Dear all
What an interesting walk we had ... especially when the owner of the Pie & Mash shop in Hoxton came and spoke to you to explain the history of this very traditional East End food to you. And what a high level of English from you! Well done!
The vocabulary that we went through at the end is below. I hope it's useful and I really look forward to seeing you again on one of these English conversation walks.
Best Wishes
Gail
Vocabulary Hoxton to Shoreditch Wednesday 17th September 2014
To thrive (verb): to grow or develop well. E.g. We talked about how Hoxton became a thriving art community during the 1980s.
E.g. In the past, Shoreditch was a poor area. Today it is thriving.
An up-and-coming area (expression): When an area is changing from a poor to wealthy, we can say it is 'an up-and-coming area'.
On the up (expression): as above. But we can also use this expression about people. E.g. Since John started his new job, he's really on the up.
A leaf / leaves (noun): One of the thin, flat, usually green parts of a plant or tree. E.g. In Autumn, the leaves change colour / turn.
Speciality / ies (noun): something made by a person, place, business, etc, that is very good and that he/she/it is known for. E.g. All the markets in London have their specialities.
To expel (verb): To force somebody to leave a country, a school, a club etc. E.g. The boy was expelled from school.
A listed building: In the UK, when a building, park or piece of land has historic or architectural importance, they are protected by law. We say that they are 'listed'. There is Grade I Listed (highest level) and Grade II Listed.
Grains (noun): A generic term we often use for wheat, barley, oats, corn etc.
On foot: When we travel we go:
by bike
by car
by plane
BUT on foot!
A cupboard (noun): a piece of furniture, usually with shelves inside and a door or doors at the front, used for storing food, clothes etc.
A cabinet (noun): a cupboard with shelves or drawers used for storing things. E.g. We saw a painted sign on an old building: 'cabinet maker'. In the past, one of the main industries in Shoreditch, was furniture making.
E.g. We saw a glass cabinet in the cafe at the end of our walk.
an eel / eels (noun): a water animal that looks like a snake. E.g. We spoke to the owner of the Pie & Mash shop in Hoxton. Eels have been a traditional food in the East End.
Upstream (adverb): In the opposite direction to which a river flows. E.g. Eels swim upstream when they lay their eggs to have babies.
Downstream (adverb): In the direction in which a river flows.
Squid (noun): A sea animal that you can eat, with a long soft body and ten tentacles (= long thin parts like arms). E.g. One of you described how squid is prepared in the Basque area of Spain and cooked in its own ink.
Haberdashery (noun): the small items used in sewing such as buttons, zips and thread.
A haberdasher (noun): A person who deals, sells haberdashery.
To get rid of (phrasal verb): a) to throw something away, dispose of. b) to make yourself free of somebody / something that is annoying or that you don't want. E.g. Let's get rid of that old chair and buy a new one.
Compulsory (adjective): that must be done, by law, rules etc. E.g. It was compulsory to learn English in German schools from the age of eight.
Salt cellar (noun): the contain for salt that we put on the table.
To paint over something: to cover something up with paint. E.g. In a town in Spain, the authorities painted over the street art.
To pop-up (informal phrasal verb): To appear or happen when you are not expecting it.
A pop-up (noun): a new concept in London. Often when a property or place is empty/not being used, a business or people open a shop, cafe, restaurant, cinema etc for a temporary period of time, often only one day.
E.g. There is a pop-up cinema on a roof in Dalston this summer.
E.g. We saw a pop-up shop in Shoreditch, near the cafe we went to.
Corrections from the conversations:
a) To google (verb): Instead of saying 'I didn't go to the google', you can say: 'I didn't google'.
b) Instead of saying 'the street artists said 'what happens here?'', you can say:
'What's this about?'
'What's up?' (v informal)
'What's going on?'
'What's happening?'
c) 'Young people can make some workshops' needs to be replaced with the verb 'do'. E.g. young people can do some workshops.
What an interesting walk we had ... especially when the owner of the Pie & Mash shop in Hoxton came and spoke to you to explain the history of this very traditional East End food to you. And what a high level of English from you! Well done!
The vocabulary that we went through at the end is below. I hope it's useful and I really look forward to seeing you again on one of these English conversation walks.
Best Wishes
Gail
Vocabulary Hoxton to Shoreditch Wednesday 17th September 2014
To thrive (verb): to grow or develop well. E.g. We talked about how Hoxton became a thriving art community during the 1980s.
E.g. In the past, Shoreditch was a poor area. Today it is thriving.
An up-and-coming area (expression): When an area is changing from a poor to wealthy, we can say it is 'an up-and-coming area'.
On the up (expression): as above. But we can also use this expression about people. E.g. Since John started his new job, he's really on the up.
A leaf / leaves (noun): One of the thin, flat, usually green parts of a plant or tree. E.g. In Autumn, the leaves change colour / turn.
Speciality / ies (noun): something made by a person, place, business, etc, that is very good and that he/she/it is known for. E.g. All the markets in London have their specialities.
To expel (verb): To force somebody to leave a country, a school, a club etc. E.g. The boy was expelled from school.
A listed building: In the UK, when a building, park or piece of land has historic or architectural importance, they are protected by law. We say that they are 'listed'. There is Grade I Listed (highest level) and Grade II Listed.
Grains (noun): A generic term we often use for wheat, barley, oats, corn etc.
On foot: When we travel we go:
by bike
by car
by plane
BUT on foot!
A cupboard (noun): a piece of furniture, usually with shelves inside and a door or doors at the front, used for storing food, clothes etc.
A cabinet (noun): a cupboard with shelves or drawers used for storing things. E.g. We saw a painted sign on an old building: 'cabinet maker'. In the past, one of the main industries in Shoreditch, was furniture making.
E.g. We saw a glass cabinet in the cafe at the end of our walk.
an eel / eels (noun): a water animal that looks like a snake. E.g. We spoke to the owner of the Pie & Mash shop in Hoxton. Eels have been a traditional food in the East End.
Upstream (adverb): In the opposite direction to which a river flows. E.g. Eels swim upstream when they lay their eggs to have babies.
Downstream (adverb): In the direction in which a river flows.
Squid (noun): A sea animal that you can eat, with a long soft body and ten tentacles (= long thin parts like arms). E.g. One of you described how squid is prepared in the Basque area of Spain and cooked in its own ink.
Haberdashery (noun): the small items used in sewing such as buttons, zips and thread.
A haberdasher (noun): A person who deals, sells haberdashery.
To get rid of (phrasal verb): a) to throw something away, dispose of. b) to make yourself free of somebody / something that is annoying or that you don't want. E.g. Let's get rid of that old chair and buy a new one.
Compulsory (adjective): that must be done, by law, rules etc. E.g. It was compulsory to learn English in German schools from the age of eight.
Salt cellar (noun): the contain for salt that we put on the table.
To paint over something: to cover something up with paint. E.g. In a town in Spain, the authorities painted over the street art.
To pop-up (informal phrasal verb): To appear or happen when you are not expecting it.
A pop-up (noun): a new concept in London. Often when a property or place is empty/not being used, a business or people open a shop, cafe, restaurant, cinema etc for a temporary period of time, often only one day.
E.g. There is a pop-up cinema on a roof in Dalston this summer.
E.g. We saw a pop-up shop in Shoreditch, near the cafe we went to.
Corrections from the conversations:
a) To google (verb): Instead of saying 'I didn't go to the google', you can say: 'I didn't google'.
b) Instead of saying 'the street artists said 'what happens here?'', you can say:
'What's this about?'
'What's up?' (v informal)
'What's going on?'
'What's happening?'
c) 'Young people can make some workshops' needs to be replaced with the verb 'do'. E.g. young people can do some workshops.
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