expression

Stating your Opinion It seems to me that ... In my opinion, ... I am of the opinion that .../ I take the view that .. My personal view is that ... In my experience ... As far as I understand / can see, ... As I see it, ... / From my point of view ... As far as I know ... / From what I know ... I might be wrong but ... If I am not mistaken ... I believe one can (safely) say ... It is claimed that ... I must admit that ... I cannot deny that ... I can imagine that ... I think/believe/suppose ... Personally, I think ... That is why I think ... I am sure/certain/convinced that ... I am not sure/certain, but ... I am not sure, because I don't know the situation exactly. I am not convinced that ... I have read that ... I am of mixed opinions (about / on) ... I am of mixed opinions about / on this. I have no opinion in this matter. Outlining Facts The fact is that The (main) point is that ... This proves that ... What it comes down to is that ... It is obvious that ... It is certain that ... One can say that ... It is clear that ... There is no doubt that ... Agreement There are many reasons for ... There is no doubt about it that ... I simply must agree with that. I am of the same opinion. I am of the same opinion as the author. I completely/absolutely agree with the author. Qualified Disagreement It is only partly true that... I can agree with that only with reservations. That seems obvious, but ... That is not necessarily so. It is not as simple as it seems. Under certain circumstances ... Disagreement There is more to it than that. The problem is that ... I (very much) doubt whether ... This is in complete contradiction to ... What is even worse, ... I am of a different opinion because ... I cannot share this / that / the view. I cannot agree with this idea. What I object to is ... Unlike the author I think ... Linking Arguments First of all, I think ... Not only that, but I also think that ... Not only are they ..., they are also ... They are not ..., nor are they ... There are various/several/many reasons for this. First, ... / Firstly, ... Second, ... / Secondly, ... Moreover, ... / Furthermore, ... / In addition, ... Another significant point is that ... Finally, ... On the one hand, ... On the other hand, ... In contrast to this is ... Because of ... That is why ... After all, ... The reason is that ... In that respect ... The result of this is that ... Another aspect/point is that ... It is because ... Although it is true that ... it would be wrong to claim that ... That may sometimes be true, but ... One could argue that ..., but ... Providing Examples Take for example (the case of) ... Look at ... For instance ... / For example ... Let me give you an example. Additions and Conclusion Most probably ... It appears to be ... It is important to mention that... As I already indicated ... In other words, ... I am most concerned about ... I should like to repeat once again that ... I should like to emphasise that ... I would (just) like to add ... So all in all I believe that... (In) summing up it can be said that ... Weighing the pros and cons, I come to the conclusion that ... Conjunctions but / still / however especially / mainly / particularly before as / because / since so that then / after that that's why / so either ... or after all after of course though / although / even though or as soon as as long as finally / eventually in spite of / even so / all the same perhaps ... above all neither ... nor because first of all for example / for instance Expression Example both … and … I like both cats and dogs. so Jane likes cats. So do I. not … either Jane doesn't like cats. I don't like cats either. either … or … Jane either has a cat or a dog. neither/nor Jane doesn't like cats. Neither do I./Nor do I. neither … nor … I like neither cats nor dogs. Word List Weather What's the weather like today? What will the weather be like tomorrow? Nice day today, isn't it? What awful weather! What a lovely day! It's raining. It's snowing. It's … Tomorrow it will be … Yesterday it was … sunny cloudy overcast foggy stormy windy cold warm hot Geography arctic Atlantic, Atlantic Ocean mountain mountains state earthquake river temperate is bounded by capital island climate continent coast country sea bordering country national park North America ocean Pacific, Pacific Ocean San Andreas Fault (also: San Andreas Rift) lake steep coast beach valley tropical divided Body Parts arm eye eyebrow belly leg breast thumb elbow fist finger foot (plural: feet) ankle buttocks hair neck hand wrist hip chin knee head lip mouth nose nostril upper arm thigh ear bottom, bum back underarm, forearm lower leg shoulder forehead waist calf (plural: calves) cheek eyelash, lash tooth (plural: teeth) toe tongue Shop Can I help you? What can I do for you? Are you being served ? Sorry, we don't sell stamps. Anything else? It's on offer. Buy two for the price of one. How much / many would you like? What size do you take? Sorry, we are out of bread . Would another colour do? Would you like to try it on? The fitting room is over there. The dress suits you very well. Pay at the cash desk / till, please. I'll take this to the cash desk / till for you. Here you are. / Here you go. You're welcome. That's 20 euros/euro altogether . You don't happen to have any change , do you? Here's your change. Customer I need ... I'd like a bottle of milk, please. Have you got souvenirs ? Do you sell stamps? Where can I buy post cards? Where can I get a film for my camera? Where can I find newspapers? Are these bottles returnable ? It doesn't fit me. It doesn't suit me. I don't like it. It's too small / big / wide / tight / expensive . I'm size ... Have you got this in another size / colour? May I try this on, please? Where can I try this on, please? How much is it? That's all. Where is the cash desk / till? Could I get a receipt , please? Could I get a (plastic) bag, please? (I'm afraid/ Sorry) I don't have any change . Do you accept credit cards? Asking and Giving Directions How do I get to ...? What's the best way to ...? Where is ...? Go straight on (until you come to ...). Turn back./Go back. Turn left/right (into ...-street). Go along .... Cross ... Take the first/second road on the left/right It's on the left/right. straight on opposite near next to between at the end (of) on/at the corner behind in front of (just) around the corner traffic lights crossroads, junction signpost Accomodation accomodation dormitory double room family room twin room single room double bed youth hostel bunk bed fill in a form reception receptionist key book in advance B&B vacancies no vacancies Hotel arrival date / date of arrival departure date / date of departure room service air conditioning make a reservation / book a room request more information complete / fill in the form staff cancel a booking Restaurant eating out bill (The bill please.) bottle dessert drink hungry thirsty menu order (Are you ready to order?) restaurant set meal table (A table for two please.) guest waiter , waitress Here you go. tip (Shall we tip the waiter?) Members of a Family father dad mother mum , mummy , mom (amerik.) parent parents child children son daughter brother sister grandfather granddad , grandpa grandmother grandma , granny grandson granddaughter grandchild uncle aunt cousin nephew niece boyfriend girlfriend fiancé fiancée bride groom, bridegroom wife husband spouse father-in-law mother-in-law parents-in-law son-in-law daughter-in-law brother-in-law sister-in-law godfather godmother godson goddaughter godchild History of a Family be pregnant expect a baby give birth to born birthday baptize bring up, raise go to school be proud of move be engaged marry , get married be married to be married with two children divorced widowed widow widower die late Description I am / You are / He is / She is …  tall  small  overweight, fat  slim  young  old  … years old.  beautiful / pretty (Mädchen / Frau), handsome (Junge / Mann)  sun-tanned  pale I have / You have / He has / She has (got) …  blue / green / grey / brown eyes  freckles  a beard  a full beard  a moustache  a goatee  a stubbly beard  blond hair  red hair  brown hair  black hair  dyed hair  blond highlights  short hair  long hair  straight hair  curly hair / curls  a bald head  a square / round / triangular / oval face  a big / small / long nose  big / small ears Clothing and Accessories  I wear / You wear / He wears / She  wears …  glasses  contact lenses  I am wearing / You are wearing / He/She is wearing …  earrings  a necklace  a wristband  a bracelet  a cap  a red scarf  a tie Character I am / You are / He is / She is …  shy  quiet  lively  active  easygoing  outgoing  nice  friendly  funny  happy  annoying  sad  aggressive  a pain in the neck  a little chatter box Greeting People Hello. / Hi. Good morning. (before 12 o'clock) Good afternoon.(after 12 o'clock) Good evening . Introducing People What's your name? Who are you? My name is ... I am ... My friends call me ... You can call me ... Haven't we met (before)? Yes, I think we have. No, I don't think we have. I think we've already met. I don't think we've met (before). This is ... Meet ... Have you met ...? Yes, I have. No, I haven't. Yes, I think I have. No, I don't think I have. Hello, ... (name) Nice to meet you. (informal) Pleased to meet you. How do you do? (formal) Nice to see you. Nice to see you again. Say Goodbye Good bye. Bye. / See you. See you later. See you soon. See you tomorrow. See you next week. Good night. Health How are you? How are you today? Fine, thank you/thanks. Not too bad. Very well. I'm okay / all right. Not too well, actually. What's wrong with you? What's the matter with you? Are you all right? I'm tired . I'm exhausted . I've got a cold. Summary Reason There is so much information today that it is not easy to keep up to date. We therefore trust in others to summarize the most important facts for us. Try to recall how often you summarize something, e.g. when you're telling your friends the plot of the latest movie, when you are asked to give in brief the main points of a text you've read. Preparation First of all, you should have read the text / watched the film (of course). Make notes of the most important facts. Structure and Content Introduction - Give a brief overview. Content - Tell the main points of the plot / content in your own words. Important Tenses The most important tense for a summary is the simple present. Actions happening one after the other are in simple present. Note, however, that you have to use different tenses for everything happening at the same time or before. → Exercise on Tenses Some summaries are written in simple past. This is the case for example when summarizing newspaper articles. Presentation Reason A presentation proves that you are able to communicate on a topic of your choice with just a few key words as reminders. In some countries, a presentation is part of the English exam at school (e.g. Eurokom in Germany). Preparation Choose a topic that interests you. First, read about the topic in your native language for necessary background information. At that point you should already plan how you want to organise your presentation. When writing the presentation, you should work with English texts only (that's easier than translating the document in the end). Take short notes only from the English texts, then make your own sentences (short ones if possible). Structure and Content Introduction: General information on the topicGive your listeners an introduction to the topic (some general information) and explain what exactly you are going to talk about in your presentation. Actual PresentationSubdivide your presentation into several sub-topics, e.g.: Presentation on an event: history, present, special customs Presentation on a sport: history, rules, important events Presentation on a stay in an English speaking country: chronologically ConclusionFind a good conclusion (otherwise it would look as if you simply stopped in the middle of your presentation). A good conclusion could be for example: How does the event influence our daily lives? How important is the event for you personally? / What's your opinion about it? What might the future bring? a quotation that summarises your presentation Important Tenses Which tenses to use depends on your topic. Above all you'll probably need the following tenses: Simple Present Simple Past Present Perfect Note If you cannot think of a topic for your presentation, check out the sections countries, literature and animals/sports on www.ego4u.de. Maybe you'll find something that catches your interest. The online encyclopaedia www.wikipedia.org provides lots of information on a variety of topics in several languages. Do also use the search engine www.google.com to find information on your topic. Collect pictures and graphics if possible. They'll help you getting through your presentation without losing the thread. Furthermore, pictures always make a presentation more interesting for the listeners. Usually you are expected to talk about the topic without reading every sentence from a piece of paper. So practise at home until you can hold the presentation with just a few key words (or pictures) as reminders. Word List on Presentations Introduction I want to give you a short presentation about ... My presentation is about ... One of my hobbies is ... The country that fascinates me most is ... I'd like to tell you something about ... I have always been interested in ... so today I want to tell you something about it. I think everybody has heard about ..., but hardly anyone knows a lot about it. That's why I'd like to tell you something about it. That's why I chose the topic for my presentation. Did you know that ...? Did you know why ...? Well, in my presentation about ... you will find out about that. Conclusion ... has a great influence on today's life. Unfortunately, ... is hardly known today. ... should not be forgotten. ... has really impressed me. I hope that one day ... We should not forget ... All in all I believe that... Summing up / Finally it can be said that ... Let me close by quoting ... who said, »...« That was my presentation on ... I am now prepared to answer your questions. Do you have any questions? If working with a quiz or questions on the topic Well, let's find out now how much you've learned. Let's check how much you can remember from my presentation. Are you ready for the quiz? Let's do the quiz. Okay, let's answer the questions now. Question number one / two / three ... Next question. Who can tell me ...? Exactly. That's correct. / That's right. That's not correct. Try again. I'll give you a hint. If working with a quiz or questions on the topic I've prepared a little quiz on the topic. I'll now give you some questions that you can answer during my presentation. Pay attention. You can take notes. In the end, there will be a quiz on the topic. After the presentation there will be a quiz. In the end, I will test your knowledge on the topic. Introducing sub-topics Let me begin by explaining why / how ... First / Now I want to talk about ... First / Now I want to give you an insight into ... Let's (now) find out why / how ... Let's now move to ... As I already indicated ... Another aspect / point is that ... The roots of ... go back to ... ... began when ... Legend has it that ... As you probably know, ... You probably know that ... Maybe you've already heard about ... You might have seen that already. At the beginning there was / were ... Many people knew / know ... Hardly anyone knew / knows ... ... hit the idea to ... ... was the first to ... It is claimed that ... One can say that ... I have read that ... Pictures and graphics Let me use a graphic to explain this. The graphic shows that ... As you can see (in the picture) ... In the next / following picture, you can see ... Here is another picture. The next picture shows how ... Let the pictures speak for themselves. I think the picture perfectly shows how / that ... Now, here you can see ... Final thoughts on a sub-topic It was a great success for ... It is a very important day in the history of ... It was / is a very important / special event. This proves that ... The reason is that ... The result of this is that ... It's because ... In other words, ... I want to repeat that ... I'd (just) like to add ... English Usage Example on days of the week on Monday in months / seasons time of day year after a certain period of time (when?) in August / in winter in the morning in 2006 in an hour at for night for weekend a certain point of time (when?) at night at the weekend at half past nine since from a certain point of time (past till now) since 1980 for over a certain period of time (past till now) for 2 years ago a certain time in the past 2 years ago before earlier than a certain point of time before 2004 to telling the time ten to six (5:50) past telling the time ten past six (6:10) to / till / until marking the beginning and end of a period of time from Monday to/till Friday till / until in the sense of how long something is going to last He is on holiday until Friday. by in the sense of at the latest up to a certain time I will be back by 6 o’clock. By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages. Präpositions – Place (Position and Direction) English Usage Example in room, building, street, town, country book, paper etc. car, taxi picture, world in the kitchen, in London in the book in the car, in a taxi in the picture, in the world at meaning next to, by an object for table for events place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work) at the door, at the station at the table at a concert, at the party at the cinema, at school, at work on attached for a place with a river being on a surface for a certain side (left, right) for a floor in a house for public transport for television, radio the picture on the wall London lies on the Thames. on the table on the left on the first floor on the bus, on a plane on TV, on the radio by, next to, beside left or right of somebody or something Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car. under on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something else the bag is under the table below lower than something else but above ground the fish are below the surface over covered by something else meaning more than getting to the other side (also across) overcoming an obstacle put a jacket over your shirt over 16 years of age walk over the bridge climb over the wall above higher than something else, but not directly over it a path above the lake across getting to the other side (also over) getting to the other side walk across the bridge swim across the lake through something with limits on top, bottom and the sides drive through the tunnel to movement to person or building movement to a place or country for bed go to the cinema go to London / Ireland go to bed into enter a room / a building go into the kitchen / the house towards movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it) go 5 steps towards the house onto movement to the top of something jump onto the table from in the sense of where from a flower from the garden Other important Prepositions English Usage Example from who gave it a present from Jane of who/what does it belong to what does it show a page of the book the picture of a palace by who made it a book by Mark Twain on walking or riding on horseback entering a public transport vehicle on foot, on horseback get on the bus in entering a car  / Taxi get in the car off leaving a public transport vehicle get off the train out of leaving a car  / Taxi get out of the taxi by rise or fall of something travelling (other than walking or horseriding) prices have risen by 10 percent by car, by bus at for age she learned Russian at 45 about for topics, meaning what about we were talking about you Statements in Reported Speech Pronouns In reported speech, you often have to change the pronoun depending on who says what. Example She says, “My mum doesn’t have time today.” – She says that her mum doesn’t have time today. Tenses No backshift Do not change the tense if the introductory clause is in Simple Present (e. g. He says). Note, however, that you might have to change the form of the present tense verb (3rd person singular). Example He says, “I speak English.” – He says that he speaks English. Backshift You must change the tense if the introductory clause is in Simple Past (e. g. He said). This is called backshift. Example He said, “I am happy.” – He said that he was happy. Direct Speech Reported Speech Simple Present Simple Past Present Progressive Past Progressive Simple Past Past Perfect Simple Present Perfect Simple Past Perfect Simple Past Progressive Past Perfect Progressive Present Perfect Progressive Past Perfect Progressive Future I (going to) was / were going to Future I (will) Conditional I (would) Conditional I (would) The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to do not normally change. Example: He said, “She might be right.” – He said that she might be right. Direct Speech Reported Speech today that day now then yesterday the day before … days ago … days before last week the week before next year the following year tomorrow the next day / the following day here there this that these those Frequently used Phrasal Verbs break break down fail to function have a physical or mental collapse break in interrupt a discussion burgle soften with use (shoes) break off discontinue (therapy, relationship) break out escape from prison, begin suddenly break up end a relationship bring bring about cause to happen bring forth give birth to bring forward draw attention to sth bring on cause to happen or appear bring round persuade cause to recover consciousness bring up rear, educate a child mention vomit call call back return a phone call call for require call in communicate by phone consult a specialist call off cancel call out read names aloud order workers to strike call on request sb to do sth call up reach by phone summon for military services carry carry away remove inspire, affect emotionally carry off take away (by force) win remove, degrade (earth) carry on continue carry out accomplish, make carry through complete bring out of difficulties come come about happen, to be achieved come across find/meet by chance come after follow come at attack reach, discover come back return come by pass, go past, visit buy, get come down fall (price) come down to mean, signify come down with fall sick with come in enter, be received prove to be come in for receive, be object of (criticism) come off become detached come out become known, be published be removed (stain) come over come from a distance come round visit sb recover consciousness come to amount to arrive/reach a place come up be mentioned/discussed (problem) arise come up against be faced with (problems) come upon find/meet by chance come up to match (a standard) come up with produce an idea do do away with abolish kill do up dress up fasten, secure (clothing) do with need do without not require fall fall apart fall into pieces fall behind fail to keep up pace fall for be in love with be deceived by fall in with meet by chance coincide with fall off decrease drop from fall out quarrel fall out with quarrel with fall through fail, miscarry fall to start an activity eagerly get get across communicate (an idea) get along be in good terms with somebody get away escape get away with escape (punishment) get by manage, cope get down to turn one's attention to sth get in enter (car, taxi) get off disembark (bus, train etc.) get on enter (bus, train etc.) get out disembark (car, taxi) get over recover (illness, upset) get through pass (an exam) be connected on the phone get to reach get up rise from bed after sleeping go go against be contrary to (principles, rules) go along with take the same view go away depart go down become less decrese in price sink (ship) set (sun) go for pick up, go and get go off explode deteriorate (food) begin to sound (alarm) go on continue go out leave the house strike go over inspect the details of sth go past pass go round visit informally go through deal with discuss in detail experience sth (usually bad) go up increase in price explode go with match keep keep away prevent from / avoid being near keep back withhold keep down not to increase keep off avoid (a topic) stay away keep on not stopping doing sth keep up continue, carry on keep up with not to fall behind sb look look after take care of look down on regard with a feeling of superiority look for seek look forward to anticipate with pleasure look into investigate (a crime) look on be a spectator regard look out be careful look over inspect hastily look through pretend not to see examine the contents of sth look up consult a reference book look up to respect make make for have/produce a particular effect make off run away make out recognise, distinguish make up constitute, form invent a lie put together, prepare apply cosmetics make up for compensate regain (time) put put across express in an understandable way put back put sth to its proper place lay money aside for the future move back the hands of a clock put by save for later use put down repress write down store (food) put down to give as a reason, attribute to put forward move forward the hands of a clock suggest, propose put in for be a candidate for an election put on dress oneself with tease gain (weight) put off postpone put out extinguish (a fire, light) put through connect sb by phone put up build raise (hand) provide accomodation for offer for sale put up with tolerate, accept turn turn down diminish the intensity reject turn in hand in turn off switch off turn on switch on turn out switch off turn over bring the reverse side up turn up increase the intensity make an appearance run run after chase run away escape, flee run down knock down, collide with feel weak due to overwork run in imprison run into meet by chance run off escape, flee run out run outside become used up run out of exhaust one's stock run over overflow study quickly pass over, knock down run up against meet with difficulties set set aside reserve for later use set back hinder, slow down a progress set down write down set off cause to explode start a journey set up start business take take after follow sb as an example resemble in appearance take down write down take in understand (meaning) deceive take off undress begin flight (plane) take to develop a habit take up continue, proceed become interested in take up with begin to associate with Infinitive Certain words are followed by an infinite verb with or without ‘to’. Use and Word Lists Example as the subject of a clause be seem appear To know you is to love you. To follow his advice seemed logical after certain expressions (without ‘to’) had better would rather would sooner why not why should I/you/… [not] Why not go to the cinema? I would rather stay at home after certain verbs (without ‘to’) can dare (also with to) do help (also with to) let may must need (also with to) shall should will I can swim. We must stay at home after certain verbs (with ‘to’) afford agree aim appear arrange attempt be determined beg care choose claim condescend consent dare (also without to) decide demand deserve determine endeavour expect fail guarantee happen have help (also without to) hesitate hope learn long manage mean need (also without to) neglect offer ought plan prepare pretend proceed promise refuse resolve seem stop swear tend threaten trouble undertake used volunteer vow want wish would hate would like would love would prefer He wants to swim. He refused to pay the bill. after certain verbs with interrogatives (infinitive constructions) ask advise + Objekt consider decide explain find out forget know learn remember see show teach tell + object understand wonder They don’t know how to swim. We didn't remember where to meet after certain verbs with objects (without ‘to’) let make He made her swim. We heard him scream after certain verbs with objects (with ‘to’) advise allow ask beg cause enable encourage expect forbid force get help invite mean order permit persuade recommend remind teach tell want warn would hate would like would love would prefer They wanted him to swim. She got me to wash the dishes after certain adjectives and their comparisons amazed amazing angry astonished astonishing awkward brave careless clever cowardly crazy delighted difficult disappointed disgusted easy extraordinary funny generous glad happy hard honest horrified impossible kind nice odd pointless relieved ridiculous rude sad selfish silly sorry strange stupid surprised wicked wise It’s easier to swim downstream. It was impossible to go back. after nouns deriving from the verbs mentioned above effort agreement aim appearance arrangement attempt choice claim decision determination expectation failure guarantee hesitation hope longing need neglect offer plan preparation procedure promise refusal resolution tendency threat trouble try We made a promise to swim. (derived from the verb ‘to promise’) There was no need to get angry Gerund ing form of the verb Use Certain words are followed by an Ing-Form. Use and Word Lists Example as the subject of a clause Cycling is good for your health. after certain adjectives afraid of angry about / at bad at busy clever at crazy about disappointed about excited about famous for fond of glad about good at impressed by interested in keen on like near proud of sick of sorry about tired of worried about worth He’s afraid of going by plane. I am interested in visiting the museum. after certain prepositions about (in 'how/what about') after apart from because of before by in in spite of instead of on without Before going to bed he turned off the lights. after certain verbs admit advise allow appreciate avoid can't help can't stand consider delay deny dislike enjoy escape fancy finish go (in go swimming) imagine involve keep mention mind miss permit postpone practise reject resist risk stop suggest understand waste time / money I enjoy cooking. after certain verbs with prepositions accuse of adjust to agree with apologize for approve of ask about ask for begin by believe in be used to blame for care for carry on complain about concentrate on congratulate on consist of cope with decide against decide for depend on die of dream about / of escape from feel like forgive for give up insist on keep on look forward to object to pay for prevent sb. from protect from put off rely on spend money on spend time on succeed in suspect of take part in talk about / of thank for think of use for warn against worry about I am looking forward to seeing you again. after certain nouns advantage of alternative of chance of choice between danger of difficulty in doubt about experience in fun hope of idea of interest in opportunity of place for pleasure in point in possibility of problem reason for trouble trouble in use way of waste of money waste of time We had problems finding our way back home. Words followed either by Infinitive or Ing-Form Use and Word Lists Example same meaning attempt begin bother cannot bear cease continue hate intend love prefer start I started to read. / I started reading. same meaning but different use She forbids us to talk. / She forbids talking. different meaning He stopped to smoke. / He stopped smoking. infinitive or present participle I saw him go up the stairs. / I saw him going up the stairs.  Fashion Fash"ion, n. [OE. fasoun, facioun, shape, manner, F. facon, orig., a making, fr. L. factio a making, fr. facere to make. See Fact, Feat, and cf. Faction.] 1. The make or form of anything; the style, shape, appearance, or mode of structure; pattern, model; as, the fashion of the ark, of a coat, of a house, of an altar, etc.; workmanship; execution. The fashion of his countenance was altered. --Luke ix. 29. I do not like the fashion of your garments. --Shak. 2. The prevailing mode or style, especially of dress; custom or conventional usage in respect of dress, behavior, etiquette, etc.; particularly, the mode or style usual among persons of good breeding; as, to dress, dance, sing, ride, etc., in the fashion. The innocent diversions in fashion. --Locke. As now existing, fashion is a form of social regulation analogous to constitutional government as a form of political regulation. --H. Spencer. 3. Polite, fashionable, or genteel life; social position; good breeding; as, men of fashion. 4. Mode of action; method of conduct; manner; custom; sort; way. »After his sour fashion.« --Shak. After a fashion, to a certain extent; in a sort. Fashion piece (Naut.), one of the timbers which terminate the transom, and define the shape of the stern. Fashion plate, a pictorial design showing the prevailing style or a new style of dress. 39