“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.
From Twitter:
Jo: Trump passed a new law.
Bo: _. What is it, no Korean or Chinese travel?
Jo: I thought you didn’t care.
Bo: I don’t, but was I right?
Jo: No. He banned negative reporters from the White House.
Bo: Old news.
Choose the best answer:
I couldn’t care.
I don’t know.
Who cares?
Answer
The answer is Who cares, because this expression means no one cares, certainly I don’t care, so who does (care)?
‘I don’t know‘ doesn’t create any sense, if you look at the statement from Jo. It would not be the correct response.
I couldn’t is grammatically correct, but awkward without ‘less,’ as the common expression is ‘I couldn’t care less.’
It’s not just about you; it’s about the comfort of others.
From Twitter:
1. Bo: Aren’t ya gonna _ a mask?
2. Jo: When I _ one of those, I’m uncomfortable.
Bo: We all are, but it’s necessary.
Jo: They don’t work!
Bo: They do–against sneezes, coughs–and, it’s not just about you; it’s about the comfort of others.
Pick The Best Answers:
wear
put on
use
Answers & Explanation:
1. ‘wear,’ because we wear clothing after we put it on.
2. ‘put on,’ because first we put on clothes, then we wear them all day–or until we take them off.
‘Use‘ works in both cases, but the test is to pick the best answers.
What do you think?
From Twitter:
Toshi: _ of politics?
Tom: You should pay attention to it.
Toshi: We think it’s a waste of time.
Tom: That’s why it wastes more than your time.
Toshi: What do ya mean?
Tom: You don’t care, so it wastes your money, taxes, health and time.
Do you like
What do you think
Think
Answer And Explanation
A. The answer is what do you think; but some people (even one of my favorite living philosophers… not mentioning names… [his initials are Sam Harris] …) say “how do you think?,” but this means something different, such as what is the mechanism of your thought process; that is totally different and inappropriate for this situation (and others) wherein we want to know what thoughts someone has on a subject in the contents of their ideas–not how they arrive at them (chemically or procedural-ly).
B. “Think of politics?” kind of works in casual, abbreviated, dialectic speech, but these questions that I make here and on Twitter are about proper, Standard English.
C. “Do you like of politics?” makes no sense.
From Twitter:
A: __ ? I saw a movie on #GlobalWarming; scientists say we shouldn’t idle our engines. Each car matters. __ ?
B: Oh, come on! How much damage can one car do?
A: Many folks do it; the carbon adds up.
B: Pft.
A: Be responsible!
① say
② did you know that
③ you know what
④ listen
Answers And Explanation
You know what? You know what? (Answer Choice 3) means, “Do you want to know something,” and what follows after this expression is the new information; in this case: I saw a movie on Global Warming.
Each car matters.
Did you know that? (Answer Choice 2) means “did you know that fact that I just told you about?”
