Contents
=> “Lie/Lay: a Language Longevity Lesson” - editorial by Mr. P
=> “6 Hip and Irritating Expressions” - vocabulary
=> ETs Archives and New Photos
=> In the Next Issues

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“Lie/Lay: a Language Longevity Lesson” - editorial by Mr. Poosheesty
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Language change can be pretty irritating.

Most people–even educated people–no longer differentiate between “lie” and “lay.” For grammar purists, “lay” requires an object : “Lay down your weapons!” Lie does not take an object: “I’m lying on the couch.”

I did a Google search for the following phrases to discover compare how often these exact phrases appeared:

“to lie on the couch” = 13,800 hits
“to lay on the couch” = 12,400

Wow. Almost half the usages involve the traditionally incorrect variant: “lay” as an intransivite verb. Other searches revealed similar results.

Does this mean that both forms should become acceptable? Will “lay” eventually displace “lie” altogether? Very likely. But this grammar confusion doesn’t trouble me as much as the onslaught of hip expressions.

hip: = stylish, en vogue, fashionable, ultra cool and in tune with the latest trends.

In today’s world of everpresent media, new expressions can become hip and trendy almost overnight. They gallop into the language, then quickly vanish in a cloud of cliche.

I’ve collected 6 trendy and irritating expressions below. They’re very common, so you should probably know what they mean, even if you don’t use them. In 3, 10, or 20 years, when these expressions lose their hipness, you can forget about them.

You can want language to hold still, but it’s not gonna happen.

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“6 Hip and Irritating Expressions” - vocabulary & activity
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First try to guess the meanings of these expressions. (Teachers, write these on the board and ask students to guess what the phrases mean).

1. don’t even go there
2. do the math
3. raise the bar
4. take it [or something] to another level
5. think outside the box
6. 24/7

In the Headlines

Bleow you’ll see 4 genuine headlines (or book titles), each using one of the hip expressions above. But I’ve removed the actual expression. Your job is to find the missing expression. To help you is a brief excerpt from the article or book. Use these clues to put the correct form of the hip expression in the blanks. Give students time for this. It’s like a puzzle.

Remember, only 4 of the above are used.

1.
Headline: Lakers _____ Defense _________________
Excerpt: And it was their inspired defense that turned the series around and propelled the Lakers to four wins in a row to oust the defending NBA [National Basketball Assocaition] champions.

2.
Headline: Kids and Company to Launch first ______ Childcare Facility
Excerpt: Kids & Company, Canada’s leading provider of corporate-sponsored childcare, is set to launch the first round-the-clock facility offering
safe, reliable childcare, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

3.
Headline: LA [Los Angeles] Hotels __________ on Design, Amenities
Excerpt: Hotels around LA are undergoing major enhancements, [increasing goals for] design and amenities, among them a $10 million guest room renovation.

4.
Book Title: Kids Who _____________: Helping Your Unique Child Thrive In A Cookie-Cutter World by Stephanie Lerner
cookie-cutter = appearing to be mass-produced; identical in appearance; showing sameness
Excerpt: Although a lot of importance is placed on an individual being diverse in thought and spirit, parents and educations alike seem to fear a child who is an original, who may be out of step with the kid next door.

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Hip & Irritating Expressions: Answers and Definitions
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Answers

1. Lakers Take Defense to Another Level

2. Kids and Company to Launch first 24/7 Childcare Facility

3. LA [Los Angeles] Hotels Raise the Bar on Design, Amenities

4. Kids Who Think Outside the Box: Helping Your Unique Child Thrive in a Cookie-Cutter World by Stephanie Lerner

Definitions

don’t even go there = Say this when there’s a topic you don’t want to discuss, perhaps because the subject is sensitive, futile, or tiresome.

do the math= Say this when you want someone to know that an answer or solution is obvious. All the evidence is there in front of you. All you need is to ‘do the math.” This doesn’t have to be about a mathematics problem.

to raise the bar = to increase standards, to set a greater goal

to take it [or something] to another level to improve something dramatically (though we don’t know how!)

think outside the box = to think creatively, not conforming to the usual way of thinking

24/7 = 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Pronounce it simply “twenty-four seven”

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ETs Archives and New Photos
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At the “English Teachers in Russia and Elsewhere” Archives you can now find issues 40-86. We are in the process of putting ALL issues on the site and making them entirely searchable.

You can find these new photos too:
Saudi Arabia
Ulan Ude in Siberia
Baja California, Mexico
St. Nicholas Russian Festival in Saratoga, California

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In the Next Issues
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October 3: PowerPoint Games, resources for teachers, inspired by Saudi teachers

October 16: Russian Festival in Saratoga, California

Copyright 2005 Kevin McCaughey and I.M. Poosheesty