Improve Your English: English in Everyday Life

Sp
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gonna:
Going to.
gotta:
Common verbal utterance of 
got to
, which means 
the same as 
have to
.
inning:
An interval of play in the game of baseball. A 
regulation game consists of nine innings.
kinda:
Kind of.
laid back:
An informal expression that means “relaxed 
or casual.”
March Madness:
In American collegiate basketball, a 
term that refers to the postseason NCAA tournament 
process that involves sixty-four teams. It usually takes 
place at the end of March or in early April.
McLuhan thing:
A reference to Marshall McLuhan, a 
Canadian educator, philosopher, scholar, and communi-
cations theorist probably most well-known for his state-
ment “Th
e medium is the message.”
mind game:
Slang for the psychological competition that 
takes place between competitors.
minor league:
In American sports, the level of teams 
below the major professional leagues. Th
ese minor leagues 
often serve as training and development venues for future 
major league players.
Nationals:
Professional baseball club in the Washington, 
D.C., area.
open tryouts:
Athletic auditions or a recruitment process 
in which prospective players are tested and display their 
skills in hopes of being selected to become members of 
a team. In open tryouts anyone can try out for the team 
in question, not just players who have been recruited by 
the team.
PAL:
Police Athletic League.

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