Monday, 6 October 2025

gruesome




gruesome
= extremely unpleasant and shocking, particularly in relation to violence, death, or horror 
可怕的;

The report of a gruesome murder shocked the entire community to its core.
一宗慘無人道的謀殺案的報道讓整個社區都震驚了。

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tune out


tune out
= to stop paying attention to something
對…置之不理;

During the lecture, some students began to tune out and eventually fell asleep.
在講座期間,一些學生開始走神,最終睡著了。

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Friday, 3 October 2025

annoy


annoy

(verb)
= to disturb someone and make someone angry

Examples

Don’t annoy me. I have lots of things to do right now.

The loud noise from the mahjong game really annoyed the neighbors.

He was annoyed by the interruptions during his speech.

Reference 
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/annoy


Here are more examples of using "annoy":

She found it annoying when people interrupted her while she was speaking.

My little brother loves to annoy me by stealing my snacks.

It annoys me when drivers don't use their turn signals.

Constant notifications from my phone can be quite annoying during work hours.


Some synonyms for "annoy":

Irritate
Disturb
Bother
Upset 
Agitate 
Pester
Provoke 


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Tense Table

 Tense Table 


Tense Table

Verbs can change forms based on tense, which indicates the time of the action. We use a tense table as a reference to understand these variations.


Examples


Infinitive: Abide

Past Tense: Abided

Past Participle: Abided


Infinitive: Arise

Past Tense: Arose

Past Participle: Arisen


Infinitive: Begin

Past Tense: Began

Past Participle: Begun


Infinitive: Catch

Past Tense: Caught

Past Participle: Caught


Infinitive: Fight

Past Tense: Fought

Past Participle: Fight 



Explanation of Tenses


Infinitive: The base form of the verb (e.g. "abide"). It often expresses a general action without a specified time.


Past Tense: Indicates that the action occurred in the past (e.g. "abided"). This form is used for completed actions.


Past Participle: Used in perfect tenses and passive voice (e.g. "abided"). It often appears with auxiliary verbs like "have" or "was."


Additional Examples


Infinitive: Go

Past Tense: Went

Past Participle: Gone


Infinitive: See

Past Tense: Saw

Past Participle: Seen


Understanding these forms helps in constructing sentences correctly across different tenses. Use this table as a quick reference to enhance your writing skills!


https://jeffreywckin.github.io/011-Tense-Table.html


in good shape

 in good shape

= being physically fit, healthy, or in a good condition 


After six months of training, Susan is now in good shape for the half-marathon.


This second-hand car is in good shape and only needs a minor tune-up for maintenance.


After a healthy diet and regular exercise, John feels he is in good shape for the summer.


The team is in good shape heading into the playoffs, with all players healthy and motivated.



Some synonyms and antonyms for "in good shape":


Synonyms:

Fit

Healthy

In good condition 

Robust

Sound

Strong


Antonyms:

Out of shape

Unfit

Unhealthy 

Damaged

Weak

Poor condition


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Thursday, 2 October 2025

speak of the devil


speak of the devil
= something you say when someone mentioned in conversation appears unexpectedly 
當在對話中提到某人時,他意外出現; 說曹操,曹操到;

We are just talking about Mark, and then he walks in. Speak of the devil!
我們剛在談論Mark,然後他走了進來。說曹操,曹操到!

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king of the hill


king of the hill

= a person who is very successful or holds a dominant position in a particular field or context  
= 一個在特定領域或情境中非常成功或佔據主導地位的人。

After years of hard work, Mark has finally become the king of the hill in the AI industry.
經過多年的努力,Mark終於成為了人工智慧產業的王者。

After winning the tennis competition, Mark is now the king of the hill; however, he must work hard to maintain his position against his rivals.
在贏得網球比賽後,Mark現在是王者;然而,他必須努力維持自己在對手中的地位。

The restaurant has maintained its reputation as the king of the hill in fine dining for over a decade.
這家餐廳在高檔餐飲界已維持了十多年的王者聲譽。

With his latest novel topping the bestseller list, the author has once again proven he is the king of the hill in contemporary literature.
隨著他的最新小說登上暢銷書榜,這位作者再次證明了他在當代文學中的王者地位。

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Wednesday, 1 October 2025

have an axe to grind

 have an axe to grind

= to have a personal motive or agenda that influences someone's opinions or actions

 

When Peter criticizes the new pension policy, I believe he has an axe to grind because he stands to benefit from the old policies.


Many voters think that the senator has an axe to grind when he criticizes the new tax reforms, as he has significant investments in companies that benefit from the old laws.


After losing the championship, the coach expressed his frustrations about the referees, suggesting he has an axe to grind given their previous decisions.


The journalist's relentless coverage of the scandal makes me think he has an axe to grind against the organization involved.



Some synonyms and antonyms for the phrase "have an axe to grind":


Synonyms:

Have a hidden agenda

Have a personal stake

Have a vested interest

Have a bone to pick 


Antonyms: 

Be objective

Be neutral

Be unbiased

Be disinterested


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