2.1.8: Lesson 8

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Page ID: 121854

Don Bissonnette
South Seattle Community College

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Lesson Eight

1. Bog down: S, I; slowly moving, stuck, not able to move

We were bogged down on our printing order because the copy machine broke down and we couldn’t get all of the printing done in time. Some student get bogged down on grammar and can’t seem to make much progress very fast.

2. Inch along: NS, I; move very slowly, a short distance at a time

The traffic on I-5 inched along due to a big traffic accident between a big truck and a small car. When there is ice and snow on streets, cars just inch along very slowly.

3. Sleep on (it); NS; think something over before deciding, delay a decision until the next morning, consider an important decision before deciding yes or no

My son couldn’t decide on whether to buy a new car or not, so he decided to sleep on it and decide the next day. Oftentimes it is good to sleep on it before making an important decision.

4. Build up: S; make something or someone stronger slowly

The restaurant started slowly, but after a while it built itself up and is now very popular. The young woman wanted to have a strong body, so she worked out every day at a gym and built up her muscles.

5. Fix up: S; arrange it so that a man and a woman become boyfriend and girlfriend

My wife loves to fix up men and women together. Her dream is to fix up our son André with a beautiful, hard-working, educated, Asian girlfriend whom she can choose. I have fixed up a couple of people over the years.

6. Pay off: S; pay all of one’s debts or the debt on a big item such as a car or house

I paid off my college loans as soon as I got out of the army. My wife and I paid off our mortgage on our house last year.

7. Hold out for: NS; not agree to a business deal until and unless you get the amount you want

My son wanted a $5,000 raise in pay last year, but he settled for a $3,000 raise. I told him he should have held out for the $5,000. Many professional athletes refuse to sign contracts based on the first offer from the team owners. The athletes hold out for many millions of dollars.

8. Mark down: S; stores lower a price when things are on sale

During sales at stores, many items are marked down. I bought a sweater for $36, which had been marked down from $121.

9. Dispose of: NS; get rid of, throw away

The mother disposed of the baby’s diaper in the trash can. I dispose of all my garbage in one of my five compost bins.

10. Dwell on: NS; pay a lot of attention on, emphasize, talk for a long time about, move slowly before making a decision

My wife was just dwelling on her situation with the dentist today. She talked about her situation for about 20 minutes. For her it was very important. For me I was praying she would stop talking about it. Usually, my wife dwells on the preparations for my son’s wedding in Japan in September. That is another situation that I have to listen to but don’t really care about or want to dwell on.

11. Cheer up: S; make someone happy who is sad

When my friend was in the hospital for a week last year, I went there to cheer her up. When my neighbor lost his job, I told him to cheer up that things would get better after a while.

12. Live through: NS; remain alive through a very dangerous situation.

The people in Japan who lived through the earthquake and tsunami many years ago will never forget it for as long as they live. Some of my students have lived through wars.