You know those Slang and Colloquial terms we often hear in American movies and series? I´ve always been of the opinion that it´s crucial to expose our ESL/EFL students to them. So here is SLANG AND COLLOQUIAL TERMS 1 (For B2/C1/C2 level students) which features an innovative learning experience (EXERCISE 1). This time we´re gonna focus on the following 10 terms:
SLIP ONE´S MIND – PARDON MY FRENCH – BADMOUTH – NO CAN DO – DOUCHEBAG – GRUBBY – COCKY – OLD MAN – WHAT´S IN IT FOR ME? – FLAT BROKE
I – MEANING/EXPLANATION OF SLANG & COLLOQUIAL TERMS + EXAMPLE SENTENCES
1. Slip one´s mind: forget something
Ex. “I meant to stop by the drugstore to pick up some milk but it totally slipped my mind.”, said Dave to his wife.
2. Pardon my French: excuse my use of swear words
Ex. “Pardon my French, but his explanation for what happened is total bullshit.”, said Jeff to his friends.
3. Badmouth: say negative things about someone or something; criticize someone or something
Ex.“I wish you would stop badmouthing Cynthia all the time. She´s a fellow teacher and she certainly doesn´t deserve this kind of treatment.”, Rachel told Bill.
4. No can do: I cannot do it; I´m unable to do it; it´s not possible
Ex. “Sorry, but no can do. I´m already busy on Thursday morning. How about Friday?”, Keith asked Brian.
5. Douchebag: an asshole; a jerk
Ex. “I´d stay away from Roger if I were you. He´s a royal douchebag!”, Bill advised George.
6. Grubby: dirty
Ex.: “Hey, make sure you wash your grubby hands before you touch any of the food!”, Michael told Roger.
7. Cocky: too confident; arrogant
Ex. “I´ll tell you why I don´t like Roger, for one thing he´s too cocky for my taste.”, Bob told his friend Sheila when she asked him why he didn´t get along with Roger.
8. Old man: father; dad
Ex. “I haven´t seen your old man in a long time. How´s he doing these days?”, Ronny asked Clive.
9. What´s in it for me?: how will I benefit from it?
Ex. “I guess I could probably cooperate by providing some information, but tell me, what´s in it for me?”, Jason asked Danny.
10. Flat broke: having no money at all
Ex. “I wish I could buy a new car but I can´t afford it now. I´m flat broke.”, said Gary to a friend.
II – EXERCISE 1: REWRITE THE SENTENCES IN A MORE COLLOQUIAL WAY (10 SENTENCES)
1. “I can´t believe Sabrina criticizes her boyfriend everywhere she goes. I mean, if she´s not happy why doesn´t she just leave him?”, said Sandy to her friends.
2. “Shit! I was supposed to buy Monica a birthday present, but I forgot all about it!”, said Tony to his friends.
3. “I´d be willing to go with the flow and accept the deal, but I want to know first how will I benefit from it?”, Wayne asked Brandon.
4. “I wouldn´t trust Danny to take care of that. He´s such an asshole he might fuck it all up.”, said Gabe to a friend.
5. “Excuse my use of swear words, but what she really needs is a good fuck.”, said Mike laughing to his friends.
6. “Somebody ought to tell Mike not to be so arrogant just because he won the tennis tournament.”, said Dennis to his friends.
7. “Do you think you could lend me some cash? I´ll pay you back when I get my paycheck on Monday. I have no money at all.”, Nick asked Travis.
8. “I cannot do it. I need to know the password before I can gain access to that information.”, said Randy to a coworker.
9. “What are you giving your dad for father´s day?”, Gary asked Timothy.
10. “These tables are always so dirty. I hate coming to this food court for lunch.”, said Richard to his friends.
III – EXERCISE 2: MATCH THE COLLOQUIAL TERMS WITH THEIR DEFINITIONS (10 TERMS)
A. No can do F. Grubby
B. Old man G. What´s in it for me?
C. Flat broke H. Slip one´s mind
D. Douchebag I. Cocky
E. Pardon my French J. Badmouth
1. How will I benefit from it? ____
2. Too confident; arrogant ____
3. I cannot do it; it´s not possible ____
4. Say negative things about someone or something ____
5. Completely without money; broke ____
6. Asshole; jerk ____
7. Father; dad ____
8. Excuse my use of swear words ____
9. Forget something ____
10. Dirty ____
IV – KEY TO EXERCISES
Rewrite the following sentences in a more colloquial way
1. “I can´t believe Sabrina badmouths her boyfriend everywhere she goes. I mean, if she´s not happy why doesn´t she just leave him?”, said Sandy to her friends.
2. “Shit! I was supposed to buy Monica a birthday present, but it totally slipped my mind!”, said Tony to his friends.
3. “I´d be willing to go with the flow and accept the deal, but I want to know first, what´s in it for me?”, Wayne asked Brandon.
4. “I wouldn´t trust Danny to take care of that. He´s such a douchebag he might fuck it all up.”, said
5. “Pardon my French, but what she really needs is a good fuck.”, said Mike laughing to his friends.
6. “Somebody ought to tell Mike not to be so cocky just because he won the tennis tournament.”, said Dennis to his friends.
7. “Do you think you could lend me some cash? I´ll pay you back when I get my paycheck on Monday. I´m flat broke.”, Nick asked Travis.
8. “No can do. I need to know the password before I can gain access to that information.”, said Randy to a coworker.
9. “What are you giving your old man for father´s day?”, Gary asked Timothy.
10. “These tables are always so grubby. I hate coming to this food court for lunch.”, said Richard to his friends.
Match the colloquial terms below (A–J) with their definitions (1–10)
1. G 2. I 3. A 4. J 5. C 6. D 7. B 8. E 9. H 10. F
Ref. FALE TUDO EM INGLÊS AVANÇADO – Autor: José Roberto A. Igreja / Disal Editora
José Roberto A. Igreja is the author and co-author of several ELT books, including:
LET´S TALK ABOUT IT! – The Ultimate ELT Conversation Book / Available on UICLAP as well
A BRAND-NEW ELT BOOK!
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