For Thursday 27 March 2008

Thursday 27 March 2008

CLICK ON Demi Moore, view the video, study the vocabulary below and, taking any approach you wish, team up with a classmate and discuss the issues covered in the interview. Definitions (in parentheses) are basic; words can only be learned in context.

---

VOCABULARY

Diamond heist (complicated theft)
"The heist was pulled of with three men."

New thriller (exciting movie or book)
"The latest thriller, with Harrison Ford, is exciting."

Price to exact (consequences)
"There's a certain price exacted for drinking or smoking too much."

Panic (sudden fear)
"When my husband goes away on business, I suffer panic attacks."

Things creeping in (visible signs)
"I see new things creeping into my face every morning."

Focused (concentrated)
"No matter what my problems, I try to stay focused."

Stepping back (see a bigger view)
"You have to step back sometimes to see what's going on."

Proportion (perspective)
"Though I'm making a lot of money now, I try to keep a sense of proportion in life."

The big picture (the main idea)
"The small details in life don't matter as much as the big picture."

That little line (in the face)
"Every year I count more lines in my face."

Missing out (losing)
"She's shy so misses out on a lot of fun."

In the course of one's life or marriage (during)
"In the course of the conversation I learned he was in the hospital for two years."

Relatively unfortunate (unhappy event)
"My illness at the time of my exams was relatively unfortunate."

Depth of understanding (real knowledge)
"In a long-term relationship one develops a depth of understanding impossible in a fling  (short-term relationship)."

Take your partner for granted (get used to)
"If you take your partner for granted someone may take your partner away."

Demise of your passion (end of an affair)
"The demise of my passion for him started when I realized he was cheating on me."

Lose sight of (don't see)
"I don't want to lose sight of the good things in life."

Appreciation (care for)
"She has no appreciation of the finer things in life."

As if it's a brand new day (new beginning)
"I live each day as if it's a brand new day."

Consciousness of (awareness)
"I am always conscious of my family's love for me."

Flawless (without fault)
"That was a flawless performance you gave."

Brittle woman (vulnerable, sensitive)
"She's a very brittle woman and even a slight criticism can hurt her feelings."

Rigid (unchanging)
"My mother has a rigid personality and is not willing to try new things."

Heroic pioneering things (new things)
"Nancy was a pioneer in wearing the latest fashions and she was heroic in wearing them no matter how much scorn she received from the guys in the class."

And crash! (suddenly!)
"We were doing well and--crash! For some reason, our relationship ended!"

Considered the norm (average)
"Cheating on your girlfriend is considered the norm for him."

Similar grievances (same complaints)
"We share similar grievances against our parents."

Quite a team (pair)
"Larry and Lucy made quite a team at the party, in the same orange-colored pants."

Ten seconds flat (quickly, on time, soon)
"I'll be there in ten seconds flat."

Calculating (scheming)
"She has a very calculating personality and is always figuring out an advantage in the relationship."

Fifteen-second intervals (breaks)
"The alarm rings at ten-second intervals."

Vault (safe chamber/room)
"My mother never allows us to go down into the vault, where the family jewels are kept."

End of the corridor (aisle)
"You'll find the closet at the end of the corridor."

With all due respect (meaning no offense)
"With all due respect, you don't look like a teenager anymore and you can't expect men to pay attention as soon as you walk into the pub."

Twists and turns (changes in plot)
"The movie had a lot of twists and turns, like he leaves her and then she leaves him and they go to school in different countries but finally bump into each other accidentally in Paris."

Heart pounding (very nervous)
"My heart was pounding when the monster came into the room."

Biggest flaw (fault)
"My biggest flaw is my lack of patience."

How much to allow fear to dictate (control me)
"I know there have been a lot of attacks on campus lately, but I refuse to allow fear to dictate how I live."

Constant overcoming (disregarding)
"Life is a constant overcoming of one's fears."

Complicated issues (matters, problems)
"There are complicated issues in our relationship that I can't talk about right now."

---

---