- To get the most out of this post on how to increase your comprehension, you should do this first
- A life of its own—my pen had a life of its own, writing vocabulary word after vocabulary word
- Here goes nothing—I’m going to do my best to explain this
- The deal—what’s the deal with English, anyway?
- Run—you’ve likely to run into the problem of how to increase your comprehension
- Stick—sticking your head in the sand won’t help you with how to increase your comprehension
- Lost on—I hope what I’m telling you about how to increase your comprehension isn’t lost on you
- Crash somewhere—writing is hard work… think I’m gonna crash for 20 minutes
- Mad about—if I were an EFL student, I’d be mad about trying to figure out how to improve my comprehension. But I’d also be mad about DC CopyPro
- Whip up—it can be challenging, but I manage to whip up a blog post every week
- Disposal—DC CopyPro is at your disposal for all your English copywriting needs
- I hope you’ve figured out how to increase your comprehension—don’t just stick your head in the sand
To get the most out of this post on how to increase your comprehension, you should do this first
If you haven’t read Part I of this post, you should. No, I mean you really should. Cause if you don’t, this part won’t make much sense. But if you do, you’ll find this post on how to increase your comprehension enthralling. 😉 The choice is yours (but I urge you to go and read Part I now).
Okay, I’ve done my part. If you’ve chosen to ignore my advice, that’s on you.
So, in Part II, I’ll examine more examples like the one at the end of Part I. I scanned the script of Gilmore Girls, S01 E08, “Love and War and Snow”. I found 30+ examples of common words used in ways likely to cause comprehension problems for ESL/EFL students. Relax! I’m not going to present all 30.
I’ve chosen expressions containing the most commonly used words. I’ve also selected some of the more interesting ones. I’ve included a few examples of words that don’t appear on the Top 2000 Vocabulary Words list. These are not tricky words. But you’ll see that their usage can make figuring out what they mean challenging.
A quick reminder for those who didn’t read Part 1—and those with lousy memories: 😉
- MW = Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary
- OX = Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
- CAM = Cambridge Dictionary Learner’s Dictionary
- TFD = The Free Dictionary (Idioms)
The number in brackets after the expression is its ranking on the Top 2000 Vocabulary Words list.
A life of its own—my pen had a life of its own, writing vocabulary word after vocabulary word
life (151) a life of its own
MW: Something that takes on a life of its own becomes very large, important, or hard to control.
OX: (of an object) seeming to move or function by itself without a person touching or working it
CAM: A machine or other object can be said to have a mind of its own if it seems to be controlling the way it behaves or moves, independently of the person using it:
TFD: (of an object) seeming to move or function by itself without a person touching or working it
Ex: It’s like my hand had a life of its own.
In this case, all but MW got this one correct. Though the MW definition is one accurate definition of the phrase, it doesn’t apply in this context. Further complicating matters, “a mind of its own” conveys the same meaning. But MW doesn’t have a definition for that, either.
When Lane says, “It’s like my hand had a life of its own,” she means that it felt like she wasn’t controlling her own hand. It felt like her hand was being controlled by its own mind, not her mind.
Here goes nothing—I’m going to do my best to explain this
here (230) here goes nothing
MW: used when you are about to try doing something new, difficult, or unpleasant
OX: here goes: used when you are telling people that you are just going to do something exciting, dangerous, etc.
CAM: said just before you do something brave or something that you have never done before:
TFD: said before you begin to do something that you do not think will be successful:
Ex. 1: Here goes nothing.
Ex. 2: There goes the fire chief, the police chief and the one paramedic with a valid license.
Another interesting example. We can shorten it to “here goes,” which is the definition from OX and CAM. The definitions from MW and TFD are closer to the intended meaning. Here, it means, “I’m going to try this, but I don’t think it’ll work.” “Here goes” doesn’t quite carry the extra meaning of “I don’t think it’ll work.”
I also noticed that in the same episode, we have “There goes,” which has a very different meaning. “There someone goes” means, “See that person over there, going in a certain direction?” So, in Ex. 2, the meaning is, “If you look over there, you’ll see the fire chief moving in a certain direction.” It’s interesting how changing “here” to “there” changes the meaning so much.
Are you starting to see how you can increase your comprehension by learning more about words you already know?
The deal—what’s the deal with English, anyway?
deal (508) the deal
MW: basic information about a person, thing, or situation
OX: what is happening in the present situation?
CAM: No entry
TFD: What’s the big deal? (but not “What’s the deal?”)
Ex. 1: What’s the deal?
Ex. 2: Yeah, and I wanna hear the rest of the teacher on the couch incident. / Deal.
Here’s another “simple” word, again used in two different ways. OX has the closest definition. MW has a slightly different usage, as in, “What’s his deal?” = tell me more about him. TFD has a definition for “What’s the big deal?” which is a different expression altogether.
“Big deal” on its own is usually a sarcastic reply meaning, “So what?” “What’s the big deal?” means “Why do you think this is so important?”—“Yeah, I kissed her. What’s the big deal?” It’s interesting how adding the word “big” changes the meaning completely.
Ex. 2 uses “deal” in one of its more common usages—but in a much-shortened form. When two people agree on something, like a business venture, they reach a deal. In this case, you’d say something like, “It’s a deal” or “You have a deal.” But here, we shorten the entire phrase to “deal,” as in, I agree with your proposal.
Run—you’ve likely to run into the problem of how to increase your comprehension
run (611) businesses to run
MW: to direct the business or activities of (something)
OX: run something to be in charge of a business, campaign, etc.
CAM: to organize or control something:
TFD: to manage or conduct:
Ex. 1: Some of us have businesses to run…
Ex. 2: View this as a trial run for really grownup humiliation.
Ex. 3: The kitchen has nothing in it but running water if you get thirsty…
I used the word run as an example in my post about not learning more words to increase your comprehension. In this episode, we have three examples, none of which means to move faster than walking.
To “run a business” means to organize or control a business—be in charge. Ex. 2 is part of the phrase “trial run.” A trial run means practice or a rehearsal. So, Ex. 2’s meaning is, “Consider this as practice for when you become humiliated as an adult.”
Finally, Ex. 3 refers to running water. Running water means water that comes from a tap or faucet. Thus, we have three different uses of run. They use three different forms with three different meanings. But if you don’t know these different meanings and uses of run, you’re going to run into comprehension troubles. 😉
Stick—sticking your head in the sand won’t help you with how to increase your comprehension
stick (1071) stick one’s head
MW: If you bury/have/hide (etc.) your head in the sand, you ignore something unpleasant that you should be dealing with.
OX: bury/hide your head in the sand
CAM: to refuse to think about unpleasant facts, although they will have an influence on your situation:
TFD: To avoid, or try to avoid, a particular situation by pretending that it does not exist. The phrase refers to the common but mistaken belief that ostriches bury their heads in the sand when frightened, so as to avoid being seen.
Ex: Allows people to stick their head in the sand.
We have a couple of challenges here. First of all, we use “stick” in an informal sense to mean “put” or “place.” But not one of the four sources contains the phrase “stick your head in the sand.” All the entries use “bury” or “hide” your head in the sand.
The phrase usually appears as, “Bury your head in the sand.” But a native English speaker would have no trouble understanding, “Stick your head in the sand.” But an ESL/EFL student might struggle to find the expression since no entries use “stick your head.” Furthermore, they may be unfamiliar with the usage of “stick,” meaning “put” or “place.”
Another note of interest comes from the TFD definition. This expression comes from the mistaken belief that ostriches bury their heads in the sand to ignore or hide from something. They don’t. But we still use the expression to describe people who pretend a problem doesn’t exist when it clearly does.
Lost on—I hope what I’m telling you about how to increase your comprehension isn’t lost on you
lost (1212) lost on
MW: not appreciated or understood by (someone)
OX: to be not understood or noticed by somebody
CAM: If a joke or remark is lost on someone, they do not understand it.
TFD: Unappreciated or not understood, as of an idea.
Ex. 1: The thrilling sensation of getting lost in a blizzard, of freezing to death in the woods, and having to eat your friend’s buttocks to stay alive,…
Ex. 2: …that is lost on many people.
Ex.1 and Ex.2 are part of the same sentence, where the word “lost” appears twice. And guess what? Yup—two different meanings.
Most ESL/EFL learners would be familiar with lost meaning “To not know where you are, or how to get where you want to go.” That’s the meaning behind “..lost in a blizzard” (a huge snowstorm).
But when something is “lost on” someone, it means they don’t understand or appreciate it. Coincidentally, I remember in the next episode, one character also says, “I’m lost.” And yet again, it has a different meaning. In this case, when the character says, “I’m lost,” meaning that he isn’t following the other person’s logic. He’s saying he didn’t understand the story or the situation, so he was lost mentally, not physically.
Crash somewhere—writing is hard work…think I’m gonna crash for 20 minutes
crash (1846) crash somewhere
MW: to stay or live for a short time with someone
OX: crash (out) (informal) to go to sleep, especially suddenly or in a place where you do not usually sleep
CAM: to sleep, or to stay at a place to sleep temporarily:
TFD: to spend the night
Ex: And she needs to crash someplace sympathetic.
Most ESL/EFL students are likely familiar with the common usage—to hit something or make a loud noise. It is in the top 2,000 most frequently used words, after all. But this usage may be unfamiliar despite all four sources having correct definitions.
Here, “crash” means to sleep somewhere other than your own home, usually temporarily. Another related meaning of crash is to fall asleep from exhaustion. Neither of these uses refers to accidents or loud noises, so you can see why they may cause confusion.
Mad about—if I were an EFL student, I’d be mad about trying to figure out how to improve my comprehension. But I’d also be mad about DC CopyPro
mad (2175)—mad about
MW: liking someone or something very much : very fond of or enthusiastic about someone or something
OX: very angry / liking something/somebody very much; very interested in something
CAM: to love someone or something:
TFD: Very enthusiastically fond of someone or something. / Upset or angry about something.
Ex: She was mad about him.
Though we’re out of the top 2,000 words, we have four acceptable definitions for this phrase in this context. The problem is we more commonly use this phrase to mean “be angry about something.” This is the first part of the definition from OX and the last part of the definition from TFD.
What are you so mad about? = Why are you so angry? But in this context, “She was mad about him” means she was very interested or fond of him. This usage is so common there was an early ’90s sitcom called Mad About You.
Whip up—it can be challenging, but I manage to whip up a blog post every week
whip (not in top 2,000) whip up
MW: to produce or prepare (a meal) very quickly
OX: to quickly make a meal or something to eat
CAM: to make food or a meal very quickly and easily:
TFD: to prepare, create, or put something together
Ex: I’m sure there’s something in there we could whip up.
We’ve finally left the top 2,265 most frequently used words. I wouldn’t expect an EFL/ESL student to know the word whip. They’d likely have trouble understanding “whip up”—especially if they looked up “whip.”
A whip is a long, flexible tool, usually made from cowhide or buckskin. As a verb, it means to use one of these tools to hit an animal or person, usually as a form of corporal punishment. The word whip doesn’t have a very positive connotation (feeling), does it?
Unless you’re going to whip up something! This light, carefree phrase means to create something (usually food) with little preparation. That’s how it’s used here. Yet you can also “whip up a crowd,” which means to arouse or excite. You can also “whip someone into shape,” which means to help them become fit in a short period of time. What’s confusing about that? 😉
Disposal—DC CopyPro is at your disposal for all your English copywriting needs
disposal (not in top 2,000) at your disposal
MW: available for someone to use
OX: available for use as you prefer/somebody prefers
CAM: available to be used by someone:
TFD: Ready and available to help or serve one.
Ex: 24 hours a day at your disposal.
Finally, the last example—another one from outside the top 2,000. This one confused my former student. She looked it up in the dictionary and based on that, she determined that it meant to throw away or get rid of. She was right (sort of). But she was also confused.
She was unaware that the whole expression “at your disposal” had a special meaning. All four sources provided correct definitions for the usage in this context. If you are at someone’s disposal, you are available to them at all times. But my student didn’t think to search for the whole phrase. She got stuck trying to figure out what “Throwing you away 24 hours a day” could’ve meant. I’m sure you can understand her confusion.
I hope you’ve figured out how to increase your comprehension—don’t just stick your head in the sand
So there you have it. Other than the last two words and a few others in the examples, they all appeared in the 2,000 most frequently used words list. But I’m willing to bet that if you’re an EFL/ESL student, you learned a new expression or two from these two posts.
In some examples, I also showed how the same phrase (not just words) can have different meanings. If you want to know how to increase your comprehension,
- Stop learning new words.
- Focus on learning different expressions using the words you already know.
- Discover different meanings of words you may already be familiar with.
Feel free to contact me with any questions about tricky phrases or expressions you find. And if English is your native language, I hope you appreciate how lucky you are!
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