"gussy"

gussy (verb)

- to make more attractive, especially in a showy or gimmicky way

The shopkeepers gussied up their windows displays.

Misuse of English

Teacher: Steven, the clock on the wall is not working,
               but you have a watch. What time is it?
Steven  : 3 o'watch, Sir.

"pun"

pun (noun)

- a clever or humorous use of word that has more than one meaning, or of words that have different meanings but sound the same

We are banking on them lending us the money- no pun intended!

General Interactive Communication English Course (1 Agustus - 26 September 2016)

Cari tempat kursus bahasa Inggris yang oke?

Yuk belajar bahasa Inggris dalam suasana kekeluargaan di CEIC, Lembaga Bahasa Universitas Sanata Dharma.

The Day Off

Two factory worker are talking.
The woman says, "I can make the boss give me the day off."
The man replies, "How would you do that?"
The woman says,"Just wait and see." She then hangs upside-down from the ceiling.
The boys comes and says,"What are you doing?"
The woman replies,"I'm a light bulb."
The boss then says,"You've been working so much that you've gone crazy. I think you need to take the day off."
The man starts to follow her, but the boss says,"Where are you going?"
The man replies,"I'm going home too. I can't work in the dark."

"accede"

accede (verb)

- to agree to a request, proposal, etc.

He acceded to demands for his resignation.

Eating

In a restaurant.

Waiter: What would yo like to eat?
Peter  : I would prefer to read the menu first.
Waiter: If you want to read, go to the library.

"subpoena"

subpoena (noun)

- a written order to attend court as a witness to give evidence

She is appearing today under subpoena.

General Interactive Communication English Course (1 Agustus - 26 September 2016)

Join us and improve your English.

Introducing Self

For basic English learners, watch this video and practice then.

"dead end"

dead end (noun)

- a road, passage, etc. that is closed at one end

The first street we tried turned out to be a dead end.

Drunk Men

A very drunk man comes out of the bar and sees another very drunk man.

He looks up in the sky and says, :" Is that the sun or the moon?"
The other drunk man answers,"I don't know. I'm a stranger here myself."

Making Phone Call

Watch the example of making phone call in informal and formal situation.

"prejudice"

prejudice (noun)

- an unreasonable dislike of or preference for a person, group, custom, etc, especially when it is based on their race, religion, sex, etc.

There's little prejudice against workers from other EU states.

Crocodile

A crocodile has two eyes and eighty teeth

Question:
What has eighty eyes and two teeth?

Answer:
A full bus of old men

"troubleshoot"

troubleshoot (verb)

- to analyze and solve serious problems for a company or other organization

The manager needs to troubleshoot the the cause of the decreasing of the selling products.

"facile"

facile (adjective)

- produced without effort or careful thought

It seems to facile to blame everything on his mishandling of the crisis.

Analyzing Problems

Respecting Parents

A teacher asks a student.

Teacher: Whom do you respect most?
Student: My parents.
Teacher: Why?
Student:  They did high school without using Google.

"devastated"

devastated (adjective)

- extremely upset and shocked

She was absolutely devastated when she heard about the bad news.

Common Modal Usage

"treat"

treat (verb)

- to pay for sth that sb/ you will enjoy and that you do not usually have or do

I'm going to treat you to dinner.

Fever World Record

A doctor and a sport are talking.

Doctor      : You are having extreme fever. It's about 40⁰C.
Sportsman: What's the best world record for it?

"excel"

excel (verb)

- to be very good at doing sth

As a teenager, he excelled in foreign languages.

Present Perfect Tense

Let's learn the use of Present Perfect Tense

The Lovers

Two friends are talking.

Simon: I think my wife has a lover. He is a florist.
Daniel: How do you know?
Simon: When I returned home after work, I found freshly
             gathered roses on the bed.
Daniel: I think my wife has a lover also. He is a plumber.
Simon: How do you know?
Daniel: When I returned home after work, I found
             a plumber, lying on the bed.

"unshaken"

unshaken (adjective)

- not ha ving changed a particular feeling or attitude

He remains unshaken in his loyalty for the company.

Go + Ving

There are some English words in "Ving" following "go".

"charity"

charity (noun)

- the aim of giving money, food, help, etc. to people who are i need

The teenagers are raising money for charity through vocal group.

Glasses

Man  : Doc, I think I have to wear a glasses.
Teller: Indeed, you have to. You are are in a bank now.

"brusque"

brusque (adjective)

- using very few words and sounding rude

The soldier spoke in a brusque tone.

American Numbers and Prices

Wanna go shopping? Let's know how to tell American numbers and prices.

Exchanging Opinion

Question: What would you describe the term
                "exchange of opinion"?
Answer  : That's the situation when you have your opinion
                 and go with it to your boss. Then you return
                 with his opinion.

"miraculous"

miraculous (adjective)

- like a miracle; completely unexpected and very lucky

The man had a miraculous escape from death last night when he fell into an ice cold-river.

A customer comes to an electricity store and makes a complaint.

Customer   : Yesterday, I bought an energy saving in your
                     store, returned home, and it didn't work.
Storekeeper: It should not. It saves energy.

"alacrity"

alacrity (noun)

- great willingness or enthusiasm

She accepted the offer with alacrity.

I'm not late.

In the class, the teacher asks Daniel.

Teacher: Daniel, why are you late again?
Daniel  : But you have said that it's never too late to learn.

"staunch"

staunch (adjective)

- strong and loyal in your opinion

He staunchly defended the new policy in his institution.

Accepting and Refusing

Some expressions for accepting and refusing

Mathematics

While teaching about telling price, the teacher asks Simon.

Teacher: If you had one dollar and asked your father for
               one more dollar, how much money would you
               have in total?
Simon  : One dollar.
Teacher: You don't know your maths.
Simon  : You don't know my father.

"creche"

creche (noun)

- a place where babies and small children are taken care of while their parents are working, studying, shopping, etc.

The parents take extra cost to pay for the creche in the hotel.

Valentine Greeting Card

Two friends talk

Daniel: Hi, what are you doing?
Simon: I'm writing a Valentine greeting card for
             my girlfriend.
Daniel: Why do you write it with your left hand?
Simon: I don't want my right hand knows. It is a surprise.

"decipher"

 decipher (verb)

- to succeed in finding the meaning of sth that is difficult to find or understand

She helped me to dicipher the menu in that restaurant.

Present Progressive with Mr. Bean

Outdoor Activity: Watch Me on TV

Hello CEICers!
Be ready for our next Outdoor Activity!
:-)

zzz...

Daniel and Brenda are having a serious talk during their dating.

Daniel: Tiffany, what happen to you? Why are you angry?
Brenda: I'm Brenda, not Tiffany.

"exaggerate"

exaggerate (verb)

- to make sth seem larger, better, worse, or more important than it really is

It seems that he exaggerates his British accent when he speaks in the class.

General English Course (5 April - 23 Juni)

Yuk mari belajar bahasa Inggris dengan suasana kekeluargaan di CEIC, Lembaga Bahasa Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Valentine's Gift

Son asks his dad about a gift for Valentine's event.

Son: Daddy, what should I give to my girlfriend as a gift?
Dad: How does she look?
Son: She lookw pretty, sweet, smart, fun to be with and,
         of course, lovely.
Dad: Give her my number.

"rejoice"

rejoice (verb)

-  to express great happiness about sth

He rejoiced to see his parents safe from the crash.

Prepositions

This video may help you to familiarize the prepositions.

"trespass"

trespass (verb)

- to enter land or a building that you do not have permission or the right to  enter

The sign on the fence said 'No trespassing beyond this area'.

"eloquent"

eloquent (adjective)

- able to use language and express your opinions well, especially when you are speaking in public

His speeches in the chamber were always eloquent and inspiring me.

A Car Toy

In a toy store, Steven decides to buy a car toy. He walks to the cash desk and gives the cashier money cards from monopoly.

Cashier: Are you stupid? This isn't real money.
Steven : You're stupid. The car is not real either.

glorify"

glorify (verb)

- to praise and worship God

To glorify God or praise Him is to put one's request to him, because He is aware of needs.

Past Conditionals

Wanna learn about past conditionals?

Countable/Uncountable Nouns

Here are some examples of countable and uncountable nouns,

A wolf and a student

Teacher: If a wolf is chasing you, what would you do?
Student: I'd climb a tree.
Teacher: If the wolf climb a tree?
Student: I will jump in the river and swim.
Teacher: If the wolf also jumps in the water and swims
               after you?
Student: Teacher, are you on my side or the wolf's side?

"rummage"

rummage (verb)

- to move things around carelessly while searching for sth

I rummaged the contents of the box until I found the book I wanted.

Quantifier

Let's see some quantifiers used in English.

A Joke of a Gamer

A gamer is walking down the street. Suddenly, a brick falls down on his head. "Stupid Tetris!" shouts the gamer before losing his consciousness.

Giving and Supporting Opinions

Watch the video and note some expressions for giving and supporting your opinions.

"peremptory"

peremptory (adjective)

- expecting to be obeyed immediately and without question or refusal

Her peremptory tone in asking the permission angered me.

Conversation Starters

Let's pay our attention on how to start a conversation in various situations.

Love

Love... love... love...

Love - no matter you are drunk or sober, you always call the same person.