Learn slang expressions used by students
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| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Common Expressions used by Students |
| John: I'm John. |
| Sydney: And I'm Sydney! |
| John: In this lesson, you'll learn common expressions used by students. |
| John: It's not easy being a student! Don't be surprised when you hear Americans using these expressions when talking about school. |
| SLANG EXPRESSIONS |
| John: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are: |
| Sydney: pull an all-nighter |
| Sydney: cram |
| Sydney: I'm beat |
| Sydney: to bend over backwards |
| John: Sydney, what's our first expression? |
| Sydney: pull an all-nighter |
| John: meaning "stay up all night." |
| Sydney: [SLOW] pull an all-nighter [NORMAL] pull an all-nighter |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Sydney: pull an all-nighter |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: If you've ever been in school, some late-night memories might come to mind. If you've ever not slept to study for an exam or write a paper, you "pulled an all-nighter." |
| Sydney: You can use this phrase whenever you stay up all night to do something. |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "I had a big paper to write, so I pulled an all-nighter last night." [SLOW] "I had a big paper to write, so I pulled an all-nighter last night." |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "I had a big paper to write, so I pulled an all-nighter last night." |
| John: Okay, what's the next expression? |
| Sydney: cram |
| John: meaning "study intensely." |
| Sydney: [SLOW] cram [NORMAL] cram |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Sydney: cram |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: The original definition of the word "cram" is to fit a large amount of something into a small space. Essentially, that is what "cram" means here, too; to fit a large amount of knowledge into your brain in a short period of time. |
| Sydney: This word is used usually before a test or exam, particularly if you haven't studied at all, yet. For example, "I have to cram for my math final tomorrow." |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] I was up all night cramming for today's exam. [SLOW] I was up all night cramming for today's exam. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] I was up all night cramming for today's exam. |
| John: Okay, what's our next expression? |
| Sydney: I'm beat |
| John: meaning "completely exhausted." |
| Sydney: [SLOW] I'm beat [NORMAL] I'm beat |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Sydney: I'm beat |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: Not to be confused with "to beat," which idiomatically means "to defeat an opponent." "I'm beat" means to be very tired. Usually this expression is used after a strenuous activity such as playing sports or a long night of studying. |
| Sydney: You may also use "I'm beat" before a more relaxing activity, such as taking a shower or going to bed. For example, "I'm beat, so I'm going to take a nap." |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] I'm beat, I'm going to bed early tonight. [SLOW] I'm beat, I'm going to bed early tonight. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] I'm beat, I'm going to bed early tonight. |
| John: Okay, what's the last expression? |
| Sydney: to bend over backwards |
| John: meaning "to put forth extreme effort." |
| Sydney: [SLOW] to bend over backwards [NORMAL] to bend over backwards |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Sydney: to bend over backwards |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: The phrase, "to bend over backwards" has nothing to do with moving your body. This phrase actually means to put forth a lot of effort in order to do something for someone. |
| Sydney: Other similar phrases are, "to go out of one’s way" or "to go to great lengths" for someone. What all of these phrases have in common is the extent to which Person A will go for Person B. |
| John: This phrase has a little bit of a negative connotation and is used when the person putting forth the effort feels unappreciated by the person receiving his or her help. |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] I bent over backwards for her when she was in the hospital, but she didn’t even say, ‘thank you.’ [SLOW] I bent over backwards for her when she was in the hospital, but she didn’t even say, ‘thank you.’ |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] I bent over backwards for her when she was in the hospital, but she didn’t even say, ‘thank you.’ |
| QUIZ |
| John: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I will describe four situations, and you will choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready? |
| John: A student stays in the library during lunch to study for the test next period. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Sydney: cram |
| John: "study intensely" |
| John: An employee doesn’t sleep to finish the project due the next day. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Sydney: pull an all-nighter |
| John: "stay up all night" |
| John: A mother spends all of her time caring for her sick son and gets nothing in return. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Sydney: to bend over backwards |
| John: "to put forth extreme effort" |
| John: People who work the whole day are often very tired when they come home. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Sydney: I'm beat |
| John: "completely exhausted" |
Outro |
|---|
| John: There you have it; you have mastered four English Slang Expressions! We have more vocab lists available at EnglishClass101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks everyone, and see you next time! |
| Sydney: Goodbye! |
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