در خیابان

On the street

blow up = explode, blow up

I ate so much. I feel like I’m going to blow up!

The bomb blew up but no one was hurt.

Don’t put that can near the fire or it might blow up.

How did the fire start?

The old gas heater blew up.

bring back = return; cause to return, bring back.

The song brought back some old memories.

He brought back the video that he had borrowed from me.

The picture brought back memories of her childhood.

Can I borrow your car?

Sure. But bring it back before 5:00, please.

burn down = completely destroy by fire, burn down.

If you play with matches, you could burn down the house.

The school burned down in 1910.

Help! The church is burning down.

What happened to all the trees?

They burned down in the forest fire last year.

catch fire = start to burn, catch fire.

The log caught fire immediately.

The wood was wet, so it didn’t catch fire very easily.

His clothes caught fire because he stood too close to the stove.

Let’s move the candles away from the window.

You’re right. The curtains might catch fire.

come to = reach, come to

How did things come to this?

When you come to the end of this part of the test, stop.

If you come to a word you don’t know, use a dictionary.

Excuse me. How can I get to Tom’s Market?

Go straight. When you come to the intersection, turn right.

for the most part = generally, for the most part.

For the most part, I really enjoyed my trip.

For the most part, I enjoyed the time I spent in the country.

For the most part, she was satisfied with her performance.

How’s your new job?

It’s very interesting for the most part.

make one’s way = go in the direction of (with purpose)make one’s way.

They made their way across the country.

He made his way to the front of the line.

They made their way from California to Texas along Route 66.

I can’t get a good look at the band.

Let’s make our way to the front.

no matter = make no difference, no matter.

No matter how much I comb my hair, it always looks messy!

I can’t get an “A” in the class no matter how well I do on the final exam.

You don’t have any money? No matter. You can pay me next time.

No matter what I try, I can’t start my computer!

Is it plugged in?

sort of = kind of; a little, sort of

The juice tastes sort of strange.

This restaurant is sort of expensive. Do you want to go somewhere else?

I’m sort of tired. Can I meet you some other time?

Have you ever had shark?

Yes, It tastes sort of like chicken.

tear down = destroy something that was built, tear down.

They want to tear down the old apartments to build new ones.

I heard they are going to tear down the old stadium.

The workers had to tear down everything and start again.

I’m glad they tore down the wall.

Me, too. The view is much better!

Dialogue

On the street

Wow! That was a huge fire last night.

It’s hard to believe that there used to be 4 story office building right there. The whole thing burned down to the ground.

Does anyone know how it caught fire?

I heard someone say something about an electrical fire. Maybe it was bad wiring.

It’s sort of scary to think that could happen in our building as well.

For the most part, I feel pretty safe in our building. It’s much newer than the building that burned down.

I guess they’re going to tear down the burned parts of the building that are still standing and build a new office building there.

I’m sure they will. Probably if we come to the spot in a few months, we won’t even recognize the place.

Idioms in context

Last summer, I visited my hometown. I had not been there for ten years. I kept in touch with my parents while I was away, but no matter how much they tried to tell me about the changes in our town, I was still surprised at what I saw. As I made my way through the streets around my parent’s house, many of the places I saw brought back memories of my childhood. First, I saw my elementary school playground. Then I saw my best friend’s old house.

Some of my favorite places were gone. For example, the old movie theater had burned down years ago. It caught fire when the heater in the basement blew up. The old store where I used to buy candy was torn down. Now a four-story office building stands in its place.

As I came to the corner by the old bank, I ran into Mr. Collins. My parents were friends with the Collins when I was young. I went up to Mr. Collins and said hello. He looked sort of confused.

I told him, I’m John and Helen’s daughter.

Mr. Collins said, Oh! You’re Helen’s daughter. Such a beautiful lady. Then Mr. Collins called his wife over.

Lucy! Come here! It’s Helen’s daughter. You remember Helen. Such a beautiful lady.

Mrs. Collins came over. She looked at me and said, Oh, yes. Helen was so pretty. Then she said, For the most part, you take after your father.