Why not? Just kidding. Actually when I was a young boy my neighbors had a bunch of turkeys for a few years. During the first month the turkeys were small and pretty cute. After several months the turkeys grew up bigger and bigger. Also their behavior changed a lot, they start to act more aggressively and I would say they were rude. You couldn’t enter their territory anymore safely because they attacked you immediately. They had developed strategies how to peck our hands if we were offering food for them from our hands. Once happened an accident when my little brother went by himself to the turkeys’ cage to feed them. Unluckily, he offered seeds for the turkeys directly from his hand, so that the turkeys could peck seeds from his hand. The turkeys start to peck my little brother’s hand so strongly that his hand was bleeding when he came back from the turkey cage. After this accident all of the neighborhood children were asked to stay away from the turkeys. My neighbors apologized to my parents for what happened to my little brother. It was an accident which could happen to everyone because we didn’t know how dangerous it was to feed the turkeys by hand directly. In conclusion, turkeys don’t make such a great pet experience. I would rather just eat them.

Happy Thanksgiving day!

Milton from Colombia writes in an informal style about his dream of traveling:

I don’t have a [particular] place where I would like to live.  Even if I had the possibility to live in one place, I would prefer to travel around the world.

Jamaica, Italy, France, Spain, Canada, Egypt, Hawaii, Peru…These are some of the countries I want to visit, and why not?  If I had the possibility of living in those countries, I would [seize] the opportunity.

I mean that the country or the place isn’t very important to me…only a beautiful place and a nice partner.  You know, you select the moment and you will do fine.  That is the finality of life.

This post continues the extensive list of phrasal verbs that you can use when you speak and write English.  There are a lot of others that you can find in our previous blog posts.  We invite you to take our ESL classes at New York English Academy to learn these and many more:

“When will your flight take off?”  [Depart; leave]

“The new Broadway show really took off!”  [Became popular or successful]

“Please take off your coat and stay awhile.”  [Remove]

“I’m hungry and we have only a short break.  Let’s get something to take out.”  [Eat away from the restaurant; for example, fast food]

“The children took their parents out for their wedding anniversary.” [Paid for their dinner, entertainment, etc.]

“He tore into his friend when he discovered that he was cheating.” [Became very angry with]

“After they sang “Happy Birthday’, they tore into the cake.”  [Started to eat greedily]

“Please tear up that document when you have finished reading it.” [Destroy by ripping]

“The city is going to tear down that old building next year.” [Remove; demolish]

“Many people think back on their childhood when look at old photos or get married.”  [Remember]

“You should think it over carefully before you make a decision to buy a car in New York City.” [Consider]

“Don’t throw away your glass bottles; you can recycle them.” [Place in the trash]

“Her life turned around when she came to New York and learned to speak English fluently at New York English Academy.” [Improved greatly]

“Turn around and look at the beautiful sunset!” [Look in the opposite direction]

“How did your party turn out?  Did a lot of people attend?” [Result]

 New York English Academy

This post continues the extensive list of phrasal verbs that you can use when you speak and write English.  There are a lot of others that you can find in previous blog posts, and there will be yet more to be published in future posts.  We invite you to take our ESL classes at New York English Academy  to learn these and many more:

“I’m going to send this book back to the online store because it is damaged.”  [Return]

“We would like to set a meeting up for this time next week.”  [Arrange; put together]

“The criminal set his victim up for a serious accident.”  [Tricked]

“To find good discounts, you have to shop around, visiting a number of stores.”  [Find the best price]

“He bought the expensive car to show off to his friends how successful he was in his business,” [Demonstrate, usually in boastful manner]

“The children like to sleep over at their cousins’ home.” [Stay overnight]

“She has so many problems that she has a difficult time sorting them out.” [Resolving]

“If you stick to your lessons, you will learn to speak English very well.”  [Continue]

“We should try to stick with one another as we walk through the crowds in Times Square.” Stay together]

“I’m going to switch around the furniture in my living room.” [Rearrange]

“Please switch off the air conditioner when you leave your apartment for the day.”  [Turn off (the power)]

“I had to switch the lights on so that I could see my way to the bedroom.” [Turn on]

“She really takes after her big sister.” [Imitates; resembles]

“Many children like to take toys apart, then put them back together again.” [Disassemble]

“If those shoes are defective, you should take them back to the store for a refund or an exchange.” [Return]

New York English Academy

This post continues more  phrasal verbs that you can use when you speak and write English.  There are a lot of others that you can find in previous blog posts, and there will be yet more to be published in future posts.  We invite you to take our ESL classes at New York English Academy to learn these and many more:

“The mother said to the child, ‘Honey, please put down that vase before you break it.’”  [Place the object on the table, floor, or shelf, for example.]

“The excellent teacher never puts her students down.”  [Insults; belittles]

“Here is advice from a famous proverb: ‘Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.’”  [Postpone; delay]

“They called the emergency number and the firefighters came quickly to put out the blaze.”  [Extinguish]

“Let’s put together a surprise birthday party for the twins.” [Arrange; assemble]

“I don’t know how long I can put up with all the noise from those neighbors.” [Tolerate]

“Kids, you will need to put on your best clothes to go to Aunt Christina’s wedding.” [Wear]

“He will get in trouble with the law if he continues to run around with the people in that gang.”  [Associate with]

“The bear ran away when the campers made a lot of noise.”  [Escaped; left quickly]

“You will never guess who I ran into in Times Square yesterday!  It was our boss!” [Meet by surprise]

“You should not be texting while you are crossing the busy street; you could be run over by a bus!” [Struck, usually by a vehicle]

“We will run over [or run through] that material before you take the exam” [Review]

“I will have to go to the supermarket before I run out of milk.” [Have no more]

New York English Academy

This post continues the list of  phrasal verbs that you can use when you speak and write English.  There are  many more that you can find in previous blog posts, and there will be yet more to be published in future posts.  We invite you to take our ESL classes at New York English Academy to learn these and many more:

“Would you please look over my report to see if everything is accurate?”  [Examine lightly]

“I want to look up information about the United States soccer (football) team to find out if they have ever won a World Cup.”  [Research]

“She looks up to her grandmother to receive good advice.”  [Gives respect to]

“He made up an excuse when the boss asked him why he was late for work.”  [Invented]

“We were all mixed up after they gave us the wrong directions to get to Times Square” [Confused]

“His aunt and uncle passed away many years ago.” [Died; also, passed on]

“He passed out when they told him that he had won $10,000,000 in the lottery.” [Temporarily lost consciousness; fainted]

“The teacher requested that a student pass out the quiz papers to the class.” [Distribute]

“Please don’t pass up the opportunity to study English at PC TECH in New York City.” [Miss]

“I will lend you $10 for the taxi fare; you can pay me back tomorrow.” [Return something, usually money]

“They will pay for all the crimes they have committed.” [Be punished]

“Her mother took her shopping last week so she could pick out a nice birthday gift for her friend.” [Choose]

“Please point out the location of your city on the map.” [Indicate, often with the index finger]

New York English Academy

We invite you to take our ESL classes at NYEA to learn these phrasal verbs and a lot more:

“The New York Rangers hockey team is in the championship series; I hope they don’t let us down by losing the next game.”  [Disappoint]

“In New York City, there are many opportunities to let your hair down on weekends.”  [Let your hair down: to relax after having done some difficult work or task.]

“Please open the door and let me in.”  [Permit to enter]

“When will the rain ever let up?”  [Lessen or stop]

“You have to let your dog out when it needs exercise.” [Allow to go outside]

“She always looks after her elderly parents when they are not feeling well.” [Takes care of]

“On the day that we arrived in New York, we went to Central Park to look around.” [Explore informally]

“Please don’t look down on me because I am short.” [Think that someone is inferior]

“I have been looking all over in my bedroom, but I still can’t find my glasses.” [Searching extensively]

“For a long time we have been looking forward to the World Cup, and now it is finally in progress.” [Anticipating]

“They are going to look into the monthly rent for that Brooklyn apartment.” [Get more information about]

“You have to look out for the traffic when you cross the busy street.” [Be aware of]

One of the topics for English writing practice at NYEA is “If you wanted an offbeat job, what would you do?  Why?”  Students have come up with a number of interesting examples.  Here’s one:

If I wanted an offbeat job, I would like to be a skydiving instructor.

The first time I skydived was in Hawaii.  There was no rain and no wind; conditions were perfect.  Before I skydived, I was scared.  The distance of 10,000 feet [more than 3000 meters]was too high for me.  My instructor tried to talk with me, but I couldn’t respond.

However, I could do it!  And I could see beautiful views of the ocean, clouds, mountains…  Everything I could see was amazing!

At this time, I didn’t think I was falling through the air.  Then we arrived at the point of landing and [the sky diving instructor and I] made a friendship which overcame difficulties together.  This was the most impressive experience of my life.  So I hope that everybody will try the wonderful [activity] of skydiving.

NYEA students create an essay every week.  Their teachers make corrections to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and suggest improvements to writing style.  This is often a class activity, where everyone has copies of each completed composition.  All the students, guided by the teacher,  can then add their comments and suggestions.  The teacher makes the final – but not too technical – edit before publishing to NYEA’s blog page.

New York English Academy

In one of NYEA’s ESL classes, students have been writing about the world’s indigenous cultures.  A Level 2 student, a travel agent and guide from Peru, composed a response to this question:  “What would the world be like if most indigenous cultures disappear?”

The answer is very simple.  If most indigenous cultures disappear, the world will lose cultural identity.  This means that our world [and] our lives will lose valuable knowledge about traditional medicine, religions, world vision, natural nutrition, animal life, plant life…secrets of the simple life in this amazing world.

Now, governmental and non-governmental organizations, religious groups, oil and lumber companies, and others are rapidly [threatening] a lot of the indigenous cultures of the world.

Who can stop it?  Anybody?

I think we will [quickly] become more “artificial” people.  I can’t believe that technology and lust for power will dominate our beautiful world.  I hope for a miracle.

Our future is in the children’s hands:  “Education with Conscience”

NYEA students create an essay every week.  Their teachers make corrections to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and suggest improvements to writing style.  This is often a class activity, where everyone has copies of each completed composition.  All the students can then add their comments and suggestions.

Here are some phrasal verbs that are very common in English.  We will be publishing yet more in future posts.  We invite you to take ESL classes at NYEA to learn these and many others:

“Could you hang on a moment?  I have to answer the door.”  [Wait a short time]

“They like to hang out in Times Square with their friends.”  [Relax]

“If you can’t talk to me respectfully, I will hang up the phone!”  [End a call]

“She had to  hold her dog back from attacking her neighbor’s cat. ”  [Restrain]

“When he heard that he had won $1,000,000 in the lotto, he could not hold back his joy.”  [Restrain an emotion]

“Please hold on for a minute while I check my messages.” [Wait a short time (similar to hang on)]

“It’s very important to hold onto the pole when you are standing on the train. ”  [Grasp with your hand]

“The thief held up the store after most of the customers had left.”  [Robbed]

“If you are having trouble with English pronunciation, keep on practicing and you will become fluent.”  [Continue]

“It was very difficult for me to keep from revealing the secret about the surprise birthday party that they were planning for their friend.” [Not tell about]

“We must keep out of the building while they repairing the electrical system.” [Avoid; stay away from]

“He was walking so fast that I could not keep up with him.”  [Go at the same speed]

 New York English Academy

English uses many phrasal verbs to express various activities and feelings. You can find many more in previous blog posts, and we will be publishing even more. We invite you to study at NYEA to learn these and many more:
“It’s raining and I don’t have an umbrella, so I guess I will have to go without one.” [Not possess]
“She had a close friend in college, but they grew apart because they had not seen each other for a long time.” [Stopped their friendship]
“His hair grew back very quickly after his surgery.” [Returned to normal]
“The child said, ‘When I grow up, I want to be President.’” [Mature]
“Teenagers can grow out of their clothes very fast.” [Become too big for]
“I know your coat is a little large, but you will grow into it within a year.” [Become bigger]
“Parents who like to cook often hand down their recipes to their children. ” [Give to the younger generation]
“Please make sure that your name is on your homework when you hand it in.” [Submit it]
“Would you please hand out these papers to the other students?” [Distribute]
“At the airport, you must hand over your passport for the officials to check.” [Give]
“Yes, English grammar can be difficult, but hang in there and you will soon learn it. [Be patient]

Did you become interested in learning more English by watching American and British TV programs and attending movies (cinema)? Here in New York City during the summer months, you will find many opportunities to see FREE movies, usually outdoors, often in a park.

For example, Bryant Park screens a number of classic movies on Monday evenings. This beautiful midtown green space is located directly behind the New York Public Library (itself an enjoyable place to visit on a rainy day).

In Brooklyn, just across the East River from New York English Academy, is Brooklyn Bridge Park, one of New York’s newest parks. Movies will be shown Friday evenings in July and August.

Later in the summer, every day from August 25 to 29, beginning at 8:00 PM, you can watch movies with a New York City origin. These are presented in the section of Central Park known as the Sheep Meadow. (Don’t worry, the sheep have not been there for over a hundred years!)

These are just a few of the activities that can be enjoyed for free in the Big Apple over the summer. Students at NYEA can learn about many other opportunities like these.

New York English Academy

What do you pack when you are going to study English in New York City? And what do you leave at home? Many students make the mistake of packing too much (bringing things they don’t need) when preparing to study at New York English Academy, while other students do not pack essential items that make life easier.

Follow our list of what you should (and shouldn’t) bring with you to New York and you are one step closer to being completely prepared for your time as an ESL student in the Big Apple! (more…)

The passage below uses several phrasal verbs with “get”  See if you can understand the different meanings of “get” in the passage and then look at the chart for the actual meanings.

Last week I got up and decided to get away from NYC.  There are so many people here
trying to get ahead.  Personally, I’m just trying to get by.  I got in my car
and got out of Manhattan.  I drove out to Montauk, Long Island.  It was a very
long drive and I was pretty tired, but I knew I would soon get over it.  The only
problem was that my car was out of gas.  I had to walk to the nearest gas station.
These things happen when you travel, and I knew I could get through it.

PC TECH: English Language School in New York City