Text 1

The Dog That Nobody Wanted

Language notes:

1.Staring at the creature in the small cage, Brian Gallagher knew he'd met his match.

In this sentence match is a noun meaning a person who is equal to or better than another in strength, ability.

2.Greasy hair stood out around his neck, making his large head appear even bigger.

Stand out means to have an easily-seen shape, colour or to be very noticeable.

3.The attendant flattened himself against the wall.

The original meaning of the word flatten is to make or become flat, but here it means to straighten up.

4.As Brian Gallagher left that day, he was already having second thoughts.

Having second thoughts means having reservations about his decision.

5.Don't make a fool out of me! Find the towel!

Make a fool out of sb. means to trick someone or to make someone look stupid.

6.Placed neatly inside were bags of white powder.

Note that the sentence structure is in inversion.

7.Half an hour later, a dark-blue van pulled into the district.

Pull into means to arrive at.

8.Approaching the rear, he stopped abruptly, stood on his hind legs, did a little dance and whined.

Note that a series of actions were all done by the dog, so they were all used in the same past form.

Text 2

Some Sort of Magic

Language notes:

1.With them was their four-year-old daughter, Jessika, who had withdrawn into her own impenetrable world.

This sentence structure is in inversion for the subject which contains a clause is too long.

2.You really do work some sort of magic, Michele thought as she stroked Mac's neck.

Here the verb work is used as a transitive verb, which means to produce an effect and often has nouns such as wonders, miracles, magic as its object.

3.One day she decided to splurge on horse-jumping lessons at a local riding stable.

Splurge on is an informal use, meaning to spend more money than one can usually afford.

4.That's when Michele knew he was going to make it.

Make it is a very common use especially in informal English. It has two meanings, one of which is to arrive in time and the other is to succeed.

5.Time and again he had shown her how miraculous life could be.

Time and again, again and again, over and over again mean the same, that is very often or repeatedly.

6.Michele resolved to press on too.

Press on means to continue with determination or without delay.

7.When word about her gentle old horse got around among the parents, she invited them to bring their children to visit Mac.

Word here means a message or a piece of news.

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