West Coast

The West Coast has the best beaches.

People often name regions by what coast they live on. A coast, or coastline, is where land meets the ocean or sea. Notice the following:

1. I grew up on the West Coast of the United States, California.
2. In winter, the East Coast is much colder than the West Coast.

open

The people are more open.

Here, open means friendly, talkative, and interested in new ideas. Notice the following sample sentences.

1. Last summer, I studied French at The University Bordeaux. The students were open and friendly.
2. Older people are generally less open to new ideas than younger people.

happen to

I actually happen to live in the best place

We use this phrase to talk about something that occurs by chance but connects two situations or ideas. For example: If you need help with English (situation 1), I happen to know (lucky for you) a good private teacher (situation 2). Here are two more examples.

1. My new roommate is cool. We both happen to enjoy the same kinds of books, music and movies!
2. Yesterday, while shopping, I happened to see my old friend from primary school.

D.C.

It's just outside of D.C.

D.C. means District of Colombia. It’s on the East Coast of the United States. Most people know it as Washington D.C. It is not one of the 50 States, but a special area. The White House, home of The President, is located there. Notice the following.

1. Many politicians have an apartment or second home in D.C.
2. Washington D.C. is the center of American government.

a million things to do

There are a million things to do in the city.

When we say a million things, we mean many, many things. Here are a couple of examples.

1. I can’t meet you tomorrow. I have a million things to do.
2. There are a million things to consider before choosing a college or university abroad.