ESL Podcast 348 - Showing Disapproval and Sympathy
long face - an expression of sadness, depression, and/or disappointment
Heidi had a long face for weeks after her dog died.
that's awful - that's too bad; a phrase used to show that one sympathizes with another person and agrees that something is sad or unfortunate
I just heard that you may be losing your job. That's awful!
what a rotten thing - what a shame; a phrase used to show that one thinks something is horrible, terrible, very sad, or very bad
Did you hear that Rehman called Nancy a fat pig? What a rotten thing to say!
I'm so sorry to hear that - a phrase used to show that one sympathizes with another person's situation and feels sad that something has happened to that person
I'm so sorry to hear that your uncle passed away. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help.
Who do they think they are? - a phrase used to show that one is angry and upset about something that someone said or did, and that one thinks that person didn't have the right to do it or shouldn't have done it
Did you hear that the city council raised the price of parking again? Who do they think they are?
that's really too bad - what a shame; a phrase used to show that one thinks something is horrible, terrible, very sad, or very bad
Even though they waited in line for three hours, they weren't able to get tickets to the show. That's really too bad.
dead set against - strongly opposed to something; strongly believing that something is wrong and should be changed
Helen was dead set against using disposable diapers until she found out how difficult it was to wash cloth diapers.
to pull together - to work together; to cooperate; to work as a group
At difficult times like this, we need to pull together and support each other.
the time has come - it is time to do something; it is time for something; something should be done now
Don't you think the time has come to tell Harry that we don't have enough money to pay for his college education?
to put (something) on the line - to risk losing something; to do something that puts something in danger of being lost or taken away
As a firefighter, he puts his life on the line every day.
to take a dim view - to view something negatively; to not approve of something; to think that something is a bad idea
As a very religious family, they take a dim view of people who do not go to church.
to speak out - to state one's opinion against what other people believe; to state something that one strongly believes in, especially when other people don't agree
Amnesty International speaks out against the way that many countries treat their prisoners.
to lay low - to not draw attention to oneself; to act calmly and quietly so that other people do not notice oneself
The criminal decided to lay low in jail and quietly look for an opportunity to escape.
to take (something) lying down - to accept something that one doesn't agree with without fighting against it
Your landlord just doubled your rent? You're not going to take that lying down, are you? You have to fight against it!
to take it - to accept something without fighting for something better; to accept whatever other people do to oneself or give to oneself
The company just cut our vacation time, but we have to take it, because if we complain then we'll probably lose our jobs.
to have got another thing coming - to be surprised by something bad in the future; to have something happen that will be unexpected and unwanted
If she thinks she can act that way without any consequences, she's got another thing coming.