For ESL Students

Travel Idioms

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Backseat driver: a passenger who critiques or criticizes your driving
Sunday driver: one who drives slowly and makes unexpected maneuvers
Greasy spoon: usually applied to restaurants – especially diners – serving cheap fried or grilled foods
Pit stop: to stop for gas, snacks, beverages, restrooms, etc.
Red-eye flight: any flight departing late at night
One for the road: having one more of something (especially a drink) before departing
Live out of a suitcase: to continuously travel from place to place
Hit the road: to begin traveling
Pedal to the metal: to accelerate or speed up
Off the beaten path/track: something that is out of the mainstream, rarely frequented or known
Fleabag motel/roach motel: shabby, low-priced accommodations
Running on fumes: driving with very little gasoline in the tank

Giving opinions

Personal Point of View

We use these words and phrases to express a personal point of view:

In my experience…
As far as I’m concerned…
Speaking for myself…
In my opinion…
Personally, I think…
I’d say that…
I’d suggest that…
I’d like to point out that…
I believe that…
What I mean is…

General Point of View

We use these words and phrases to express a point of view that is generally thought by people:

It is thought that…
Some people say that…
It is considered…
It is generally accepted that…

Agreeing with an opinion

We use these words and phrases to agree with someone else’s point of view:

Of course.
You’re absolutely right.
Yes, I agree.
I think so too.
That’s a good point.
Exactly.
I don’t think so either.
So do I.
I’d go along with that.
That’s true.
Neither do I.
I agree with you entirely.
That’s just what I was thinking.
I couldn’t agree more.

Disagreeing with an opinion

We use these words and phrases to disagree with someone else’s point of view:

That’s different.
I don’t agree with you.
However…
That’s not entirely true.
On the contrary…
I’m sorry to disagree with you, but…
Yes, but don’t you think…
That’s not the same thing at all.
I’m afraid I have to disagree.
I’m not so sure about that.
I must take issue with you on that.
It’s unjustifiable to say that…

Idioms related to food

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Cooked to perfection – food that is cooked to a very high standard

This steak looks delicious. It was cooked to perfection.

Cook up a storm – to cook an amazing meal(s) and usually a large quantity of it

My grandmother was a great cook. She used to cook up a storm every time we visited her.

Eat like a horse – to eat a very large quantity

I have to cook every day. My son eats like a horse.

Smart cookie – intelligent

My daughter is the best student in her class. She is a smart cookie.

A piece of cake – very easy

This test is a piece of cake. I’ll finish in 5 minutes.

Bring home the bacon – earn money to feed the family

David pays all the bills. I’m sure he is the one who brings home the bacon.

Asking For / Giving Advice

Asking for Advice

What do you think I should do (about…)?
What should I do (about…)?
What would you do (about…)?
What would you suggest (I do) (I should do about…)?
Can/Could you give me some advice (about…)?

Giving Advice

I think you should …
Why don’t you …?
If I were you, I would …
Maybe you should …
I suggest you …
How about (verb+ing….)?
You might try (verb+ing…)
I would advise you to …
My advice would be to …
It might be a good idea to …

Common irregular verbs

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Base form	Past tense	Past participle
be begin break bring buy build choose come cost cut do draw drive eat feel find get give go have hear hold keep know leave lead let lie lose make mean meet pay put run say see sell send set sit speak spend stand take teach tell think understand wear win write	was/were began broke brought bought built chose came cost cut did drew drove ate felt found got gave went had heard held kept knew left led let lay lost made meant met paid put ran said saw sold sent set sat spoke spent stood took taught told thought understood wore won wrote	been begun broken brought bought built chosen come cost cut done drawn driven eaten felt found got given gone had heard held kept known left led let lain lost made meant met paid put run said seen sold sent set sat spoken spent stood taken taught told thought understood worn won written

Canada Day Quiz

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What do you call a coffee with 2 creams and 2 sugars at Tim Hortons?

a. Double double

b. Cafe Au Lait

c. Dubs cream and sugar

d. Two by TwoWatch movie online The Transporter Refueled (2015)

What is a beaver tail?

a. A delicious treat

b. Part of a hockey stick

c. The end of a boat oar

d. A dead animal’s tail

If you went to the store to buy a 2’6 and a mickey, what would you be buying?

a. Alcohol

b. Cigarettes

c. Cleaning supplies

d. Snacks

How do you say ‘sofa’ in Canadian?

a. Chesterfield

b. Ottoman

c. Armoire

d. Chesterbed

What is a Chinook?

a. A species of prairie rabbit

b. A sect of tribal Eskimos residing in the Arctic Circle

c. A warming wind from the ocean into the interior regions

d. A person who loves to ski and snowboard

What’s a Toboggan?

a. A Sled

b. A machine for cleaning a hockey rink

“eh?” – As in, “We should get some dinner, eh?”

a. don’t you agree?

b. are you sure?

c. why not?

“pop” – as in, “I would like a pop.”

a. popcorn

b. soda

c. bubble gum

“queue” – As in, “The queue is really long.”

a. line

b. crowd

c. wait

“poutine” – As in, “Man, I could really go for some poutine.”

a. French Fries, Gravy and Cheese Curds

b. Hot Dog with Bacon Bits and Cheese Sauce

c. A pizza with French fries on it

“toque” – As in, “Don’t forget to put on your toque.”

a. winter hat

b. scarf

c. earmuffs

“Canuck” – As in, “I am a Canuck.”

a. Fan of the Vancouver Canucks

b. Fan of Canada

c. Canadian

Emotions

1. Read the following adjectives for emotions and identify which words describe a positive, neutral or negative feeling. Some words may fit into more than one category.

discouraged
overwhelmed
loved
annoyed
embarrassed
regretful
anxious
enthusiastic
relieved
jealous
frustrated
shocked
hysterical
concerned
furious
thrilled
grateful
uneasy
helpless
defensive
vulnerable
guilty
determined
miserable
wary
proud
disappointed
optimistic
upset
puzzled

The list above contains adjectives to describe emotions. Where possible, change them into nouns.

Choose five of the emotions from the list above. For each emotion, describe a situation you have experienced that made you feel this way.

………………………………………………..
………………………………………………..
………………………………………………..
………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………

THE VERB TENSES

SIMPLE

Simple Present ►Expresses an action or condition that regularly or usually exists. It exists now, has existed in the past, and will probably exist in the future.

I work all week.

Steven does his homework every day.

Simple Past ►Expresses an action or condition that began and ended in the past.

I worked last night.

Steven did his homework yesterday.

Simple Future ►Expresses an action or condition that will happen some time after the present moment.

I will work hard tomorrow.

I am going to work hard tomorrow.

Steven will do his homework.

Steven is going to do his homework.

PROGRESSIVE / CONTINUOUS

Present Progressive/Continuous ►Expresses an action or condition that is in progress or that is taking place at the moment of speaking.

I am working on the project.

Steven is doing his homework now.

Past Progressive/Continuous ►Expresses an action or condition that began, continued for a period of time, and ended in the past.

I was working all night.

Steven was doing his homework when I called.

Future Progressive/Continuous ►Expresses an action or condition that will begin some time in the future and will continue for a period of time.

I will be working next week.

Steven will be doing his homework during lunch break tomorrow.

PERFECT

Present Perfect ►Expresses an action or condition that occurred at some unspecified time in the (recent) past and persists in the present.

I have worked hard all my life.

Steven has done his homework.

Past Perfect ►Expresses an action or condition that was completed in the (distant) past, or one that occurred before another event took place.

I had worked for this company before.

Steven had done his homework before he left.

Future Perfect ►Expresses an action or condition that will be completed in the future before another future event occurs.

I will have finished my work by the time you get home.

Steven will have done his homework for hours before he goes to bed.

PERFECT PROGRESSIVE / CONTINUOUS

Present Perfect Progressive/Continuous ►Expresses an action or condition that began in the past and has continued up to the present moment.

I have been working for many years.

Steven has been doing his homework for hours.

Past Perfect Progressive/Continuous ►Expresses an action or condition that happened over a period of time in the past, or that was in progress until another event occurred.

I had been working hard on the project.

Steven had been doing his homework until you arrived.

Future Perfect Progressive/Continuous ►Expresses an action or condition that will be in progress before or until another event in the future occurs.

I will have been working here for 12 years this summer.

Steven will have been doing his homework for hours before he goes to bed.

PRESENT SIMPLE

drink – drinks cry – cries

ride – rides do – does

teach – teaches splash – splashes

buy – buys study – studies

Affirmative sentence:

subject + verb – > I drink coffee.

Negative sentence:

subject + do + not (don’t) + verb – > I don’t drink coffee.

subject + does + not (doesn’t) +verb – > She does not drink coffee.

Question:

do / does + subject + verb – > Do you drink coffee?

WH – question:

WH-word + do / does + subject + verb – > What do you want?

REMEMBER!!!

Use the Present Simple to talk about: habitual actions, things that happen in general, general truths

Examples:

I always drink coffee.

He never drinks tea.

We usually speak English.

She rarely drinks beer.

Water freezes at 0 C.

Use the Present Simple with these adverbs of frequency: often, usually, rarely, sometimes, seldom, never, always

To ask about habits, routines or facts, use: Do / Does + subject + base form of the verb

Example:

Do you drive to work?

Modals of deduction (present)

Use modals of deduction to say how sure you are about something.

Use:

could / might / may – for things / actions that are possible

Example: He could be our new teacher.

That girl might be his new girlfriend.

The man in black may be his grandfather.

must – for things / actions that are almost certain

Example: She must be his sister.

can’t – for things / actions that are impossible

Example: That lady can’t be our new principal. I saw her working at a grocery store last week.