Exercise 1

Vocabulary

Repeat each word, definition, and study the example sentences.

1. All the way

(Adverbial Phrase)
/ɔːl ðə ˈweɪ/

Meaning: Indicating a strong, unwavering choice or allegiance.
“Who do you support?”
“Oh, Manchester United all the way!”
What’s the best beer ever made?”
“Leffe all the way! I’m a bit biassed though cus I only really drink blonde beers!”
“What’s the best genre in your opinion?”
“Oh rock music all the way! Hip-hop would be a close second for me though.”
“Who’s the best actor of all time?”
“Daniel Day Lewis all the way! He was unbelievable in ‘There will be blood’.”
What do you like better? Coke or Pepsi?”
“There’s no question there!- Coke all the way! Sure Pepsi tastes so watery and weird!”


2. To not be fussed on sth

(Verb Phrase)
/fʌst ɒn/

Meaning: To not be interested in, often dislike or indifferent about
“Fancy coming to see the new Marvel movie?”
“No thanks, you guys go on though. I’m not really that fussed on Marvel!”
“Do you want some cheese cake?”
“No thank you. I’m not really that fussed on cheese cake if I’m honest.!”
“Mary and I are going to the pub tonight. You know Conor’s Tavern? Wanna come?”
“I’ll pass tonight mate. I’m actually not that fussed on Conor’s Tavern anymore.”


3. Tea Person

(Noun Phrase)
/ˈtiː ˈpɜːrsən/

Meaning: Someone who likes tea.
“What drinks do you like?”
“Oh, I’m a massive tea person!”
“You like tea or coffee?”
“Tea would be great thanks! I’m not a big coffee drinker but I’m definitely a tea person!”

4. Can’t live without

(Expression/ Idiom)
/ˈkænt ˈlɪv wɪˈðaʊt/

Meaning: an expression which means exactly what it says but it can be used to show passion for something.
“Who do you get on with the most in your family?”
“My mum for sure! I couldn’t live without her!”
“What do you love to do?”
“I love football! I can’t live without it!”
“What happened?”
“I lost my phone! Can you help me find it? I can’t live without it!”

5. Drop by

(Phrasal Verb)
/ˈdrɒp baɪ/

Meaning: to visit someone or a place briefly and informally.

Synonyms: Pop by/ Swing by/ Stop by

“Where are you heading?”
“Just to the pharmacy. I might drop by the shop on the way home if you want anything?”
“Could you swing by grandma’s house and pick up my glasses please? I left them there last night!”
“Do anything fun on the weekend?”
“Not a lot. Keith popped by for a bit which was nice.”


6. Decent

(Adjective)
/ˈdiːsənt/

Meaning: Adequate, Satisfactory or reasonable.
“What’s that new Chinese restaurant like?”
“It’s pretty decent actually! They do a good hotpot!”
“Where are we going?”
“I’m just looking for a decent lunch spot!”
“What’s your new teacher like?”
“He’s fairly decent actually. I like that he corrects my mistakes.”


7. Picky

(Adjective)
/ˈpɪki/

Meaning: being very selective about choices or details.

Synonyms: Fussy

“Are you a picky eater?”
“Me? Not at all! I’m quite the opposite. I grew up with 4 brothers, so we ate whatever food we got!”
“What food do you like?”
“Mm I’m quite a fussy eater to be honest. I mostly eat chicken goujons. I don’t eat any other meat.”
“Do you like this shirt?”
“Not really man.. but I’m quite picky when it comes to clothing!”


8. Coffee Snob

(Noun Phrase)
/ˈkɒfi snɒb/

Meaning: Someone who has very particular and high standards about coffee, often judging it based on quality, preparation, or origin.
“I ‘m not fussed on this one to be honest Erica!”
“You’re such a coffee snob! It’s pretty decent if you ask me!”
“Here, try this. You aren’t a coffee snob are ya?”

9. Can do with

(Idiomatic Expression)
/kæn duː wɪð/

Meaning: to show sufficiency or necessity.
“I’m always so tired; I could do with an extra hour of sleep!”
“I watch TV for hours every night.. I could probably do with just one show.”
“I spend hours on my phone every night.. I could do with cutting down on my screen time.”
“I’ve been feeling dehydrated lately; I could probably do with drinking a couple more glasses of water!”
“With all the noise at home, I could do with just 30 minutes of quiet time!

10. Head

(Informal Verb)
/hɛd/

Meaning: to Go.

Synonyms: Go

“Where ya heading?”
“I’m off to meet up with Mario!”
“I’m heading to the shop. Ya want anything?”
“What time’s everyone heading??”
“I think most people are leaving around 8pm.”

11. A fan of Sth or Smb

(Phrase)
/ə ˈfæn əv/

Meaning: a person has a strong liking, appreciation, or enthusiasm for that particular thing.
“Do you want to go see Blackpink in March?”
“Nah I’m good thanks. I not a fan of K-Pop. But have fun!”
“Do you like sports?”
“I am indeed! I’m a massive fan of basketball! I watch most of the games!”
“Do you want to borrow Elon Musk’s biography after I read it?”
“Absolutely! I’m a big fan of his!”

12. Lean Toward

(Phrasal Verb)
/liːn təˈwɔːrd/

Meaning: to tend to choose a particular option.
“What do you want for dinner? Ramen or Sushi?”
“I’m leaning more towards sushi!”
“What do you prefer, cider or beer?”
“I like both, but I’d probably lean more toward beer”
“Who do you think is gunna win the final tonight?”
“I’d probably lean more toward Bayern Munich.”

Exercise 2

Dialogue with 10 friends: “Do you prefer Tea or Coffee?”

Listen to the audio, follow along with the dialogue and read through the tips!

Audio

Dialogue

Insights


Mick: Oh coffee all the way! I’ve never really been fussed on tea to be quite honest… and I live in Melbourne, which has a big coffee scene… so yeah… I love my coffee! What about you Jane?

  • Present Perfect: “I’ve never really been fussed on…” shows an indefinite time in the past.
  • Complex Structure: In the sentence “I live in Melbourne, which has a big coffee scene,” the phrase “which has a big coffee scene” is a non-restrictive relative clause that provides additional information.


Jane: Well I’m definitely more of a tea person! I do like coffee, but I couldn’t live without tea! I’m from England, so it’s just so common for friends or family to drop by and have a chit chat over a cup of tea and biscuit! How about you Yíjūn?

  • Compound Structure: “I do like coffee, but I couldn’t live without tea!” shows an indefinite time in the past.
  • Complex Structure: “I’m from England, so it’s just so common for friends or family to drop by and have a chit chat over a cup of tea and biscuit!”
  • Preposition “over”: “over” is used in the same way as “while having” or “during” in this context.

Yíjūn: Tea for sure! But not English tea! It has to be Taiwanese bubble tea! I probably drink at least one per day! I’m actually moving to study in London for a year, so I’m hoping they have some decent bubble tea there! What about you Ana?


  • Complex Structure: “I’m actually moving to study in London for a year, so I’m hoping they have some decent bubble tea there!”


Ana: Oh it’d definitely be coffee for me… I’m a bit of addict! I actually have my own coffee machine at home, and I’m really picky about the coffee I get. I often get a bit of stick from my friends because they think I’m a coffee snob, but I just really like good coffee! What do you prefer Sven?

  • Contraction: “It’d” = It would. I’d is a common contraction in speaking.
  • Use of “Would”: “Would” is a modal verb here, used to express hypothetical situations or preferences in the present or future. In this context, it indicates a choice or preference if a situation were to arise where a decision between options (like coffee vs. tea) had to be made.
  • Complex Structure: “I often get a bit of stick from my friends because they think I’m a coffee snob, but I just really like good coffee!”

Sven: I’m a big coffee drinker… I’d go through maybe three or four cups per day… but I think that’s because it’s free at my office! I could probably do with just having one in the morning because without it I feel a bit grumpy! What about you Lucia?

Lucia: Well being Italian I have no choice but to drink coffee! It’s just such a big part of our culture. I obviously mostly drink espressos, but I do have the occasional flat white or cappuccino! I don’t know how people drink these huge cups of black coffee though! And yea.. I travel a lot and before I head, I actually pack a bag of Lavazza coffee as it’s my favourite! What about you Mariam?

  • Expressing Obligation: “but to” plus an infinitive is used to indicate that there is no alternative; it’s the only option available. It essentially means “except to” in this context, emphasising that due to being Italian, the speaker feels culturally or socially obligated to drink coffee.
  • Contrast adverb: “though” is used as an adverb to convey a sense of contrast, doubt, or surprise.

Mariam: Well honestly speaking I’m not a fan of either! I live in Burkina Faso, which is super hot all the time, so I tend to just drink water or a soda. I know that’s a bit boring, but trust me if you lived in that kind of heat, you’d do the same! Maybe when I visit Ireland, I’ll get more into tea because I heard they drink it a lot there! Do you prefer tea or coffee Akira?

  • 2nd Conditional: “trust me if you lived in that kind of heat, you’d do the same!” This shows a hypothetical scenario that the speaker is imagining.

Akira: I like both to be honest. In the mornings I make myself an Americano to wake myself up and then usually have a herbal tea in the evening like mint or camomile. And of course everyone drinks Matcha green tea in Japan! What do you prefer Linh?

Linh: I like both but I’d lean more toward coffee. Here in Vietnam we have a coffee that’s very popular called cà phê sữa đá, which is basically a sweet iced coffee and it’s so refreshing because it’s usually super hot here! What about you Yusuf?

  • Present Perfect: “I’ve never really been fussed on…” shows an indefinite time in the past.
  • Complex Structure: In the sentence “I live in Melbourne, which has a big coffee scene,” the phrase “which has a big coffee scene” is a non-restrictive relative clause that provides additional information.

Yusuf: Tea for sure! You know the Turkish are the biggest tea-drinkers in the world! I have it every day mostly when I hang out with mates. Coffee is of course popular too, but I only really like iced coffee!

Exercise 3

Test Yourself

Read the questions and choose the correct answer.

"I might ______ Kyle's on the way home from work." 

2) Fill in the blank!

"What do you like better? Burgers or pizza?"
"Mmm, I'd probably _______ pizza. But it has to be an authentic Italian thin crust!"

3) Fill in the blank!

"What is your favourite food?"
"Oh I'd say bagels! I ______ bagels!"

4) What does 'picky' mean?

"Let's go to that new Mexican spot that opened up. I heard they do _____  tacos!"

"Who do you think is the best performer of all time?" 
"Oh Michael Jackson ________!"

8) Select 2 options which work in the following sentence.

"Should we swing by the bakery on the way home and get some donuts? I love the ones with the chocolate sprinkles!"
"Sure! I'm not _____ the chocolate sprinkles but the jam ones are unreal!" 
"Yeah, they're good too. I might grab a coffee as well while we're in there."
"I might get one too. I'm more of a ______ though."

"I had one sandwich already but I'm still starving! I ________ another one to be honest!"

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