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Lesson 106 / Discussion & contributions
5 phrases · 12 minutes · Look, listen and try.
Observe a meeting, substitute for a leader and explain ideas clearly.
Match words to pictures →Play What is She/He doing? →
A randomly assigned, fixed male or female synthetic voice for each phrase or sentence · Slow playback at 0.7× preserves pitch.
She sat in on a club meeting to see how it worked.
She sat in on a club meeting to see how it worked.
May I sit in on your class tomorrow?
May I sit in on your class tomorrow?
Keep both “in on” before the meeting or class. The person usually observes; compare “sit in for”, meaning substitute for someone.
Cambridge Dictionary · sit in on
She sat in for the absent club leader.
She sat in for the absent club leader.
Can you sit in for me at the meeting?
Can you sit in for me at the meeting?
Put the person being replaced after “for”. This means temporarily performing their role, not just taking an empty seat.
Cambridge Dictionary · sit in for
She objected to throwing away usable paper.
She objected to throwing away usable paper.
Some members object to the new plan.
Some members object to the new plan.
Here “to” is a preposition, followed by a noun or -ing form, as in “object to wasting paper”. Do not say “object to waste paper” for that meaning.
She used a diagram to put her idea across.
She used a diagram to put her idea across.
Can you put the main point across in one sentence?
Can you put the main point across in one sentence?
The object is an idea or message. Similar to “get across”; with a pronoun, use “put it across”.
Her clear diagram contributed to the team’s success.
Her clear diagram contributed to the team’s success.
Regular practice contributes to better pronunciation.
Regular practice contributes to better pronunciation.
Here this means being one contributing factor, not necessarily the sole cause or a financial donation. Follow “to” with a noun or -ing form.
The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 118, 118, 92, 100, 28. A2–B1 is the course’s intended level.
One step forward every day
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Sentences using suggestions are counted as needing more practice. Review schedule based on each phrase's meaning.
OBSERVE · UNDERSTAND · MATCH
Drag a wire from the dot beside a phrase to the dot beside its matching picture. You can also tap a phrase, then a picture. Drag again to change a pair before checking.
Read the picture descriptions for more context. Similar expressions are accepted when they fit the particular scene.
Linh sits in on a club meeting as an observer.
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Linh sits in for an absent club leader and guides the meeting.
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Linh objects to throwing away usable paper and points to a reuse tray.
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Linh puts her idea across using a simple reuse diagram.
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Linh’s clear diagram contributes to the team’s successful model.
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Choose a phrase to begin.
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Read the conversation and find the expressions you have learned.
May I sit in on the planning meeting?
May I sit in on the planning meeting?
Yes. Sam is sitting in for the manager today.
Yes. Sam is sitting in for the manager today.
You can contribute to the discussion if you have an idea.
You can contribute to the discussion if you have an idea.
“Sit in on” means attend a session to observe; “sit in for” means temporarily replace someone. Being in the room does not necessarily mean representing another person.
Try answering before revealing the suggested answer. This practice is not scored.
The answers below are models. Other answers can also work if they preserve the facts, meaning and structure requested in the task.
A trainee attends a meeting only to observe. Another colleague attends in place of the absent chairperson.
Describe the trainee’s role.
The trainee is sitting in on the meeting.
The trainee attends to observe, so is “sitting in on the meeting”, rather than replacing the chairperson.
Complete: I am sitting in ___ the absent chairperson.
for
“Sit in for” substitutes for an absent person; “for” introduces the chairperson being replaced.
Explain why attendance does not always mean replacement.
I am sitting in on the meeting, not sitting in for anyone.
“On the meeting” identifies the observed event; “for anyone” would identify a substitute role, which is denied.
The usage comparisons are checked against the Cambridge Dictionary entries linked beside the compared expressions. The additional conversations and exercises are written for this course.
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