tutorStudy Options
Test your vocabulary, listening or reading skills with the quizzes below.
Vocabulary Quiz
broke up • therapy • in the end
retail • couldn't resist
  1. Well, , we decided not to go.
  2. I taking another piece of cake.
  3. He is in for his drug problem.
  4. I just with my girlfriend.
  5. She works in selling shoes.
Comprehension Quiz
Answer the questions below. Some questions have more than one answer. Scroll down to view the answer button.
image

1075 Retail Therapy

Silvia talks about her love of shopping as Diego ponders if she need help.

  • Transcript
  • Audio Slide Show
  • Vocabulary
notes
Audio notes are free, downloadable MP3 files that explain key vocabulary and phrases from the text. Learn more about the audio notes here.

broke up

I broke up and I was sad.

When we break up with someone, it means we end a relationship. Notice the samples.

  1. I saw my boyfriend holding hands with Linda at the mall. I broke up with him the next day .
  2. Inside Hollywood reported that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had broken up. Is it true?

retail therapy

So it was retail therapy.

'Retail therapy' is a funny idiom that suggests shopping can help us feel better when we are sad. Notice the following.

  1. My girlfriend broke up with me last night. I guess it’s off to Computer World for some retail therapy.
  2. Retail therapy works for me, but it’s expensive!

That's the thing.

And it's so cheap. That's the thing.

The phrase ‘That’s the thing’ talks about the reason for something. Note the sample sentences.

  1. That’s the thing about retail therapy; it helps me to forget about my problems.
  2. What I don’t like about relationships is that I lose my independence. That’s the thing.

in the end

But in the end, I ended up paying for the stuff.

The phrase ‘In the end’ is another way to say ‘finally’. We often use it when we are telling a story about something that happened to us. Notice the following.

  1. I save a little money every month, but in the end, I just go shopping and spend it all.
  2. My boyfriend and I were so different. We tried really hard to stay together, but in the end, we just broke up.

couldn't resist

I couldn't resist the sale.

When we ‘can’t resist’, it means that we can’t stop ourselves from doing something. Here are two examples of the phrase.

  1. The dress was way too expensive but she couldn’t resist. She had to buy it.
  2. I like to eat healthy foods but I can’t resist chocolate!
More Elllo English Sites
ellloclass.org
English Speaking
toetal.org
TOEIC Practice
soundgrammar.com
Grammar Lessons
English Vocabulary MP3
Vocabulary Set A
1000 words - $9.95
Vocabulary Set B
1000 words - $9.95
Combo Set A + B
2000 words - $14.95
Other Languages by Elllo
spanishear.com
Learn Spanish
japanesego.com
Learn Japanese
thailandbasics.org
Learn Thai
Follow Us
facebook facebook facebook