[Music] a trip of a lifetime hey Ella how was your summer vacation I've been dying to hear all about it hi Oliver oh it was amazing I went to Creed Island in Greece with my husband and kids it was a dream come true no way that sounds like a slice of paradise how was it traveling with your husband and two kids well you know it was a bit of a roller coaster ride sometimes but overall it was a blast we all had a whale of a time I can imagine what kind of activities did you
guys do there oh we did it all we hit the beach almost every day soaking up the Sun and riding the waves we went snorkeling and scuba diving the Underwater World in cre is breathtaking we even saw some sea [Music] turtles wow that sounds like a picture perfect vacation that's right we also took a boat tour around the Island we did a lot of exploring we visited the ancient ruins of nosos which was fascinating were the kids Happy yeah the kids were over the moon the whole time they loved learning about the history of the
Manan civilization amazing what else did you do there we went off the beaten path and explored some hidden gems like Calypso Beach Margaret's Village or lake [Music] Cornus they were really gorgeous I bet did you guys try any local Cuisine while you were there oh you bet we did the food and creep was incredible we tried so many new dishes like suvlaki musaka fresh seafood you name it it was a real treat for us sounds like you had a Foodies Paradise there did you make any new friends during your trip we did indeed we met
some locals who were as friendly as can be it was like a home away from home chatting with them over a cup of coffee that's so heartwarming did you take lots of photos to remember remember the trip oh for sure we took more photos than you can shake a stick at how was the weather there did it rain no it didn't rain at all the weather was perfect it was sunny and warm every day did you bring back any souvenirs from Creed yes we brought back some local olive oil honey and of course some handmade
Pottery it's a great way to remember our time there what was your favorite part of the trip it's hard to choose just one favorite part but I think it was watching the sunset over the Mediterranean Sea it was so peaceful and beautiful I'm so happy you had such a fantastic vacation Ella it sounds like you guys had the time of your lives thanks Oliver it was truly a trip of a lifetime a real cherry on top of our summer vocabulary be dying for or to do something the phrase be dying for something or be dying
to do something is an idiomatic expression which means to have a strong desire or craving to do something for instance if I say I am dying for a slice of pizza it means that I really want a slice of pizza another example could be she is dying to go on a vacation which indicates a strong urge to travel no way no way is an informal expression used to show disbelief surprise or strong disagreement for instance if someone one tells you they just won the lottery you can respond with no way that's incredible a roller coaster
ride when we say something is like a roller coaster ride it means that it was full of ups and downs with a lot of unexpected twists and turns just like how a roller coaster goes up and down rapidly example starting a new job has been a roller coaster ride with challenges and successes a blast a blast is an informal expression used to describe a very enjoyable or exciting experience for example if you say I had a blast at the concert last night it means you had a great time hit the beach hit the beach is
an idiom that means to go to the beach typically for relaxation or leisure activities for instance after a long week at work I can't wait to hit the beach this weekend hidden gems hidden gems refers to something that is extremely valuable or impressive but not widely known or recognized for instance a book that is not wellknown but exceptionally well written can be considered a hidden gem or imagine a small Cafe tucked away in a quiet corner of the city that serves amazing food but is not popular among most people you name it this idiom is
used to convey that there are many options or possibilities available for example if you're planning an event and someone asks what kind of activities will be there you could say there will be Games music dancing you name it treat the noun treat typically refers to something special or enjoyable that is given to someone or done for them it could be a reward a pleasure or a gift here are a few examples I bought some ice cream as a treat for myself after a long day my grandmother always gives me a treat When I visit her
going to the park is a nice treat for the kids on weekends having the time of one's life having the time of one's life means to have a wonderful or extremely enjoyable experience for example you might say I had the time of my life at the concert last [Music] night comprehension questions hey Ella how was your summer vacation I've been dying to hear all about it hi Oliver oh it was amazing I went to Creed Island in Greece with my husband and kids who were the two main characters in the conversation the two main characters
were Oliver and Ella where did Ella say she went for her vacation Ella said she went to Creed Island in Greece with her husband and kids no way that sounds like a slice of paradise what does Oliver mean by saying a slice of paradise Oliver means that cre sounds like a very beautiful and perfect place for a vacation how was it traveling with your husband and two kids well you know it was a bit of a roller coaster ride sometimes but overall it was a blast we all had a whale of a Time Ella says
that traveling with her family was a roller coaster ride what does she mean by that Ella means that there were ups and downs during the trip like a roller coaster when Ella says they had a whale of a time what does she mean by that she means they had a great and enjoyable time during the vacation we went snorkeling and scuba diving the Underwater World INR is breathtaking how did Ella describe the Underwater World in cre she said it was breathtaking when Ella says the Underwater World in cre is breathtaking what does she mean she
means that the Underwater World in cre is stunning and beautiful where the kids Happy yeah the kids were over the moon the whole time how did Ella describe the kids's reaction to the vacation Ella said the kids were over the moon the whole time when Ella says the kids were over the moon the whole time what does she imply she means that the kids were extremely happy and excited throughout the vacation we went off the beaten path and explored some hidden gems like Calypso Beach Margaret's Village or lake Cornus they were really gorgeous what does
off the beaten path mean based on Ella's statement off the beaten path means going to lesser known or Less Traveled places rather than popular tourist spots when Ella says they explored hidden gems like Calypso Beach and Margarita's Village what does she mean by hidden gems hidden gems refer to places that are not widely known but are incredibly beautiful or interesting what did Ella think of these hidden gems they visited Ella described them as really gorgeous did you make any new friends during your trip we did indeed we met some locals who were as friendly as
can be it was like a home away from home chatting with them over a cup of coffee what did Ella say about the locals they met during their trip Ella mentioned that they met friendly locals who made them feel at home did you guys try any local Cuisine while you were there oh you bet we did the food and creep was incredible we tried so many new dishes like suvlaki musaka fresh seafood you name it it was a real treat for us sounds like you had a foody's paradise there Ella used the expression you bet
we did when talking about trying local Cuisine what does that phrase imply it means she definitely tried the local Cuisine what does the term foodie's Paradise imply in this context it suggests that the food in creit was exceptionally good and enjoyable for people who love food did you take lots of photos to remember the trip oh for sure we took more photos than you can shake a stick at it sounds like you guys had the time of your lives thanks Oliver it was truly a trip of a lifetime a real cherry on top of our
summer when Ella says they took more photos than you can shake a stick at what does that idiomatic phrase mean it means they took a lot of photos more than one could imagine or count easily how did Ella describe their experience in cre overall Ella said it was a trip of a lifetime a real cherry on top of their summer what does the phrase a real cherry on top of our summer suggest about Ella's overall impression of the trip it means that the trip to cre was the perfect way to end their summer something special
and Unforgettable grammar lesson simple past tense definition the simple past tense is used to talk about actions that happened in the past and are now completed hey Ella how was your summer vacation hi Oliver oh it was amazing I went to Creed Island in Greece with my husband and kids it was a dream come true in this conversation we see Ella talking about her past experience I went to cre the verb went is in the simple past tense indicating that the action happened in the past regular and irregular verbs the simple past tense is formed
by adding Ed to regular verbs like tried explored or visited we explored some hidden gems we tried so many new dishes we visited the ancient ruins of nosos there are some spelling rules to consider when adding Ed to regular verbs such as if a verb ends in a y such as try you change it to an i and then add Ed try tried doubling the last consonant before adding Ed for verbs ending in a single vowel followed by a consonant drop dropped however some verbs are irregular and do not follow this rule they have unique
forms in the past tense that you need to memorize let's see some examples in the following sentences how was your summer vacation was is the simple past tense of the verb to be we hit the beach almost every day hit is the simple past tense of the verb to hit we went snorkeling and scuba diving went is the simple past tense of the verb to go we even saw some sea turtles saw is the irregular past tense form of the verb to see we met some locals who were as friendly as can be met is
another irregular verb in the simple past tense form of meat we took more photos than you can shake a stick at took is the irregular past tense form of the verb to take interrogative by using did and the base form of the verb we create questions in the past tense for example did you guys try any local Cuisine while you were there the verb be is an exception in this case we move B before the subject how was the weather there were the kids Happy negative to form negative sentences in the simple past tense we
use did not or didn't before the base form of the verb for instance how was the weather there did it rain no it didn't rain at all thanks for watching and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos like this
