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
Answers And Explanation:
⓪ okay
① fun
② crazy
③ serious
④ endangering
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.
From Twitter:
Jo: Hello?
Mo: Hi!
Jo: How’ya doin‘?
Mo: Okay. You?
Jo: All right.
Everyone okay there?
Mo: OK.
Mo: Have ya ① masks?
Jo: One! ② 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.
② does, as in does it help?,’ because it is a set expression, which is the only one that fits the sentence.
Did you have your hair done?
From Twitter:
Im: Ya_①_ 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 _②_ 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 _③_? 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.”
“It is not only possible; it is essential!”
– Dr. Strangelove
From Twitter:
Teacher: What are the _?_ physical needs of human life?
Student: Air, Food, water, shelter, warmth, rest.
Choose the best option:
needed
non-essential
essential
essentials
Answer And Explanation
The answer is ‘essential‘ because:
essential ⓪ (the correct answer）
essentials is plural; we need a singular answer.
needed is redundant (repetitive; the verb ‘need’ is used later in the sentence).
non-essential means ‘non-essential’ means not essential (not necessary).
That’s it? That’s That!
Jo: Why do they saying not to wear a mask?
Al: They don’t want medical staff to lack them.
Jo: That’s __?
Al: Masks aren’t perfect.
Jo: And they make us too confident?
Al: Yes.
Jo: Shouldn’t they say, ‘just be careful and don’t buy too many?’
Al: Of course!
Choose:
that
it
Note: “They” is often used without describing the subject (the people speaking or the people who spoke) and refers to the government, the media or some other authority, as in “They want people to stay home during the pandemic,” or “They’re building a new road out by the old mill.”
The answer is ‘it,’ because “that’s that” means “finished,” or there’s nothing more (to say/do/hear/deal with).
From Twitter:
On The Train Why do you reach up and grab the bar–instead of holding the ring or strap?
It ① difficult. You aren’t very tall.
It ② difficult for me–a bit, but everyone holds the rings; I think they are dirty.
Oh, I see.
Choose:
look
looks
looking
is
was
will be
Answers And Explanation
① The answer is looks, because when something seems difficult, we say ‘looks’ difficult, and because we would not tell another person something is difficult for him or her without asking and;
② Here the answer is difficult (the only possible sensible answer), because we wouldn’t say something looks difficult for ourselves; rather we know whether it is or not.
From Twitter
A: Do ya sacrifice for #publicsafety due to #CoronaVirus?
B: How?
A: Many don’t don masks as the @WHO says we don’t need to unless we’re health workers–but I _ that comfort; I wear one to protect others.
B: I wear one for myself! People breathe* nearby!
_____________
Don means “put on.”
_____________
Choices
stop
gave up
*#Osterholm
Answer And Explanation:
The answer is ‘gave up,’ which means sacrifice.
We sacrifice activities, behaviors and things we benefit from or like to achieve a goal, like in progress or in loving others.
A: You can _ the #CoronaVirus by breathing.
B: Oh?
A: Yes– ① a bus, train, boat, plane; ② a room, an office, an elevator–any closed space and with air-con–near infected folks–you can ③ it.
B: Not only by sneeze, cough?
A: Right.
_______
in
on
catch
________________
Answers And Explanations
① on, because we get on large vehicles.
② in, because we get in small vehicles.
③ catch, because we catch a virus, a cold, a communicable disease.
________________________________________
On The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, in this episode, Dr. Osterholm explains that you can catch the Corona Virus from people in the same space–near you– just breathing.
From Twitter:
Reporter: Do you have (1.)_ you (2.)_ to protect (3.)_ the Corona Virus?
Person: Well, I take a bath each week, whether I need it or not; if someone sneezes, I go home.
Reporter: Excuse- …1 bath a week?
Person: And I carry knives, forks, spoons, a cup.
deed
against
action
do
take
protection
precautions
from
Answers And Explanations:
Answers 1 & 2 are: precautions and take, because you need a noun after ‘have’, and take is the verb that goes with it… or, deed and do, because, again, we need a noun after have and do is the verb that goes with it.
Answer 3 is against or from. Come to class to learn why from is not the best answer here without a pronoun, but is passable.
