The sentences below are commonly used by native speakers, so non-native speakers of English
can make full use of their speeches in their daily English conversation.

I just have to
stop off

( to visit or stay at a place briefly when you are going somewhere else )
in the
bathroom. Shona : " Jeannie, may I use your bathroom ? "
Jeannie : Go ahead, but make it snappy, okay ?
( to tell someone that you want them to do something
immediately and to do it quickly )You should have heard the fuss my mom
kicked up

!

And could I have a long-sleeved jacket this time ? The short-sleeved ones are so
babyish
.

Sorry, I am terrible
with
names !

If


You could if you
pu
t
your mind
to
it.

I saw them going into that pizza parlor on Austin Street.
Are they dating
?

hoping she didn't sound too
breathless
.

I thought it might
brighten up
my practices.

Well, we're just
starting out
, so we foul up sometimes.

Don't you need a jacket or anything ? It's
freezing out
.

delight.

I don't want to
gush
or anything, but well, you are great.

You should come
jam
with us sometime.

Bye, Mom don't
wait up.This girl definitely has
taste
. It's not fair, MacKendrick. You always hog all quality women.

This round's
on
me. You can get the next one if you want.

Myles seemed to be
a big hit
with all the girls.

Last Sunday I wanted to kiss you too, but I was afraid that if I did, you'd think I was being
fresh
.
( being too confident and showing a lack of respect, or showing by your actions or words that you want to have sex

Shona has an even better shot at winning first place, Aynsley, so you'd better be
on your toes.Hugh let out a
whoop
of laughter.

It's a lot of hard work
and

everything
, but I really love it.

You can't risk it, not
with
the championships so close.

Finally they nodded their heads
in unison.I wish you two wouldn't
holler at
me like that. It's awfully embarassing when I'm with a guy.

You better win that championship just to make up for all this
neglect
.


Will you please stop
channel
-
hoppingIn answer to
her parents' worried questions, she confessed that she and Hugh had broken up.

I'm just picking up a pair of panty hose. would you believe every pair I own
has a run
.
( a long
vertical hole in tights and stockings )I bet she's planning on
making a big play for
him tonight at Cathy Davidson's very exclusively
party.

Now that Hugh's available, she'll probably be all over him, trying to catch him

on the rebound.I don't like any of these dresses, they're really
tacky
.
( of cheap quality or in bad style )

Her legs felt
rubbery

( weak )
as she climbed the stairs, as if

You're not still
moping about
Hugh, are you ?

He's bound to be there, whether he wants to come or not. Jeannie and Christina wouldn't let him
wimp out.
( to decide not to do something because you are too frightened )Ok that's enough
play
-
by
-
play

( A detailed commentary of an event as it unfolds )
, I don't want to know
what happens next !

Are you two
up to
joining me ?



I know I should have called you, but I guess my pride
got in the way.I was so wrapped up in how important the championship is to me that I didn't
spare a thought

for how important your gig was to you.

You'll need to be well
rested
for the competition tomorrow.

I'm just beginning to recuperate from an
overdose
of it.

You absolutely
sparkled up
there onstage.

Oh please, you're going to give me a
swelled head. She knew she stood a better chance of winning the championship since her chief competitor
wasn't in top form.

Today's competition would determine whether she was a champion Highland dncer or just an

Beth : If he asked one of you to the prom, would you go ?
Audrey : Hmmmm. That's a tough call.
( a difficult decision to make )He had a short attention
span
, and it didn't take much to distract him.

Mark said you could get me
in shape

for the prom.

Gary just needs some pointers
on
how to get his girl.

Unfortunately, my brother was wise
to
my tactics.

I am going to drag you into my family
squabbles
.

I don't know exactly what
weakened
my resolve.



Yes, lately it seems as if we've been
having weather
every day.

Mark's bed was
unmade
,

I think I am beginning to
catch on. your room is a
health hazard
they were made for
durability
, not style.

You're
in
for the surprise of your life.

I am terrible
at
algebra.


.

Colette's already gotten her hooks
into
him.

If Gary was willing to
shell out
that kind of money for a trial run, he must have high hopes for
prom night.

I can tell you've a lot of experience
bossing
guys around.

The rest of the evening seemed sort of
anti
-
climatic
after all we'd been through.

I was quiet during the
drive home
,

you both handled the situation
with
a lot of maturity.

to tell you the truth, this wasn't my first

for the weekend.

Colette is
his
for the asking.

All my fighting spirit
faded away

at the sight of her.

He's probably just
bashful
. Gary's still not used to being the center of attention.

Gary looked just as good
up close
as he had from a distance.

I hate disappoint you, but I am
claiming
all of Gary's slow dances.

Eddie's thinking of asking your friend Jan to the prom, and he wants to know if you'd
put in
a
good word for him.

Now a new fear
gripped


Scott :

There's my ride
. I've got to go. Nice meeting you, Scott.
Tralain : Same here. Guess I will be seeing you around.

B J's jealousy was also pretty
hard to take.I'm just tired. Dad
ran me ragged

( make them do a lot of work )
today.

Since I had everything worked out
in
my mind, it didn't take long to make my list.

I never
laid eyes
on Scott until today.

If I were you, I'd
steer clear of

( to try to avoid someone or something unpleasant or difficult )
Scott Tyson.

rumor.

I am afraid he'll be really
crushed
, if I don't come to his party.

In that case, my first suggestion still
stands
.

so I left a message
with
his mother.

You'd better hustle downstairs. Tralain, I will be
along
in a minute.

the former owners were
tennis freaks

who played day and night, what do you say ?

I don't know how much
competition
I'll be able to give you.

I beat you
fair and square
,


You're as
hooked on
Tyson as he is on drugs.

Where do you get off
,
( to tell someone that they are asking you for too much or are behaving in a way you will
not accept )
bad mouthing Scott when all you have to go on is gossip ? Can't you see how cruel
that is ?

I'd been bored with B J for a long time, but hadn't had the courage to break up with him until he
forced

the issue. the thought of spending an entire day with him
gave me a lift
all through the rest of the
week.

we both sang along
with
the music for a while.

My legs are kind of
cramped
from sitting in the van for so long.


I took out my camera and focused it for a
close
-
up

shot
.

Scott and his friends caught up
on
old times.

We were all
wrecked
when he moved away.

a lot of the kids in our crowd just coun't keep up with him. It's like he's
on

speed

( on drugs )
or
something.

After Scott had drunk his
fill
, he reached for my hand.


or something

I could only force down a few
mouthfuls
.

I must have stared at the phone for ten minutes, before I
got up the nerve
to dial.

If looks could kill, the one I gave Trish would have
finished
her
off
on the spot.

Let's wait until some of the others
clear out. a wonderful, warm smile that made me go weak
in
the knees.

I made a huge effort not to burst into
sobs
.

You're still
dripping wet.

I felt a surge of apprehension as I followed him outside, and my hands felt suddenly
clammy
.
( feeling wet, cold, and sticky in a way that is unpleasant ) but Dad still
fusses over

( to pay a lot of or too much attention to someone, especially to show that you
are pleased with them or like them )
me, and it drives me nuts.

We can check on the way to geometry and see if we made it, if you'll stop
stalling
.
( to make
someone wait or stop something from happening until you are ready ) she wasn't too thrilled about signing up for any of the competitive
after
-
school
activities.

Trisha wasn't the
vain snob

( someone who is vain is very proud of their good looks, abilities, or position )

Trisha's
reasoning
was beginning to sound interesting

Julie was beginning to see the endless possibilities. kind of like
investigative
reporting ?

Suddenly, she was
brimming with
idea for her column.

I remember writing a
scathing editorial
about cheating on exams that shook up the whole
school.

She hurried
out
the door.

As soon as she got outside she
dismissed
her mother's
concern
.

she'd signed up for it, she certainly was no
quitter
.

worded
. You'll have to revise it.

I just don't have the
hang
of these new routines yet.

Her column would never
see the light of dayHe is just
plain mean
!

She struggled to
hold back
the tears welling up in her eyes.

One thing was sure. Brian Fredrickson wasn't worth crying
over
, neither

It was hard to imagine her quiet friend getting up
on
a stage.

it seemed that she and Trisha were beginning to form a special
bond
.

a smile.

I didn't know you two were
seeing
each other.

I was interested in him
for a while
, but that's all in the past.

Don't get so
defensive
.

They're
a lot of fun

It's just that you seem more
thoughtful
than the rest of them.

I don't think anyone has ever done
a piece

on that subject

The boys are a lot
rougher
on their stuff than we are.



I was hoping you could
fill in a few blanks
for me.

What I really want is a
breakdown

( [countable] a written statement explaining the details of something such
as a bill or the cost of a plan )
by sport.

Julie didn't
buy
that, but she let it pass.

Just what are you
getting at
?

Instead of
toning down
the strong language, he'd simply chopped it out.

Julie
set
her glass
down
very carefully and helped herself to some chips.


of town.

he doesn't want it to look like he's
playing favorites.
Julie : You haven't eaten much of your dinner.
Trisha : I had a big lunch today.

All I know about cars is where to
put
the gas.

Spending time with you isn't exactly a
chore
.

This should hold us
over
for a while.

Kevin's at
swim practice
, and Tom has a piano lesson.

Once they come home, it'll be a
mad house.

Well, it's kind of flat. There's no color
to
it.

Maybe you could
reword
it a little.

But reporters are supposed to be
concise
.

How could she have been so
thoughtless
.

I'm going to take your advice and see if I can
liven it up
a little.

Sorry, I wasn't more
tactful
about it.

If Brian doesn't like the changes you make in your article, you can
blame it on me. they might have worked out some kind of

nuts about

Brad Lewis, huh ?

I heard his question but it didn't really
register
.

so I'd have to ask Mom to
come by

for me.

But I didn't want him to know I'd been
angling
for a ride.

let me give you a hand
with
these.

I thought you disapproved of beauty contest
on
general principle,

he always said hi and gave me a special smile that
turned
my knees
to


my toe
.
( to hurt your toe by hitting it against something )You'll never make any money
that way. to
steer
the conversation
away
from myself.

I'll call you
over
the weekend.

The door opened a
crack
, and my mother stuck her head in.

Do you think you will be
seeing
more of him.

He was
dripping


Mom and Dad to be so unreasonable.

I
stewed over

the problem all afternoon,

if I tell you something really important, will you promise to
keep
it a secret ?

Have I ever broken a promise
to
you ?

I could tell that
in spite of himself

( if you do something in spite of yourself, you do it although you did not
expect or intend to do it ),
Kyle was dying of curiosity.

Kyle slowed the car to a
crawl
.

the game might be
rained out

( be rained off British English be rained out American English if an event

Caitlin : no matter what happens, let's not lose each other.
Kyle : We won't, not if I can help it

Does that give you some claim
on
her ?

Kyle felt sorry for me because I was so
bummed about
not being able to go to the game with
you,

But keeping the peace was a real
strain
,

Kyle didn't seem in any hurry to
depart
.

If you need any help
unscrambling

( to change a television signal or a message that has been sent in code
(=a deliberately confusing way) so that it can be seen or read )
those notes, just let me know.

Kyle and Brad were each trying to force the other to leave first, and neither would
give an inch.


play when Brad asked what I'd like to do Friday evening.

I walked slowly back to my room with a feeling of
resignation
.

Any hopes I had that the game would be called off were
dashedI am about ready to leave. Want to
hitch
a ride with me ?

Don't you ever get tired of all the giving while does all the
taking
.

he was in the
sunniest
of moods.

there were
dark circles
under my eyes.

The big ape treats you like
dirt
I thought you had more self-respect than that.


It's probably just
heartburn
.

in all the years we'd known each other, I had never seen Kyle
in formal attire.I never guess that they were
an item
( if two people are an item, they have a sexual relationship )
, did
you ?

As luck would have it
, the next dance was a slow one.

Hey,
desperate situations
call for
desperate measures.Why are you offering this anyway, We haven't been
on the best of terms

( be on good/bad terms to
have a friendly relationship or bad relationship with someone )
, y'know.


energy )Can't we forget about it and pick up where we
left off
? Kyle : You're telling me we are through ?
Caitlin : That's about the size of it.

Throwing caution to the winds
( throw/fling/cast caution to the
winds to start to take more risks in what you
do or say )
, I ran down the porch steps and raced across the street.

he was a far cry
from
a hero of last night's adventure.

I had never seen Kyle so
flustered
.

Kyle, will you let me
get a
word in edgewise

( get a word in edgeways also edgewise to get a chance to


I was going to fix the plug on D.C's heat lamp. The wires are starting to
fray
.

Marty finally
made good on
her threat

Eight weeks is plenty of time to make some
headwayHank looks tough, but on the inside, he's a real
softie
.

The drone of an engine
drowned out
their laughter.

They are hard to
spot
because they blend in with the woods and snow

It won't open
from the inside
.
Hank stared at her
with
mock awe.

My fingers work faster
to
music.

Lila's the one who gives me
grief
.

why the
swift change
in him.

Confused, she tried to
sort out
her feelings.

But somehow, the
emotional tug
was no longer there. Sally : But you two fight like cats and dogs.
Marty : Yeah, well, It's all a front,
( to be used for hiding a secret or illegal activity

)

.

It was raining
in sheets.

( a sheet of rain or fire is a very large moving mass of it )The night
smelled
fresh and clean.

There's absolutely no future
in
it.

We can compromise, can't we. If you insist on finishing
up
here, I'll go home.

Tell her to give my check to Brenda, she'll
get it to
me.

Life could sure be a
bummer
sometimes.

Maybe I should
run an ad

( to come together or bring two people together to have a romantic relationship )Alone with her jitters, Marty
paced
back and forth

Each second seemed like
an
eternity.

when he smiled and took Marty in his arms, it almost seemed like
old times.The traffic's bound to be awful, especially when the concert
lets out.What did I do to
rate
such a terrific best friend ?

It was so soft from many
washings
and so faded

Lila was the biggest question
of all.


out
.

Lila can't
compete

with
you.

You made me feel good
about
myself.

Katie Jean O'Connor
dashed up
the front steps of her house with her arms full of books and her