Tuesday 2 June 2009

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Have you been able to work out the meanings?
*I´VE GOT THE GIFT OF THE GAB - 2
*I WAS TICKLED PINK - 3
*MY LIPS ARE SEALED - 4
*I GOT HOT UNDER THE COLLAR - 5
*IT SLIPPED MY MIND - 1
Some peeple said that. Now you write:
number 1 next to the person who forgot something
number 2 next to the person who is good at talking
number 3 next to the person who was very amused at something
number 4 next to the person who has promised to keep a secret
number 5 next to the person who became angry and excited

7 comments:

  1. These are great! As a native English speaker I can't iterate enough how useful it is to know these phrases. I have used many, if not all of these phrases. I feel that these phrases demonstrate a level of English that is advanced as you have to dissect the phrase in order to know what it means. With that said, I would answer them, however, as a native English speaker that might be a little unfair :-)

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  2. @Jackie

    Hi! Long time no see.
    Apart from their obvious "usefulness" in conversational English, such phrases are consistently tested in Cambridge exams.
    Therefore exam candidates would be well advised to memorize them.
    Do you know any in Portuguese?
    See you soon,

    Chris

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  3. @Jackie

    It´s very nice for Brazilian students to hear from a native speaker how important it is to learn these idioms and also that native speakers use them all the time.

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  4. @ Chris

    Hi Chris! Yes, it has been a while. This past month or so of the first year of my master's program has been a bit overwhelming. However, I had to stop by and comment. These phrases are great for non-native English speakers. Unfortunately, I don't know many in Portuguese (I can probably count them on one hand). Is there a book?
    By the way, I'm getting ready to head to Brazil. I shall be there by the end of this month :-)

    Cheers,
    Jackie

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  5. @ Danuza

    Yes, we use them ALL the time! There are so many that even I come across new ones often. There are probably some that haven't even made it to books yet...like how the term "walking bus" has yet to make it to the dictionary.

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  6. @Jacqueline

    Hi Jackie,
    Here are a few colloquial things we say in Portuguese. Have you heard any of them?

    "boca de siri"
    "quem não chora não mama"
    "amigo da onça"

    Looking forward to seeing you soon,
    Chris

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  7. Although I've got the gift of the gab,it's not simple to remember using these phrases in a conversation. It simply slipped my mind especially under examination circunstances.We better practise them, for instance, writing in compositions or in oral activities in class.
    By the way these days some teenagers say:
    "Tipo assim". How do you say this in English?

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