Get back on the horse!

 To continue trying something that you had difficulty with in the past. To try again at something that you failed, quit or stopped. Getting back on a horse that you have fallen off could be literal or figurative! 

1. When English students have difficulty and feel frustrated with their progress, some give up. Some wait for a better time to take up classes again… while others get back on the horse immediately and keep trying. 

2. “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.” – A great and popular expression which encourages people to get back on the horse when they fail. What have you “failed” at that you would like to try again? 

3. When you have a scary experience while learning to do something – like learning to drive, riding a horse or a maneuver in any kind of extreme sports - they say that it is important to get back on the horse as soon as possible, because the longer you leave it, the more difficult it will be (psychologically) to try again. 

4. When someone hasn't been in a relationship for a long time, often their friends tell them that they need to get back on the horse and find a boyfriend or girlfriend. 

Eventually

Eventually is almost the same as saying finally... but not exactly. We use eventually when we want to imply that something will happen after a long wait. If you want to say that something is the last of the sequence of steps, you would use finally. Some alternatives for eventually: In the end, after some time, in the long run, one day, some day, at some point, at the end of the day. In Portuguese eventually is not the same as "eventualmente" (occasionally)... It is a false cognate. 

1. Are you one of those people who eventually gets out of bed after hitting the snooze button at least a dozen times? 

2. How do you know when it is time to let go of a dream? Some people are eventually hit with the realization that their dreams are too ambitious, especially if they are not proactive. Do you think your dreams are realistic? 

3. Do you think that corrupt politicians will eventually get caught out… or will they always "get away with murder"? 

4. After many months of cold showers, I eventually had an electric water heater installed. 

5. Have you ever procrastinated about something for so long and then eventually decided to do something about it, only to realize how simple and easy it was? 

6. When you are explaining something, do you get to the point… or do you eventually get your idea across after painstakingly going through all the details and looking at something from all angles? 

7. If you don't keep your computer or mobile device clutter-free, eventually you are going to run out of space. Do you regularly delete files, photos, videos etc. that you don't need? Do you save all of your WhatsApp conversations? 

8. Sometimes I wonder whether the leaning Tower of Pisa will eventually fall over. What things do you wonder about? 

9. In the fairytale about Rapunzel… her hair grew longer and longer until eventually people could climb the tower using her hair. How nice!

10. In the classic movie, "The Shawshank Redemption", with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, The character that Tim Robbins plays, uses a tiny pick to dig through his prison cell wall, bit by bit, until he eventually digs a tunnel to freedom. 

Just

There are multiple meanings for, "just". Just could mean, "only". Just could also mean, "right at a specific moment" or even, "exactly/ specifically". "Just about ", means almost. If you just did something, you did it very recently – maybe a few seconds ago (acabar de).

1. When you submit any work… or when you arrive somewhere just before the deadline, we say that you did it "just in time". You can arrive at a bus stop just in time to catch the next bus.

2. When you hear somebody say, "That's just what I wanted!", they found or received something that is exactly what they wanted. Did you get just what you wanted for your last birthday or Christmas?

3. The expression, "... just what the doctor ordered," refers to a well-deserved vacation or period of rest... or anything that helps you to destress or relax. "That skydiving trip is just what the doctor ordered!"

4. What interruptions/ distractions normally occur just as you are about to start something important or engage in any enjoyable activity?

5. How do you say, "I was just about to call you." in your own language?

Lately

Lately is a synonym for recently. It could be in the last couple of days or

the last few weeks. (Ultimamente). It is often used in the present

perfect continuous tense.

1. Janet Jackson sings in one of her songs, "What have you done for me

lately?". What have you done for a loved one of late?

2. Have you been following international news lately? Nelson Mandela has been

all over the news. What has been in the news in your country lately?

3. "How is life treating you?": another way of asking how life has been lately.

4. There have been a lot of parties and celebrations lately, as people are

winding down the festive season.

5. Is there anything in particular that has been on your mind lately? Do you

think more about the past, the present or the future?

6. One of Rod Stewart's most famous songs is entitled, "Have I told you lately". Have you told those important people in your life that you loved them recently?

7. My laptop broke recently… So lately I have been using my iPad to do just about everything. Can you get by without the use of a computer for longer than a week?

8. Lately I have been practicing my Portuguese by reading the subtitles of programs and movies out aloud, while I mute the volume.

9. I haven't been sticking to my exercise routine lately. I have been letting it slip. What have you been letting slip lately?

10. Has anything life-changing happened to you lately?

11. When someone says, "I feel like I have been stuck in a rut lately." It could be a stale, boring routine or even a state of mind that they cannot escape from.

About to + verb

If you are about to do something, you are ready to do it/ close to doing it… you are on the verge of doing it… you will do it in the next instant.
(Estar prestes a fazer/ estar para fazer/ perto de realizar)

1.  Sometimes when you are just about to call someone, they call you first. We can say that they “beat you to it” (They were quicker).

2. When someone mentions something that you have already been wanting to say, it’s common to respond, “I was about to say the same thing!” It is commonplace in conversation.

3. My passport is about to expire, which means I will have to take a trip soon to Brasilia, to the South African Embassy soon. Do you have any contract, membership, document etc. that is about to expire?

Search the dialogue of entire TV series!

Have you ever wanted to search for a phrase that you had in mind for a specific TV series? ...Well, I have set up a blog that helps you to do just that! I have created a database from the subtitles of some of the most popular TV series. 

Make up for

If you try to make up for something, you are trying to compensate for missed opportunities or mistakes that you have made, especially neglecting someone or forgetting what is important to the other person.

1.  If you’re late for work, do you try to make up for it and act extra friendly to your boss and coworkers... or maybe work a little harder or faster?

2. Do you think there’s any way for a person to make up for killing someone or something equally as extreme?

3. It is the same story the world over: Parents who are not present while their children are growing up (because they are too busy focusing on their career or social life) try to make up for it by giving their children expensive things. There is no substitute for a parent’s time. Steve Jobs gave his family everything except his time. Does all that money make up for him not being there?

4. If you’ve forgotten your wife’s/ husband’s/ partner’s birthday or your wedding anniversary, etc., how could you make up for it without having to suffer the consequences?

Feel like + verb (-ing)

If you feel like doing something, it’s something you would really like to do at this very moment. You have an inclination or a desire to do it. 
(Ter vontade de…)

1.  What motivates you to get out of bed when you don’t feel like getting up? It’s not easy when you have the “Monday morning blues”!

2. When you hear music that you like in public, do you feel like dancing or do you just dance spontaneously?

3. Do you often feel like telling people exactly what you think, but end up “biting your tongue”… or do you “call a spade a spade” and say exactly what is on your mind?

4. What do you usually feel like doing on a public holiday – relaxing, going out or something else?