Study Material of the Day

Phrasal Verb of the Day: Add up

Meaning: 1) to calculate the total of two or more numbers or amounts, or reach a total. transitive and intransitive. 2) to form a larger amount intransitive. 3) to conclude in a final result transitive. and 4) make sense: to make a sensible or believable story or explanation. The fourth usage of this phrasal is the most unusual, but is quite common.

Examples: 1) "The bill for the dinner for the three of us added up to $50.00". 2) "If everyone gives a little, it soon adds up". 3) "President Bush's 8 years in office have added up to a headache for the American people", & 4) "His story about where he was on the day of the crime just doesn't add up. I think he's lying".

One might ask, "what is the difference between add and add up? In regard to meaning 1), not very much other than it is common for native speakers to use phrasal verbs when they might simply use the verb. One might say, "add these figures, or add up these figures". There is no difference in meaning. Another example: "Add Abdullah and Saeed to the list of guests", while "With Abdullah and Said, the list of guests now adds up to 23". These two sentences have different meanings. To try to make them more similar you would need to say"With Paco and Jorge added, the guest list now equals 23".

Idiom of the Day: Bite Off More Than You Can Chew.

Meaning: To take on a task that is way to big. This is a very common idiom that is used when anyone attempts to do something that is beyond their actual abilitites. "Abdullah bit off more than he can chew when he tried to add a new room onto his house by himself". (you could never use "add up" in this sentence).

Origin: There is nothing unusual about this idiom regarding its origins that might better it explain its meaning. It simply means to put more food in your mouth than you should at one time.

Song of the Day: Strawberry Fields Forever, The Beatles. 1967.

Lennon often considered "Strawberry Fields Forever" his greatest accomplishment with the Beatles. The song, a surreal kaleidoscope of sound, was the first track recorded for the Magical Mystery Tour album. The lyrics are a nostalgic look at Lennon's Liverpool childhood and an expression of his own pride. Said Lennon, "The second line goes, 'No one I think is in my tree.' Well, what I was trying to say in that line is, 'Nobody seems to be as hip as me, therefore I must be crazy or a genius.' " This goes along with the saying, "he's out of his tree", meaning that someone is crazy.

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