Heartland English School – Word of the Day

Theme: Expressions about sleep

Word: toss and turn

Meaning: to move around and turn over in bed because you are unable to sleep

Example: She was tossing and turning all night because she was anxious about her speech the next day.

Example: He usually tosses and turns for half an hour before falling asleep at night.

Theme: Expressions about sleep

Word: can barely keep (one’s) eyes open 

Meaning: to be so exhausted that your eyes want to close and you want to fall asleep

Example: I was up all night working on my project so I can barely keep my eyes open today.

Example: He stopped his car at a rest stop to sleep because he could barely keep his eyes open.

Theme: Expressions about sleep

Word: sleep in (phrasal verb)

Meaning: to sleep past the time when you usually get up

Example: I always sleep in on the weekends.

Example: He’s a morning person so he doesn’t like sleeping in.

Theme: Canadian Animals

Word:  Bison

Pronunciation:  /ˈbīs(ə)n/

Meaning: A large, hairy wild animal that has a big head and short horns.

Examples:

• Despite their size, bison are very fast creatures, able to run up to 55 kilometers per hour.
• Bison were a main source of food for the Indigenous people.

Theme: Canadian Animals

Word:  Wolverine

Pronunciation:  /ˌwo͝olvəˈrēn/

Meaning:  A mostly dark brown wild animal with shaggy fur that resembles a small bear but is related to the weasel, eats meat, and is found chiefly in the northern forests of North America.

Examples:

• The wolverine is actually related to the weasel family — not the wolf family like its name suggests.
• Did you know that wolverines are a shy species! So don’t expect to see one out in the wild.

Theme: Canadian Animals

Word:  Moose

Pronunciation:  /mo͞os/

Meaning:  A large animal with broad flattened antlers and humped shoulders that is related to the deer and lives in forests of Canada, the northern United States, Europe, and Asia.

Examples:

• Since the moose only eats plants, it naturally will not attack other animals unless it feels threatened.
• The moose is a powerful swimmer within days of birth.

Theme: Canadian Animals

Word:  Pacific loon

Pronunciation:  /pəˈsifik/ /loon/

Meaning:  A large diving bird that eats fish and has a grey head, with black and white checkered feathers.

Examples:

• The pacific loon is on the Canadian one dollar.
• Pacific loons often flock in groups of several thousand. They are also said to be the most sociable of the loon species.

Theme: Canadian Animals

Word:  Beaver

Pronunciation:  /bēvər/

Meaning:  An animal that has thick brown fur, webbed hind feet, and a broad flat tail, that cuts down trees with its teeth, and that builds dams and houses of sticks and mud in water.

Examples:

• The beaver is on the Canadian five-cent nickel.
• Beavers use wood to dam up rivers.

Theme: Time Expressions

Word: time flies

Meaning: when time seems to pass very quickly

Examples:

• Time flies when you’re having fun!
• When we were talking yesterday, time just flew! It was midnight before we left!

Theme: Time Expressions

Word: just a matter of time

Meaning: when something is sure to happen sometime in the future

Examples:

• If you keep spending this amount of money, it’s just a matter of time before you’ll be broke.
• He’s so smart! It’s just a matter of time before he gets promoted.