“come what may”

No matter what will/might happen.

Examples:

“I will continue to work this job, come what may, because I am loyal to my company.”

“There was recently a crime in this neighborhood, and some fear for their safety. However, I believe that it was one incident and not a trend, we will stay in this house come what may.”

“be that it may”

Use this expression when you understand a piece of information, and this piece of information might be able to change your opinion, but it doesn’t. In more simple terms, it can often be substituted for “however.”

Examples:

“I understand that you were late for work because of a flat tire; be that it may, you must still stay late tonight to work your full shift.”

“It is too bad that your computer stopped working. Be that it may, your paper is now late.”

Want to learn some more idioms? Check out some of our other blogs on this subject:

 Animal idioms and vocabulary

Idioms with “green”

Various helpful idiomatic expressions

Many students groan when they hear the words “phrasal verb.” We understand why: there are hundreds of phrasal verbs in the English language, and the only way to learn them is to memorize them. There is no “quick fix” when it comes to learning phrasal verbs!

Or is there? Take the “30-Day Phrasal Verb Challenge” with us and find out! Here is how it works: read the list of phrasal verbs listed below. Each day for the month of May, learn a new phrasal verb. CISL will provide worksheets for you to practice these phrasal verbs each week in order to test your memory. Who knows? It could be…. fun? Yep, FUN!

What IS a phrasal verb? Check out our post on Phrasal Verbs to learn more.

Converse International School of Languages 30-Day Phrasal Verb Challenge

1. Go on – continue

Student: “Teacher, I have something to tell you… I… I…”

Teacher: “Go on.”

Student: “I didn’t do my homework!”

2. Set up – to establish something

We set up the party by putting up decorations and putting out the food.

3. Pick up – to clean

This room was filthy so I had to pick it up.

4. Pick up – to give a ride to someone

I have to pick up my little brother at eight.

5. Go out – to date someone.

We have been going out for three months.

6. Find out – discover; learn of

I just found out that my great-grandmother was from Japan! That means I am part Japanese!

7. Come up – to happen unexpectedly. (Also literal.)

I wanted to visit my friend, but something came up and I couldn’t go.

8. Make up – to create a story

I made up a story about how I was lost at sea… and my nephew believed it!

9. Take over –to take control

The country took over the other country after the war.

10. Work out – to solve a problem

We need to work this out before we go home, or we will have a lot of work to do tomorrow!

11. Take up – to start a new hobby

I took up snorkeling when I moved to San Diego.

12. Turn out – to end happily

I was so worried that I would burn my dinner, but it turned out great!

13. Take on – to start a new project or challenge

I took on a new job at work and I am so busy!

14. Give up – to quit;

I gave up on playing the guitar. I was no good!

15. Look up – to search for information

I looked up my boss on the internet, and he has an impressive resume!

16. Take out – to take someone on a date

Can I take you out sometime?

17. Jot down – to write quickly

Jot down your shopping list before you go to the grocery store.

18. Turn up – to appear

I had been looking for my glasses all day. They turned up under the sofa.

19. Bring up – to mention a person or thing;

I shouldn’t have brought up Sarah’s ex-boyfriend. I didn’t realize that they had broken up!

20. Bring up – to raise a child

I was brought up by my grandparents after my parents passed away.
21. Bring back – to return

That song brought back memories of high school!

22. Break down – to fall apart; to have a physical or mental collapse

I broke down after I heard that my dog needed surgery.

23. Take off – to begin to fly

My plane takes off at ten.

24. Take back – to cancel a statement

I take back what I said about your sister being so nice. She was rude to me today!

25. Go in – pay a part of

Do you want to go in on a new camera with me for Mom’s birthday?

26. Set off – make angry

Getting an expensive bill really set James off!

27. Bring about – make something happen

To bring about change, you must first educate people on the problem.

28. Put off – postpone

I put off writing my paper and now it is due in two hours!

29. Make up – to forgive and stop fighting

We made up after a big fight.

30. Break up – to end a relationship

After we made up, we fought again and we broke up.

What is a phrasal verb? There are a few types, but the most common phrasal verb is a verb + preposition/adverb. Individually, these two words have separate meanings; together, these two words make a new word (a phrasal verb) that has a completely different meaning.

For example, take the phrasal verb “put off.” Put means “to place something somewhere” while “off” is the opposite of “on.” But together, “put off” does not equal the meaning of both definitions combined. Instead, it means “to postpone; to do later.”

Do you think you can pick up what these phrasal verbs mean? Don’t put out too much effort trying to figure out the definitions! If you do, you might pass out from putting forth so much effort!

Pick up: to understand

Put out: to try, to make an attempt

Figure out: to discover, to understand

Pass out: to faint

The only way to master phrasal verbs is to practice, practice, practice! Are you interested in becoming a phrasal verb professional? Tune in tomorrow for another lesson and a new way to learn about phrasal verbs!

Tune in: to watch

You can’t change the past. This we know! But don’t we sometimes look back and think “what if?” We all do this from time to time, which is why we need the Third Conditional.

Third Conditional

[if + subject + had + past participle] + [subject + would + have + past participle]

The Third Conditional looks back and wonders how things would be different if we could change the past. Have you ever thought about what your life would be like if you dated a different person, chose a different university, or picked a different career? We all do! We use the Third Conditional to express these thoughts.

• If I had majored in engineering, I would have made a lot of money.
• If I had been born in Spain, I would have grown up speaking Spanish.
• If she had known she was going to be fired from her job, she wouldn’t have bought that new car.
• If I had practiced the violin every day, I would have done much better at the performance.
• If I had studied more, I would have scored better on the test.

Honestly, the Third Conditional can be a little depressing! Don’t you think? But this sentence structure is incredibly important. Every language needs to be able to express this scenario. What can we learn from this conditional? As Buddha once said, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Wise words!

Are you ready to practice the Third Conditional? Answer these questions:

1. What would you have done if you had not come to CISL?

(If I hadn’t come to CISL, I would have… + past participle)

2. What language would you have spoken if you had been born in Indonesia?

(If I had been born in Indonesia, I would have… + past participle)

3. What would you have done differently with your life if your parent had been a famous celebrity?

(If my parent had been a famous celebrity, I would have …)

4. What would have happened if you hadn’t worn sunscreen at the beach?

(If I hadn’t worn sunscreen, I would have …)

Complete these sentences:

1.) Use the word: begin
If the class _____________________________ at 10:00 we would have been on time.

2.) Use the word: call
If you _____________________________  earlier I would have invited you to the movies too.

3.) Use the word: fix
If you had told us of these problems by 8:00 a.m. we _____________________________ them this morning.

4.) Use the word: increase
If you had studied harder your test score would _____________________________  dramatically.

5.) Use the word: learn
You _____________________________  everything about conditionals if you had read the other two Grammar Lesson of the Month posts on conditionals.

6.) Use the words: meet & give
If I _____________________________  with Andrea yesterday I _____________________________  her your present.

7.) Use the words: do & complete
You_____________________________  better on your evaluation if you _____________________________  all of the presentation requirements.

8.) Use the words: see & visit
We _____________________________  Sarah if we _____________________________  to her party last week.

Today we are focusing on the Second Conditional. Unlike the First Conditional, which focuses on real events and future plans, the Second Conditional is used for things that probably will not happen, like winning the lottery or meeting your favorite celebrity. We use the Second Conditional to dream.

Second Conditional

[if + subject + SIMPLE PAST verb] + [subject + might/could/would + base verb]

The Second Conditional looks like the First Conditional: both use the “if/then” structure, and the Second Conditional uses words like “would, could, or might” where the First Conditional uses words like “will, shall, and may.” But don’t be fooled! That is where the similarities end.

The  biggest difference between the Second Conditional and the First Conditional  is that the Second Conditional talks about events that are not real possibilities. In many examples, these are things that could happen: there is a possibility, but realistically, they are not things that will happen. That is why we often use the Second Conditional to talk about dreams and fantasies, like winning the lottery:

• If I had a million dollars, I might buy a really expensive car.
• If I lived on the beach, I would go swimming every day!
• If I became president, I could meet a lot of famous world leaders. 

If you eat a lot of cookies, you might get a tummy ache.

If I had been born in Spain, I would have spoken Spanish as my mother tongue.

If you do not water your plants, they die.

April’s Grammar Lesson of the Month is… conditionals!

What are Conditionals?

Conditionals are a special type of sentence that explains a situation and its consequences. Conditionals use the word “if” to express this relationship between two things. If one thing happens, then another thing happens; for example, if you don’t use an umbrella when it rains, you get wet. Using an umbrella causes you to stay dry, and not using an umbrella causes you to get wet. Of course, CISL San Diego students rarely worry about this example, since it hardly ever rains in SD!

The Star of India, a ship at the Embarcadero in San Diego, is the world's oldest sailing ship. "If the Star of India is not sailing tomorrow, we will take a tour of the ship's deck."

There are four main conditionals that are commonly used in the English language, and they are called the first conditional, second conditional, third conditional, and the zero conditional. In honor of “Conditional Month” at CISL, we will present a different conditional (and practice work!) for a new conditional each week. Make sure to check back on our blog and practice using the conditionals each week this April! And remember: IF you read the blog each week, you WILL know each of the conditionals by May! (Grammar joke!)

We will start with the easiest and most commonly used conditional: the first conditional.

First Conditional

[if + subject + verb] + [subject + will/shall/can/may + base verb]

The first conditional presents issues that have a real possibility of happening. Typically, this conditional is used for real events in the future (you probably would not use this conditional to talk about winning the lottery since, let’s be honest, it probably won’t happen!). But there is a good chance that you often talk about future plans, and that these plans change depending on things like the weather or people’s schedules.

• If it rains Wednesday, we will postpone the soccer game.
  
• If I can get vacation time, I will go to Spain.
  
• If it is sunny, we may go to the park. 

It is important to note that you can flip this conditional; for example:

• We will postpone the soccer game if it rains Wednesday.
  
• I will go to Spain if I can get vacation time.
• We may go to the park if it is sunny.

Did you notice anything about this switch? The comma disappears! In addition, the word “then” is also omitted when you switch the “if” clause to the end of the sentence.

• If Susie comes over, then we shall eat fish (she’s a vegetarian).
• We shall eat fish if Susie comes over.

Practice with the First Conditional

Are you ready to practice the first conditional? Answer these questions:

1. What will you do this weekend if it is sunny? (“If it is sunny, I will/may + base verb…“)

2. What will you do this weekend if it is rainy? (“If it is rainy, I will/may + base verb…”)

3. What will you do if your friend cancels your plans for tonight?

4. What will  you do if you forget your homework?

5. What will you say if your friend asks to borrow five dollars?

Note: the words “will” and “shall” and “may” CANNOT go in the “if” clause.

INCORRECT: If we will go to Burger Lounge, I will buy a hamburger.

CORRECT: If we go to Burger Lounge, I will buy a hamburger.

Have fun practicing your conditionals! And remember to check the CISL Blog next week to learn about the second conditional!

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner! Soon Americans will be wearing green clothes, eating traditional corned beef and cabbage, and drinking green beer. What a strange–and fun–holiday! To prepare our students for this celebration, we have some St. Patrick’s Day and Irish-related vocabulary and idioms. Enjoy!

USEFUL ST PATRICK’S DAY VOCABULARY

Ireland

The name of the country where St. Patrick’s Day originated. People from Ireland are called “Irish”.

Emerald Isle

A nickname for Ireland. Emerald is a green gemstone.

Shamrock

A plant with three round leaves. It is the symbol of Ireland and is used to represent St. Patrick’s Day.

Leprechaun

A mythical creature from old Irish tales. The leprechaun is associated with creating mischief.

Pot of Gold

Irish mythology says that there is a leprechaun with a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Good luck finding the end of a rainbow! Have you ever seen one?

Corned Beef 

Surprisingly, there isn’t any “corn” in “corned beef.” Corned beef is actually a salted beef, and the word “corn” comes from the large pieces of salt that look like corn kernels which are used to salt the beef. Corned beef is a dish traditionally eaten on St. Patrick’s Day in the United States. You will find it on many restaurant menus… just for one day! Usually it is served with a side of cabbage.

IDIOMS WITH “GREEN”

On St. Patrick’s Day, everyone wears green. What happens if you don’t wear green? People can pinch you! Ouch! Because the color green is closely associated with St. Patrick’s Day, we are offering a list of idioms with the word “green.”

• to give someone the green light: to give permission to go ahead with a project. “My boss gave me the green light on our new project. I can’t wait to start!”
• to have a green thumb: a have a talent for making things grow. “Wow, your garden is incredible! You really have a green thumb!”
• green with envy: to be very jealous, full of envy. “When I saw his beautiful new car, I was green with envy.”
• to be green around the *gills: to look very sick. “He looked really green around the gills after the roller coaster ride.”
• green-eyed monster: a feeling of jealousy. “The green-eyed monster always comes out when a co-worker gets a raise and I do not.”
• to be green: to be inexperienced at something. “I am still green at tennis, but I enjoy playing it!”
• grass is always greener on the other side - a place that is different seems better than where we are now. “I wish I had your job. It looks like so much fun.” “Well, my job might seem great, but it definitely is difficult. But you know… the grass is always greener on the other side!”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          *Gills: the small slits on the side of a fish. The fish breathes through the gills.

The Present Perfect is a tense that confuses many students. When do we use it? And why? There are many ways to use the Present Perfect; today, we will look at using the Present Perfect to talk about specific times that we started something, and show its relationship to the present.

A Quick Overview of the Present Perfect

Present Perfect = has/have + past participle

The Present Perfect is often used to talk about experiences. For example:

I have been to Thailand.

I have ridden in a helicopter.

I have seen dolphins in the ocean.

I have never met a famous person.

I have never been sailing.

But these students have been sailing!

But when did these things happen? With the Present Perfect, we do not know. That is why we need to use words like “for” and “since” to show when these things happened or started.

The Present Perfect + For

The Present Perfect is for things that started in the past and have a connection to today; for example, “I have lived in San Diego for three months”. In this example, the speaker still lives in San Diego, and the speaker started living in San Diego three months ago.

Some more examples of this include:

I have been a teacher for five years.

I have lived in my apartment for two months.

She has driven her car for 10 years.

I haven’t been to Italy for 20 years.

In each of these examples, we use the Present Perfect with “for + a period of time”. You must always use “for” with a period of time, as with “five years”, “two months”, and “10 years” in the above examples.

The Present Perfect + Since

We can also use the Present Perfect with “since”. Unlike “for” which is used with a length of time, “since” must be used with a specific time or date. For example:

I have been a teacher since 2007.

I have lived in my apartment since December.

She has had her car since June.

It has been cloudy since Monday.

I haven’t seen him since this morning.

We can also use the Present Perfect + since + time +  “ago”.

She has had her car since five months ago.

Another way we can use the Present Perfect + since is with a time clause. A time clause has a subject and a past tense verb. For example:

She has worn glasses since she was a child.

They haven’t been to Thailand since they were children.

I haven’t seen her since I lived in San Francisco.

Let’s practice!

Example 1: How long has Jen lived in her apartment?

Jen has lived in her apartment since June.

Jen has lived in her apartment for three months.

Jen has lived in her apartment since she moved to San Diego.

Question 1:

How long have you lived in your house/apartment?

I have lived in my house/apartment for _______________________________.

I have lived in my house/apartment since _____________________________.

Example 2: How long has Fabricio studied English?

Fabricio has studied English since 2008.

Fabricio has studied English for four years.

Fabricio has studied English since he was in high school.

Question 2:

How long have you studied English?

I have studied English for __________________________________________.

I have studied English since ________________________________________.

There are many ways to use the Present Perfect. Next month, we will focus on another way to use this tense: talking about experiences. Until then, have a great March!

English has borrowed a lot of words from different languages, and sometimes from languages you might not expect!

What languages do you think the following come from?

1. ALCATRAZ (The island prison off the coast of San Francisco)
2. SOIREE (A very elegant evening party)
3. SIESTA ( a short afternoon sleep or nap)
4. KINDERGARTEN (The first year of school for very small children)
5. ALCOHOL (Vodka, wine, whiskey, sake etcetera)
6. UMBRELLA (It’s what you hold above your head when it’s raining.)
7. GESUNDHEIT (Many Americans use this instead of “Bless you!” when someone sneezes.)
8. HIBACHI (A small, portable grill for barbequing)
9. RENDEZVOUS (A romantic meeting)
10. O.K. or OKAY (I think everyone knows what this means, but I bet you can’t guess where it probably comes from! – It was a surprise to me!)

Most of you have found yourselves studying the Passive at one time or another in your CISL classes. Like many other concepts, how you construct it is not as confusing as why or when you should use it. We’re going to mention this month just one common use of the passive, and we’ll add a delicious example of it for you!

Forming the passive is easy – TO BE (present, future, any tense you like) + the PAST PARTICIPLE (speak/spoke/spoken; write/wrote/written, etc.) So we get sentences like “That book was written by Barbara Kingsolver;” and “The water should be boiled before you drink it.” That last sentence gives you an example of that common use of the passive we mentioned: we use it to GIVE INSTRUCTIONS. And what better place to find instructions than in a cookbook! For those of you who enjoy spicy hot Szechwan Chinese dishes, this will be a real bonus, but don’t forget the passive examples throughout!

SZECHWAN ORANGE BEEF

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (1/2 kilo) sliced beef
• 2 chopped green onions (scallions)
• 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• The peel (skin) of ½ fresh orange, chopped
• Dried red chili peppers, chopped into small pieces
• minced garlic and minced ginger
• corn starch mixed with water

First, the beef is sliced into bite-sized pieces. Then it is mixed with the ginger, garlic and soy sauce and covered and left for about 25 minutes. While the meat mixture is being marinated, the green onions and the chili peppers can be chopped and the ½ orange peel needs to be cut up into small pieces.

After the 25 minutes, the beef slices are removed from the marinade and drained (THE MARINADE MUST BE SAVED. IT WILL BE ADDED TO THE SAUCE!)

The beef slices must be cooked in the oil over very high heat; when they are browned, then the green onions, chili peppers and orange peel are added. After about 3 minutes, the soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil should be added to the meat and everything should be stirred and fried rapidly for another minute, then the marinade must be added and stirred in. When the mixture is heated, the toasted sesame seeds are quickly added and the meal is finished and should be served immediately! This is one of my favorite recipes and it should be eaten with plain white rice. Be careful – it is very spicy!