CHAPTER 1.
Expression of expanded meaning beyond imagination

1.
What should we do about illegal aliens?
2.
My dog ​​always hogs up the couch.
Our dog is always hogging the sofa.

3.
She can't read the room.
He can't read the mood.

4.
Our house is in good shape.
Our house is in good condition.

5.
She delivered a baby boy.
She gave birth to a baby boy.

6.
We went to see the ruins of Pompeii.
We went to tour the ruins of Pompeii.

7.
We only have a one-hour window.
We have to finish everything within an hour.

8.
My boss wears me out.
I'm so tired of my boss at work.

9.
Bear that in mind.
Remember this.

10.
He passed away three days shy of his 100th birthday.
He passed away three days before his 100th birthday.

11.
The wine is well-aged.
The wine has aged well.

12.
I dragged myself to work.
I didn't want to go to work, so I forced myself to go (barely).

13.
Look at the school of fish.
Look at that school of fish.

14.
It was a tough call.
It was a difficult decision.

15.
Something stinks about her.
There's something fishy about that woman.

16.
I have a small vegetable patch.
I have a small vegetable garden.

17.
She didn't meet my expectations.
She didn't meet my expectations.

18.
We should address the elephant in the room.
It's an uncomfortable issue to bring up, but let's touch on it.


CHAPTER 2.
No way! It's used in this sense too?

1.
If she doesn't get her way, she gets mad.
She gets angry when things don't go her way.

2.
She dropped the case.
The man withdrew the lawsuit.

3.
I'll fix dinner.
I'll prepare dinner.

4.
Give me the bottom line.
Please get to the point.

5.
I got a head start on the project.
I started that project early.
6.
He's in a tough spot.
That person is in an awkward position.

7.
He's a strong swimmer.
He is quite a good swimmer.

8.
I have to make a quick trip to the store.
I need to go to the store soon.

9.
You saved me a trip to the store.
Thanks to you, I didn't have to go to the store.

10.
People need to wake up.
The public needs to see reality.

11.
Who buys her story? I don't.
Who would believe that guy? I don't.

12.
What's the time frame? How long is the period?
13.
The opera singer rocked.
The opera singer tore up the stage.

14.
I'm stuffed.
I'm full.

15.
It was an honest mistake.
It was a simple (unintentional) mistake.

16.
He's solid.
That guy is trustworthy.

17.
I'm so attached to my mom.
I am very attached to my mom.

18.
I attract mosquitos.
Mosquitoes only bite me.

19.
I like the floor plan.
I like the floor plan.

20.
Would you be straight with me?
21.
His talk shows draws lots of people.
That person's talk show is very popular.

22.
The shampoo did the trick for me.
I used this shampoo and it worked.


CHAPTER 3.
Sorry for the misunderstanding! I thought it had some grand meaning.

1.
I claimed the last cookie.
I saved the one cookie left.

2.
I bombed my final exams.
I totally messed up my final exam.

3.
Make sure everyone is involved.
Make sure everyone participates without leaving anyone out.

4.
He was really engaged in the conversation.
That person was very active in conversation.

5.
I adjusted to my new job right away.
I adapted to my new job right away.

6.
This recipe is foolproof.
This recipe is so easy that even an idiot could follow it.

7.
I'll note it for future reference.
I'll have to keep that in mind next time.

8.
She's expecting this month.
She is due to give birth this month.

9.
I enjoyed your company.
It was fun being with you.

10.
My boss took all the credit.
My boss at work took all the credit (as if he did all the work himself).

11.
He built a great reputation.
That person has a very good reputation.

12.
He'll make a good husband.
He will make a good husband.

13.
My mom is managing well since my dad passed away.
After my father passed away, my mother is holding on well (while managing her emotions).

14.
She sent me an advance.
That guy sent me a deposit.

15.
You should respect other people's property.
You have to be careful with other people's things.

16.
I'm debating between Tom and Mike.
I'm having a hard time deciding between Tom and Mike.

17.
I'm afraid for my kids.
I'm worried that something might go wrong with our children.


CHAPTER 4.
Sorry for ignoring you! I thought it was meant to be easy.

1.
She dry texts me.
He texts me insincerely.

2.
Would you walk me through it? Could you explain it to me step by step?
3.
Trot is back in swing.
Trot has regained its former popularity.

4.
It was a nice move.
Good decision.

5.
She's just playing innocent.
He's just pretending not to know.

6.
I'll pay the difference.
I will pay the difference.

7.
Jack is twisted.
Jack has a twisted personality.

8.
I'm going to hit the sack now.
I'm going to sleep now.

9.
Don't kill yourself.
Don't overdo it.

10.
Take it or leave it.
Choose one.

11.
My dad is a hard man.
My father is a difficult person to deal with.

12.
The internet keeps us up to date.
The Internet provides us with up-to-date information.

13.
Can you step into his shoes when he quits? Can you start his job after he quits?
14.
He has no family to fall back on.
That person has no family to rely on.

15.
Where am I going to store all this?
16.
Are you still coming? (You said you were coming) Are you coming?
17.
She stood up for me.
She stood up for me.

18.
The gas meter read 9742.
The gas meter read 9742.

19.
Score! Yay!
20.
I'm touched by his email.
I was touched when I read that person's email.

21.
You're driving.
Your phone can wait.
You are driving.
You can answer the phone later.


CHAPTER 5.
An expression that expands the meaning that even textbooks don't teach

1.
Her poetry really speaks to me.
That person's poetry is really touching and impressive.

2.
She drives people away.
That person (by nature) chases people away.

3.
My mom keeps me on track.
My mother guides me well (so that I don't go astray).

4.
We have so much to catch up on.
We have a lot to talk about.

5.
We're going to Disneyland for spring break.
We're going to Disneyland for spring break.

6.
The city bus runs every fifteen minutes.
City buses run every 15 minutes.

7.
I got excused from the class for my doctor's appointment.
I was excused from class because I had to go to the hospital.

8.
Do you have a pen handy? Is there a ballpoint pen nearby?
9.
I'm in good hands.
I have faith.

10.
All your efforts paid off.
Your efforts were worth it.
11.
He's a lot of work.
That person has a lot of hands.
12.
My hands are burning from rope burn.
My hand was rubbed by the line and it hurt so much.

13.
You name it.
Just say it./Not much.
14.
Different counties have different diets.
Stocks are different in each country.

15.
What time suits you best?
16.
Blind faith can be dangerous.
Blind faith can be dangerous.
17.
You can't beat this weather.
There is no other place with such good weather.
18.
Moneywise, I'm comfortable.
I have some financial freedom.

19.
My stomach feels funny.
I feel a little strange.


CHAPTER 6.
An expression that smells like an American person

1.
We went the extra mile for the project.
We paid special attention to that project.

2.
This is so sick! This is really the end.

3.
I owe you my life.
You are my savior.

4.
That's random.
This is so out of the blue.

5.
It's my treat.
This is what I live for.

6.
I know your game.
I know what you're thinking.

7.
He's not father material.
That guy is not a good father figure.

8.
Find the meaning of these numbers.
Find the average of these numbers.

9.
She picks up languages ​​quickly.
That person learns languages ​​quickly.

10.
That doesn't count.
Don't hit that.

11.
Keep it to yourself.
(Because I don't want to hear it) You know.
12.
We spared no expense on our trip.
We went on a trip and didn't save any money and spent everything we could.

13.
No word from him? No word from him?
14.
He has false teeth.
That person's teeth, dentures.

15.
Does the sun bother you?
16.
Bring the water to a boil.
Bring the water to a boil.
17.
Sometimes our customers get ugly.
Sometimes, customers are really nervous.

18.
I'm planning to throw a party.
I'm planning to throw a party.

19.
I can live with it.
I can tolerate that much.

20.
The travel restrictions have lifted.
Travel restrictions have been lifted.

21.
It's sixty-three dollars even.
(Without Enuri) Exactly $63.
22.
Our team is determined to win.
Our team is determined to win.


CHAPTER 7.
Are you a local?

1.
You're all set.
It's all done.

2.
I need to grab some sleep.
I need to get some sleep.

3.
Let's share driving duties.
Let's drive in turns.

4.
The pandemic hurt business.
The pandemic has taken a toll on business.

5.
Just a hint of salt.
Just a little salt.

6.
I agree with you to some degree.
I agree with you to some extent.

7.
It was a slip of the tongue.
I misspoke.
8.
Our conversation didn't go anywhere.
It wasn't worth the conversation.

9.
That guy is her crush.
That's the person she likes.

10.
The ending was too obvious.
The ending was too obvious.

11.
We'll lay my grandpa to rest tomorrow.
We'll bury our grandfather tomorrow.

12.
My car can hold fifteen gallons of gas.
My car holds 15 gallons of gas.
13.
I'll stick with my job.
I want to keep working at my current job.
14.
I just turned fifty.
I just turned 50.

15.
I'm returning you a favor.
I owe you a favor too.

16.
Yoga spices up my weekend.
Yoga makes my weekends fun.

17.
I don't want to deal with him.
I don't want to deal with that person.

18.
I'm not following you.
I don't quite understand your explanation.

19.
Take a wild guess.
Just hit it and see.

20.
She's spoiled.
That guy has a bad habit.

21.
I don't like that manner of music.
I don't like that kind of music.


Editor's Note

Break the bad habit of focusing only on the first meaning of a word.

When we think of the Korean word 'snow', we think of snow falling from the sky and snow on body parts.
The meaning of this body part's 'eye' has been expanded to mean 'intuition' to discern the true value of something, and is used as in 'That person has an eye for people.'
This is also true in English.
When we think of the word 'alien', the first thing that comes to mind is 'alien'. However, just as aliens come from other planets and are foreign to Earthlings, the meaning of 'alien' has expanded to mean 'immigrant' in that a being from a different culture is perceived as foreign to the group to which one belongs.
In everyday conversations and reading passages, many words have extended meanings, but it is also true that most English learners have developed a bad habit of knowing only the first meaning in the dictionary and trying to interpret all sentences with that because of the 1:1 correspondence study method of 'English word - Korean meaning' that they have been studying since their school days.
To become a true English speaker, you must clearly define and utilize the expanded meanings of essential words. "Decisive Meaning Extensions of English Words" will help you break bad habits, prevent misunderstandings and mistranslations, and achieve accurate understanding.


1.
Selected by a local bilingual speaker in the US, these words are essential for conversation and reading comprehension, expanding their meaning.

〈Decisive Semantic Extensions of English Words〉 avoids the more the better.
While it is essential to know the extended meanings of words, it is neither possible nor necessary to know all the extended meanings of every word for practical purposes.
In "Critical Meaning Extensions of English Words," the author, who has lived with native speakers in the United States for over 20 years, selects only the essential words with expanded meanings that must be known to prevent misunderstandings and mistranslations in conversation and reading, clearly presenting the scope of learning.


2.
Logical extensions visible at a glance

〈Decisive Meaning Extensions of English Words〉 simply avoids the arbitrary presentation of 'other meanings of this word include this and this.'
It helps learners understand and transfer the concepts to long-term memory by logically explaining how they extend from the basic meaning they already know to the extended meaning.


3.
Practical examples with a native speaker's sensibility

〈Decisive Meaning Extensions of English Words〉 avoids examples for the sake of examples.
I didn't include any boring or useless examples.
By presenting sentences that native speakers frequently use in their daily lives and that are frequently encountered in reading passages, we not only confirm the expanded meaning but also provide exposure to conversational sentences with a native speaker feel that are difficult to encounter elsewhere.