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Transcript:

Hi! I’m Georgiana, your English teacher. Thank you for joining me for another episode.

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I hope you are doing great! The New Year is the perfect time for new beginnings and the perfect time to learn some idioms in English for the new year. 

You will also learn grammar with a point-of-view lesson without memorizing boring rules.

Before we start, visit my website: Speakenglishpodcast.com and subscribe to my mini-course – it’s completely free!

Ok, let’s start!

#1 To kick off the new year

To kick off the new year means to start a new year.

Examples:

“Let’s kick off the new year with a positive attitude.”

“The best way to kick off the year is to be surrounded by friends and family.

#2 To turn over a new leaf

It means to start acting or behaving better or more responsibly.

Examples: 

“Since I moved to New York, my life has completely changed. I can say that I have turned over a new leaf.“

“You always promise to turn over a new leaf if I give you another chance. But you’ve proven to me time and time again that you’ll never change.”

#3 To start with a clean sheet

When we start with a clean sheet, we forget previous debts or mistakes and are given a new chance to succeed at something.

Examples:

“I’m afraid we’ve started on the wrong foot. Why don’t we start with a clean sheet?”

“Although you have put a lot of effort into this new project, it is a disaster. Therefore, we will have to hire someone else and start with a clean sheet.

#4 Out with the old and in with the new

Out with the old, in with the new means it is good to replace old things with new ones, to leave old things or ideas behind and bring in new ones.

Examples: 

“I need to get a new jacket because this one is out of fashion. Out with the old, in with the new!”

“My cell phone is ancient. I can’t even take pictures with it. I need to buy a new one, so out with the old, in with the new!”

#5 Ring in the New Year

To ring in the new year means celebrating the beginning of a new year, usually with a party or formal dinner.

Examples: 

“My friends rang in the new year with a party at their parent’s house.”

“I am very happy because we will ring in the new year in New York.”

#6 To kick the habit

One of our New Year’s resolutions is to quit a bad habit. Many want to quit smoking; others want to stop eating too many sweets, etc.

Examples:

“My husband tried to kick the habit last year, but he loves to eat.”

“This new year, I want to kick the habit of smoking.”

#7 Stick to something

But if you want to kick the habit, you must stick to your New Year plan without deviating.

Examples:

“My friend started a diet for the new year, but I’m afraid she won’t be able to stick to it.”

“Your suggestion didn’t work out, so we must stick to the initial plan.”

POV-Story

 (Learn grammar in context)

Now let’s practice with a Point-of-View lesson. I will tell you the same story twice. The second time I’ll change the person and verb tense. So make sure you focus on the changes.

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There are several levels.

Ok. Let’s start!

After RINGING THE NEW YEAR, Timmy focuses on writing a list of things he wants to accomplish in the new year. No doubt, right after KICKING OFF THE NEW YEAR, it’s an excellent time to focus on new goals. Timmy wants to start a new phase, and with A CLEAN SHEET – way to go, Timmy! That’s the spirit.

The first thing he wants to do is to TURN OVER A NEW LEAF. Because in the last year, he has misbehaved, which has brought on very negative consequences. He has a bad habit of making jokes about others, which is very dangerous considering the kind of people he lives with.

The second thing on the list is waking up on time. He always oversleeps, and this has brought him a lot of trouble. He has to STICK TO A SCHEDULE.

Timmy also wants to go to the beach, but he will need a detailed plan with perfect execution. It’s dangerous but worth it. And no one can know about this.

At that moment, someone hits the bars loudly. With an angry face, the guard yells at him to turn off the light; it’s time to sleep. The thing is in prison, the rules are very strict. And if Timmy wants a good year, he should stop making bad jokes, especially to that guard.

Let’s listen to the story one more time from Timmy’s point of view:

Last year, after RINGING THE NEW YEAR, I focused on writing a list of things I wanted to accomplish in the new year. No doubt, right after KICKING OFF THE NEW YEAR, it’s an excellent time to focus on new goals. I wanted to start a new phase, and with A CLEAN SHEET.

The first thing I wanted to do was to TURN OVER A NEW LEAF. In the last year, I misbehaved, which has negatively affected me. I have a terrible habit of making jokes about others, which is very dangerous considering the kind of people I live with.

The second thing on the list is waking up on time. I always oversleep, and this has brought me a lot of trouble. I have to STICK TO A SCHEDULE.

I also wanted to go to the beach but needed a detailed plan with perfect execution.

As I was daydreaming, someone hit the bars loudly. With an angry face, the guard yelled at me to turn off the light; because it was time to sleep. The thing is that in prison, the rules were very strict. And if I wanted a good year, I should have stopped making bad jokes, especially to that guard.

But hey, I will try again to follow last year’s list. I hope to make it this time.

Ok! That’s the end of this short exercise. Notice that the changes between grammar points are subtle but important.

With this method, you don’t need to memorize any boring rules. It’s better to see the changes in the proper context.  And with a story, it is much easier to remember all this.

Visit SpeakEnglishPodcast.com/courses, to get my premium courses. They are designed for learning by listening.

You don’t have to change your routines. Besides, it is the perfect month to start a new course.

Ok! We have reached the end of this episode.

See you soon! Bye! Bye!