در اتوبوس

as a matter of fact = actually; in fact, as a matter of fact

Everything was going wrong that day. As a matter of fact, the day was about to get worse.

I know the man in the picture very well. As a matter of fact, he is my father.

I like animals. As a matter of fact, I own a pet store.

Have you seen Rachel?

Yes, I have. As a matter of fact, she’s waiting in your office.

at random = not in any order; without plan, at random

The lottery numbers were picked at random.

The police stopped cars at random to check if the drivers had insurance.

We will choose a number at random, and the person with that number will win!

How did you get to be the captain of the team?

They just picked at random.

in favor of = support or approve of something, in favor of

His parents are not in favor of his career choice.

Although I want to join the army, my parents are not in favor of it.

After the big test, we were all in favor of going out for a drink.

Why didn’t you vote for him?

Because he is in favor of raising taxes.

keep up = continue, keep up

Keep up the good work!

You’re doing a great job! Keep up the good work.

She wanted to keep up swimming every day, but she was too busy.

I am really nervous about the test.

Just keep up a positive attitude and you will do fine!

make a point of = do something deliberately, make a point of

He made a point of explaining everything he knew about the subject in class.

He made a point of telling everyone he studied at Harvard.

We should make a point of bringing this problem up at the next meeting.

I think that Harry is mad at us.

Yeah. He made a point of not talking to us at lunch.

make room for = provide space for, make room for

Hey. Do you think we can make room for my friend?

We need to make room on the shelf for these books.

Can you make room in the trunk of your car for one more bag?

Can I ride with you?

Maybe we can make room if one person sits on someone’s lap.

on the spot = right there; immediately, on the spot

He got caught with the stolen money, so he had to think of an excuse on the spot.

He got the job on the spot.

She had to think of an answer on the spot.

Where’s your dog?

A man offered me $500 for it, so I sold it to him on the spot!

sum up = in summary; finish in short, sum up

The last page of the report sums up all of the research.

He will sum up his speech with a joke.

To sum up, I would just like to congratulate the bride and groom and wish them many happy years together.

How was your trip to the desert?

I would sum up the experience by saying it was very hot!

waste one’s breath = say something of no use, waste one’s breath

Don’t waste your breath. I’ll never take you back!

She won’t go out with you. Don’t waste your breath asking her.

He explained the grammar rule over and over, but he was wasting his breath. They didn’t understand it.

I’m going to ask Dad if I can go to Rome with my girlfriend.

Don’t waste your breath.

you bet = Sure; Yes, you bet

Call me! You bet!

Are you free tonight? You bet!

Would you like some more pizza? You bet!

Do you want to see a movie?

You bet!

Dialogue

On the bus

You don’t have to stand Ms. I can make room for you here. I’ll just put my briefcase on the floor.

That’s very kind of you.

It’s not every day a beautiful woman sits next to me on the bus.

Thank you but I’m not usually in favor of talking to strangers on the bus.

Yes, this is a special day. I want to make a poem about you. What do you think?

You don’t have to keep up the conversation for my sake. I prefer to ride in silence

It’s no trouble. I can create a poem on the spot.

Well, you’re wasting your breath on me! I don’t want to hear your poem.

You certainly tell it like it is Ms. You’re a very straight forward person.

You bet I am! Excuse me, but I see an open seat up front. I’m moving.

Nice talking to you.

Idioms in context

I had a hard time dating my wife when I was in high school. In fact, she didn’t want to have anything to do with me at first. She sat behind me in history class. The first time I saw her, I asked her out on the spot. But she turned me down.

I wasn’t discouraged, though. The next time I asked her to go out with me, she told me, “Get lost.” But I asked her the next day too. Then she said, “You’re wasting your breath. I’m not going to go out with you.” I even asked her friends to fix us up, but they all told me, “Forget it. She doesn’t want to date you.”

Although my friends were in favor of me quitting, I kept up my pursuit of her. At lunch, I made a point of trying to sit at the same table with her. If none of her friends made room for me, I tried to sit at the table behind her. Still, I had no luck.

Then one day, I fell asleep in class. The teacher was calling on students at random to answer questions, and he called on me while I was sleeping. My future wife noticed I was sleeping and tried to wake me up by shaking my shoulder. I must have jumped when she touched my shoulder because I fell out of my chair. Of course everyone laughed at me. I guess she must have felt a little sorry for me because after class, she told me, “I’m sorry I pushed you so hard. I guess I didn’t know my own strength!”

“No problem,” I replied. “As a matter of fact, I like strong women.”

She laughed and asked, “Do you want to go to the dance this weekend with me?”

Of course I said, “You bet!”

And, to sum up, we have been together ever since.