Who taught : Brian, Jerome and Kara

Do you know how many words exist in English? The answer is, I think, nobody knows the exact number. But, based on Wikipedia, the Oxford English Dictionary includes over 600,000 words. Among those, how many do you know? 1,000 or 2,000? Isn’t it crazy? 600,000 words.

OK, let’s talk about today’s expressions. There are expressions which are combination of verb and adverb. Today, I would like to talk about some of the ones that you need to be really careful and good to know for your future conversations.

1. Knock down vs knock up

In general, knock down means “hit someone or something.” There are some other meanings but I do not want to confuse you here. So, let’s just stick to this meaning here. But, when it comes to knock up, it has totally different meaning. Can you guess what it means? I do not think you can simply guess it. It means “to get someone pregnant.” So, if you hear someone saying, “Man, I don’t know what to do. I knocked her up. She told me yesterday.” Then that guy is in trouble unless he is married to the lady.

2. Pass away vs pass out

I guess you might know what “pass away” means. Didn’t I mention it in one of my old posts? It means, “die.” And, once again, it is a euphemism for “die.” So, if your friend’s parents died, it is better for you to say, “his father passed away.”

On the other hand, “pass out” is an expression you can use a lot if you like drinking. Have you experienced a total drunken and not remembering anything next day? That is the time you can use “pass out.” “Dude, yesterday, I totally passed out.” Speaking of which, there is also another expression you can use for describing the passing out situation. “I got totally wasted.” It has the same meaning. Maybe, “get wasted” is more derogatory one? Am I right?

3. Whack vs whack off

Whack is a verb and it means “hit strongly” or “assassinate.” For example, “My wife was so mad yesterday because she found I was cheating on her that she whacked me with a golf club.” Sounds like I am talking about someone we all know. What? you do not know whom I am talking about? Come on! It is Tiger Woods.

OK, how about “whack off”? Before I get to the meaning of it, I need to warn you. If you are younger than 18, please stop reading and close your browser now! Hey! I warned you. If you are still reading, it is your responsibility now. 🙂 It means “masturbate.” There is also an expression with the same meaning, “jack off.” I am not giving you any example for this. I am pretty sure you will figure it out. 🙂

4. drop a deuce vs chuck a deuce

chuck a deuce (two fingers)

Well, this one is different combination but it would be useful if you know the different meaning of them. “Drop a deuce” means “defecate.” whereas “chuck a deuce” means “a sort of gesture of saying hello to your friends.” FYI, I am adding a picture of it here.

So, what do you think? The more I write posts, the more I feel English is hard to master. But everything is possible. Good luck! My friends out there! Hoping my blog could help you out a little! See you tomorrow!