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Lesson 121 / Learning & persistence
5 phrases · 12 minutes · Look, listen and try.
Sign up, focus on writing practice and keep the details that matter.
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 signed up for a writing class.
She signed up for a writing class.
You can sign up for the club today.
You can sign up for the club today.
Use “for” before a course or activity. “Sign someone up” means to register that person.
She stuck at writing even when it was difficult.
She stuck at writing even when it was difficult.
Stick at it, and your letters will get clearer.
Stick at it, and your letters will get clearer.
An informal expression for persistence. The past form is “stuck”; say “stick at it”.
Cambridge Dictionary · stick at
She knuckled down to her homework after lunch.
She knuckled down to her homework after lunch.
We need to knuckle down and finish this report.
We need to knuckle down and finish this report.
Informal; “to” is a preposition in “knuckle down to work”. This is not about finger joints.
Cambridge Dictionary · knuckle down
She left the final paragraph in her story.
She left the final paragraph in her story.
Please leave this example in the report.
Please leave this example in the report.
Use this when a part is not removed during editing. Say “leave it in”; the past form is “left”.
She wrote out the instructions for her friend.
She wrote out the instructions for her friend.
Please write your address out clearly.
Please write your address out clearly.
Emphasises writing something fully or clearly, rather than brief notes. The past form is “wrote”.
The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 117, 122, 74, 77, 140. 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
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Read the picture descriptions for more context. Similar expressions are accepted when they fit the particular scene.
Linh writes her name on a registration form at the writing-club desk.
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Linh keeps practising handwriting after several uneven attempts.
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Linh puts distractions aside and gets down to serious writing at a clear desk.
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Linh keeps the flower paragraph in both the draft and final version of her story.
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Linh writes the full instruction “Fold the paper in half.” on a sheet.
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Choose a phrase to begin.
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Read the conversation and find the expressions you have learned.
I find these writing exercises difficult.
I find these writing exercises difficult.
Stick at them. We can knuckle down together after lunch.
Stick at them. We can knuckle down together after lunch.
I will write out a clear version once we have checked the ideas.
I will write out a clear version once we have checked the ideas.
“Stick at” stresses persistence with a difficult task; “knuckle down” stresses beginning serious work. Getting started and continuing persistently are related stages.
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 learner keeps practising difficult lettering. Today she stops avoiding the task and begins working seriously.
Describe the continued effort.
She is sticking at the difficult lettering exercises.
The learner persists with difficult lettering, so “sticking at” emphasises continuing rather than avoiding the task.
Complete: It is time to knuckle ___ and finish.
down
“Knuckle down” means start working seriously; “down” completes the reminder to finish.
Ask for a complete written copy.
Please write out the final message after checking the letters.
“Write out the final message” requests the complete final text after checking the lettering, rather than brief notes.
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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