Taste / Le goût
Hearing / L’ouïe
Smell / L’odorat
Sight / La vue
Touch / Le toucher
Topic Category: ENG - VOC
I – EXPR – Few / A Few / Little / A Little
Few / A Few / Little / A Little
While all of these expressions mean a small amount of something, the exact meanings in context vary.
Little and a little are followed by non count nouns. Few and a few are followed by plural nouns.
| A little | Some but not much, generally a positive connotation |
| Little | Almost no, almost nothing, generally a negative connotation |
| Very little | Almost no, almost nothing, generally a negative connotation |
| A few | Some but not many, generally a positive connotation |
| Few | Almost no, generally a negative connotation |
| Very few | Almost no, generally a negative connotation |
I have a little money saved up. (I have some money but not a lot)
I have little money saved up. ( I have almost no money saved up)
I have very little money saved up. ( I have almost no money saved up)
The engineer has a few ideas on how to improve the design. (The engineer has some ideas but not many)
The engineer has few ideas on how to improve the design. (The engineer has almost no ideas)
The engineer has very few ideas on how to improve the design. (The engineer has almost no ideas)
OTHER – Make and Do
Do or Make Explained
The French verb “Faire” translates to both “To Do” and “To Make” in English leading to the two being misused. They have similar meanings but generally have one key difference. “To Do” something is to perform an action while “To Make” is to create something.
“To Do” is used to express daily activities or jobs. Notice that these are usually activities that produce no physical object. ‘Do’ means to take action or complete a job or task.
Some expressions using do are:
[responsivevoice voice=”US English Male” buttontext=”Play”] do homework [/responsivevoice]
do housework
[responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=”Play”] do the ironing [/responsivevoice]
do the dishes
do a job
do the sewing
do the shopping
[responsivevoice voice=”US English Male” buttontext=”Play”] do errands [/responsivevoice]
do the groceries
I’m not doing anything today.
[responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=”Play”] He does everything for his mother. [/responsivevoice]
[responsivevoice voice=”US English Male” buttontext=”Play”] She’s doing nothing at the moment. [/responsivevoice]
Important Expressions with ‘Do’
There are a number of standard expressions that take the verb ‘do’. These are standard collocations (verb + noun combinations) that are used in English.
do one’s best
do good
do harm
[responsivevoice voice=”US English Male” buttontext=”Play”] do a favour [/responsivevoice]
do business
[responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=”Play”] do up your coat [/responsivevoice]
do without
well done
over done
under done
“To Make” is used in the contexts of constructing, building, and creating.
Some expressions using make are:
[responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=”Play”] make food [/responsivevoice]
make a cup of tea / coffee
[responsivevoice voice=”US English Male” buttontext=”Play”] make a mess [/responsivevoice]
make a noise
make room
[responsivevoice voice=”US English Male” buttontext=”Play”] make a decision [/responsivevoice]
[responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=”Play”] make an appointment [/responsivevoice]
OTHER – Commonly confused words
COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS
ACCEPT – EXCEPT
| ACCEPT – to receive | He accepted the Nobel Prize. |
| EXCEPT – to take or leave out | I like all of the pizza toppings except anchovies. |
ADVICE – ADVISE
| ADVICE – (noun) recommendations about what to do | My grandmother had great advice for making home-made bread. |
| ADVISE – (verb) to recommend something | My father advised me to take a car repair course. |
AFFECT – EFFECT
| AFFECT – (verb) to influence | Lack of sleep affects your productivity. |
| EFFECT – (noun) the result, (verb) to accomplish | The effect of the change in policy was a longer school day. They effected the changes based on the survey results. |
BARE – BEAR
| BARE – to uncover, naked | In the winter, trees are bare. |
| BEAR – to carry, to put up with; also the animal | The cat will only bear the dog’s attention for a short while. The bear ate honey from the beehive. |
CITE – SIGHT – SITE
| CITE – to quote or document | Make sure you remember to cite where you found the information in your report. |
| SIGHT – vision | He was in awe at the sight of the sunrise over the ocean. |
| SITE – position or place | The construction site is dangerous. |
CONSCIENCE – CONSCIOUS
| CONSCIENCE – sense of right and wrong | The student’s conscience kept her from cheating on the test. |
| CONSCIOUS – awake, aware | She was conscious of the example she was setting for her students. |
INTERESTED – INTERESTING
| INTERESTED – wanting to learn more about something | I am interested in space exploration. |
| INTERESTING – attracting attention | There is an interesting documentary on space exploration on TV. |
ELICIT- ILLICIT
| ELICIT – to draw or bring out | The teacher tried to elicit the correct answer from the student. |
| ILLICIT – illegal | The paparazzi took illicit photos of the celebrity. |
DESERT – DESSERT
| DESERT – a waterless, empty area; to abandon someone | The Sahara Desert is in Africa. |
| DESSERT – the sweet course of a meal, usually at the end | My favourite dessert is blueberry pie with ice cream. |
ITS – IT’S
| ITS – of or belonging to it | The dog lost its collar in the woods. |
| IT’S – contraction for it is | It’s a beautiful day today. |
LIE – LAY
| LIE – to lie down (a person or animal); to tell a falsehood | I have a migraine, I’m going to lie down for an hour. |
| LAY – to lay an object down | I lay out my clothes the night before to save time in the morning. |
LEAD – LED
| LEAD – a type of metal (rhymes with bed) | Lead paint is dangerous. |
| LEAD – (verb), to go before or with to show the way; conduct or escort (rhymes with need) | Let me lead the way through the maze. |
| LED – past tense of “to lead” | He led them out of the maze. |
THAN – THEN
| THAN – use with comparisons | John is shorter than Sally. |
| THEN – at that time, or next | We will go to Disney then to Lego Land. |
THEIR – THERE – THEY’RE
| THEIR – possessive form of they | Their car is blue. They own a blue car. |
| THERE – indicates location | The car is parked over there beside the tree. |
| THEY’RE – contraction for “they are” | They’re driving to Florida next week. |
THROUGH – THREW – THOROUGH – THOUGH
| THROUGH – by means of; finished; into or out of | Carmen walked throug the door as the bell rang. |
| THREW – past tense of throw | Peter threw the ball to the dog. |
| THOROUGH – careful or complete | The scientist made a thorough examination of the results of the experiment. |
| THOUGH – however; nevertheless | The movie was popular though it didn’t win any awards. |
TO – TOO – TWO
| TO – toward | Let’s jog to the store. |
| TOO – also, or excessively | I want to go, too! |
| TWO – a number (2) | We need to buy two loaves of bread. |
WHO – WHICH – WHOM
| WHO – subject pronoun, referring to a person or persons | Who is going to answer my question? |
| WHICH – pronoun, replacing a singular or plural thing(s); not used to refer to persons | Which coat is yours? |
| WHOM – used as an object | To whom should I send the letter? |
THIS – THAT – THESE – THOSE
| THIS – used to refer to a person or object that is near to you | This is my desk. |
| THAT – used to refer to a person or object that is farther from you | That is your desk over in the corner. |
| THESE – used to refer to a multiple people or objects that are near to you | These are your ID and access cards. |
| THOSE – used to refer to a multiple people or objects that are farther from you | Those storage cabinets are for the IT department. |
B – Dates and Celebrations
MONTHS OF THE YEAR / LES MOIS DE L’ANNÉE
| January | janvier |
| February | février |
| March | mars |
| April | avril |
| May | mai |
| June | juiln |
| July | juillet |
| August | août |
| September | septembre |
| October | octobre |
| November | novembre |
| December | décembre |
DAYS OF THE WEEK / JOURS DE LA SEMAINE
| Monday | Mon. | lundi |
| Tuesday | Tues. | mardi |
| Wednesday | Wed. | mercredi |
| Thursday | Thurs. | jeudi |
| Friday | Fri. | vendredi |
| Saturday | Sat. | samedi |
| Sunday | Sun | dimanche |
HOLIDAYS / FÊTES
| New Year’s Day | Le jour de l’An, le nouvel An, le Premier de l’an |
| Valentine’s Day | Saint-Valentin |
| Family Day | Journée familiale |
| Saint Patrick’s Day | le jour de la Saint-Patrick |
| Easter | Pâques |
| Good Friday | le Vendredi Saint |
| Easter Monday | Le lundi de Pâques |
| Mother’s Day | Fête des mères |
| Victoria Day | La fête de la Reine |
| Father’s Day | Fête des pères |
| Saint-Jean Baptiste | La Saint-Jean-Baptiste |
| Canada Day | La fête du Canada |
| Labour Day | La fête du Travail |
| Thanksgiving | L’Action de grâce |
| Halloween | L’Halloween |
| All Saint’s Day | La Toussaint |
| Remembrance Day | Le jour du Souvenir |
| Christmas Eve | Réveillon de Noël |
| Christmas Day | Le jour de Noël |
| Boxing Day | Le lendemain de Noël |
| New Year’s Eve | réveillon de Nouvel an |
Examples / Examples
| first century | le premiere siècle |
| twentieth century | le vingtième siècle |
| January 8, 2020 | le 8 janvier 2020 |
| March 1, 1996 | le 1er mars 1996 |
| New Year’s Day is on January 1st. | Le jour de l’an est le 1er janvier. |
B – Geography
COUNTRY NAMES / NOMS DE PAYS
| Country Names | Les noms de Pays |
| United States | Les États Unis |
| Germany | L’Allemagne |
| England | L’Angleterre |
| Great Britain | La Grande Bretagne |
| Australia | L’Australie |
| New Zealand | La Nouvelle-Zélande |
| Canada | Le Canada |
| Mexico | Le Mexique |
| Venezuela | Le Vénézuela |
| Brazil | Le Brésil |
| Bolivia | La Bolivie |
| Argentina | L’Argentine |
| Algeria | L’Algérie |
| France | La France |
| Spain | L’Espagne |
| Belgium | La Belgique |
| Italy | L’Italie |
| Greece | La Grèce |
| Poland | La Pologne |
| China | La Chine |
| Japan | Le Japon |
| India | L’Inde |
| Sweden | La Suède |
| Norway | La Norvège |
| Ireland | L’Irlande |
| Scotland | L’Écosse |
| Portugal | Le Portugal |
CONTINENTS / LES CONTINENTS
| Africa | Afrique |
| Antartica | Antarctique |
| Asia | Asie |
| Australia | Australie |
| Europe | Europe |
| North America | Amérique du Nord |
| South America | Amérique du Sud |
OCEANS / LES OCÉANS
| The Pacific Ocean | l’océan Pacifique |
| The Atlantic Ocean | l’océan Atlantique |
| The Arctic Ocean | l’océan Arctique |
| The Indian Ocean | l’océan Indien |
| The Southern Ocean | l’océan Austral |
GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES / CARACTÉRISTIQUES GÉOGRAPHIQUES
| An ocean | Un océan |
| A sea | Une mer |
| A lake | Un lac |
| A pond | Un étang |
| A creek | Un ruisseau |
| A wetland | Une zone humide |
| A river | Une rivière |
| A stream | Un courant |
| A canal | Un canal |
| A Greenbelt | Une ceinture de verdure |
| A hill | Une colline |
| A cliff | Une falaise |
| A valley | Une vallée |
| A bay | Une baie |
| A mountain | Une montagne |
| A canyon | Un canyon |
| A beach | Une plage |
| A volcano | Un volcan |
| A desert | Un désert |
B – Office Objects
A computer / Un ordinateur
Files / Des dossiers
The envelope / L‘enveloppe
Computer screen / Un écran d’ordinateur
Keyboard / Un clavier
A mouse / Une souris
A stapler / Une agrafeuse
Paper / Papier
Pens / Des stylos
Pencils / Des crayons
A bottle of White-Out / Une bouteille de voile blanc
A hole-punch / Une perforatrice
A recycle bin / Une corbeille
A trash can / Une poubelle
Tape / Ruban
Rubber Bands / Des élastiques
A coffee machine / Une machine à café
A refrigerator (fridge) / Un réfrigérateur (frigo)
A microwave / Un micro-onde
Highlighter / Surligneur
Notepad – notebook / Bloc-notes _ carnet
Paperclips / Trombones
Scissors / Trombones
Binders / Classeurs
File folders / Dossiers de fichiers
Paper cutter (guillotine) / Coupe-papier (guillotine)
Software (word processor, spreadsheet, email, video conferencing, accounting…..) / Logiciels (traitement de texte, tableur, email, visioconférence, comptabilité…..)
Microphone / Microphone
Desk lamp / Lampe de bureau
A telephone / Un téléphone
A printer / Une imprimante
A shredder / Un déchiqueteur
A laptop computer /
A tablet / Une tablette
B – Office Furniture
Offices / Des Bureaux
Office cubicles / Des bureaux à aire ouverte
Students at their desks / Des apprenants assis à leur bureau
A chair / Une chaise
A desk top computer / Un ordinateur
A telephone / Un téléphone
A conference room / Une salle de conférence
Filing cabinet / Armoire de classement
A shredder / Un déchiqueteur
A printer / Une imprimante
A bookcase / Une bibliothèque
A coat rack / Un portemanteau
A lamp / une lampe
A white board / Un tableau blanc
A bulletin board / Un babillard
Scanner / Scanner
Photocopier / Photocopieur
Desk / Bureau
Meeting table (conference table) / Table de réunion (table de conférence)
Computer monitor / Moniteur d’ordinateur
A laptop computer / Un ordinateur portable
B – Feelings
Sad / Triste
Angry / Fâché
Stressed / Stressé
Happy / Heureux
Nostalgic / Nostalgique
B – Introductions
INTRODUCTIONS / SE PRÉSENTER
| Hi / Hello | Bonjour |
| How are you? | Comment allez-vous? |
| Fine, thank you. | Bien, merci. |
| I am fine. | Je vais bien. |
| And you? | Et vous? |
| What’s new? | Quoi de neuf? |
| What is your name? | Comment est-ce que vous vous appelez? |
| My name is, Fred. | Je m’appelle, Fred. |
| Where do you live? | Où est-ce que vous habitez? |
| I live in Montreal, Quebec. | J’habite à Montréal, Québec. |
| It is a beautiful day today. | C’est une belle journée aujourd’hui. |