کنار ساحل

At the beach

all along = the whole time, all along

She knew all along that they would get together.

He knew about the surprise party all along.

The machine was not plugged in all along.

Who sent you all those secret love notes?

I thought it was John, but it really was Jim all along.

be true of = correct when talking about, be true of

This stereotype is not true of all Americans.

These statistics are true of high school students, but not university students.

That stereotype is not true of all women.

I hate dogs! They are always so noisy.

But that’s not true of all dogs. Mine is very quiet.

cut out = stop, cut out

You should really cut out smoking that stuff.

I am trying to cut out drinking during the week.

Cut it out!

What do you think of my new dance moves?

Cut it out! I’m trying to study!

every so often = sometimes, every so often

Every so often he feels homesick.

Every so often he goes to a movie by himself.

We hear from our friends in Canada every so often.

Do you like sports?

No, but every so often I go hiking.

on account of = because of, on account of

The game was cancelled on account of the rain.

She didn’t call us on account of the fact she was busy.

On account of the hot weather, we stayed indoors.

On account of you, there’s no pizza left for me!

Sorry. I was really hungry!

pass away = die, pass away

The fish passed away last night.

My grandmother passed away last year.

When did he pass away?

Why is the shoe store closed today?

The owner passed away this morning.

speak up = say aloud, speak up

I can’t hear you. Could you please speak up?

I can’t hear you. Speak up.

No one spoke up in class, so the teacher asked the question again.

Sorry, I didn’t hear you. Could you speak up, please?

I said your stereo is turned up too loud!

stay put = not move, stay put

Stay put!

I will go and look for him, but you stay put.

He stayed put in his company even though many of his co-workers quit.

Jake is on the phone. He just arrived at the airport.

Tell him to stay put. I’ll go pick him up.

suffer from = be ill with or bothered by, suffer from

He suffers from severe headaches.

My mother suffers from depression.

People who use computers all the time often suffer from back problems.

Why are you wearing a hat today?

I am suffering from bad hair.

under the weather = a little sick, under the weather

She missed the party because she was feeling under the weather.

I’m feeling a bit under the weather.

Are you feeling under the weather?

Why are you going home early?

I feel a bit under the weather.

Dialogue

At the beach

Isn’t this a great beach, Carol?

Could you speak up please? The waves are so loud.

What do you think of the beach?

Oh, it’s beautiful. It’s my first time by the ocean.

So you never swam in the ocean as a kid?

Nope. On account of the fact that I grew up in Colorado, I never got to see the ocean when I was young. I never even learned how to swim.

Me neither. I suffered from swimmer’s ear as a child. So my parents made me cut out swimming when I was 6 or 7 years old.

So why do you like to come to the beach if you don’t swim?

I like to come to lay in the sun. That is true of most people here, I think. But every so often I walk down and stick my feet in the water.

Idioms in context

Some people are afraid to be alone. That is true of my wife. We live in a nice neighborhood, but she is still afraid when she is alone at night. I think she suffers from a slight case of paranoia. I don’t like to leave her alone, but every so often, I have to go out of town.

One time I had to travel to attend the funeral of an aunt who had passed away. My wife was feeling under the weather and decided to stay home. That evening, someone knocked on the door. My wife was in the living room at the time. The person knocked again. My wife just stayed put in the living room. She didn’t answer the door on account of the fact that she was a little scared.

The person at the door kept knocking and then spoke up. “Hello? Hello?” My wife was becoming more and more anxious. She wished the person would cut out the knocking and go away. Then my wife had an idea. She started barking like a dog! The person at the door stopped knocking and went away.

The next evening, I was home when the boy who delivers our newspaper came to collect money from us. He told me, “I came here last night, but your wife started barking at me. So I left.”

I guess our paperboy can tell a dog’s bark from a human’s bark. Or maybe he knew my wife was home all along.