My Working Day

The old proverb says: “An early bird catches the worm.”

to set an alarm clock for

to be fast asleep

to wake up with a start

to shut the alarm off

to bury one’s head under the pillow pretending not to hear the alarm

to stretch oneself lazily

to yawn

to catch up with one's sleep at the week-end

to be an early riser (a lark )

to be a late riser (an owl )

to get up at cockcrow

to jump out of bed

to put on one’s slippers / dressing-gown

to draw the curtains apart

to do one’s daily dozen to the music

to set smb into a cheerful working mood

to prefer a cold shower (a rub-down) after morning exercises

to accustom one’s body to cold

to rub oneself hard with a towel

not to feel like jogging or taking a cold shower in the morning

The utmost I can do is ten sittings to the music.

to have a wash (with warm water)

to clean one’s teeth

to shave (oneself) with an electric (safety) razor

to dry oneself on a soft terry towel

to do one’s bed

to brush one’s clothes

to comb one’s hair

to give one’s shoes a polish

to dress (oneself), to get dressed

to turn on the radio and listen to the news (= listen in)

to have breakfast which consists of ... washed down with ...

to have neither time nor incliation to cook breakfast

to eat on the go

to be in a hurry, to be pressed for time, to be short of time

to go to the university on an empty stomach

to get to the university by bus

to go on foot = to walk to the university

to take a bus a tram, a trolley-bus, a taxi

to be situated in a stone's throw from the university

to come/to be in time (for classes, for dinner)

to leave one’s clothes in the cloak-room

to have a chat with friends

to dash out of the house at the last possible minute

to be late for classes

to be never a minute late

to make up/to invent an excuse for one’s being late

to sound convincing

a valid excuse, a lame excuse

to face the music with the dean

to have 3 periods/classes each day

our classes last till...

to feel empty towards the end of the 3rd period/class

to have a bite in a self-service canteen / a cafeteria

It takes me ... to have my midday meal

not to go home at once when classes are over

to go to the library (reading-room)

to feel exhausted and squeezed like a lemon by ... o’clock

to do the shopping on one's way home

to do something about the house /to do some jobs about the houseto tidy up the room, to dust the furniture, to sweep the floor etc.

to air the room if it is stuffy in it

to be afraid of draughts, to avoid draughts

to have dinner /supper

to have a short rest listening to the music

watching some programme on TV

looking through magazines

to get back to studies again

to do a lot of reading and written exercises

to have a staggering amount of work to do

It takes me about ... hours to cope with my homework properly

to work hard and with application in order to master the language

to work at one’s sounds and speech

My pronunciation leaves much to be desired.

Spelling is my weak point.

to work late = to keep late hours = to sit up late

Late hours are harmful to our health.

to turn in long after midnight

to read up on Ukrainian literature

not to have a lot of spare time

A Freshman’s lot is not a happy one.

to feel like turning one's back to lessons

Time permitting, I usually ... in the evening.

to be fond of music / reading / knitting / embroidering

to listen to the records for hours running

play the guitar

play the piano

play chess

to be good at smth / doing smth

to manage to see an interesting film sometimes

to be ready to drop from fatigue by 11 p.m.

exhausted

to set an alarm clock for 7 o’clock in the morning

to fall asleep immediately

to be a light (fast, sound) sleeper

to sleep like a log

to sleep to loud music

to speak English in one’s sleep

to have terrible nightmares

to wake up in cold sweat

to get out of bed on the wrong side

to dream of smth pleasant