I D I O M - mania

Hang On

This is an idiom that means: "Wait."
e.g. Wait / Wait a minute / Wait a moment / Wait a second (or sec) / Wait a tick
So you can say: Hang on / Hang on a minute / Hang on a moment / Hang on a second (or sec) / Hang on a tick
e.g. Your friend says to you, "Come here. I want to show you something."
You say, "Hang on a minute. I just have to finish sending this text message."

In The NEWS

'EVIL MEDIA'

12.00 AEST Thu Jul 30 2009
By Matt Bachl, ninemsn (Australia)

Radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands has blamed the "evil" media for twisting his response to a 14-year-old girl who admitted she was a rape victim during an on-air lie detector quiz yesterday. The 2DayFM presenter asked the teenage girl — who was strapped to a lie detector machine while her mother asked questions about her sex life — if the rape was "her only sexual experience".

Sandilands and co-host Jackie O this morning hit back at media reports calling for them to be sacked over their handling of the interview.

"I've been going through the newspaper, TV reports and to be involved in one of these stories ... is one thing ... but to watch some of the newspapers skew this in an evil way — some people are saying we are no better than a child predator — it has gone a little bit crazy," Sandilands said.

"I watched other news services pick up on this and twist the story, the mum is being blamed, we are being blamed, and it is just one of these things, unfortunately rape happens in society."

READING AND COMPREHENSION / VOCABULARY SEARCH

Use your dictionary to look up words in the above article. Here are a few explanations to get you started.

1. lie detector - a machine used to find out if people are telling the truth or not
(to detect means to find)
2. hit back - to respond very strongly to an accusation
3. skew - misconstrue - or change the story, change the truth, twist the truth
(related terms: something is askew / something is amiss - when someone is suspicious that something is not quite right)
4. incident - something that happened
5. pick up on - to take some (information) and use it (for themselves). In this case, the media picked up on the incident about the girl at the radio station and reported on it
6. twist the truth - to change an incident that really happened and turn it into a lie
7. strapped in/ to - to tie or attach something to an object eg. to strap the baby into the baby car seat. eg. strap yourself into the seat for the roller coaster ride.
(both noun and verb) eg. use a strap to strap the horse to the post.
8. shock jock - a disc jockey who does shocking or controversial things to get attention in order to increase ratings on his/her show.

DISCUSSION / YOUR OPINION : What do you think about the incident?

These are some of my opinions.

- the topic is inappropriate for the public domain such as TV or Radio
- the media and the parents are irresponsible
- the media has certain responsibilities and obligations to be sensitive to social issues
- and so do people in the public eye, such as famous people
- otherwise all the sacred things in life become like a reality TV show, as the above article shows

**Share your views!..leave a comment...

An ORANGE A Day

Healthy mind, body and spirit.
One cannot exist without the other. To be a well balanced and centred person, one must take care of each part equally. Sometimes we eat too much and we get fat. Sometimes we use our mind too much, and our body and spirit suffer. Sometimes we do selfish things and our spirit is empty. All of these things must be taken care of equally. Everything must be done in moderation.

Some students spend too much time indoors studying and never go out to just chill out and do fun things or exercise. They over-use their mind and neglect everything else, hence becoming unbalanced. So they become sick in mind, body and spirit. Ultimately their studies suffer also.

If your mind is happy, your body and spirit are happy. If your body is happy, your mind and spirit are happy. If your spirit is happy, your mind and body are happy. You cannot separate them; you cannot divide yourself into three parts! They are all of you and one of you!!
Remember this - Healthy mind, body and spirit! Take care!

My WORD!

ABANDON

1. (to) abandon (v) - to give something up, to stop an activity before it is finished.
e.g. a)The tennis match was abandoned due to rain.
b)The student abandoned his studies to return home to his ailing mother.

2. abandon (n) - freedom from worry or care.
e.g. After the graduation the students danced with abandon.

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Sharpen your listening skills and your speaking skills will follow.

Tip OFF

When Speaking Another Language

Adapt the way you speak your own language to the language you wish to speak, like English, for example. Ask yourself these questions:
1. What is my natural way to make a comment, ask a question, make a joke, express my feelings, etc. in my own language?
2. If I were to say that in English, how would I say it?
3. What slang, idioms, expressions, gestures, tones would I make in my own native tongue?

Now adapt these answers to the way you speak English, and see the results - you will be speaking English like a native speaker in no time!

Oh, and another tip, visit SPEAK LEARN ENGLISH as often as you can and practise, practise, practise - you cannot superimpose success! Success takes passion, dedication and PRACTICE!

Tip OFF

What is natural English?


It is the English that native speakers use in natural conversations. Natural English includes slang and idioms. Natural English includes natural pronunciation used by regular people like you and me – not the pronunciation you hear on the news or in English Learning CDs.
Natural English comes from natural conversations between every day people.
Just as you speak your natural language in your natural setting, so too is natural English spoken in every day language.
The secret is to speak English in the same manner as you do your own natural tongue. Here on SPEAK LEARN ENGLISH, you will get the opportunity to achieve this! Meet regular people around the world, just like yourself, and speak English NATURALLY!

CURIOUS Tabitha

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5. What country/city are you from?

6. What do you do? (Do you work or do you study?)

7. What are your hobbies?

8. What is your native language?

9. Do you study English now? Where?

10. Why do you study English? Or what do you hope to achieve from your English ability?

11. What is your dream occupation?

12. What makes you unique? (unusual/special)

Guess WHAT?

Some people speak only one language. They are called monolingual. People who speak two languages are bilingual, and people who speak three languages are trilingual.

How many languages do you speak (this includes your native language and English)?