Binomials

Binomials are expressions (often idiomatic) where two words are joined by a conjunction (usually'and'). The order of the words is usually fixed, usually used in informal situations, with one or two exception.

odds and ends (small, unimportant things. e.g. Let's get the main things packed, we can do the odds and ends later)

give and take: a spirit of compromise, e.g. Every relationship needs a bit of give and take to be succesful.

1. We can oftern tell something is a binomial because of the sound pattern.

- Tears are part and parcel of growing up (part of/ belong to)

- The manager was ranting and raving at us (shouting/ very angry)

- The old church has gone to rack and ruin (ruined/ decayed)

- He's so prim and proper at work (rather formal and fussy)

- The apartment was a bit rough and ready (poor standard)

- She has to wine and dine dimportant clients (entertain)

2. Other times, the clue is that the words are near-synonims

* You can pick and choose; it's up to you (have a wide choice)

* My english is progressing in leaps and bounds (big jumps)

* It's nice to have some peace and quiet (peace calm)

* The doctor recommended some rest and recreation (relaxation)

* First and foremost, you must work hard (first / most importantly)

3. Many grammar words combine to form binomials

- There are restaurants here and there (scattered round)

- We've had meetings on and off (occasionally)

- I've been running back and forth all day (to and from somewhere)

- To and fro can be used just like back and forth

- She is unemployed and down and out (without a home or money)

- He's better now, and out and about again (going out)

- She ran up and down the street (in both directions)

4. Four very neutral binomials (black and white, ladies and gentleman, back and forth, hot and cold)

5. Binomials linked by words other than and.

* You've got your sweater on back to front (the wrong way)

* He won't help her; she'll have to sink or swim (survive or fail)

* Slowly but surely, I realised the boat was sinking (gradually)

* Sooner or later, you'll learn your lesson (some time/ day)

* She didn't want to be just friends; it had to be all or nothing

* Well I'm sorry, that's all I can offer you; take it or leave it

* It's about the same distances as from here to our house, give or take a few miles (perhaps a mile or two more, or a mile or two less)

Time

There are prepositions about time that we can use to make us  'looks like' fluent in english ^^.

Here the preps and the used.

1. One thing before another

Before I went to work I fed the cat (or, more commonly in written English: Before going to work, I fed the cat)

I had written to her prior to meeting the committee (formal/written style)

It was nice to be in Seoul. Previously I'd only been to Busan (fairly formal, more informal would be before that, I ..)

I was in the office from 2.30 pm. I was out earlier on. (before then, fairly informal)

The city is now called Jakarta. Formerly it was Jayakarta (used when something has changed its name, state, etc)

2. Things happening at the same time

While I waited, I read the magazine (or, more formal: While waiting, I read magazine)

As I was driving to work, I saw an accident ( As describes the background when something happens in the foreground)

I saw her just as she was turning the corner (at the precise moment)

During the war, She lived in Rotterdam (during here, doesn;t specify how long)

Throughout the war, food was rationed (from beginning to end)

She was entering at the very time/the very moment I was leaving ( these two are stronger and more precise than as or just as)

3. One thing after another

After I'd locked, I went up to bed (or, more formal: after locking up.. WE don't usually say "After having locked up..)

We went to the beach. Then we caught a bus to go home.

First we went to the cinema. After that, we had a romantic unforgettable dinner

He fell ill and was admitted to hospital. He died soon afterwards (it can be changed with after that)

Following my visitor to New Delhi, I bought lots of books about India (fairly formal)

4. Time when

When I'm rich and famous, I'' buy a yacht (NOT ' when I will be rich)

As soon as we've packed we can leave (immediately after)

Once we've finished we can go home and have a coffee (less specific)

The moment/the minute I saw his face I knew I'd met him before.

I stayed in that hospital the time (that) I broke my leg.

I met him at my friends/ wedding. On that ocassion he was with a different girl.

5. Connecting two periods or events

The meeting will take about an hour. In the meantime, wait and have a snack (between now and the finishing meeting).

The new CD player are arriving soon. Till then, we'll have to use the old ones.

I last met him in 1985. Since then I haven't set eyes on him.

By the time I retire, I will have worked here 20 years.

Words from other languages

Some English words and expressions borrowed from some other European languages, such as Norway, Spain, Russia, and Greece.

 Words come from Norway:

fjord  -- Fyord (berasal dari bahasa Norwegia; fjord) merupakan semacam teluk yang berasal dari lelehan gletsjer atau glaciar yaitu tumpukan es yang sangat tebal dan berat.

      

Sognefjord merupakan sebuah fyord terbesar kedua di dunia.

   

                             a lemming

floe -- floating mass of ice (especialy in the sea) gumpalan es terapung

ski -- you know what ski is

slalom -- to slalom means to zig-zag between obstacles (usually used in skiing)

lemming --  is small rodents, usually found in or near the Arctic, in tundra biomes.

from Finland:

sauna -- hot steam bath

from Sweden:

ombudsman -- public official who investigates citizens' complaints against the government 

tungsten -- wolfram (W) bright-gray rare metallic element having a high melting point and 

                     used in alloys of metal(Chemistry); element found in electric lamp filaments and

                     high-speed cutting tools 

from Spain:

embargo -- ban, officialy restricted commerce (larangan berdagang dengan negara lain)

junta -- council, committee

siesta -- afternoon rest or nap (tidur siang)

guerrilla -- soldier who engages in irregular warfare (usually a member of a loosely organized band of soldiers         

                  which utilizes hit-and-run methods to fight the enemy) (gerilya)

macho -- assertive, strong masculine, masculine chauvinism

mosquito -- you know what kind of animal it is, don't you?

bonanza -- something which brings rich rewards; rich mass of ore in a mine (sumber keberuntungan)

lasso -- rope with a noose at one end which is used to capture cattle

patio -- back garden or backyard (emper belakang)

from France:

cuisine -- culinary art, kitchen

gateau -- cake, pastry

chauffeur -- driver of a private motor car (sopir)

boutique -- a small shpping outlet (butik)

creche -- day care center for small children (tempat pentiipan bayi)

duvet -- feather comforter (selimut, biasanya dari bulu angsa)

coup -- revolution, take over, overthrow

elite -- upper-class, aristrocrat, choice (pilihan)

saute -- lightly fried in butter or fat (menggoreng sebentar)

avant garde -- front guard, advance guard, vanguard- unconventional, novel, artistic and new

cul de sac -- dead end, blind alley (jalan buntu)

aubergine -- eggplant, brinjal (terong)

bidet -- basin-like bath which is used for washing the genital area (basin)

from Germany:

kindergarten -- nursery school, frobel

dachshund -- type of a dog breeder with short-legged

 

rottweiler -- a hardy and very intelligent herding dog, usually called 'rottie'

poodle -- the most intelligent breed dog (also called puddle/old English) 

 

       a dacshund

   

    a rottie                       a poodle

hamburger-- you know hat kind of food it is

frankfurter -- a hot dog, a sausage (sosis)

delicatessen -- conveniece food store (toko penjual makanan)

blitz -- lightning (kilat)

waltz -- ballroom and folk dance with closed position (dansa wals)

snorkel -- swimming with a breathing tube (snorkel)

Wanderlust -- a strong desire to travel

seminar -- educational meeting 

from Italy:

ghetto -- portion of city in which members of minority group live

piano 

soprano -- woman highest singing voice

ballerina -- a female ballet dancer (for male is a danseur)

confetti -- small bits of colored papers thwon at celebration, ex. wedding/ sing.

               confetto)

fiasco -- total failure

spaghetti -- a long thin form of pasta

bandit -- ganster, scoundrel

casino -- a facility that ccomodate gambling activity (kasino)

vendetta -- blood feud especially of two families (dendam keluarga)

from Greece:

dogma -- a creed, religious doctrine

drama -- play for the theater, television etc

psychology -- scientific study of the mind and how it influences behaviour

hippopotamus -- large African river animal with thick skin

theory -- formal set of ideas intended to explain why something happens or

              exists

pseudonym -- fictitious/pen/assumed name (nama samaran)

synonym -- different words with identical meaning

from Russia:

bistro -- a small restaurant

sputnik -- a Russian satellite

cosmonaut -- astronout

perestroika -- restructuring

steppe -- broad grassy plain similar to prairie (padang rumput)

tundra -- vast and treeless arctic region

tsar -- csar, emperor (kaisar)

balalaika -- triangular with 3 strings Russian guitar

mammoth -- extinct hairy elephantlike mammal, huge, enormous, gigantic

Words with interesting origins - people

A number of words in English have originated from the names of people.

1. biro: (ball-point pen) named after Laszlo Biro, its Hungarian inventor (pena) not a bureau
2. boycott: (refuse to deal with or a refusal to deal with) after a landlord in Ireland who made himself unpopular by his treatment of his tenants and was socially isolated (boikot)
3. Braille: (name of raised writing system used by blind people) from the name of its French inventor, Louis Braille
4. chauvinist: (strong belief that your country or race is superior to others) after the French guy, Nicolas Chauvin, who fanatically devoted to Napoleon
5. Hooligan: (a rough, lawless youth) from the Irish family name, Hooligan
6. Machiavellian: (cunning/cerdik, deceitful/curang, unscrupulous/jahat in the pursuit of a goal) from Niccolo Machiavelli, the Italian statesman who died in 1527
7. mentor: (loyal and wise adviser) from mentor, friend to Odysseus (penasehat)
8. pamphlet: (a small leaflet) from a character Phampilus, in a 12th century love poem
9. to pander: (to indulge someone's desires) from Pandaros, a procurer or pimp in Ancient Greek mythology (kaki tangan)
10. saxophone: (a musical instuments) invented by the Belgian, Adolphe Sax
11. tawdry: (cheap and tasteless)  from St Audrey, at whose annual fair in the town of Ely, near Cambridge, cheap gaudy scarves were sold (norak)
12. watt: (unit of power) from the 18th century Scottish inventor, James Wat
13. herculean: (needing great strength and determination) from the mythical Greek hero, son of Zeus and Alcmena, famous for his strength. 
14. platonic: (affectionate but not sexual) from Greek philosopher, Plato(bersifat persaudaraan)
15. teddy bear: (a doll) named after the president of USA Theodore Roosevelt
16. Caesarean section/ C-section: (a surgical procedure to deliver baby) from Julius Caesar a great Roman dictator who was believed born with this method
17. July: (7th month of Gregorian calendar) also named after Julius Caesar, who was born in that month, previousely called Quintilis
18. magnolia:(ornamental shrub/tree which bears a large white or pink flower) from Pierre Magnol, a French botanist who introduced plant natural classification
19. atlas: (a collection of maps) from King Atlas, king of Mauretania who made fist celestial globe; or from Atlas, a figure from Greek mythology who bear the weight of heaven (not earth actually)
20. dahlia: (a flowering plant) from Anders Dahl, a Swedish botanist
21. freesia: (a flowering plant) the genus was named in honour of Frierich Henrich Theodor Freese, a German physcian
22. begonia: (also a flowering plant) from Michel Begon, a former governor of the French colony, Haiti

      

    magnolia                          dahlia

    

             begonia                         freesia

Here are some sentences using the words above.

He's been like a mentor to me, and we have a platonic friendship that even her girlfriend is not jealous with our relationship. We both have difficult problem in our work, and we think that we need herculean effort to deal with it. We agreed each other that we won't boycott the policy that company  had been made, nor use machiavellian way. On the other side, our opponents spreaded pamphlets issuing the bad company condition. 

I was stressed that time and my migraine recurred. To cheer me up, my boyfriend send me a bunch of flower, from dahlia, begonia, freesia, and magnolia. It's so amazing that I worked on the after day.

cookies:

Missisipi is known as magnolia state, and Houston, Texas is known as magnolia city.

 

Formal & informal words

Formality is all about your relationship with the person you're speaking or writing to. If you uses formal language, it may be because you wish to show respect, politeness, or to put yourself at a distance (official language). Informal language can show friendliness, equality or a feeling of closeness and solidarity with someone. You should never use informal language just to sound fluent or clever. 


some groups of words can be put on a scale from (very) formal to (very) informal.
ex: offspring --- children --- kids
     abode/residence --- house/flat --- place
     alcoholic beverages --- drink --- booze
     reimbursed --- expense --- money back
There are some slang words

1. quid (pounds)
2. spuds (potatoes)
3. bike (bicycle)
4. bye (goodbye)
5. fridge (refrigerator)

and some clipping words

lab(oratory), telly (television), ad(vertisement), advert(isement), (news)paper, (tele)phone, vet(erinary)

Organizing vocabulary notebook

we can use many types of vocabulary notebook, here are some examples.

1. Organizing words by meaning

We can make vocabulary that we divieds into some parts, such as words for feeling, words to describe places, words for movement, words for thinking, etc. You can make it according to your need.

2. Using various types of diagrams

We can adopt mind map to improve our vocab. Because it uses diagram, picture, and color, it's easier to remember the words. 

3. organizing by word-class

We may separate our words into verbs, or nouns, or adjectives, or phrases. For example, if they are verbs, we can put them in blcak, of nouns, in red, etc. We can also draw some pictures too.

Welcome

come everyone

to the party

to learn

you are all welcome

talk, contemplate, smile, and laugh

expel the tears,

dance,

enjoy the feast

cheers!