Comments

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  Bill the English Teacher December 22, 2009 4:32

  When we say we were laughing our head off it means we found something so humorous that we laughed and laughed and continually laughed some more. The idea is that the continual laughing would force our head to fall off. This is hyperbole or using exaggeration to make a point. Another hyperbole is I almost died laughing.
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  Tanya December 16, 2009 10:50

  Hi, Yen! I am really glad to meet you. I love people with right intentions. However I have to say that your English is dramatically far from perfection. You have very good vocabulary but your grammar is very poor. You should pay more attention to it. As to your question, it is hard to give you a direct answer. Some of my students start speaking very good English in 9-12 months or even earlier. I was to one student who spoke perfect English in 6 months. But some of them need more time. As to my English, I think it is out of the question because I started studying it at the age of five and when I was a teenager I already spoke it fluently. At the University I spoke better that my teachers and didn't study, in fact. Some of them asked my advices and I was very proud of that! (Smile!) But when I started teaching myself, I had to revise my knowledge to be able to teach well. You see, I have life-long practice; besides, I lived in the US for many years and have been communicating with Americans for more than 20 years. I like that you are fond of idioms. English is a very idiomatic language. But on the other hand, you should use idioms only if you are 100% sure. Otherwise, you may sound silly and funny. I will be glad to help you. People say, I am good at explaining things. I see, that you are friendly with Bill. As to idioms, he is the best consulter. I often ask him questions, too. Well, I wish you the best in reaching your goals!
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  Bill the English Teacher December 14, 2009 16:55

  I must admit that I do feel fortunate to live in the state of Colorado. It is so unique and beautiful. And Denver is a lovely city with friendly people. It is in the middle of the USA and I only miss the ocean.
  My sweet little Cora is getting bigger and now she smiles a lot and seems to be a happy baby. It is nice to see her develop a personality.
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  Bill the English Teacher December 11, 2009 5:41

  If you want to say that you worked somewhere in the past but do not work there now you can say it in two ways.
  1. I don't work there any longer.
  2. I no longer work there.
  
  But we do not say I don't work there longer.
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  congthuydung December 10, 2009 6:11

  hi Yen!! Nice to meet u!!!:D
  I can practise with u but theseday i'm so busy cos i'm in my final year at high school. So I'll see u later. ok?
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  Bill the English Teacher December 9, 2009 4:51

  When I think of the word ‘bounce’ I think of a child playing with a ball. When they drop it, it returns to their hands. In other words, the ball bounces back to the child from the ground. When we use the word ‘bounce’ in conversation we mean one person asks a question or offers an idea and they wait for the other person to respond like a ball that bounces back to the child’s hands. We bounce questions or ideas off other people to get their opinion about what we say. So I was telling you that I am honored that you ask questions or express your ideas to find my answers or opinions
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  Bill the English Teacher November 30, 2009 7:25

  If something is over it simply means it is finished. So class is over, the movie is over, the program is over. So the meaning is not always negative or bad. If I say my illness is over, that is a good thing.
  
  If a person is over something else, the meaning is different. It is like you get very involved in something and decide you don't want to do it anymore.
  
  
  So I can say the following. Our relationship is over or I can say I am over him/her.
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  Bill the English Teacher November 26, 2009 2:12

  corection: it means it was nice to find me here.
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  Bill the English Teacher November 26, 2009 2:10

  The word that confuses me is catch. It doesn't mean anything in its context. If you mean it was nice to catch me here in English club it means to was nice to find me here.
  
  However if you are talking about being over something I can help you. When we say we are over something it means we no longer want to deal with it, pay attention to it, put effort toward it, have anything to do with it, spend any time doing it, etc. These expressions all mean the same thing in general. We are finished with something.
  For example, a man loves a woman but he finds she is too difficult to be in a relationship with her. He says, "I'm over that relationship." He no longer wants to be in a relationship with her. It is not worth the effort.
  Or maybe someone makes you angry because they insult you. And you continue to be angry at them. But eventually you decide it is not important to be angry any longer. You can say to that person, " I'm not angry anymore. I'm over that."
  Let's say your friend develops a joy for riding motorcycles. But one day he has an accident. He sells the motorcycle and you realize that he is over riding motorcycles.
  Hope this helps.
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  Bill the English Teacher November 25, 2009 6:38

  I need a little more information. catch being ver does not mean anything in English.