Heartland English School – Word of the Day

Theme: Informal Expressions with GET

Expression: get a life!

Meaning: If you tell someone to get a life, you are expressing frustration with them because their life seems boring or they seem to care too much about unimportant things.

Examples:

1. Don’t tell me you’re cleaning your house on a Saturday night? Get a life, dude!

2.College isn’t just about studying and getting good grades. You need to get a life! Go to activities, meet new people, join a sports club, anything!

Theme: REMEMBRANCE DAY

Word:  honour  (verb.)

Meaning:  to treat someone with admiration and respect

Examples:

• We honour the fallen on Remembrance Day by wearing a poppy.
• On Remembrance Day, at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, tens of thousands of people assemble to honour and remember those who have fallen to protect our freedoms.

Theme: Remembrance Day

Word: fallen (plural noun.)

Meaning:  soldiers who have died in a war

Examples:

• On Remembrance Day we remember the fallen.
• On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month we honour the fallen.

Theme: REMEMBRANCE DAY

Word:  serve  (v.)

Meaning:  to be employed as a member of the armed forces

Examples:

• On November 11th we acknowledge the courage of those who served our country, as well as those who continue to serve.

Theme: REMEMBRANCE DAY

Word:  veteran  (n.)

Meaning:  a person who has served in the military

Examples:

• On Remembrance Day we honor the veterans.
• If you see a license plate with a poppy on it, that person is a veteran.

Theme: REMEMBRANCE DAY

Word:  poppy  (noun)

Meaning:  a plant with large red flowers and small, black seeds

Examples:

• In the days leading up to Remembrance Day on November 11th, you will see people on the TV and in the streets wearing a poppy on their left side.
• The poppy is a symbol of remembrance for World War I.

Theme: Colourful Expressions

Word: Take a red eye (idiom)

Pronunciation:/teɪk ə red aɪ/

Meaning: A flight scheduled to depart at night and arrive the next morning. The term “red-eye” derives from the symptom of having red eyes, which can be caused by fatigue.

Examples:

• I took the red eye from California to New York last night and now I am exhausted.
• If you take a red eye it will be much cheaper than a daytime flight.

Theme: Colourful Expressions

Word: Gray Area or Grey Area (idiom)

Pronunciation:/ˌɡreɪ ˈer.i.ə/

Meaning: an area or situation in which it is difficult to judge what is right and what is wrong

Examples:

• Downloading movies can be a gray area in some countries.
• The laws involving copyright are often full of gray areas.

Theme: Colourful Expressions

Word: Golden Opportunity (idiom)

Pronunciation: /ˈɡoʊl.dən ɑː.pɚˈtuː.nə.t̬i/

Meaning: an excellent chance to do or get something.

Examples:

• The interview could have been a golden opportunity to get a high paying job.
• It not only brought smiles to their faces but also gave them a golden opportunity to express their talent.

Theme: Colourful Expressions

Word: Green With Envy (idiom)

Pronunciation: /ɡriːn wɪð en.vi/

Meaning: wishing very much that you had what someone else has

Examples:

• I could see that all the girls were green with envy when I came out in my new dress.
• When I told Emma about the confirmation letter – she was green with envy.