English Language Partners Whanganui

13/09/2026

Word of the Week
“Give or take” (adverbial phrase): means about / approximately / plus or minus a little. We use it when a number, amount, time, or measurement is not exact.
e.g.
1. The bus ride takes 30 minutes, give or take.
= It takes about 30 minutes, but it could be a little shorter or longer.
2. There were 50 people at the community event, give or take.
= There were about 50 people.
3. The house is 10 kilometres away, give or take.
= It is approximately 10 km away.
4. I’ve lived in New Zealand for 15 years, give or take.
5. We should arrive in Whanganui at 3 pm, give or take ten minutes.

Many thanks to Xuhua for being our WotW model this week!

04/09/2026

01/09/2026

Word of the Week:
Salty (informal adjective): to be annoyed, upset or bitter about something, especially if treated unfairly or have lost.
e.g.
1. He was a bit salty because he lost the tennis match.
2. She was salty about not getting the job she wanted.
3. He was still salty about the referee's decision in the rugby game.
4. My friend was a bit salty when I forgot to invite her to the party.
5. After waiting for the bus for an hour, I was feeling pretty salty!

Salty is informal slang, particularly common in casual conversation and online/social media English. It does not mean that the person has actually eaten too much salt!

There is also a completely different meaning:
This soup is too salty.
= The soup contains too much salt.

Many thanks to our teacher Joe for being our WotW model this week!

24/08/2026

Word of the Week:
Yonks (informal noun – mainly in Britain, Australia and New Zealand) means a very long time or ages/forever.
• for yonks = for a very long time / for ages
• in yonks = in a very long time, usually with a negative
e.g.
1. I haven't seen you for yonks.
2. We've lived in Whanganui for yonks.
3. I haven't been to the cinema in yonks.
4. I've been waiting for the bus for yonks!
5. We haven't had a proper catch-up for yonks.
6. I haven't eaten fish and chips in yonks!

Many thanks to Rebecca for being our WotW model this week!

16/08/2026

Word of the week:
Oomph (noun – informal) - means extra energy, strength, or excitement. It can describe a person, an idea, a performance, or even food that has a strong flavour.

e.g.
1. I don't have much oomph today, so I think that I’ll just stay at home.
2. This curry needs a bit more oomph. Let's add some more chilli.
3. The All Blacks played with plenty of oomph in the second half of the match.
4. Her performance had real oomph and the audience loved it.

Many thanks to Gracia for being our WotW model this week!

10/08/2026

Word of the Week:
Haere mai - Come here, welcome - a greeting

Haere mai is often combined with another welcome greeting ‘Nau mai’, so you can say ‘Nau mai, haere mai’ to welcome learners to lesson or staff to a meeting.

Many thanks to Carla Millar, Programme Materials Developer at our National Office for sharing this wonderful video with us.

02/08/2026

Word of the Week:
Dodgy (informal adjective – common in New Zealand, Australian, and British English) means not safe, not reliable, suspicious, or of poor quality.
The exact meaning depends on the situation.
Dodgy can describe:
• something that seems unsafe
• someone or something that seems suspicious
• something that is not working properly
• something that is poor quality
e.g.
1. That ladder looks a bit dodgy. I don't think it's safe to use.
2. Be careful buying things online if the website looks dodgy.
3. My old car is getting a bit dodgy and needs to be checked by a mechanic.
4. The weather looked dodgy, so we decided not to go for a walk along the Whanganui River.
5. I didn't eat the seafood because it smelt a bit dodgy.
6. He received a dodgy text message asking for his bank details, so he deleted it.
7. I’ve got a dodgy knee.

Many thanks to Sarah Chen for being our WotW model this week!

26/07/2026

Word of the Week
Full on (informal adjective/adverb): Very intense, very busy, very energetic, or a lot to deal with. It can describe a person, a situation, an event, or a period of time.
e.g.
1. This week has been full on because I have work, English classes, and family commitments.
2. Looking after three young children can be full on at times.
Many thanks to Ravy for being our WotW model this week!

19/07/2026

Word of the Week
Dunk (verb): To dunk means to quickly put something into a liquid and take it out again. People often dunk biscuits (especially hard Gingernuts) into tea or coffee before eating them.

(In sports, especially basketball, dunk also means to score by pushing the ball down through the hoop.)

e.g.
1. My grandfather always dunks his gingernuts in his coffee.
2. Be careful not to dunk the biscuit for too long, or it might break off!
3. The children enjoyed dunking marshmallows into their hot chocolate.

Many thanks to Carmen for being our WotW model this week!

22/06/2026

Our 'Word of the Week' is having a break until the start of Term Three.

Send a message to learn more