Idioms & Expressions:
dog days of summer (noun; refers to the hottest part of the summer)
The dog days of summer tend to be in August.
a rainy day (noun; refers to a time of need or trouble)
Since I’ve started working, I been able to save some money for a rainy day.
rain cats and dogs (verb; to be raining very hard)
It was raining cats and dogs all week.
a breeze (a noun that means that something went very easily)
I had been worried about the math test, but it turned out to be a breeze.
rained in/snowed in (verbs that mean that you are stuck somewhere due to rain or snow)
Sorry I can’t come over tonight; I am snowed in.
come rain or shine (an expression used to describe the certainty of something happening)
Come rain or shine, I will be there at your wedding!
laughter is the best medicine (an expression that means that laughing makes you feel better, physically and mentally)
crack up (verb; means to laugh hard)
Watching standup comedy makes me crack up.
laugh yourself silly / laugh your head off (verbs; to laugh for a very long time)
We had a great time at the comedy show and laughed ourselves silly.
burst out laughing (verb; this means to suddenly begin laughing)
When my dad tripped and fell into the pool, we all burst out laughing.
the last laugh (noun; this is the final victory or ultimate triumph that someone can achieve)
We lost to the other team during the regular season. However, we got the last laugh by defeating them in the championship game.
Part I: Group Discussion
- What’s the weather like today?
Hot and it feels like it could rain. Just like every day in Vietnam in the summer.
- What kind of weather do you like best? Why?
I like cloudy, chilly weather the best. It’s ideal for anything. I hate hot weather.
- What do you usually do during your favorite weather or season?
My favorite season is fall and I usually like to go hiking then.
- Does the weather ever affect what you do?
Absolutely. Especially in Vietnam. If it’s too hot or rainy, you can’t really hang out outside. So that is always a consideration.
- Do you always pay attention to the weather forecast?
I don’t really check the weather forecast, except during the summer season to see if it’s going to rain torrentially the following day.
Part II: Individual Presentations
Describe a situation that made you laugh. Please say:
What was the situation?
When was it?
Who was there with you?
Why did it make you laugh?
I was with my housemates at a bar recently and we were all hanging out. There was a small pond near the DJ booth, and it was a dimly lit place. One of my housemates was on her way to the bathroom and didn’t see where she was going and she tripped and fell into the pond. It was really funny – we call this “slapstick humor.” Now, we all tease her for this and we have nicknamed her “The Little Mermaid.”
Part III: Class Discussion
- Do you think having a sense of humour is important? Why/why not?
I think being funny is extremely important. People love funny people and don’t like to hang out with boring people. I would rather be incredibly funny than smart or good-looking.
- Do you like movies or TV shows that make you laugh? Why?
Absolutely. Laughter is the best medicine. I think humor can reveal the absurdities of daily life and that’s why we like funny stories so much.
- Is humour easy to translate from one language to another?
Not necessarily. There is a lot of subtlety in humor that relies on the puns or vocabulary of a certain language.
- Are there jokes in your language that are hard to translate to another language?
There are many – we call them puns. It’s hard to understand them unless you’re fluent in English.
- Can humour be useful in learning another language? In what way?
I think so, if the teacher is funny. That makes the class more engaging and fun and encourages that students to participate more.
