I'm going to FOG you UP!

To fog up is a seldom used, but occasionally needed phrasal verb that describes when a transparent or reflective surface becomes coated with a fine mist, i.e. fog. Mirrors, glasses and windows are the things that most often "fog up" and examples of this phenomenon follow.

#1) His wife was taking a shower while he was trying to shave. The steam from the shower fogged up the window, so he had to wipe the mirror repeatedly.

#2) The weather was cold outside that day. When I entered the warm restaurant, my glasses fogged up and my friends laughed at me.

#3) During Titanic, Leonardo and Kate Winslet were in the back of a car, doing something conveniently off-camera. It was a noisy activity and fogged up the windows.

Positive Descriptive Phrases For Your Personality

This is an excerpt my Flight Attendant English Interview Handbook available from the Amazon Kindle Bookstore. They are possible answers to the question "Can you tell us a little about yourself?" They should be followed up with examples from your experience.

Positive Descriptive Phrases for your Personality

People person – Above all, I’m a people person because I truly enjoy working with others.

Team Player – I’m definitely a team player because I know that people can accomplish more as part of a group.

Level-headed – When making important decisions, it’s important to be level-headed, so you can see the situation clearly.

Responsible – I’m a devoutly responsible person and my employers know that they can rely on me.

Goal Oriented – The best way to accomplish something is to make a plan for yourself. This is why I’m a goal oriented person and I push myself to meet new challenges.

Diligent – I’m a diligent person. I never give up on a project that I believe in.

Approachable (approach people easily) – I’m very suited for the service field because I’m friendly and people approach me easily.

Cheerful – I try to be a cheerful person, smiling warmly to everyone I meet and brightening the atmosphere.

Decisive – It’s important for a leader to be decisive while using everyone’s key strengths. This way, they make decisions that most benefit the company and uses the team to their potential.

Understanding – My friends consider me an understanding person because I listen closely to their problems, and I give them the best advice.

Enthusiastic – A good employee should be enthusiastic about their job. This attitude will greatly influence their coworkers, and improve the team’s overall performance.

English Mission: How do you play your favorite game? Part One

Instructions are sometimes difficult to give in English because they aren't conversational and only practiced when teaching someone to play a game. But understanding how these games are played already will help you understand the vocabulary within the instructions. Just read the description of these popular games.

Chess
To play chess, you need two players, a chess board and some chess pieces. First, you line up the chess pieces in two rows on opposite sides of the board. The players take turns moving their pieces across the board. Each type of piece has a different movement across the board. For example, a rook moves in horizontal and vertical lines across the board, moving an unlimited number of spaces, while the bishop moves diagonally across the board, also an unlimited number of spaces. When one player's piece has landed on an opponent's piece, the player has captured that piece and removes it from the board. The objective of the game is to trap the opponent's king.

Dodgeball
To play dodgeball, you need two groups of players and any number of balls.Two groups of players stand on opposite sides of a line, facing each other. They throw balls at each other in an attempt to hit one another. If one players throws a ball and hits another player, the hit player is eliminated from the game. If the throwing player fails to hit the other player, then game play will resume normally. However, if the player throws the ball and his opponent catches it, the throwing player is eliminated from the game. They may throw the ball as many times as necessary. The game is finished when a team has been completely eliminated.

Tennis
To play tennis, you need two players, tennis racquets, a tennis ball, a net and a tennis court. The players stand on opposite sides of the net. One player begins by serving the ball and the other player attempts to return the ball. The players hit the ball back and forth over the net until one player fails to return the ball. When a player fails to return the ball, the opposing player receives a point. A successful return means hitting the ball over the net and landing the ball within the borders of the court. The game may also be played with two players on each side of the court and this version is referred to as doubles.

Rest (Remainder)

Rest can be defined as the remainder of something, or the leftover amount. It requires differentiation between parts of a group.

Examples for rest of:

#1) Micheal went home, but the rest of us went out.
#2) There we a bus accident and two passengers were injured, but the rest of the passengers were unharmed.
#3) I used my check to pay for my bills and used the rest of the money on new clothes.
#4) I'm full and I can't eat the rest of my meal.
#5) At the gym, I spent one hour lifting weights and the rest of the time on the treadmill.
#6) I want to spend the rest of my life on a private island.
#7) Since I slept on the job, the boss gave me the rest of the day off

Examples for the rest:
#1) Eat as much as you want and give the rest to the dogs.
#2) I can't finish this bottle of wine. What shall we do with the rest?
#3) This isn't all of the money! Where is the rest?
#4) I will take this puppy. The rest are too ugly.
#5) There were three women at the party. The rest were men.

Dress

The verb to dress means to put clothes on, but there can be changes in meaning depending on the preposition and direct object.

To get dressed means to put clothes on yourself.
Example: #1) After my shower, I got dressed and had a quick breakfast. #2) Wake up and get dressed. I don't want you to stay in bed all day.

To get someone dressed means to put clothes on someone else.
Example: I get my daughter dressed for school every morning.

To dress up means to wear nice clothes.
Example: I dressed up for my aunt's wedding/funeral.

To dress up like means to wear a costume. Example: #1) I dressed up like a vampire for Halloween. #2) They dressed up like ninjas for the comic book convention.

To dress in means to wear a specific fabric or article of clothing.
Example: #1) My ex-wife liked going to special parties and dressing in leather.
#2) The woman was dressed in my clothes and looking at me strangely.

To undress means to remove clothing.
Example: #1) She undressed quickly and ran wildly into the streets.
#2) I undressed nervously as the fat man glared in the corner through billows of cigar smoke.

In and Out of the Way.

To get in the way means to block someone from a goal or destination.
And to be in the way means to be blocking.
To get/move out of the way means to stop blocking someone.
To be/stay out of the way means to not bother people or escape notice.

Examples:

#1) A cow got in the way of the train and it had to stop.
#2) A family of turtles crossed the road, getting in the way of traffic.
#3) I am trying to meet my girlfriend, but her sister is always getting in the way.
#4) I wanted to go on holiday, but my work got in the way of my plans.

#5) Sorry, am I in the way?
#6) Yes, you are absolutely in the way.
#7) I tried to get out of my driveway, but there was another car in the way.
#8) She want to be happy, but her anxieties are in the way.

#9) Get out of the way, Jackass!
#10) I can't leave the plane until the other passengers get out of the way.
#11) He waited for a half hour before the other car moved out of the way.
#12) I want to relax today, but there is a lot of work I should get out of the way first.

#13) There was a cow on the train tracks, but it's out of the way now.
#14) My little brother is quiet and mostly stays out of the way.
#15) Dan is a harmless employee, always choosing to stay out of the way.

Try To Keep Up, will you?

To keep up with someone/something means to try to match their pace. The pace can relate to their speed, progress, societal change or the flow of information. If you don't keep up with someone, you are slower or there is information you are failing to receive. This can also be called, falling behind.

Examples:

#1) My son ran in a marathon, but he is slow and can't keep up with the others.
#2) The boy tried to keep up with his older brother and his friends, but they walked too quickly for him.

#3) The teacher spoke quickly and the students couldn't keep up with him.
#4) Even though I was sick, my friend brought my homework to me and I kept up with the class.

#5) I visit news websites every morning and evening because it's important to keep up with the news.
#6) Between her work and family, she is too busy to watch the news and she doesn't keep up with it.

#7) My mother is older now, but she reads fashion magazines and keeps up with modern trends.
#8) I think fashion is superficial and I don't keep up with it.

#9) Try to keep up, will you? (Try to maintain the same pace.)
#10) Keep up the good work! (Your work is good. Continue doing good work.)

Back to Back

Back is used to indicate a return to a time or place.For that reason, back is used most often with "to go" and "to come." However, it may be used with other verbs related to movement, travel, jobs and relationships. You may also say "to be back," which is the condition of returning from a place. The examples follow and they're self-explanatory.

To Be
#1) We are going to the United States tomorrow and we will be back in two weeks.
#2) My husband left three hours ago to buy milk and he isn't back yet.
#3) When I'm back from my trip, I will call you.
#4) I heard that Tom and Sally are back together. (return to a relationship)
#5) How does it feel to be back? It's good to be back.

To Go
#1) I loved Holland and I plan to go back next Summer.
#2) She will go back to her hometown to care for her sick mother.
#3) I forgot my textbook, so I have to go back to school.
#4) Marie went back to her old job because they offered her more money. (return to a job)
#5) I will never go back to my husband. (return to a relationship/marriage)
#6) I wish I could go back in time and change the past.

To Come
#1) I'm leaving now, but I will come back in an hour.
#2) My roommate came back very late last night and he wasn't alone.
#3) Come back! I'm so lonely without you. (return to a relationship)
#4) I asked for my job back, but they said that there's no job to come back to. (return to a job)

Other
#1) Welcome back! How was your trip?
#2) Get back in line! (military / school / prison expression)
#3) He lent me his car and he took it back the next day.
#4) Stay back! I will jump off this building. (Don't come closer to me! -- suicide expression)
#5) We had to walk back home because our car broke down.
#6) I take back everything I said. (I said something, but I want to un-say it.)
#7) We drove around the city for two hours before we turned back.
#8) Give me back my guitar!

Widespread (Dis)approval

There have been elections throughout Europe this Spring and there will be a big election in the United States this Fall. If you want to discuss public opinion in English, you need to know the terms for approval and disapproval. Brief explanations follow each example.

Below:

#1) The approval rating for the president has reached 88%, which is a new high. (very good)

#2) The approval rating for congress has reached 9%, which is a new low. (very bad)

#3) The law to legalize pot was met with widespread approval. (well liked)

#4) The law that would allow infants to carry handguns was met with widespread disapproval. (much disliked)

#5) The public is for new laws regulating food safety. (support)

#6) The people are against going to war with Vatican City. (don't support)

#7) The people are rallying for measures to limit government spending. (acting to support)

#8) The public is rallying against the law that prevents gay couples from adopting pets. (acting to stop)

#9) Voter turnout is very high this year. (number of voters)

#10) Voters are turning out in record numbers. (Voters are voting...)

#11) The new government is wildly unpopular and there have been many demonstrations. (much disliked)

#12) The positive/negative response to the Kittens for Criminals program has been unprecedented. (previously unknown; can be good or bad)

#13) The capable government is highly praised by all its citizens for its cooperation and interest in public welfare. (much liked and talked about)

Better...Than

To Be Better...Than is used for an overall comparison of two things.

Example: #1) Coke is better than Pepsi.
#2) San Diego is better than Los Angeles.
#3) My mom is better than your mom.
#4) Motorcycles are better than cars.
#5) Zebras are better than horses.

To be a better...than uses a title/role, narrowing the definition of quality.

Example: #1) He is a better guitarist than me.
#2) Kevin is a better employee than David.
#3) I am a better parent than my father was.
#4) My mother is a better cook than my wife.
#5) You are a better lover than my husband.

To Be Better At...Than is used for comparing the quality of a skill.

Example: #1) He is better at swimming than I am.
#2) She is better at lying than me.
#3) Kevin is better at kissing ass than David.
#4) My girlfriend is better at English than me.
#5) I am better at cooking than she is.

Topics: Abortion

People sometimes feel uncomfortable when discussing abortion. You may talk about the abortion directly, saying "I had an abortion!", but most people will use a softer tone when expressing the pregnancy and the resulting procedure.

An unplanned pregnancy is exactly what it sounds like, a pregnancy you didn't plan for. You may also (unkindly) refer to the resulting child as an accident. Example: #1) This is an unplanned pregnancy and I don't know what to do. #2) The parents resented and mistreated the child because she was an accident.

To be careful means to avoid pregnancy through contraception and post-intimacy sanitation. Example: #1) I don't know how she got pregnant because she and I were so careful. #2) We drank too much and we weren't careful. Now, we are going to be parents.

To keep the baby means deciding not to have an abortion. Example: #1) Our parents forced us to keep the baby, even though we didn't want it. #2) We decided to keep the baby and destroyed our dreams in the process.

To get rid of the baby means to have an abortion. Example: #1) I got rid of the baby without telling my husband. #2) They got rid of the baby and now they'll never know the joys of parenting.

To terminate/end a pregnancy also means getting an abortion. Most people prefer to say this because it isn't technically a "baby" until after birth. Example: #1) I have consulted a doctor before ending my pregnancy. #2) Because of the strict laws in America, I went to Mexico to terminate my pregnancy.

Unattended

If something is left unattended, no one is actively watching it and they probably should be.

Example

#1) She left her child unattended and the child was kidnapped.

#2) He left the stove unattended and it burned down the house.

#3) I left a campfire unattended and it burned down the forest.

#4) She left her running car unattended and it was stolen.

#5) Don't leave your dog unattended in the park.

#6) If you leave your bag unattended, it will be destroyed by security.

The opposite, attended, is not commonly used as an adjective. However, I person may attend to something, and this is similar to taking care of something.

Example

#1) I can't come with you now. There's something I should attend to first.

#2) Forgive me for leaving early. There's a problem I need to attend to.