Second Conditional Conversation Questions
20 November 2015 by Diane
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change?
If you could stay one age forever, what age would it be?
If you won the lottery, what would you do?
If you woke up suddenly because your house was on fire, what item would you save first?
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
If you meet anyone, dead or alive, who would you choose to meet?
If you changed your name, what name would you choose?
If you were the world’s best at something, what would you like to be the world’s best at?
If you could travel in time, would you prefer to see the future or the past?
If you had a choice to have no children or ten children, what would you choose?
If you could have any job, what job would you like to have?
If you didn’t need sleep, how would you spend your nights?
If we could live 300 years, how would life be different?
If you could choose your sex, what sex would you choose—male or female?
If you saw a rat in your house, what would you do?
If you had the choice to be stuck on an island alone or with someone you hate, what would you choose?
If you could go back in time and relive your life, what would you do differently?
If you could stop a bad habit that you have, what habit would you stop?
If you could change one thing about the world today, what would you change?
If you were invisible for a day, what would you do?
If you could give yourself one skill, what skill would it be?
World Idioms
30 October 2015 by Diane
The correct answer is D.
The idiom out of this world is used to describe something that is extremely impressive.
Here are some other idioms with the word world.
in one’s own world - in deep thought or concentration
on top of the world - feeling wonderful
the best of both worlds - experiencing the advantages of two different things at the same time
What’s the world coming to? - something that you say that means that life isn’t as pleasant or safe as it was in the past
worlds apart - completely different from one another
make a world of difference - a big difference
move up in the world - to be increasingly successful, especially by advancing one's social status or financial situation
all the time in the world - as much time as you need
What a small world! - It’s an incredible coincidence!
It’s not the end of the world. - It’s not so bad.
Verb: Look
28 October 2015 by Diane
The correct answer is D.
The verb LOOK can be followed by many different prepositions, each with a different meaning.
look after - to take care of someone or something
For example: My grandmother is very old and needs someone to look after her.
look ahead - to think about and plan for the future
For example: She is very spontaneous and doesn’t like to look ahead.
look around - explore with your eyes
For example: Sometimes you should stop what you are doing, look around and enjoy the moment.
look away - to turn your eyes away from someone or something that you were looking at
For example: Don’t look away! You’re going to miss the eclipse!
look down on - to think someone or something is inferior
For example: He looks down on people who don’t follow the rules.
look for - to search
For example: I still haven’t found what I’m looking for...
look into - to investigate or examine
For example: Is that true? I need to look into it.
look forward to - to anticipate with excitement
For example: I am looking forward to seeing you next weekend.
look out - be careful to avoid immediate danger
For example: Look out! There’s a tree falling!
look over - to review
For example: Do you have some time to look over my thesis paper? I need a pair of fresh eyes.
look through - to browse or examine something (usually quickly)
For example: He looked through the brochure and found the home he wanted.
look up - to search for information
For example: When I’m reading, I often stop to look up a word in the dictionary.
look up to - to admire
For example: Katie really looks up to her mother.
Sailing Idioms
26 October 2015 by Diane
The correct answer is SET SAIL.
For example: Peter is planning to sail around the world. He set sail last week.
Here are some other idioms related to sailing:
1. Go overboard- to do too much, go over the top in excess
(When sailing, going overboard means that you have fallen out of the boat and into the water.)
For example: Her boyfriend went overboard when he spent so much money on her Valentine’s day present.
2. Learn the ropes- learn how to do the basics
For example: It takes a while to learn the ropes at a new job.
In sailing, this has a very literal meaning. Learning how to control the ropes for the different sails is important to sailing.
3. Run a tight ship- to be in control, to have good organizational skills
For example: Mr. Jones runs a tight ship with his employees-- they are always on time and never lazy!
4. Sink or swim – to succeed or fail
For example: I didn’t get any training – I was left to sink or swim and as a result, I quickly learned what to do.
5. All hands on deck - something that you say when everyone's help is needed, especially to do a lot of work in a short amount of time
For example: We have to finish everything before 5pm, so all hands on deck!
6. Smooth sailing- easy unobstructed progress
For example: After we passed the accident on I-95, the road trip was smooth sailing!
7. Rock the boat - to disturb the balance or routine of a situation
For example: I won’t ask for a raise yet because I don’t want to rock the boat.
Phrasal Verb: Brush Up On
25 October 2015 by Diane
The correct answer is C.
brush up on (something): improve one's previously good knowledge of or skill at a particular thing
For example: I need to brush up on my Spanish skills before I move to Ecuador.
