Unit 1: English Expressions
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Session 9
Listen to find out how to use an everyday English expression.
α¨αα ααα©α ααααα³α αααα½-αα³α₯ α₯ααααα α¨α α₯α΅α₯ααα ααααα₯ α°αΈα³α°αα’
αααααα«α΅ 9 αα₯α₯α’
0 / 3
- 0 / 3Activity 1
Activity 1
Go the extra mile
Look at the Session Vocabulary – make sure you know what these words mean:
- to get a lift
- to save money
- to break down
Listen to Feifei and Finn talking in Feifei's car. As you listen, think about these questions:
1. Is Feifei's car new or old?
2. Why does Finn tell Feifei that she needs to stop spending so much money?
Listen to find out the answers. Then check them on the transcript below.
α£αα«α’ ααα α΅ααα
α°ααα£ α₯ααα α₯α΅αα αα₯ αα°α₯ English Expressions αα»α₯α©αα£ α₯α α₯α₯ααααα αα°α΅α² αααα½-αα³α£α΅ αα½α΅ααα©α α₯αααα¦ ααα ααα’α΅’’α©α’
αα ‘go the extra mile’ αα₯α ααααΊ-αα³α₯ αααα΅αΎ α’α... αα-α₯αα ‘α°αα³αΊ ααα αα»α΅’ α¨α ααα΅ ααΈαα α¨αα‘ α₯α² ααα α΅ααα αα α₯αα³α ααΈαα αα½α₯α α΅α₯α? α α α½α α’αα©α α°αΈα³α°α!
αααα ααα αα΅α«α α₯ααͺαα£ α°ααα£αΆ α΅αααα’ α₯ααα£ α₯αα³α ααα«α¨α‘ α¨α ααα αα΅ααα’
Finn
Thank you for the lift to work today, Feifei.
Feifei
It's a pleasure, Finn. But my car has got a few problems. Sometimes it makes funny noises. And I even had to call a mechanic a few times.
Finn
Yeah, it looks like quite an old car.
Feifei
Yes, it is. I'm saving money to buy a new one.
Finn
Well, maybe Feifei you should give up eating in expensive restaurants every week, and all those expensive holidays...
α£αα«α’ ααα α΅ααα
αααα ααα αα³α΅ ααͺα αα΅ααα₯ αα°α₯ α¨α ααα ααα¨αΆα£ αα½αα«α± αΈα£ αα΅αα° α₯αα αα³ α£α¨αα΅ ααͺαα£ ααα½αα αα«αα αα½αα α΅α αααα¨α΅α’ αααα₯ α¨α°αα
αα α΅αα΅α α£αα£ αα αΈα£ ααΈα°αα
αα αα΅αα° ααα«α΅ α£α₯ ααα΅ α¨α°α₯α± ααα₯α«α’ α₯αα³α α¨α ααααΆ α°ααα©α? α₯αα‘ αα₯ ααα αααα¦α α€α΅-ααα’ α°α αα αα¨αα² α¦α³ αααα»α΅α’ αααα α₯ααα₯α¦α α¨αα α¨α αα°α°αα αα¨α³α°αα’
Feifei
But I love my holidays! And the good food, the designer clothes…
Finn
Yes, but if you want to save money you have to go the extra mile.
Feifei
The extra mile? I don't think this old car would survive even one more mile!
Finn
I don't mean go the extra mile in the car. I mean go the extra mile when saving money.
Feifei
How do you mean?
Finn
In English, when you tell someone to ‘go the extra mile’, you're telling them to make more effort than usual to achieve their objectives.
α£αα«α’ ααα α΅ααα
αααα αααα₯ ααα’α α¨α°αα
αα α₯αα°α΅α£ α°αα« αα ‘go the extra mile’ α’α αα³α‘ ααααΈαα’ ‘Go’ αα»α΅α‘ ‘extra’ α°αα³αΊα‘ ‘mile’ α¨α£ ααα ααα΅’α©α’ α΅ααα αα’α αααα½-αα³α₯’α ααα ααααα΅ α«α₯α² αα‘α αα«α³ α»ααͺ ααα«α΅ α¨ααα΅α’α© αααα½α’ αααα£α΅ α£α₯α α₯α³ ααα² αα ‘extra’ α΅α₯α’α«α‘ αα½αα«α± α£α₯ ααα² α₯α² αα‘α αααα΅ α°αα³αΊ αααα΅ αααα α¨α αα΅α’α« α΅αα₯αα’ α«α₯α² αα‘α ααα αα«α³ αα΅ αααα α°α£α΅ α₯α² αα΅α ααα α₯ααα‘α αα α½αα αα½α₯αα’
ααα α£α₯αα³α΅’α΅α¨ αα΅ααα’
Examples
If you want to succeed in business, you have to work harder than your competitors. You've got to go the extra mile.
Mary left university without a diploma. She spent all her time partying with her friends. She didn't go the extra mile and study harder.
Even though Robert hadn’t been working at the company for very long, he got the promotion because he always went the extra mile.
Feifei
Now I get it. I have to be prepared to give up things I like – to go the extra mile – to save money to buy a new car.
Finn
Yes.
(The car stops)
Feifei
Oh no! Not again!
Finn
Why have you stopped?
Feifei
Well, this car has broken down again! I'll have to ring the mechanic.
Finn
I'm sorry about that, Feifei. I don't think this car will go any more miles, but I have a feeling you will if you kiss goodbye to the expensive dresses…
Feifei
Oh… goodbye… Oh Finn, my beautiful dresses and the cool gadgets…
Finn
Oh, the cool gadgets. Yes, those too.
Feifei
And no more fun weekends in Paris or expensive seats in the theatre…
Finn
No more real gold jewellery.
Feifei
I'm so sad.
α£αα«α’ ααα α΅ααα
αααα α₯αα α΅αα α£αα« α₯α΅αα΅αα ααα«α΅ α¨α°αααΎα α¨α ααα’α© ααα’α’ ααα³α΅ ααͺα αααα₯ α¨α°αα
αα α₯αα° α΅α£ α°αα« ααα αααα¦α αα³ααα²α‘ ααααα«α α£ααα΅α‘ αααα αα α£α₯ ααͺα΅ ... α΅αα α¨α°αααΎα α£ααα£ α₯α αΈα£ (by ‘going the extra mile’) α’
α£α₯ αα΅αα₯ αα°α₯ English Expressions α¨α«α½α αα’
Answers:
1. Old, it has had many mechanical problems.
2. Because she needs to save money to buy a new car.
How do I use it?
'Go' in 'go the extra mile' is an irregular verb. The past simple form is 'went' and the past participle is 'gone'.
In this phrase, we always use the article 'the' before the noun phrase 'extra mile'.
Also, if you want to explain why someone 'is going the extra mile', you can use 'for' after the expression and before a noun (eg. a promotion, a good mark in school, a prize) or 'to' before a verb phrase (eg. to get a promotion, to receive a good mark in school, to win a prize).
Look at these examples:
Susan is a very good teacher! She always goes the extra mile for her students.
Peter really went the extra mile for his clients. They all loved working with him, and always came back to do business with his company.
Congratulations, Mark, on winning the new contract! You've gone the extra mile to beat all the competition. Well done!
Go the extra mile
3 Questions
Choose the correct answer.
α₯α² α
αα ααα² αα¨αΉα’
α΅αα
Activity
Choose the correct answer.
α₯α² α
αα ααα² αα¨αΉα’
ααα
βαα«α³β αα βα«α₯ αα‘α ααααβ α°α΅αα αα ααα αα αα¨α αα¨αΉα’Question 1 of 3
α΅αα
Activity
Choose the correct answer.
α₯α² α
αα ααα² αα¨αΉα’
ααα
α£α΅α°αααα‘ α₯αα«α³ αα½αα αα΅αα αα¨α αα¨αΉα’Question 2 of 3
α΅αα
Activity
Choose the correct answer.
α₯α² α
αα ααα² αα¨αΉα’
ααα
α΅ααͺ βforβ α₯α² βgoβ αα₯α αα ααα₯αα ααα₯α£αα’Question 3 of 3
Excellent!Great job!αα₯α α₯α΅α αα₯α₯ α α΅αααα αα :
Over to you!
Have you ever ‘gone the extra mile’ for something? What was the situation? What happened? Come and tell us on our Facebook group.
Join us for our next episode of English Expressions, when we will learn more useful language and practise your listening skills.
α£α₯α² α αα ααα α₯α΅ααααα αα αα΅αα ααα΅α©α α₯α΅αααα΅αα ααα½α αα°α₯ English Expressions α¨α«α½α αα’
Session Vocabulary
to get a lift
α°ααα₯α°α ααα (αααα₯ ... α°α₯ α₯ααͺα αααα£α«)
a mechanic
αα«αα
to save money
αααα₯ ααα αα
a mile
ααα
to break down
αα΅α£α / αα₯αα»α