Johny’s Bar

From Twitter:
The bartender at Johnny’s S & P’s Bar on Greenwich Street is a ① mate of mine. He often gets me my drinks ② on the house.

A. The meaning of ① is:
spouse
acquaintance
buddy
co-worker on a ship

B. The meaning of ② is:
inside
on the second floor
on the roof
free
at a discount

Answers And Explanation :
A.mate means buddy (or close friend), and is used in other English-speaking countries beyond the US
B.on the house means free

Is there a doctor in the house?

Kim: It ① there aren’t many public health professionals in @Japan.
Jake: What’s that mean?
Kim: It ② there are researchers, but few doctors and nurses to treat #COVID19 patients.
Jake: Are you sure?
Kim: It’s hard to get info.

looks
like
seems

Answers And Explanation
Seems and looks like work here, but looks like is usually or best used for first-hand observations–things you can see now (usually, not always); seems is better for number 1, because it can be used more abstractly (not necessarily about what’s in front of one’s eyes). But remember, seems and looks like are interchangeable.
Again, seems and looks like work here, but looks like seems more conclusive, after having examined the facts–as in a conclusion. But once again, the two choices are interchangeable.

Scrub or Sterilize?

From Twitter:

Usually, people ① their hands with soapy ② after going to the bathroom, working or being outside. Surgeons always ③ their hands and arms up to the elbow. Nowadays, we must ④ our hands, clothes, hats, wallets and shopping packaging.

Choices
sterilize (to destroy all germs, bacteria and pathogens [0n/in/around something])
washed (past tense of ‘wash’)
lather (the bubbles made from swishing soap and water on the body or hair)
scrub (to clean vigorously and abrasively to scrape away dirt and germs)
soapy (having soap and possibly suds [soap bubbles])

#Corona

The Answers are:
① wash
② scrub
③ sterilize

photo: Mathew Tkocz

Clean Your Hands

From Twitter
1. What are they doing?
A) It is sanitize itselves.
B) They is sanitize theyselves.
C) The dog and cat is sanitizing themselves.
D) They are sanitize themselves.
E) They dog and cat are sterilizing their paws.

T or F?
2. We use sanitizer to cure our hands.
3. It doesn’t help

Answers:
1. E shows proper tense and proper subject/verb agreement
2. False, because sanitizer kills germs, it doesn’t cure.
3. False, because sanitizer does help.

Crazy in Love

From Twitter:

In “Subway,” a French romantic dramedy directed by Luc Besson, a man breaks into a woman’s house, robs her of her documents and retreats to the subway, where he calls her to demand money–so he can meet her, as he’s actually in love with her. We could say he is __.

Choices:
nuts
smitten

Answer And Explanation: Both answers are okay, because ‘nuts’ means a bit or really very crazy, but smitten means crazy in love.

What’d He Say?

From Twitter
Jo: I ① a video yesterday from an man in Italy; it was smart.
Mo: Yeah; what’d ya ?
Jo: He warned us.
Mo: Us?
Jo: Everyone, Mo!
Mo: What’d he ?
Jo: Protect ourselves. He : use phones less outside. The virus can fall on ’em. Don’t meet friends. Care.

Choices:
said
watched
see
say
saw

Answers And Explanations:
Jo: I [saw] a video yesterday from an man in Italy; it was smart.
Watchedwould work, but we say saw (especially with movies in the theater–that is not the case here), to indicate, I think,* the happenstance of the situation.

Mo: Yeah; what’d ya [see]? See’ is the only option here.
Jo: He warned us.
Mo: Us?
Jo: Everyone, Mo!

Mo: What’d he [say]? Sayis the only option here.

Jo: Protect ourselves.
③ He [said]: use phones less outside.Said is the only option here.
The virus can fall on ’em. Don’t meet friends. Care.
_________________________________________
*I say ‘think’ because this is a case of dominant dialect and style, not grammar. There is no rule about it. It just sounds better and carries a nuance of brevity.

Photo: H. Shaw

Texts

From Twitter
Taku: Have you heard from your family in Japan?
Sawa: Yes; everyone is ⓪.
Taku: Do you wanna go to Jim’s for a drink?
Sawa: Are you joking?
Taku: It’ll be ①.
Sawa: Are you ②? Is Jim? This is ③. You’re ④ everyone. I’m staying home.

Choices
fun
endangering
okay
serious
crazy

Photo: Andrew Le
Photo: KXITHVISUALS


Answers And Explanation:
⓪ okay
① fun
② crazy
③ serious
④ endangering

Father Dog

©Carl Atteniese II 2020, All rights reserved.

Choose the best option to fill in the blank.
① give
② gave
③ gives
④ sacrificed
⑤ gives up
⑥ sacrifices
⑦ worked
⑨ work
⑩ working

The answer is option 6, ‘sacrifice.’ 
Explanation: First, sacrifice is in the right tense. And word choice-wise it is practically a set expression, culturally, one knows it is right. Second, gives and gives up work grammatically, but gives up doesn’t make sense in the context of the sentence and meaning and gives is okay, but slightly off in nuance. This is the kind of thing one learns in cultural immersion in another country–or in class. You cannot learn it from grammar.

Are You OK?

Photo: Bruce Mars

From Twitter:

Jo: Hello?
Mo: Hi!
Jo: How’ya doin‘?
Mo: Okay. You?
Jo: All right.
Everyone okay there?
Mo: OK.
Mo: Have ya masks?
Jo: One! it help?
Mo: If you’re careful with it and don’t touch the front.
Jo: Yeah?
Mo: Well, you can save old folks!
Jo: Hmm!

Choose:
Do
get
had
got
does

Answers And Explanation
① got, is the answer, because ‘have’ requires the Present Perfect form of the verb ‘get,’: got or gotten.
does, as in does it help?,’ because it is a set expression, which is the only one that fits the sentence.

Dye And Color

Did you have your hair done?

From Twitter:

Im: Ya__ your hair?
Jo: No. It’s always been purple.
Im: Come on! You’re 55. No one 55 keeps her hair color!
Jo: Okay, I did.
Im: YOU __ it or had it done?
Jo: I did it. I’m older, but not a fool; have you seen the stupid prices people pay to __? color dye dyed have it dyed

Choose:

color
dye
dyed
have it dyed

Note: The product is called hair dye.

Answers And Explanation
① dyed, because we dye our hair.
② dyed, because we dye our hair.
③ have it dyed, because when someone else does the dying we say “have it dyed” or “have it done.”