Idiom

Black and white – two sides that are extremes; right or wrong, or good or bad, with nothing in between

Fine line – a very subtle distinction between two different things

Right under one’s nose – in plain view; in a place where something or someone might be easily noticed

Plug – quickly advertise for free

No ifs, ands, or buts about it – absolutely no excuses, without any doubt, dissension, or variance

Can’t see the forest through the trees – can’t see real important things

See something in a whole new light – to view or understand something from a different perspective

Change one’s tune – to change one’s attitude

Keep someone in the dark – do not tell someone

Rule out – cross off at the list. Eliminate something

Have it both ways – to have two things at the same time that are incompatible with each other

Up in the air – uncertain; unknown; undecided

Pros and cons – the advantages and disadvantages

Head over heels in love – love so much and so happy

Get something/someone off one’s mind – to try to stop thinking about something

Look like a million bucks – to look very good; to be attractive and well-dressed

Feel ten feet tall – to feel happy, fortunate, and self-confident

Where I stand – what is my position, relationship

Promise the moon – to promise someone something that is impossible

Be put on a pedestal – everybody thinks somebody is great

Lay it on thick – to flatter or praise someone excessively

Breathing room – to have freedom from excessive control of one’s time and attention

No strings attached – expect nothing. Just do it for you

Give me a ring – give me a call

Slip one’s mind – to forget something

Blow it – make a mistake. Screw up by my fault

In over one’s head – involved in something that is too difficult, complicated, or dangerous for one to handle easily

Right around the corner – imminent; about to happen; in the near future

Get something off the ground – get something started or running smoothly

Odd are – according to statistics

Cut corners – to compromise on quality; to do something poorly or incompletely; to take shortcuts

Keep a level head – to think calmly and rationally; to not panic

Till the cows come home – till the evening. For a very, very ling time

Open a can of worms – to create a whole new set of problems to deal with

Throw in the towel – to give up, quit

Cross that bridge when one comes to it – to deal with a situation or a problem when one has to, and not before

Off the top of one’s head – to think of something without looking it up or trying hard to figure it out

Make one’s mark – to have a significant impact on something

Hands down – absolutely, with no question

Strike a chord – really make me think; to seem familiar

Ahead of one’s time – wonderful new product

Put one’s name on the line – to risk losing one’s reputation. Believe something strongly to rescue somebody

Warm up to – to accept and come to like something that one at first doesn’t like

Corner on the market – have power

Flash in the pan – someone or something that experiences fleeting and transitory fame or popularity

Feather in one’s cap – and accomplishment of which one can be very proud

Wipe out – eliminate

Save face – to preserve one’s good reputation or dignity after doing something that may potentially damage that reputation

Uphill battle – a very difficult task

Stop something in its tracks – to stop something or someone very abruptly or forcefully

Miss the boat – to lose a chance or opportunity to do something, often because one’s response is too late or slow

Take it out on someone – to act in a mean, angry, or hostile way toward someone, even if it is not that person’s fault that you are angry

Sitting duck – someone in a vulnerable or unguarded position who is unaware of the danger of the situation

Too close to comfort – dangerously close

Slip through one’s finger – to be lost or to narrowly escape without one knowing how

Not have a prayer – to have no chance at all

Bite off more than one can chew – to try to do more than one is capable of

Bring to one’s knees – to incapacitate; to severely weaken the power of someone; defeat someone not only physically but mentally

Have an edge – have an advantage

Put one’s best foot forward – to try one’s best; to try to make a good impression

Let someone down – to disappoint someone

Tow the line – to do exactly what is expected; to follow orders

Take something in stride – to accept a difficult situation and move on

Stick one’s neck out – to take a risk for someone

Bend over backwards – to make an extreme effort

Get something off the ground – to make something start

Academic Writing I : Types of Movies I like

- rough draft

Types of Movies I Like

I like to watch some kinds of movies. The first movie genre I like is Comedy. Comedy movies make me laugh, and they have happy endings. Thus, I never feel sad when I watch comedy movies. Comedy movies, moreover, are not serious. I like simple things than serious things. Watching and laughing are all I need. The second genre I like is Action. Action movies are also simple. In addition, they are splendid and exciting. I am excited when I see action scenes such as chasing cars, flying by airplanes, amazing fighting skills, etc. The third genre I like is Fantasy. Fantasy movies show many marvelous things. Seeing what I have never imagined is so terrific. On the other hand, some of them tend to be too childish. I think it is because children like fantasy movies, so they need to be childish. I like fantasy movies as long as they are not childish. In my opinion, ‘The Lord of The Rings’ is the best fantasy movie. The last movie genre I like is Musical. Musical movies show singing and dancing. Singing and dancing are cheerful, so I also become delight. I have never seen any musical movies which are boring. Furthermore, actors and actresses in musical movies are very good at singing. It is amazing experience to listen to songs sung very well. These four movie genres are the types of movies I like. They have similarities. They are not serious, complicated, or sad. However, they are funny, simple, and exciting. I want to smile every time, and I do not want to be serious. Therefore, I like these movies. In conclusion, the reason I like these kinds of movies is because of my personality.

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I think this article doesn't make sense; What the hell did I write? Writing is still so hard for me. I have to study hard, but I'm too lazy. Damn;

- final

Types of Movies I Like

I like to watch four kinds of movies. The first movie genre I like is Comedy. Comedy movies make me laugh, and they have happy endings. Thus, I never feel sad when I watch comedy movies. Moreover, Comedy movies are not serious. I like simple things more than serious things. Watching and laughing are all I need. The second genre I like is Action. Action movies are also simple. In addition, they are splendid and exciting. I am excited when I see action scenes such as chasing cars, flying airplanes, amazing fighting skills, etc. The third genre I like is Fantasy. Fantasy movies show many marvelous things. Seeing what I have never imagined is so terrific. On the other hand, some of them tend to be too childish. I think it is because children like fantasy movies, so they need to be childish. I like fantasy movies as long as they are not childish. In my opinion, ‘The Lord of The Rings’ is the best fantasy movie. The last movie genre I like is Musical. Musical movies show singing and dancing. Singing and dancing are cheerful, so I also become delight. I have never seen any musical movies which are boring. Furthermore, actors and actresses in musical movies are very good at singing. It is an amazing experience to listen to songs sung very well. These four kinds of movies have similarities. They are not serious, complicated, or sad. However, they are funny, simple, and exciting. I want to smile every time, and I do not want to be serious. Therefore, I like these movies. In conclusion, these four movie genres are the types of movies I like, the reason I like these kinds of movies is because of my personality.

Academic Writing I - A Scene from a Dream

Dalyoung Lee

Academic Writing I

June 19, 2007

A Scene from a Dream

Two years ago, I experienced very strange things when I lived alone. While I was sleeping in the center of my room at midnight, I heard somebody yelling outside. I was curious, so I woke up and approached the window. I saw two men yelling at each other in front of my window. One of them was old, and the other was young. When they finished fighting, I turned my body back in order to sleep again. After that, I was very shocked, for I saw my body lying on the floor. When I woke up in the morning, I was too dizzy, so I was not able to do anything for a day. Some days later, I wanted to go outside while I was sleeping. Suddenly, I was running very quickly on streets. There were a lot of cars on the left and right, yet nobody saw me. I came back home and slept again. In the morning, I was exhausted as if I really had run. I have never experienced that again after that. I have no idea whether these experiences were dreams or not. These two experiences are the weirdest things that I have ever had.

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This is not a lie. I don't want to experience this again;

A Memorable Event in My Life - Final

Dalyoung Lee
Academic Writing I
June 4, 2007

A Memorable Event in My Life

The hardest time in my life was when I lived alone. I wanted to earn money to study English in Australia, so I decided to work in a fabric company instead of my military service. This company had three work times -08:30~16:30, 16:30~00:30, 00:30~08:30. My work time was changed every week. At first, I lived in a dormitory with two coworkers, but each of our work times was different. It was very inconvenient, so I decided to live alone. Then, I got a room and started living alone. While I worked, I earned about $750 a month, and I saved about $600 a month. Although I got about $350 per two months as a bonus, I did not have enough money to live. In winter, I did not heat my room to save money. I just relied on a heating pad and three blankets. My parents wanted to help me, but I refused it and told them I was using a boiler. I wanted to live by myself. Sometimes I felt it was difficult, but I was able to endure it because of my dream, which was to go to Australia.

After two years, I finished my duty. Finally, I saved more than $17,000. When I told other people about this story, they were surprised. They asked me why I did it, and they also wondered whether it is possible. Some of them thought I was crazy. However, I do not think so because I had a dream. Now I am in America. Although my purpose was Australia, it is not a big deal. Things happen. Anyway, I think this experience was good for me. I learned the worth of money and the way that lives by myself. Suffering makes people stronger. I will never forget this experience, and I will think about this when I feel difficulty.

Academic Writing I : A Memorable Event in My Life - rough draft

A Memorable Event in My Life

The hardest time in my life was when I lived alone. I wanted to earn money to study English in Australia, so I decided to work in a fabric company instead of military. This company had three work times. 08:30~16:30, 16:30~00:30, 00:30~08:30. Work time was changed every week. At first, I lived in dormitory with two coworkers, but each of our work times was different. It was very inconvenient, so I decided to live alone. Then I got a room and started living alone. While I worked, I earned about $750 a month, and I saved my money about $600 a month. Although I got about $350 per two months as a bonus, I did not have enough money to live. In winter, I could not heat my room. I just relied on an electronic carpet and three blankets. My parents wanted to help me, but I rejected. I wanted to live myself. Sometimes I felt difficult, but I was able to endure it because of my dream, going to Australia.

After two years, I finished my duty. Finally, I saved more than $17,000. When I told other people about this story, they were surprised, and they said how I could do that. Some of them thought I was crazy. However, I do not think so because I had a dream. Now I am in America. Although my purpose was Australia, it is not a big deal. Things happen. Anyway, I think this experience is good for me. I leaned the worth of money and the way of living myself. I will never forget this experience, and I will think about this when I feel hard.

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Writing is very difficult. Speaking is more difficult. When can I be good at English?

Blaise Pascal

Blaise Pascal(1623-1662)

Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher. He was born in Clermont-Ferrand, France. He lost his mother at the age of three. His father was a local judge and member of the petite noblesse, who also had an interest in science and mathematics. He had two siblings. They moved to Paris in 1631.
He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father. At first, his father wanted him to learn Latin and Greek, but young Pascal showed an amazing aptitude for mathematics and science. One day, however, his father found Pascal writing mathematic diagrams in his room. From then on, the boy was allowed to study Euclid. At the age of 16, he formulated one of the basic theorems of projective geometry, known as Pascal's theorem and described in his 'Essai pour les coniques' (Essay on Conics, 1639). In 1642 he invented the first mechanical adding machine. Some years later, Pascal formulated the mathematical theory of probability with the French mathematician 'Pierre de Fermat'. Pascal's other important scientific contributions include the derivation of Pascal's law or principle, and his investigations in the geometry of infinitesimals. His methodology reflected his emphasis on empirical experimentation as opposed to analytical, a priority methods, and he believed that human progress is perpetuated by the accumulation of scientific discoveries resulting from such experimentation.

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Copy, paste, and modify;

Academic Writing I - A Person Who Has Made a Difference in My Life

A Person Who Has Made a Difference in My Life : Jisung Park

Jisung Park is the best soccer player in Korea. But some years ago, he was not famous because his physical condition was not good. He was small and thin. He also had flat feet. A person who has flat feet cannot run for a long time. So, none of Korean soccer clubs did not want him to play soccer for their team. He had to go through hard time. He went to Japan and entered one of Japanese soccer team which was not popular. But he did not give up and tried hard. He proved that he could play well even though he did not have good physical condition. Because of his effort, he was able to play at 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup as one of Korean national player.

After the World Cup, he became a player of one of Dutch soccer club because of his incredible activity. He also played very well i Holland. Finally, he became a player of one of England soccer club, Manchester United, which is the best soccer club in the world. He overcame everything.

As I saw his success, I realized that effort is the best way to succeed. I learned that if I tried something hard, it would be done. I try to do my best every time as he did.

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Every time I need to someone who is important for me, I write about Jisung Park. It is good because I don't need to worry about who I should choose to write. And I can show people who Jisung Park is.

Oh, my god!

Reading class is very very difficult; Teacher's speaking is so fast and her voice tone is so low. Reading text is very difficult. What am I going to do?

Today, I make a driving test appointment on DMV homepage. But, the fastest day I can take the test is next Friday. Oops.. I have to wait until Friday. When! When can I buy a car?!

Finally, my school became funny

Because there are more foreign students in my classes at this session! I always wanted this situation. And 'Speaking Globally' class is exciting. At this class, we talk about global situation. But, we usually speak freely! This is the best class I've ever taken. The teacher of this class, Marshal, is cool and funny. He call me, David, and Natalia trouble makers; Why! I'm not. But I'll;

And today, in Academic Writing class, there was a new student. Her name is Liana Braunova. She is from Czechoslovakia, and has blond hair. She sit beside me. And we became partner, we interviewed each other. Oh, I was so nervous because she had blond hair;;

Anyway, from now all I need is a car! Come on, my pretty car~. I'll name my car when I buy it. What name is good?

My Final Assignment at Reading Class at Last Session

Complexion

The author, Richard Rodriguez, is the son of Mexican immigrants. He talks about living in America as a person who has black skin. His complexion is dark. But all his family does not have black skin. His father seems like French. His mother seems like Italian or Portuguese. Their skin is not black. His older brother and youngest sister also have not black skin. Only his older sister has a complexion as dark as his. Because of her black skin, his older sister had to go through hard time. He also experienced some racism.
When he was young, his aunts were pleased because their children had light skin. One aunt recommended her sisters remedies that could bear white children, but it caused some problems to children.
He talks about other people’s experiences that he heard. Two of his cousins were refused to enter to an “all-white” swimming pool. A lot of dark people were connected to poverty because they worked in menial labor. His uncle, who had to be the head of the family because of his grandfather’s death, did construction work. And he was mistreated by white people. When he went back to Mexico, he looked older than his real age because of mistreatment.

My second session in GGLS has been started.

My Classes
Grammar 8, Speaking Globally, Academy Writing I, Reading 8

I wished that there were a lot of foreign students in my classes. Oh.. Three of my classes have ten students. And half of them are foreign students. It is better than last session. I will get along with them. But there is a little strange thing. Most foreign students who take same class with me are women. One of them is a man. And most Korean students who take same class with me are men. Interesting..;

Anyway, today I went to the DMV(Department of Motor Vehicles) to get a license. When I came in there, I didn't know what I need to do. So, I asked an old man who looked like a guard. He told me friendly, so I could do what I needed. I enrolled and took a writing exam. And I passed! Yeah~ I missed only two questions. Although it was a little difficult, I was lucky. Now I can take driving test and I will get a driver license if pass it. OK, I will buy a car ASAP. And then a beautiful life in America will come to me. A car travel!

Korean Students

There is a lot of Korean students in my school, GGLS. Damn it! All of my classes have half or more Korean students. Students of Reading class are all Korean! What the hell.... So, I rarely talk with Korean students. Of course, it would be fun if I talked with them. But it is not helpful for me. They always speak in Korean. Why did they come here? Are they rich? Did they come here to make Korean friends? I can't understand them. The Korean students who I talk are two. One is my classmate in Grammar class. I think he is trying to improve English. Another is a person who I met at church.
Anyway, it is hard to make foreign country friends in my school. So far, I made 4 friends. David, Natalia, Sheida?, Asami. David and Natalia are brother and sister, 19 and 20 years old. They are Indonesian. Sometimes I eat a cloud cookie with them. Sheida is Iranian, she is 27 years old, and she got married. Asami is Japanese, actually I am not close with her. When we do activities with partner in Grammar class, teacher decide partner as me and her.


Writing is always difficult. I don't know whether above sentences are correct. If somebody see this, tell me please. But I think nobody come here. Good job~

Homework - Listening Class

It’s important for parents to talk to their babies a lot to help them learn their language.
I agree. I think conversation is the best way to improve language ability. If babies hear the language constantly, they will absorb the language slowly even if they cannot understand what parents say.

It would be better if everybody in the world spoke the same language.
I agree. Although all of language teachers will lose their job, it is very convenient that everybody in the world speak the same language. People who travel the other country will not have any problems that cause by language. And we can save the time that learn languages, translate, and so on.

Homework - Listening Class

1. The Internet is the best place to find information on almost everything.
A: I agree. When I want to know something, the Internet is a very convenient way. I just turn on computer and search to get information. There will be a lot of results that I want.

2. Information on the Internet is usually quite accurate.
A: I agree. A lot of information are accurate. So it is helpful. But I should be careful when I find information. Because some people diffuse wrong information intentionally. It can cause confusion.

3. The government needs to control the kind of information that can be on the Internet.
A: I agree. The Internet has a lot of information. It contains the information about sex, violence, and something bad. That information can affect children badly.

4. Every student should have a laptop computer and an Internet connection.
A: I don't agree. The Internet is convenient but it is not essential. Although I can't use the Internet, I can live well.

Homework - making sentences.

Competitively – Most sports players play competitively to win.
Triathlon – When I watched a triathlon, I was surprised because it looked very difficult.
To encourage – Praise is a good way to encourage someone.
To focus on – If you have something that you really like to do, you’d better focus on it.
Amateur – Although she is an amateur, her abilities are better than professionals.
Ups and downs – Life is always ups and downs.
To be ranked – If you are ranked first in Olympic, you will be given a gold medal.
To be diagnosed – When I went to the hospital, I was diagnosed with cancer.
To spread – I spread butter on bread.
Surgery – If you didn’t take a surgery, you wouldn’t live anymore.
Aggressive – Be careful of the dog because it is very aggressive.
Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy can cause some side effects.
Sponsor – Almost sports clubs have their sponsors.
Comeback – I am really looking forward to his comeback.
To be beaten or to be matched – World Record is the record that have never been beaten or been matched.
To count – All parts of body count.

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I don't know a lot of words and writing is difficult;

Can you pronounce this?

Betty Better bought some butter.
But her butter made her batter bitter.
So she bought a bit of better butter
made her bitter batter butter.

Today, pronunciation teacher taught us that sentence.
It is difficult for me to pronounce quickly.
버러버러버러.......;;

Home work

Write a paragraph about someone you think is great(a genius, hero, or just a great person).
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Jisung Park is a soccer player who a lot of Korean people like. He is playing for Manchester United which most popular soccer club in the world. He succeeded better than any other Korean soccer player. But, He didn’t succeed at first. He was small and his feet were flat. When he wanted to become professional soccer player, no Korean professional soccer club wanted him. So, he had to go to Japan, he had hard times. But, He played very well at 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. When the 2002 world cub finished, many things changed. He went to Holland with Guss Hiddink who was the coach of Korean national soccer team and he led his team, PSV Eindhoven, to first grade. So, He was given attention to Alex Fugerson who coach of Manchester United. In 2005, he became first Korean soccer player who play soccer in English Premier League.

Although his physical condition was not good to play soccer, he tried continually. Finally he became the soccer player who played in most popular soccer club in the world. So, I think Jisung Park is a great man.

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My hero Jisung Park~

My Class Schedule

-- Time -------- Teacher -- Room ------ Subject
09:10-10:00 --- Katie ------ 3 -------- Grammar 7
10:10-11:00 --- Katie ------ 3 -------- Listening Comprehension
11:10-12:00 --- Andrew ---- 1 -------- Pronunciation II
***Lunch***
13:40-14:30 --- Marina ---- 4 -------- Reading 7

This is my class schedule. Last Thursday, I bought text books, and I got that schedule. Oh my gosh.. The Books was very very expensive! A grammar book's price was $43.69. A reading book was $17.19 even it was used book. I spent $153 to buy five books. When I complained about prices, my sisters said that It was not expensive. They said some books' prices were $100 or more. Why are books in America so expensive? America has a lot of trees. I can't understand.

Anyway, today was my second day that I studied in school. At first day, I was disappointed by school because there was so many Koreans. A grammar class was not bad because there was 3 Koreans including me. But!! A listening class was..shit. Only one Vietnamese. The other people were Korean. What the hell is here! Is this America or Korea? So, I decided to become a 'Wangdda.'

But today, some new students came school. Good.. I'll make friends who isn't Korean. They spoke in Korea when they are together. If I had wanted to play with Koreans, I wouldn't have come here.

P.S. I can't understand the speeches that Japanese say. Is their pronunciation poor? Or is my listening poor? I don't know what problem is;;

Golden Gate Language Schools - placement test

This is my school I'm going to study. Last Monday, I went to school to take a placement test by bicycle. It took about 30 minutes. First, I took a grammar test. It had 50 questions. It was so easy, I missed 3 questions. So, I had to took another grammar test. Wow..It was difficult. I missed 20 questions. If I had studied grammar more, I wouldn't have missed many questions.
Then, I talked with a grandmother who president of this school. She showed me a picture. In the picture, an American family was having something at outside looks like a park. She asked me some questions and I answered it. And she asked me that I made questions myself. So I made questions and answered myself. I wasn't used to speak in English. But whenever I spoke, she said, 'Great~!, You're beautiful student~, good~'. It was good but what was 'beautiful'?;
After talking with president, I took an writing test. It wanted me to write about myself during 15 minutes. So I wrote about my families(my parents, aunt's family), my purpose and so on. Writing was very difficult. Shit;

After tests, I got level 7. This school's level consists of 12 levels. Level 7 is 'advance'.
Is it higher? I don't know well.

Then, I paid the Tuition Fees. It was $1835. I had paid $500 before. Oh, my gosh! Where is my money?! I must study hard.