Staying Connected
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Jess | Tom |
Tom: Jess, usually when I see you, you're sitting at the computer checking your e-mail. How many times a day do you check it?
Jess: I honestly don't count, but many, many times. Definitely more than twenty times a day. It's not really necessary. It's not like I have millions of e-mails coming into my account every day, but I'm very impatient and I hate waiting for responses or waiting for something that I'm expecting so I'll check my e-mail so that I can receive it as soon as it's sent. How about you? Do you check your e-mails often?
Tom: I suppose I check once a day, and if I have any mail, it will be one or two weeks before I reply to it. I'm really bad at keeping in touch. I've got accounts at facebook and my space and hi5, all these social networking sites, but I almost never log on and people .... I got a message the other day, a friend telling me, I'm a boring facebooker. It's official because I haven't updated my profile in so long.
Jess: Why don't you? Is it that you haven't got enough time?
Tom: I have got so much free time. I think it's just because I'm very lazy. I take photos. I meet people. I do things. I just don't feel the need to tell everyone about it at the end of the day. My family have kind of gotten used to it now. They know that I'll get in contact they'll likely to see me in the next few months, or I'll get in contact if there's a birthday or a baby, but apart from that, I really don't keep in touch very well.
Jess: Apart from e-mail, neither do I. I did join Facebook a couple of years ago when all of my friends did and everyone was sending me links to join, and I created my profile, but to be honest, it's too much for me to have more than one thing to check that many times a day, so usually I stick to e-mail for communication. Yes, I do check it a lot, but I think if I started checking Facebook as regularly, I wouldn't have time to do the things I need to every day.
It's not like
It's not like I have millions of e-mails.
The phrase 'It's not like' means the opposite of what follows. Notice the samples:
- It's not like Bill Gates is poor
- English is difficult, but it's not like I can't learn.
at the end of the day
I like to tell everyone about it at the end of the day.
The phrase 'at the end of the day' simply means 'in the end'. Here are two samples:
- My boyfriend and I always argued. At the end of the day, it wasn't worth staying together.
- Studying English is sometimes boring, but at the end of the day, I know I've done something good for my future.
get used to
We use the phrase 'get used to it' when we accept or become comfortable with something or someone we didn't like at first. Notice the following:
- I didn't like waking up for my 8:00AM class, but I've gotten used to it.
- My neighbors kept complaining about my noisy dog, but I think they've gotten used to it.
apart from that
The morning was busy, but apart from that it was a slow day.
The phrase 'apart from that' follows things that are different from what we usually do. Here are some samples:
- I walk 2 kilometers to school everyday, but apart from that, I don't get much exercise.
- My dad sometimes watches CNN after work, but apart from that, he almost never watches TV.
stick to
I stick to e-mail.
When we stick to or with something that means we use or do it one way and don't change to another. Notice the sample sentences:
- There are many good laptops on the market, but he wants to stick with Apple.
- I should study writing more, but for now, I'll just stick to speaking.
Vocabulary Quiz
apart from • stick to
Tom and Jess both talk about things they could not live without.
