HEADS-UPS

Question

Dear Teachers,1. I'm looking for any tips, heads-ups, or thoughts on moving out.- What does "heads-ups" mean here?2. I know I still have a while before I turn eighteen.- "a while" here means "a little time", right?3. Clive and I used to love a same girl when we still were in the church choir.- Is this natural?4. If you're planning to move out on your own, you'll have to round up all of your finances.- What does "round up" mean here?5. You have to take in a lot of factors when choosing a place to live.- "to take in" here means "to be aware of", right?Thanks very much to Teachers, Stevenukd.

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

StevenukdDear Teachers,

1. I'm looking for any tips, heads-ups, or thoughts on moving out.

- What does "heads-ups" mean here? A "heads-up" is information that is provided to you in advance of when you would get it otherwise. (You also say "Heads up!" when an object is hurltling toward someone to mean "watch out!") For example, if the boss is storming down to the floor below, you call your colleague to say "Jim's on the say down and he's mad as ****" to give them a heads-up.

2. I know I still have a while before I turn eighteen.

- "a while" here means "a little time", right? More than a little time.

3. Clive and I used to love a same girl when we still were in the church choir.

- Is this natural? Probably better to say that Clive and I used to be in love with the same girl.

4. If you're planning to move out on your own, you'll have to round up all of your finances.

- What does "round up" mean here? Find out where they all are and gather them together. I'm not sure I'd use it with finances.

5. You have to take in a lot of factors when choosing a place to live.

- "to take in" here means "to be aware of", right? Could it have been "take into account" instead of "take in"? Take into account means to consider.

Thanks very much to Teachers,

Stevenukd.

MellaK · Answer

Hope I can give you some easy answers.

1. "Heads-up" has a few meanings, depending upon context, usually "alert and watchful." In this example, I'd consider it as meaning "things the person should be thinking about/on the look-out for" when thinking about moving out.

2. Yes, "a while" here can mean " a little time." It means that they will be turning eighteen but not anytime soon--they have a bit of time before that birthday.

3. "Clive and I used to love THE same girl when we WERE in the church choir." You need to use the definite article, "the" when talking about the girl as it's a specific girl the two were in love with. You don't need "still" but you can add "together" at the end of the sentence ("...when we were in the church choir together.") to make even clearer.

4. "Round-up" means to gather them (your finances) together/to compile your finances together.

5. You're correct on this definition of "take in."

Best of luck with this,

MellaK.

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