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Speaking Keith, Part 3 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - talk about habits
        
        how long you have done it
        
        e.g. I've played since I was a child.
        
        how often you do it
        
        regularly
        
        every now and again = occasionally
        
        once in a blue moon
        
        on a fairly regular basis
    - - talk about ability
        
        I'm pretty good at it
        
        I can hold my own
        
        to do as well as anyone else.
        
        I wouldn't say I'm gifted but ...
        
        I have a bit of a knack for playing the ...
    - - talk about past habits
        
        I used to play when ...
        
        I would play in my free time
        
        I often played at home
    - - preference, compare & evaluate
        
        say which
        
        I much prefer A to B, I tend to like A
        
        say why
        
        A is far better than B because
        
        A is easier to use than B,
    - - opinion, compare & evaluate
        
        Give an opinion
        
        Absolutely, without a doubt, for sure
        
        Say why
        
        e.g. We can learn so much from our family
        
        Give an example
    - - opinion, compare & evaluate
        
        Give an opinion
        
        I reckon, I'd say, as far as I can see ...
        
        Say why
        
        Give an example
  - - - have a small sleep (nap)
      - feeling groggy and tired
    - - a family value
      - strongly encouraged to
      - get into big trouble
    - - the right change
      - know addition and subtraction
    - - damage the environment
      - not make a difference
    - - tap water
      - don't bother to
    - - to splash out on a nice perfume
      - fork out a bit of extra money
    - - shopping for food
        
        pick up fresh produce
      - clothes shopping
        
        get it over and done with as quickly as I can
      - be after the best value for money
      - become a bit of a habit
    - - tend to hit the sack
      - an early riser
      - stay up until the early hours (late)
      - enjoy the peace and quite
      - get things done
      - feel out of sorts (not very well)
      - first thing in the morning
      - be good to go
      - tired and groggy
    - - make a habit of making my bed (pos)
      - wash the pots straight after dinner
      - spic and span (=neat and clean)
      - a stickler for keeping things tidy (keep st in order)
      - be really shipshape
      - puts me in a bad mood
      - should've cleaned up
    - - have a bit of short attention span
      - pop out for a quick coffee
      - stretch my legs (go for a walk)
      - go and chat to some colleagues
      - a bunch of them
      - go for a smoke
    - - make me giggle
      - full of visual humor
      - crack me up
      - have a good sense of humor
      - enjoy a good laugh
      - tell joke
      - make a joke
    - - see animals in the wild
      - to get up close to those magnificent creatures
      - cages are too cramped (not enough space)
      - living conditions leave a lot to be desired
    - - historical movies / period dramas
      - in past times
      - all facts and figures
      - a bit tedious
      - start to get a taste for history
    - - wear my hair really short
      - much more manageable
      - have long shoulder-length hair
      - play with the idea of dying it
      - go to the hairdresser's
      - short back and sides
    - - just so comfy and practical
      - more suitable for the cooler seasons
      - made so fashionable by celebrities and the big clothes brands
      - create an image of ... as being cool and sexy
      - strive to emulate
    - - low-pitched and slightly husky
      - a radio voice
      - quite soft-spoken
      - compare my pro. with a native speaker recording
    - - peace and quite
      - lots of background noise going on
      - distract me, just can't focus on
      - a stickler for silence
      - break sth down into
    - - handmade toys
      - computer games
      - toys are battery operated
    - - being able to chill out
      - catch up with their news
      - go out to new places
- - - - The chef’s specials
      - A local delicacy (rare, expensive)
      - A slap-up meal (good, nice)
      - Spicy, sweet, salty, sour
      - Mouth-watering
      - Nutritious food
      - home-cooked food
      - frozen, canned
      - fresh produce (n.)
      - ingredients (n.)
    - - be par for the course (usual)
        
        Starting early and working long hours is par for the course in this job.
      - It's nothing to write home about (nothing special)
        
        when you first walk in, you’d probably say it’s nothing to write home about
      - to stuff oneself (eat a lot)
        
        We basically stuffed ourselves
      - to have a whale of a time (great time)
        
        I think my Dad had a whale of a time being with family and a few special friends.
    - - to mark the occasion (celebrate sth)
        
        Turning 80 was a big deal, so we wanted to mark the occasion in a special way.
      - after some deliberation (careful thought)
        
        After some deliberation, we settled on his favorite restaurant, which was an Indian in our neighborhood.
      - cozy (small, comfortable)
        
        It’s a cozy, little place, decorated like most Indian restaurants where we live with warm colors and some Hindu tapestries on the wall.
      - outstanding service (excellent, top notch)
      - a fixed menu
      - chef's recommendations
      - a starter
      - to go for (choose)
      - to dip in (a sauce, soup, drink)
  - - - false claims
      - out of date info
      - incorrect, mistaken (adj)
      - flawed (adj)
      - misleading, deceitful (adj)
      - to lead sb up to the garden path
      - to lie through your teeth (know you're lying)
    - - pop up (appear)
      - it strikes me (seems)
      - it's all the rage (very fashionable)
      - to fret about sth (worry)
        
        His friends and family are fretting about his health, and urging him to eat and drink less.
      - to regulate (control or supervise with rules)
        
        I honestly think these kind of adverts are totally irresponsible and should be better regulated.
  - - - to be an impulsive buyer
      - to buy sth on a whim (w/o logic)
      - to browse a shop
      - to be on a tight budget
      - pricey / out of my price range
      - coveted one's sth (want sth someone else has)
        
        I guess I coveted their skates, I think deep down I just wanted to be cool and hip like them.
      - to look out for
        
        to look carefully at things in order to find a particular thing
        
        what I needed to look out for when buying roller skates.
      - winter set in (began - neg)
      - I kept putting it off (postpone)
      - Once the weather perks up
        
        When the weather improves (used for weather, person’s mood, prices...)
      - online fraud
      - don't really lend themselves to being bought online
      - get some new features that really caught my eye
    - - to get back into shape
      - twist my arm (convince to do sth)
        
        the salesman also twisted my arm and convinced me to buy the protective gear;
      - gathered dust (not used for a long time)
        
        So the skates sat on the shelf and gathered dust.
  - - - contestant
      - quiz master / host
      - take part in the first round
      - make it to the final
      - win the jackpot (big/main prize)
      - win hands down (easily)
      - preliminary round (first)
    - - get / be eliminated (thing/person) = be taken out
        
        2 of the answers are eliminated.
      - crutches (sth to support/help)
        
        There are some kind of crutches to help the contestant
      - to opt for (choose, pick)
        
        they have to opt for the right one.
      - to take the host seat (have to answer difficult questions)
      - a titbit (interesting bit of info)
        
        An interesting titbit about this show is that it was featured in a film called ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.
    - - have a guess
      - double or quits
      - risk everything or play safe
      - play fair / dirty
      - be off/on your game (do badly/well)
      - play your cards right
    - - for donkey's years (a long time)
        
        a show that has been around for donkey’s years
      - go down well (be popular)
        
        I think this game show goes down so well
      - to have a pop at sth (question, task)
        
        You listen to the questions and have a pop at the answers, even competing with your family or whoever you happen to be watching with.
      - to draw it out (make it last a long time)
        
        the host really draws it out
      - to be on the edge of your seat
        
        def. excited, want to know what happens next
        
        so keeping you on the edge of your seat
- - - - introduce a more extreme term the first one
      - e.g. need to do a training course for a few days, if not a few weeks
    - - take a bit of time
      - do a bit of research
    - - be on top of your game, really know what you're doing.
      - understand their interest, what makes them tick
    - - introduce a new topic of a conversation
    - - to look carefully at things to find a particular thing
  - - - especially / in particular
      - When we are near the sea
      - take surfing for example
      - first, when you
      - On the other hand, there are cases of
      - such as / like
      - You know, like
    - - Maybe because
      - I guess it's because
      - The main reason is
      - It was caused by
      - Mainly due to
      - It's mainly down to the fact that
      - Without
    - - so we can have ...
      - If that happens ..., you'd probably
    - - Disagree
        
        ... and honestly, I don't think ...
        
        What I would suggest is that ...
        
        Frankly, I don't think that's an option
        
        Quite the opposite ...
        
        I actually don't think
      - The way I see it, definitely
      - It seems
      - I suppose/guess
    - - Present
        
        now / at the moment / at present / right now / these days / nowadays
      - Past
        
        in the past / before / then / at that time / years ago / when I was younger / I once did (some point) / quite a while back (fairly long time ago)
    - - and / also / as well as / another reason is
      - on top of that / what's more
    - - What I mean is
      - What I want to say is
      - As I was saying
    - - That said / Having said that
      - However / Nevertheless
      - On the other hand
      - Although / while
      - but / or
    - - I reckon the only answer is to
      - The best way to solve this is
      - I suppose the best way to deal with this problem is
    - - sure enough
      - despite that
- - - - to take a (big/small) risk
      - to take a calculated risk
      - a high-risk/low-risk investment
      - loads (a lot)
        
        Yes, it was challenging, but I learnt loads, not only about China, but about myself too.
      - to turn out well (to finish well / have a good result)
        
        In the end, it turned out quite well.
    - - a big risk taker
      - to be/become risk averse
      - a risk pays off (for me)
      - to play it safe
      - to mitigate the risk
      - evaluate a risk
    - - to start from scratch (begin again with nothing)
        
        So, I would be starting from scratch, with no connections, no network, nothing.
      - to go belly up (to go wrong financially)
        
        If it all went belly up, I could just go back home and look for a job in England.
      - to stick my neck out (take a big risk)
        
        Looking back it was extremely risky. I really stuck my neck out.
      - don't know a soul (know nobody)
        
        I didn’t really know Chinese, I had never heard of the city I was going to, and I didn’t know a soul in the country.
      - to be a safe bet (to be sure or very low-risk)
        
        So, I thought it would be a safe bet.
      - be footloose and fancy-free (no responsibilities / cares)
        
        Young people are generally more footloose and fancy-free, so they have less to lose.
      - to bounce back (recover)
        
        If things go wrong, they can bounce back quite easily.
  - - - to go for / on a drive
      - an epic drive (legendary, memorable)
      - to be on the (open) road
      - to overtake (pass)
      - to take the wheel (start driving)
      - to drive on the right
      - to soak up (view/atmosphere) = enjoy
        
        I just soaked up the beautiful views whilst my Dad was driving.
      - to savor sth (enjoy food/drink)
        
        It was a really memorable trip, and one honestly, that I will savor for years to come.
      - to commute by car
      - to be socially responsible
      - I like the (flexibility, beauty, entertainment) that ... offers
      - carbon footprint
    - - to hit the open road (begin the journey)
        
        So, it seemed to us that hitting the open road was the best way to do it, particularly since we both loved driving.
      - to turn 30
        
        Actually, I went on a road trip with my father when I had just turned thirty.
      - to get away from it all(escape stress, problems, routine)
        
        We had both been through some difficult times, and decided we needed to get away from it all.
      - to be open to (adventure/ideas/criticism) = willing to accept
        
        We had a rough plan, but we were open to adventure.
      - to take advantage of A to do B (make use of)
        
        In actually fact, we took advantage of the trip to go and visit friends in the north and south of France.
      - Kind of killing two birds with one stone, if you like.
      - So, I was behind the wheel for most of the first leg
      - to get the hang of sth (learn how to do it)
        
        I got the hang of it though, within a few days.
  - - - Routine & habits
        
        I tend to
        
        I am (not) one for (often)
        
        be par for the course (what's usual or expected)
        
        be business as usual
        
        be a creature of habit (like habits)
        
        to cultivate a habit of
      - Feeling tired
        
        shattered
        
        exhausted
        
        weary/drowsy (sleepy)
    - - an ungodly hour (unreasonable time of day)
      - The only catch was (problem)
      - That happened to be (by chance)
      - begrudgingly (reluctant, no want)
      - reap the benefits (enjoy)
    - - an early bird
      - to be over the moon about
      - to hit the sack (bed)
      - to go with the flow (accept a situation)
    - - find comfort in sth (make us feel comfortable)
- - - - have a hard time
      - It wasn't happening for me
      - be utterly/completely fed up
      - be ready to throw in the towel
      - be sick and tired of it
      - in times of despair (difficult time)
      - of all people (the least expected person)
    - - get a sinking feeling (feel that everything is going wrong)
      - It wasn't taking off (successful - business, project, product)
      - couldn't tear sb away from (love)
      - do sth like nobody's business (do a lot, to a high standard)
      - turn up in dribs and drabs (slowly a few people at a time)
      - their buy-in (agreement and acceptance)
    - - to hang in there
      - give sb a pep talk (motivation)
      - urge sb not to give up
      - nudge sb to (gentle push)
      - really lift one's spirits (feeling)
    - - I decided to keep going
      - I resolved to keep at it (continue doing)
      - I got back on the right track
      - I decided to give it my best shot
      - I was on a roll (great success)
  - - - down to earth
      - amenable (open, flexible)
      - charismatic (big and attractive personality)
      - to have get up and go (full of energy)
      - gregarious (social)
      - reliable (dependable)
      - upbeat (cheerful)
    - - have a knack for doing sth (special skills, abilities)
      - good at picking things up (learning)
      - quick off the mark (don't wait and procrastinate)
      - on the ball (clear, alert, know what you're doing)
      - astute (quite clever, can see a person, situation and really understand it)
    - - to get along well
      - to get on like a house on fire
      - to work hand in hand (closely)
      - to pull your weight (do your part of the work well)
      - to go along with an idea (agree with it)
      - to join forces (work together)
    - - to slave away on/at sth (work hard)
      - easy-going (relaxed, laid-back, casual)
      - to have a gift for doing sth (be talented)
    - - to be spot on (perfect)
      - to cut out (leave out)
    - - to have a tendency to do sth
      - a sense of timing (ability to know how long things last)
- - - - vivid
      - brash
      - multi-colored
      - a range of colors
      - a rainbow of colors
      - overwhelmingly colorful
      - ranging from A to B (including)
        
        So, they had decorated the windows with all sorts of pictures painted by the children, ranging from multi-colored houses to bright blue skies.
      - a collage (different pictures stuck together)
      - see sth as representing
        
        I guess people see them as representing our nation, and giving us a sense of nationality and unity.
      - have adopted a color (use as an official color)
        
        the main political parties in my country have adopted one of those colors as a symbol of their party.
      - associate red with (connect red with)
        
        people associate red with being active
      - to spend fortunes on
        
        marketing companies spend fortunes on getting the colors right in their logos and adverts.
      - to trigger feelings of (create)
        
        yellow is known to trigger feelings of happiness.
      - to entice (tempt, attract)
        
        So this way, they can create the right mood that will entice their customers to buy.
    - - color match / clash
      - bright/dark/neon/soft blue
      - dull brown (not shiny)
    - - to be taken aback (be surprised)
        
        When I got to my daughter’s classroom, I was quite taken aback to be honest - it was just overwhelmingly colorful.
      - left, right and center (everywhere)
        
        There were these brash, bright colors left, right and center.
      - to feel a pang of regret (a sudden, sharp feeling of regret)
        
        I remember feeling a pang of regret, wishing that my classroom had been like that when I was a kid.
      - to be proud as punch (extremely proud)
        
        I sensed the kids really loved the glow of all the colors and obviously they were proud as punch of all the paintings they had done.
- - - - I guess it would be
      - It must be
      - I imagine it would be
      - I assume/suppose
    - - exciting / exhilarating
      - get an adrenaline rush
      - therapeutic (relaxing/healing)
      - be a roller coaster ride
    - - swimwear
      - wet/dry suit
      - oxygen tank
      - intricate (complicated)
    - - but if I were going to do one, I think it'd be
    - - take your breath away (impressive)
      - be on top of your game (do what you're doing very well)
      - across the board (include all aspects)
      - be a good move (good idea)
    - - can be fatal (kill you)
      - can be therapeutic (relaxing and healing)
      - has a soothing effect (relaxing)
      - water rippling up against the shore (flowing in small waves)
      - there are two possible hazards
      - Collocations
        
        die of drowning
        
        diving gear
        
        a sedentary lifestyle
        
        lose consciousness (become unconscious)