A Cup Of English

Roll Out The Problems.

Jun 26, 202400:08:29Tap to summarize

"My soul has been tested today," is a saying that a friend of mine uses on a regular basis. Sometimes, when problems pile up, it feels that way, doesn't it? Of course, some are more serious than others; we know that. Some, however, are just downright bothersome, annoying, frustrating. I could go on. So, I am nearing the end of the renovation of my condominium. I still have a lot to do in the garage in order to transform it into something wonderful and useable. The last few steps needed inside my living area are to carpet the stairs, and to put the shower in my bathroom. For a year I have been working with a nationally known home improvement company for all of my renovation needs, and more recently carpetting has been the order of the day. I went through the normal steps of bringing samples of carpet home, choosing the one I preferred, ordering it, and having the stairs measured. The day came for the installation. I had to go to work, but my mother was at home and would deal with the workmen coming in and out. I imagined coming home to a lovely new carpet, and that thought made me happy, happier than I had been at the first attempt. I need to explain a short back story. Two months previously, after having jumped through the necessary hoops to get my stairs carpetted, I found myself counting down the hours until the install. With a carpet finally on the stairs, that part of the house, at least, would feel complete, look clean and organized, and have that comfortable feel that only soft material gives. I was in and out for work, but was planning on driving home directly to see the finished product as soon as I could. As I waited in the spine clinic to see my next patient, the phone rang: "Miss Casswell? This is Juan, the installer. I'm so sorry, but I don't know what happened. I was ready to install your carpet, but when I went to pick it up, uh......,it wasn't there." "I'm sorry Juan, I don't understand. What do you mean "It wasn't there"?" "Well, the warehouse told me that it had arrived, but no one could find it. We looked for two hours...I don't know what happened. I guess you'll have to reorder. I'm so sorry." I was disappointed, but also curious and perturbed about how a whole roll of carpet could go missing. Had it been stolen? Had it been installed in someone else's house without them realizing it was the wrong one? Had the carpet-stealing-elves been busy? Or more likely, had the carpet not been ordered? Later that evening, as I sat in the carpet department of Lowes, I was told that nobody knew what had happened. I had paid for the carpet, and waited a month for its arrival, but a mystery had taken place within the home improvement store, as they do every now and again. "Weird, huh?" chuckled the employee, raising his shoulders, his eyes dilated. Suspicious body language, I thought. So I reordered the same carpet, knowing that it would take at least a month to arrive. The day came, finally, for the baby's arrival, at least that is what it had come to feel like. Juan the installer was back and busy stapling in the pad that goes underneath the carpet. I didn't have to work until later, so I hung out with my mum downstairs until his noisy work had finished. "Miss Anna," said Juan walking towards me. "Just to double check that this is the correct carpet, here is a sample." I looked down at the small, triangular piece of carpet he was offering me. No. No. "Oh great," I said to myself. "I'm sorry Juan, that is not my carpet. I would have never have ordered blue /grey." "Are you sure, Miss Anna?" Juan said weakly, realizing that he probably shouldn't have bothered asking me that question. "It's completely the wrong color Juan. I'm sorry your time was wasted." So, you're probably wondering if I have my flipping carpet yet or not. Well, I don't. I became very comfortable walking on the plastic foam pad. However, after two months of doing that I realized that I needed to launch myself a third time into the mysterious, risky world of carpet installation. "A third time lucky," we English people say in many contexts, meaning that you must keep trying. So, the third order has been given. Maybe the process this time will produce an actual carpet on the stairs. Maybe it won't. If I ever get a carpet, I think I will curl up on it half way up the stairs, like a cat, and take a happy nap. But, shhhhh, we should keep it quiet; we don't want the carpet elves to find out.

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Starbucks Era.

Feb 20, 2017Tap to summarize

They say that America runs on coffee. It is the drink that gets people awake and focused for another day of work. I personally have two cups each morning. Of course, most of the coffee consumed in the U.S is grown in Columbia and Brazil. In recent years, coffee drinking has become fashionable amongst young people. Chains of coffee shops have sprung up(1) all over the country, each with their own style and marketing. One of the American chains that has gone global is Starbucks. I have seen it evolve from a Seattle based coffee shop to the largest coffeehouse company in the world. It seems almost unbelievable(2) that it is in 62 countries and is still growing. So why is it so popular? It's appeal lies in(3) its quality roast and its elegant surroundings. It is a place where it is pleasant to linger. The muted, earthy colors of its decor, and relaxing selection of music draw people to not only relax and chat over coffee, but also to do work on their laptops, or even to have small business meetings. This kind of cafe has existed in Europe since 17th century, with the first opening in Damscus in 1530. The U.S, it seems, lacked a casual, non-alcoholic meeting place, away from both the office and home. It was this concept that the creator of Starbucks applied to his business. Now, young people will regularly buy a Starbucks on their way to High School. I occasionally treat my children to one of their non-cafeinated drinks, or a pastry, but not too often as it has become very expensive. Their business still thrives, however, even though they are not cheap. And in this culture of the 'drive thru', coffee is quickly and conveniently available. There are, though, other companies springing up that are providing competition for this coffeehouse giant. 'Dutch Bro's' is a company that the High Schoolers flock to. It is drive through only, so the sales are quick, and it appeals to teenagers as it always has very loud dance music playing while the young servers dance around inside the building preparing the coffee. And I'm sure that there will be other companies with other marketing strategies, all competing for people's money, and offering our favorite drug in a variety of ways. 1. 'To spring up' is a way of saying that something has suddenly appeared or been developed. It can be used figuratively. a. Mushrooms sprang up all over the garden after the previous day of rain. b. Complaints sprang up all over the restaurant when the new chef started working there. 2. 'Unbelievable' is an effective word to use in conversation every now and then. It means surprising, baffling, ridiculous, and not-credible. a. Did you see goal that he just scored? It was unbelievable! b. It is unbelievable how he continues to lie even when we all know the truth. 3. 'It's appeal lies in ...' is like saying that an attractiveness is found in... a. The building's appeal lies in its modern lines and open style. b. His appeal lies in his humility.

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Housing Market Up.

Mar 21, 2013Tap to summarize

Sales of low-priced(1) homes here continue to feed(2) a housing market that has buyers eager(3), sellers satisfied and some real estate agents scrambling(4) to keep up the pace."Put an entry-level home on the market and - wham! It’s gone in no time," said a broker in Wenatchee. "They go almost as fast as we can list them. Sure, we’d like to see prices rising and more sales of higher-end(5) homes, but these low-end sales can be a good thing— sell a lot of entry-level homes now and, down the road, you’ll likely have a lot of second-home buyers." Looser credit and some of the lowest interest rates in recent history(6), this week at 3.875 percent, have juiced(7) sales and spurred activity across the market, regardless(8) of price. "We’re seeing more interest, more showings in the $400,000 range than we’ve seen in years.“ It’s welcome activity. "Buyers are also wiser in their preparations to buy a home," said Paine, another broker. "They come to the table with cleaner credit, higher incomes and better documentation —They’ve got their ducks in a row and are ready to purchase." 1. 'Low-priced homes' is the opposite of 'high-priced homes'. 'Low' and 'High' can be added to other nouns as well. a. Low-priced land is selling quickly in our area. b. High-priced furniture is finally on sale. 2. 'To feed a housing market'. When it comes to markets, we say that they are 'fed' by sales or demand. 'To feed' is used figuratively in many situations. a. What you say will only feed the fire of his anger. b. Play feeds the imagination of children and adults. 3. 'Eager' is the same as 'keen' or 'very willing to'. a. They're eager to find jobs and a home in their new town. b. I'm eager to meet my new boss. 4. 'To scramble' means several things. We scramble eggs (beat them and add milk). It can also mean to hurry, or to run with both hands and feet on the ground, usually up hill, in an uncontrolled fashion. a. The cat scrambled up the tree to get away from the dog. b. I was late! I scrambled to get all of my things, and then I ran to catch the bus. 5. 'Higher-end' is similar to 'high-cost'. It is usually to describe property. a. The higher-end houses are around the golf course. b. The company party is always at a higher-end restaurant (high-end). 6. 'In recent history' the word 'recent' can be put in front of other nouns, such as 'years', 'months', 'governments' etc. a. In recent weeks, demonstrations have increased. b. In recent years, there has been less rainfall. 7. 'Interest rates have juiced sales' the word 'juiced' here is American terminology. It is the same as saying 'encouraged' or 'fed'. Join me on my FACEBOOK page at Anna Fromacupofenglish. Comments or questions? Send them to . Do you need English lessons via Skype? Email me to find times and prices for lessons. // //

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Red sky at night.

Oct 1, 2010Tap to summarize

As I walked outside yesterday to throw the garbage in the dumpster, the evening sky caught my eye. There was a spread of small clouds that were lit up by the sun, beautiful and pink. An English saying came to mind: Red sky at night, shepherd's delight; Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning. I remember hearing that saying when I was a child. At that time, I lived in a rural area where there was a lot of farm land. It was important to know when to plant seeds, and how the weather would affect the work on the farm. Who knows if this saying is accurate? Scientifically speaking, it is an indication that the low sun is lighting up clouds that are heavy with moisture. By the time the night has come and gone, it will either have rained, or the clouds will have gone. If the clouds are pink in the morning, the moisture will be around for the rest of the day, meaning that rain is on its way. That makes sense. The saying is one of many that we find in what is called 'weather lore', lore is a word that we don't often use which means 'old sayings' or 'old stories'. There must be some truth to some of them. They developed through the experience of people who have observed weather patterns over time, like fishermen and farmers. Another saying I like is: When windows won't open, and the salt clogs the shaker;The weather will favour (favor) the umbrella maker. Salt, as you know, absorbs water from the air. So, when there is high humidity, the salt will expand and not pour easily from the salt shaker. Also, the wood of doors and windows will expand because of moisture in the air. It's reasonable that generations of people tried to figure out what the weather would do, as a way of preserving their livelihoods. We're luckier nowadays, with weather satelites and weather stations, that can warn an inform us of important changes in the weather. We can even, ahead of time, evacuate areas that will be hit by hurricanes. And think what that saves! Weather lore has its uses, but science and technology now lead the way. Grammar notes. Related vocabulary: to clog, ...speaking, to make sense, to figure out. 1. Leaves have clogged the drain, so there is water everywhere. 2. Financially speaking, he is wealthy; however, emotionally speaking, he is poor. 3. That newspaper article didn't make sense. The argument was very weak. 4. I tried to figure out the instructions to put the shelves together, but they were not clear at all. Tweet //

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All episodes

Roll Out The Problems.

Starbucks Era.

Housing Market Up.

Red sky at night.

A Cup Of English

All episodes

Roll Out The Problems.

Starbucks Era.

Housing Market Up.

Red sky at night.