LISTEN with understanding
→ After listening to the recording, sum up what you heard in a few sentences. You can use the questions to help you summarize. Read the transcript if needed.

Teacher Praises an Essay

Sum up what was said by answering the following questions. The final summary should be in sentence form.

  1. What did the teacher say about the essay?

  2. What did the teacher do with the essay in class?

  3. How did the student feel after the feedback?

IDIOM USE

Learn the ropes – We use this idiom when someone is learning how to do something new.

Ways we use it:

  1. School: learning how to write or study better.

  2. Work: learning the rules at a new job.

  3. Daily life: learning how something works.

Examples:

  • “I’m starting to learn the ropes in my new job.”

  • “She is slowly learning the ropes of driving.”

  • “He finally learned the ropes of the computer system.”

PHRASAL VERB USE

Go over – We use this phrasal verb when checking or reviewing something carefully.

Ways we use it:

  1. Reviewing homework or essays.

  2. Checking details in a report.

  3. Explaining instructions.

Examples in different tenses:

  • Present: “We always go over our notes before a test.”

  • Past: “The teacher went over the answers yesterday.”

  • Continuous: “She is going over her notes right now.”

  • Future: “We will go over the plan tomorrow.”

TRANSCRIPT

“In class today, the teacher returned our essays. She told me that mine was clear, well-organized, and full of strong ideas. She said I was beginning to learn the ropes of writing and that practice was paying off. After reading it aloud to the class, she took time to go over the parts she especially liked. Her encouragement made me want to keep improving and try even harder on the next assignment.”