girl beacuse she is living in the master room. So she doesn’t have to going out her room for nothing. The Chinese girl is kind and she told me the details about the (laundry machine and kitchen). There is another girl but she works in another city for a few days then come back.

Edited

After this Chinese new year, I came back to SH from my hometown. Last week, I moved into my new flat which was the most exciting thing. It is located on Kangding road, I love that place because there are so many bars and good restaurants around there. This is definitely one of the reasons I’ve chosen that place. You know I love food and beer:) I have 3 roommates, two Chinese girls and one American girl.  I haven’t met the American girl because she is living in the master room so she doesn’t have to leave her room for anything. The Chinese girl is kind and she gave me some tips about the laundry machine and kitchen. There is another girl but she works in another city for a few days then comes back.

Vocabulary

landlord/s – sb who owns an apartment and allows other people to rent it

rental agency/realtor agency  – company that helps sb find a home to rent

1/3 = one third of sth

2/3 = two thirds of sth

Catia’s Writing

Edited

I want to talk about my work experience. After i finished high school I found a job in one Italian company  with a location in France. This company builds its own brand of milling machines and i started as a commercial assistant. My tasks were to organize events, make offers, help customers and translate documentation. After 2 years in this job i evolved to/I got promoted to sales assistant in the same company. My tasks were to manage 6 technicians, buy and sell parts for repair/fix machines, make offers, service clients, make invoices, visit customers, read drawings to determine which part i ordered or have problems with, supply chain, transport machines, shipment, travel between France and Italy and train interns. I stayed in this second job for 4 years. I loved this job and company but i desired to evolve/advance more so i started working for a forklift company as a manager. I managed 12 technicians and after 1 year i quit because i didn’t like their organization and work method.

Vocabulary

my lease is up – my contract for apartment is finished/over

She really supports me,  she is really supportive.

acquainted with sb/sth – made familiar with

eg. I wanted to get acquainted with the city.

Edited

I think sometimes in magazines, so many black girls in the pictures have kinky hair but sometimes there are many white girls who also have wavy hair and sometimes I think when asian girls get up in the morning their straight hair can also be frizzy, so I think the idea that all the white girls and asian girls have straight hair is a stereotype and that’s why some poster of hair products that show the people of many different races, are influential.

Upgraded vocabulary

I think sometimes on the cover of magazines, so many black women in the pictures have natural hair but there are many women who also have relaxed hair. Sometimes there are many white girls/women who also have beachy hair. Sometimes I think when Asian girls get up in the morning their stick-straight hair/flat hair can also be untamed/wild/unruly, so I think the idea that all the white and Asian women have straight hair is a stereotype. That’s why some advertisements/promotions that show the people of many different races, are admirable/beautiful/thought provoking.

wild = untamed

Corrections

Who with you goes there – who goes there with you?

Vocabulary

Firecrackers – a loud, smoking firework (鞭炮)

Ex. Chinese New Year is famous for its firecrackers.

To make arrangements – to make plans to do something, to make it possible for something to happen

Ex. You look really sick, I’m going to make arrangements for you to see a doctor today.

Weaving – to make cloth by putting strings between each other.

Ex. The Middle East is famous for its woven (adjective) carpets.

Strings – the thinnest line of cloth

Ex. He used a piece of string to tie the note to the bird’s foot.

Mosque – the place where Muslims gather to pray

Ex. The Pudong mosque hosts a market every Friday.

Butcher – the man who cuts and sells animal meat for a career

Ex. The butcher at the mosque’s Friday market usually sells Lamb.

Cleaver – a long, rectangular knife normally used by butchers

Ex. The cleaver is a butcher’s main tool.

Rectangle – a shape similar to a square, bu two sides are longer, 长方型.

Ex. Cleaver’s are knives that are shaped like rectangles.

Tibet – a province of Southwest China that wishes to be separate，西藏

Ex. The people of Tibet are ethnically different from the Han.

Ethnicity – ethnic minority, 少数民族

Ex. The international community is not familiar with China’s ethnic minorities.

Nationality – citizenship, country of passport

Ex. The Uyghur, although ethnically different from the Han, are also Chinese by nationality,

Pronunciation

Mosque (mosk)

Tibet (tih-BET)

kinky / wavy / frizzy / fuzzy / stereotypes / influential / poster

I think sometimes on magazine so many black girl on the pictures they have kinky hair but sometimes there are many white girls they also have wavy hair and sometimes I think asian girls when they get up in the morning their straight hair can also be frizzy, so I think all the white girl and asian girls are straight hair is a stereotypes and that’s why some hair products poster that show the people of many different races, are influential.

I think sometimes in magazines, so many black girls in the pictures have kinky hair but sometimes there are many white girls who also have wavy hair and sometimes I think when asian girls get up in the morning their straight hair can also be frizzy, so I think the idea that all the white girls and asian girls have straight hair is a stereotype and that’s why some poster of hair products that show the people of many different races, are influential.

Vocabulary

He is my friend – He is a friend of mine 
He is Smart English’s student – He is a student of Smart English 

there is no long term damage

bleach – to make hair blonde using chemicals
eg. I bleached my hair when I was 16

lightning = electricity from thunder
lightening = to make lighter
Your focus for breaking bad habits

plurals

they / it / he / she / we – self correct when you notice you repeat the subject of the sentence
eg. so many people they have hair – so many people have hair 

Write a story using the words below. Upload the story in your next F2F class.

Vocabulary

kinky hair – natural, black girl hair

wavy / bed head

frizzy adj. – used for people’s hair

fuzzy adj. – used for animals’ hair

fuzzy – not clear

eg. I had a fuzzy dream last night.

Review

stereotypes

eg. all Asians are good at math

eg. All Asians play the violin and piano

eg. All black people can run very fast

eg. All white people have blues eyes and blond hair

eg. All white people believe in Jesus Christ

The baby have so many influential from her mother.  – The baby has many influential people in her life. 

influence / influencing / influenced / will influence

eg. I have many influences from Lady Gaga. – noun

eg. Lady Gaga influences me. – verb

eg. Lady Gaga is influential to me. – adj

The dance studio posts their informational poster on the wall everyday.

My cousin wants to find a good job in Sh because as a new/beginning chef they will get a very low salary.

My cousin came to Shanghai to learn how to be a chef, she just wanted to get a certificate.

certificate  ( sir – tif – fi – kit )

Stereotypes (negative) are similar to generalizations (neutral).

influential – having influence

乌克兰 = Ukraine

poster – paper to advertise sth

Teaching dance doesn’t pay well  / It is a low paying job / Teaching dance is a low salary

license / certificate –piece of paper to prove that you studied or learned sth for a certain amount of hours

eg. People who cut hair have a license.

Vocabulary

Classy (adj): 1- having or showing class 2- elegant, stylish
E.g.: She’s very classy and beautiful.

Futuristic (adj): 1- of, relating to, or characteristic of the future. 2- very modern.
E.g.: The film is set in a futuristic society.

Redundant (adj): 1- repeated, not or no longer needed or useful. 2- using more words than necessary; characterized by similarity or repetition.
E.g.: Avoid redundant expressions in your writing.

Corrections

(Original – Edited)

Her sang one of my favorite songs – She sang one of my favorite songs.

Original:

The 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is amazing. I watched this whole show video today. All the models are look so beautiful as what people called them ”Angles”. But the guest show was my favorite part for all time. This year, the Victoria’s secret invited Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and The weekend.

Edited:

The 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was amazing. I watched the video of the whole show today. All the models, or, as people call them, “Angels“,  looked so beautiful! But the guest performances were my favorites of all time. This year, Victoria’s Secret invited Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and The weekend.

I don’t speak __________

eg. I don’t speak dance.

eg. I don’t speak Chinese.

eg. I don’t speak basketball.

eg. I don’t speak electronics.

eg. I don’t speak video games.

eg. I don’t speak men’s fashion.

eg. I don’t speak woman.

you drink _____ like it’s water. = you drink sth easily and a lot

eg. You drink wine like it’s water.

I want to be more flexible.  – I don’t want to be so tight.

Corrections (original – corrected)

Master (referring to dance instructor) – teacher/instructor

I’m the VIP – I’m a VIP

Vocabulary 词汇

Intermediate – the level between beginner and advanced

Ex. Most of the people who attend these dance classes are at an intermediate level.

Perquisite – something that must be done before moving on to the next step

Ex. English 101 is a perquisite for English 102.

Scholarship – money given to a student to pursue (追逐) his or her studies, 奖学金.

Economics – 经济

Unit – the way that something is measured

Ex. The base unit of measurement in America is the inch.

Expressions 成语

The phrase “happy medium” means a satisfying compromise (妥协) between two decisions.

To describe your height in the U.S.A., you can say “I’m 5’8” (I’m five-eight).” This explains that you are five feet and eight inches in height, approximately 178cm. To talk about your weight you can say “I weigh 130 pounds (lbs).

“Friends with benefits” are friends that are also sexual interests, but that you are not interested in pursuing a relationship with. Normally, it is an agreement between two people to have meaningless sex.

Homework: Review the story below. Be prepared to retell this story in your next class.

Use these words in your story:

get dressed/get dressed up, dress it up, stumble across, hidden gem, go full out, hold sth back, organically/naturally, jukebox, reunion, era

Original

In this Halloween, I had a reunion with my friends in Mansion which is a hidden gem in Shanghai. I love that club so much because I think the Mansion is my jukebox. They are always playing the music from my era. You could see the bartender dressed the bar up with monsters. I got dressed up as Joker from a movie Suicide Squad and we just go full out to the club to celebrate my favorite holiday. When I dressed up, I can totally, organically to dance. I don’t have to hold myself back because I can feel more confident. I felt when I get makeup I can be myself so it gives me power. In that day, I can stumbled across Harley Quinn everywhere.

Edited

This past Halloween, I had a reunion with my friends in Mansion which is a hidden gem in Shanghai. I love that club so much because I think the Mansion is my jukebox. They are always playing the music from my era. The bartender dressed the bar up with decorations like monsters. I got dressed up as Joker who is from the movie, Suicide Squad, and we just went full ***out at the club*** to celebrate my favorite holiday. When I am dressed up, I can totally, organically dance. I don’t have to hold myself back because I feel more confident. I feel when I get made up I can be myself so it gives me power. That night, I stumbled across Harley Quinn everywhere.

Continue writing your story below. Bring it to your next class.

Use these words in your story:

get dressed/get dressed up, dress it up, stumble across, hidden gem, go full out, hold sth back, organically/naturally, jukebox, reunion, era

Celeste’s Original

On Saturday, I had a reunion with my friends to celebrate the American holiday, Thanksgiving. I got dressed up in a festive top and Harmony wore a nice sweater. I dressed up my table with flowers and autumn leaves that I stumbled across on the ground outside of my house. My house is by the club, Downtown, which is a hidden gem in Shanghai. We didn’t go full out on traditional Thanksgiving food but instead we ate Raclette, which is a French dish of melted cheese and potatoes.  One of my friends said something rude to my other friend, but instead of fighting, she held herself back.  Harmony was my personal jukebox, she was in charge of music that day. I couldn’t dance to her music organically because it wasn’t from my era.

Max’s Original

In this Halloween, I had a reunion with my friend in Mansion which is a hidden gem in Shanghai.

TBC

*Class started 15 minutes late

Corrections (original – corrected)

You has a point – you have a point

My point of Lucca – my opinion of Lucca

I will nervous if he is cute – I would be nervous if he was cute

Vocabulary 词汇

Mosque – a place of worship (church) for Muslims.

Intimidate – to make shy or scared

Ex. Big dogs often intimidate smaller dogs.

Picky – only liking specific things

Ex. My son is very picky, he does not eat anything green.

Condition – to train

Ex. By ringing the bell every time he gave the dog food, the scientist conditioned the dog to become hungry when he heard the bell.

Expressions 成语

To “put on a front” is similar to saying “to perform;” it means that someone is acting insincerely, 不真心的.

Grammar

I have to wait my cousin off work.

I have to wait for my cousin to get off/finish work.

I have to wait for _____ to _____.

eg. I have to wait for my friend to dress her clothes up. – I have to wait for my friend to get dressed / dressed up.

Vocabulary

get dressed – normal day

get dressed up – for a special occasion, party

dress it up = make it nicer or fancier

eg. We need to dress the table up for dinner, add some candles and flowers!

stumble across 

eg. I walked into a CD shop and I stumbled across Beyonce’s new album.

hidden gem

The Mansion in Shanghai is a hidden gem and amazing once you get there.

Go full out = don’t hold anything back, give it 100%

hold sth back = to do sth with less confidence

organically (adverb) – in an organic matter

eg. The dance teacher wants us to dance naturally and organically.

jukebox = old music machine

reunion ( ree – Une – yin ) – to get back together after some time

eg. Every CNY families have a family reunion.

era – time

Original

Who? What? Where? When? Why?

I learned this article from my dance teacher in Shanghai who is Isaiah. He taught us about the culture and history of hip hop. And he show us his article in/on Instagram. I saw this few days ago and after we finished the class last weekend. He thinks our students needs to learn more about hip hop then they could dance from their heart.

Edited

I learned of/read this post from my dance teacher, Isaiah, in Shanghai. He taught us about the culture and history of hip hop. He showed us his post on Instagram. I saw this a few days ago after we finished the class last weekend. He thinks our students need to learn more about hip hop so then they can dance from their heart.

Vocabulary

just like another random day = just like any other day, not a special day, a normal day

random adj.- strange, or not in any specific order, doesn’t happen often or normally

stumble / stumbling / stumbled ( stum – bulld ) / will stumble v. – to fall or trip a little

eg. Girls who wear very high heels sometimes stumble.

stumble across = come across sth/sb accidentally

hidden gem = hidden treasure, sth precious/important but maybe not often used or easily seen

eg. Shanghai has a lot of hidden gems, you just have to look for them to find them.

briefly adj. = quickly

Corrections (original – corrected)

I don’t like there much – I don’t like it so much there

I went there once on daytime – I went there once during the day

Vocabulary 词汇

Compare – to look at the similarities and differences between two things, 比

Ex. You should never compare yourself to other people, only your previous self.

Shisha/Hookah – 水烟

Turkey – 土耳其

Skit – a small routine, usually with acting

Sketchy – suspicious, fake, dangerous, etc.

Expressions 成语

“On the job” means “while working.”

Ex. You are not allowed use your phone on the job.

To “play it cool” means to look less nervous than you are.

Ex. Whenever that cute guy is around I have to play it cool so I don’t look desperate.

If you could go back in time and give your younger self advice, what would you tell 18 year old Max? Write a story.

Vocabulary

When we use too much hairspray or gel we can say our hair feels crunchy.

bargain / barter v. – to discuss price or sth similar with a vendor/seller

suitcase/luggage/baggage = lu xing xiang

She’s learning how to direct. / She’s learning how to be a director.

to tell / talk / teach / educate

really rude = really offensive

it still hasn’t come out / been released / aired

experimenting / trying / learning

I do not be

I do not confident – (V)  I + (V) = I dance.    I + (V) + (V).   I + (V) + (not) + (V) = I do not

have confidence

sleep

dance

skate

take the money

I am not have (V) (ADJ) or (V + ing)

confident

exciting(adj)

hungry

watching(v + ing) a movie

a bad guy

What’s up – What is happening?

What’s up, Hey, Not Much, Nothing, What’s up with you?

How many years have you studied Chinese?

Pick it up – learn by being around it or trying to do it.

What’s the word for… (describe something) the beef with flat noodles on top, in a few layers, and it has cheese on top, then you cook it in the oven. (Lasagna)

Former Writing

I had a great evening last night. I was invited my British friend to had a dinner in my apartment. My cousin cooked all the Chinese dishes, and I made Thai food, just one dish that I used mango, coconut and shrimp. All the foods are amazing, the British guy can’t stop to gave us thumb up always. We were talking and laughing because

Current Writing

I went to The Shanghai Vancouver Film School to joined their Halloween party on last Sunday. If you wanna join the party you had to totally dress up in a Halloween custom. The Film School has professional major for the movie characters’s make up, so they almost can be any characters you wanna see. I was dressed up like Joker which is from the super popular movie “Suicide squad” recently. I love the Joker so much cause I think he is so cool.

Former Speaking

last month i go thailand with my sister and my aunt. we go thaialnd eat some amazing thai food and swimming in the ocean and we shopping a lot of things. and we look so much, too many things. the local thai food is more spicy than the chinese thai food. 

Current Speaking

last night i had dinner with Celeste, i think we become very good friend because we had a lot of common and favourite things. we both love beyonce and we both crazy for her. last night we went to a restaurant which is her husband work at and she showed me some really good dishes and beer and we talked about so many things like recently I have some problems with my personality so I just told Celeste. We had a lot of fun. 

I have had some personal problem = si ji de shi qing 

I have had some problems with my personality = you’re a bit sick / troubled so maybe need to talk to psychologist 

Recently I have been / gone / travelled to Australia 

to did = wrong
to do = right

did = went = had
do = go = have 

a demonstration 游行

a rumor 谣言

You are expected to answer if someone asks you…

How are you? How have you been ? How are you doing?  Is everything alright? What’s up? What have you been up to?

• How are you?
• I’m fine. I’ve been busy recently. What about you?
• Same old, same old. Nothing new, really.
• Anyway, it’s nice to see you.
• Yeah, you too.
• Well, gotta go. See you around
• See you !

—

• Hey, what’s up? (=now)
• Nothing much, I’m fine. Just watching TV.

–

• What have you been up to? (=recently)
• I’ve been busy / I’ve been running around

“I gotta go” = I got to go = I have to go

You are not expected to answer is someone says…

Nice to see you ! Long time no see. It’s good to see you again. Haven’t seen you for a while!

You only say “How do you do?” to people you meet for the first time. The appropriate answer is “How do you do?”

• My name is Jim. How do you do?
• How do you do? My name’s Ben.

End of a conversation

• Well, it was nice seeing you again
• Yeah, same here
• Hope we can catch up again soon
• Sure, that’d be great
• Okay, gotta go. Let’s keep in touch, ok?
• Yeah, sure. No worries/ No problem
• Cool. See you around !
• See ya ! Take care. Bye bye!

To someone closer

• Okay everyone, I’ll be going. Let’s call it a day. I’ll catch you guys/ladies tomorrow.
• See you all tomorrow
• Cool, have a nice evening!
• You too, see ya

Grammar

(now / yesterday / recently)

eat / ate / eaten

[be, am, are, is] / was / been

What is up –> now / What have you been up to? –> recently

How are you –> now / How have you been –> recently

Grammar

Do you interested –> Are you interested

Are you interested in that?

Vocabulary

unreal = not real

Trump being the President feels unreal.

run (for President)

election 竞选

Hillary might try to run again at the next election.

a victory / a failure 失败

When I learned Trump won, I was shocked.

an outsider

to trump = to beat, win, be stronger

Love trumps hate = Love is stronger than hate. (Trump often pronounces hate speech)

immigrant population

外来人口

Canada’s immigration website went down.

elect 选举

Trump got elected but he might not get re-elected.

Grammar

win / won / won

Hillary ran twice but never won.

All the celebrities I follow supported Hillary.

Corrections (original – corrected)

I don’t know what can I say – I don’t know what I can say

I dressed up like Joker – I dressed up as the Joker.

Note: try to open up a little bit! No need to be so shy J

Vocabulary 词汇

Christmas Carols – songs about Christmas

Cue Card – a sign that is held up for a person being recorded to read.

Original:

I went to The Shanghai Vancouver Film School to joined their Halloween party on last Sunday. If you wanna join the party you had to totally dress up in a Halloween custom. The Film School has professional major for the movie characters’s make up, so they almost can be any characters you wanna see. I was dressed up like Joker which is from the super popular movie “Suicide squad” recently. I love the Joker so much cause I think he is so cool.

Edited: I went to the Shanghai Vancouver Film School to join my friends’ Halloween party last Sunday. If you wanted to join the party, you had to totally dress up in a Halloween costume. The Film School has a professional movie makeup artist, so they can create almost any character imaginable. I was dressed up like the Joker, who is from the recently super popular movie “Suicide Squad.” I love the Joker so much because I think he is so cool.

Corrections (original – corrected)

Hot pot – teapot

Bala bala bala – and so on, et cetera

You can feel sweet – you can sense sweetness

You should drink a little – you should just have a sip

It’s very important people in Chinese ancient period – he was a very important person in ancient China

I’ve already uploaded online – I’ve already uploaded it online

Vocabulary 词汇

Cast – a large, hard sleeve used to protect a broken bone.

Congested – unable to breathe comfortably through the nose

Aroma – (noun) scent, smell

Grammar 语法

If [subject] + [past tense verb] + [object], [subject] + [“would” phrase].

Ex. If I was hungry, I would go eat something.

Expressions 成语

When talking about eating or drinking a little bit of something, we use the phrase “have a bite” for solids, and “have a sip” for liquids.

Pronunciation 发音

Wine (Long “I” sound, like in “China”)

Original:

Today I would like to share a story about Jinxing. What impresses me a lot is how she made her dream come true. If you know what was her dream, you would be shocked by it. Before she was twenty eighteen, she was a man. Yes! She is a transgender. So it’s obvious that her dream was to be a woman one day when she was a little boy. After got through so many difficulties and unimaginable things, she did it finally. How impossible it would be. Now she is a very successful contemporary dancer and hostess. Except she has achieved great success in her career, she also got married with a German guy and they have three adopted kids. It’s unbelievable, right? But it’s true.5

Edited:

Today I would like to share a story about Jinxing. What impresses me a lot is how she made her dream come true. If you knew what her dream was, you would be shocked by it. Before she was 28, she was a man. Yes! She is transgender, so it’s obvious that her dream was to be a woman one day when she was a little boy. After overcoming so many difficulties and unimaginable things, she finally did it. How impossible it must have been. Now she is a very successful contemporary dancer and TV hostess. In addition to achieving great success in her career, she also married a German guy and they have three adopted kids. It’s unbelievable, right? But it’s true.

rumor – something people say. that may be true, but is usually not. “There is a rumor about Yao Ming, that he is really Japanese.”

rating (n) rate (v) – how good or how popular something is eg: “This computer has the highest rating out of all laptops.” “Smart English has a good rating, because students really enjoy the classes here.” “My favorite restaurant has a good rating, because they definitely make delicious food.”

1-10 eg: “Rate your school from 1 to 10, 10 being the best, and 1 being the worst.” “I would rate my school a 7.”

to make up something – 1. if you missed something, and you can do it later instead.”I was sick yesterday, so I will make up my test today.”

to make something up – 2. to think of or create a new idea. “He asked me to sing a song, but I didn’t know any, so I just made one up.”  “I don’t know how to cook, so the other day I made some cuisine up.”

What are you up to? (right now, or a specified time) eg: “I’m just hanging out with some friends.” What are you up to after class? I’m gonna go to dinner with my family.”

What have you been up to?  (from before until now) I was at the club with my friends.

How’ve you been? How you been? (from before until now) I’ve been good, but really busy.

What were you up to (a specified time) last weekend? (before only) I was on vacation last weekend.

How is it going? It’s going pretty good

How are you doing? I’m great.

The population of Shanghai is 36,000,000 (36 millions)

The population of Saint Lucia is 180,000 (one hundred eighty thousand)
That is 0.5% of Shanghai’s population.

1,000 thousand
1,000,000 million

热带 tropical
Tropical weather is hot and humid.

diverse
Thai food and spices are very diverse.
There is a huge number of different spices in Thai food

unsafe = dangerous
Thailand can be unsafe.

tourism = 旅游，旅游业
经济 economy
The Thai economy depends on tourism.

a prostitute = a sex worker
Streets in Pattaya are full of prostitutes.

a dialect 方言

Arabic
to master (a skill) = to manage well
If you master Chinese writing, then you can learn any writing system !

a Chinese character 汉字
If you want to master Chinese, you should know 5,000 characters.

a gig = a one-time contract in the music industry / a concert
Singers and dancers are always looking for a gig in a club.

loaded = very rich
My artist friends are FAR FROM loaded. They are always looking for a gig.

a youth 青年
I used to be very fat during my youth

a youth hostel 青年旅舍
People who stay at youth hostels are usually far from loaded.
Youth hostels are convenient for people with low budgets.

Homework: Continue writing the story below. Bring it to your next class.

Vocabulary

draw / drawing / drew / will draw v.

eg. I drew on the wall when I was a kid and I got in a lot of trouble!

glue stick n. – sticky tool used for arts and crafts

flat adj. – no bumps, very smooth

eg. I used a glue stick to make my eyebrows flat on my forehead.

Original

Last weekend I had a Best Halloween in rest of my life! it was make me so excited because Halloween is my favorite holiday all the time. Last Halloween I dressed up like Maleficent which was my favorite movie character. And this year I wanted to acting like someone else totally different, So I choose the Joker form the Suicide Squad.
That was on Saturday and I started put my makeup at 6:00, But it really difficult than daily makeup so It’s took me like four hours. I used a lot of concealer which is very pale to make me pale. Also, use a lot of white powder. Then, I used grey eye shadow to contour my face. I used green spray to spray my hair. Joker has red lips so I filled in my lips with red lipstick. I used eyeliner to draw the word “damaged” on my forehead and a “j” on my left cheekbone for “Joker”.

Then I dressed up my costume and ready to go.

Edited

Last weekend I had the best Halloween in my whole life! It made me so excited because Halloween is my favorite holiday of all time. Last Halloween I dressed up like Maleficent which is my favorite movie character. This year I wanted to act like someone totally different, So I chose the Joker from the Suicide Squad.
The first party I went to was on Saturday and I started to put on my makeup at 6:00PM but it was more difficult than daily/everyday makeup so it took me like four hours. First, I used a lot of pale concealer to make me have lighter skin. Also, I used a lot of white powder. Then, I used grey eye shadow to contour my face. Next, I used green hairspray to color my hair. Joker has red lips so I filled in my lips with red lipstick. Lastly, I used eyeliner to draw the word “damaged” on my forehead and a “j” on my left cheekbone for “Joker”.

Then I got dressed up in my costume and was ready to go.

Elena’s writing

Shanghai Disneyland’s food and products are pretty expensive.

For example, a 600 ml bottle of Seven-up costs ¥15, which is usually sold for ¥3.80 in Family Marts outside of the park. A chocolate covered ice cream shaped like Mickey’s head sold from a cart costs ¥35.

Souvenirs are also expensive. A headband with Mickey’s round ears might cost from ¥90 to ¥150 because of its different materials and themes. Although the prices are high they didn’t stop customers’ crazy passion for Disney or desire to purchase at all. Almost all of the / Most tourists are pretty willing to pay these prices for themselves or the ones they love.

Little boys were happily holding their favorite Disney toys while little girls in beautiful, fantastic Disney princess costumes were singing and dancing. I think they were really happy and will remember this moment forever. / I think they were really happy and satisfied.

Lastly, some of the Disney souvenirs are so cute and composed well with Shanghai cultural elements, which is pretty marvelous/cool/unique for visitors from near and far away / all over the world / Shanghai and abroad / China and abroad.

Vocabulary

Lip sync (v): 1- (of an actor or singer) move the lips silently in synchronization with a pre-recorded soundtrack.
E.g.: Beyoncé was caught lip syncing at the Obama’s inauguration.

Record label (n): 1- a company that produces and sells records, CDs, and recordings
E.g.: Record labels care more about making music that sells than about making good music.

Release (v): 1- allow or enable to escape from confinement; set free. 2- allow (information / a book / an album, etc.) to be generally available.
E.g.: Beyoncé will release a new album soon. 

Unreleased (adj): 1- something (music, movies, books, etc.) that has not been formally release to the public.
E.g.: Her unreleased songs are even better than the album tracks.

Dated (adj): 1- old-fashioned.
E.g.: The special effects in that movie look really dated.

Innovative(adj): 1- introducing or using new ideas or methods. 2- having new ideas about how something can be done.
E.g.: Her new music is very fresh and innovative.

Falsetto(n): 1- a very high voice used by a man (such as a male singer)
E.g.: Justin Timberlake always sings falsettos in his songs.

oven ( uh – vin ) n. – machine that bakes cakes, cookies, pototes

Topic: Song Lyrics

Please don’t leave me. – stay with me

I always say how I don’t need you – I’m strong enough without you, so you can go

But it’s always gonna come right back to this. Please don’t leave me. –  I’m really not that strong without you, I need you to stay, don’t go.

This is my intro – This is my beginning/introduction

I am the flyest – I am the coolest

on point / on fleek – perfect

due to = because of

eg. It was really wet outside due to the storm. – It was really wet outside because of the rain.

never mix business with pleasure = don’t shit where you eat/work

TBC

Racism (n): 1- discrimination based on race. 2- a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
E.g.: He suffered a lot of racism in his life.

Racial (adj): 1- relating to race.
E.g.: Racial discrimination is still a very big problem all over the world.

Rapper  (n): 1- a person who performs rap music or speaks the words of a rap song
E.g.: Jay Z, Tupac, Common, Kanye west, Talib Kweli and Eminem are considered some of the best rappers of all time.

Introvert  (n): 1- a shy person : a quiet person who does not find it easy to talk to other people
E.g.: I am a bit of an introvert, so I always find it hard to make new friends.

Slave  (n): 1- someone who is legally owned by another person and is forced to work for that person without pay
E.g.: He treats her like a slave.

Immigrant (n): 1- a person who comes to a country to live there
E.g.: America has a very large population of immigrants.

Corrections (original – corrected)

My vocabulary is not enough – my vocabulary is not big enough

Tenth-year anniversary – Ten year anniversary

Where are he’s from – where is he from

Expressions 成语

To discriminate against someone means to treat them worse than other because of one of their characteristics. For example, you can discriminate against women, against LGBT people, against Muslims, etc.

HU Bar = 56th floor

high up >HU

WU > way up

license plate – identification on a car

sauerkraut – fermented cabbage

kimchi – pao cai / suan cai

suan = sour / vinegar ( vin – a – ger )

third/fifth wheel

Fog(n.) – water vapor in the air. eg: San Francisco is a very foggy(adj.) city.

Smog – Smoke + Fog. Pollution in the air.

Pollution – Pm 2.5 is Air pollution.

My vocabulary is not enough. – I don’t know enough vocabulary.

A and The – Use A for one thing and any thing. Use The for one thing, a specific thing.

Slang – changing the meaning of an already existing word, or creating a new word.

Idioms – Phrases that have a kinda slang meaning.

Millennial (adj) – people that became adults after the new millennium.

Millennium – One thousand years. eg: “The year 2000 started a new millennium.” 

texting – write text messages. “I have been texting with her all day” “I’ll text you the address.”

Trend(n) – something currently popular. “Cool people set trends, they don’t follow them.” Cool people are often trendsetters. Trendy people are not cool. Trendy people follow the trends. (just joking)

Chill – something or someone who is relaxed and easy-going, not easily upset.

We are just chilling out now. – Hanging Out

Call somebody out – to shame someone, try to make them look bad.

Racist – to judge someone because of the color of their skin.

Feminist – someone who supports women’s rights.

Sexist – judge someone because their gender(m/f).

Vocabulary

Generalist (adj): 1- a person competent in several different fields or activities.
E.g.: The staff includes both generalists and specialists.

Competent (adj): 1- having the necessary ability or skills : able to do something well or well enough to meet a standard.
E.g.: He’s a very competent manager.

Accurate (adj): 1- (of information, measurements, statistics, etc.) correct in all details; exact. 2- 准确
E.g.: She was able to provide very accurate information about the subject.

Predict (v): 1- say or estimate that (a specified thing) will happen in the future or will be a consequence of something.
E.g.: It is too early to predict the result.

Outcome (n): 1- something that happens as a result of an activity or process
E.g.: We didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but we were still happy we were able to participate.

Enlightened  (adj): 1- having or showing a good understanding of how people should be treated or a rational, modern, and well-informed outlook. not ignorant or narrow in thinking.
E.g.: He was a very kind and enlightened person.

(Original – Edited)

She’s different about the others – She’s different from the others.

Q: Didn’t you go anywhere for the holidays?
A: No, I didn’t. (means that you didn’t go anywhere)
Yes, I did. (means you did go somewhere)
In English, when you are asked a negative question (a question containing the word “not” next to the verb), the answer should be No (for when you agree with that negative) or Yes (when you disagree with that negative). That happens because, differently from Chinese, in English we cannot say “Yes, I didn’t” or “No, I did”.

when I was in college

at the end of the course / when you graduate 

degree – 3-4 years at university 

associate degree – 2.5 – years at university

diploma – 1-2 years at university / college 

qualification – a piece of paper that lets you do sth with your skill
eg. i have teaching qualifications 

What is your dying wish? Where would you go? What would you do if you had one wish?

Maybe some day i will go to a mountain top and i really wish to see a place where have a snow but not too cold and the clouds is everywhere then I can see the sunrise. maybe that’s the best view before I die. i really wish i can travel all around the world and go to some special places like some kind of wild and i really want to enjoy in some good hotel. 

Maybe some day i will go to a mountain top and i really wish to see a place where there is snow but isn’t too cold and the clouds are everywhere then I could see the sunrise. Maybe that’s the best view before I die. i really wish i could travel all around the world and go to some special places like some kind of wilderness and i really want to stay at some good hotel and really enjoy myself. 

wild = adj

wilderness = n 

I went to a cafe where there is lots of coffee 

I went to a cafe that / which has lots of coffee

is it definite / is there an “if” feeling? = could / would 

Writing: focus on using “could / would” correctly, past grammar, and plurals. 

I had a Tarot divination last week.Because my cousin knows an augur who is really famous in YunNan, and she had a invitation to came Shanghai for few days, so me and my cousin could have this opportunity to met her.The divination was so cool, the augur could say many things correct very magically, and if you would as k her anything you want to know, and you definitely could have answer about that, and that was so amazing .

I had a Tarot session last week.Because my cousin knows an augur who is really famous in YunNan, and she had a invitation to come to Shanghai for a few days, so me and my cousin could have this opportunity to met her. The divination / session was so cool, as the augur predicted / claimed many things correctly very magically. If you ask her anything you want to know, you definitely can have an answer about that. That was so amazing.