Learzing

"Knackered" is "very tired, exhausted."

"Lose track of time" means "to be unaware of what time it is."

"Act up" means "to malfunction or operate incorrectly." Example #1: My car acted up again this morning. I don't know what's wrong with it. Example #2: My computer's acting up - I think I might have a virus. Example #3: The thermostat suddenly started acting up, and now it's always too hot or too cold in here. Example #4: Has your internet been acting up today? Mine keeps cutting off!

"Scarper" is "to run away."

"Brighten up" means "to make a place more colourful and attractive." Example: We tried to brighten the place up by painting it.

"Blow your top" means "to become very angry." Example #1: I never asked her personal questions because she'd always blow her top. Example #2: My father will blow his top when he sees what happened to the car. Example #3: If I'm late again, the boss is going to blow his top. Example #4: If she calls one more time, I'm going to blow my top!

Idiot box is a TV set. Example: I wasted my whole night in front of the idiot box.

"Bend over backwards" means "to try very hard to do something."

"Plastered" is "extremely drunk."

"There are plenty of fish in the sea" means "there are lots of possible girlfriends or boyfriends in the world."

"Raining cats and dogs" means "it's raining very heavily."

"Arise" means "to begin to occur or to exist." Forms: arise / arose / arisen

"Blow your top" means "to become very angry."

"Function" means "to work or operate in the correct or normal way." Example #1: We need to get this department functioning efficiently. Example #2: The operation should help his lungs to function properly again. As a noun: Example #3: The function of the heart is to pump blood through the body. Example #4: Surely the function of the law is to protect everyone's rights.

"Account for something" means "to be the explanation or cause of something." Example: The bad weather may have accounted for the small crowd. Example: How do you account for the missing money?

"Adjust" means "to change something slightly." Example #1: Adjust the angle of your monitor so you can easily read it. Example #2: If the chair is too high you can adjust it to suit you. Example #3: You don't need to adjust the setting every time you take a photo. Example #4: As a teacher you have to adjust your methods to suit the needs of slower children.

"Mug" means "face."

A concept is an idea or abstract principle. Example #1: I failed to grasp the film's central concept. Example #2: It is very difficult to define the concept of beauty. Example #3: She added that the concept of arranged marriages is misunderstood in the west.

"Bind" means "to tie or wrap something with rope, string, etc." Forms: bind / bound / bound

"Predict" means "to say that an event or action will happen in the future." Example #1: I cannot predict what will happen next year. Example #2: It's still not possible to accurately predict the occurrence of earthquakes. Example #3: Who could have predicted that within ten years he'd be in charge of the whole company?

At the village of Nazareth in Israel, there lived a young girl called Mary who was a virgin. Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph, who was a carpenter. One day an angel appeared, "Mary, you will give birth to God’s Son and His name shall be Jesus, the Saviour." Mary's relative Elizabeth was also pregnant. Her child would become known as John the Baptist. Joseph and Mary left Nazareth. They walked 60 miles to register for the Roman census. Eventually they arrived in Bethlehem. But they couldn’t find any accommodation. All that was offered to Joseph was a stable. So it came to pass, that the Son of God was born in a stable. Nearby shepherds were in the fields watching their flocks. Suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared. The angel announced, "Today in the city of David, a Saviour, the Christ, is born." The shepherds ran to Bethlehem to see this miracle. Also wise men from the east followed a star to see the new King. When the wise men arrived at Jerusalem, they were directed to king Herod's palace. When Herod heard of a newly born Baby King, he was troubled. The priests told Herod that the King would be born in Bethlehem. So the wise men followed the star, until it stopped over where the young Child was. They worshipped the Child with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The wise men took a different route home after being warned in a dream. Joseph and Mary took the baby to Jerusalem. The baby was taken to the temple to be named, and sacrifices were offered, as was the custom.

"Involve" means "to include someone in something, or to make them take part in or feel part of it." Example #1: I prefer teaching methods that actively involve students in learning. Example #2: They said that the job would involve travelling to Paris. Example #3: The test involves simple calculations, such as addition and subtraction.

"Sick as a dog" means "very sick."

"Modify" means "to change something slightly, usually in order to improve it." Example #1: He modified the recipe by using oil instead of butter. Example #2: We can help you modify an existing home or build a new one. Example #3: All files are marked with the date and time they were last modified. Example #4: The school board decided to modify its existing employment policy.

"Within" means "inside or not beyond (a particular area, limit, or period of time)." Example #1: Most Californians live within 20 miles of the coast. Example #2: We recommend that this wine should be consumed within six months. Example #3: If we plan carefully, we should be able to stay within our budget. Example #4: He's very highly regarded within his profession.