English
Pronunciation and Grammar: Speak Method| Watch Video This news report discusses the definition of the debt ceiling. Every day, the federal government spends more money than it takes in. It makes up the difference by borrowing money. Every day, the government debt increases. In August, the federal debt will rise above 14.3 trillion dollars. A law from 1917, which has been updated many times since, caps the debt at 14.3 trillion. This number is not set in stone, however. This August, the government will have to decide between raising the debt ceiling and crunching the numbers or balancing the budget. |
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| Noun Form |
Meaning |
| debt ceiling (DET SEE-ling) |
limit of acceptable debt |
| law (LAH) |
rules of society |
| August (AH-gust) |
the month |
| caps (CAPS) |
sets the limit |
| set in stone (SE-din-stone) |
decided, permanent say also, "not set in stone," meaning "can change" |
| crunch the numbers |
do the accounting or financial calculations |
| take in (TA-kin) pronounce a common phrase as one word |
1) receive as proceeds 2) reduce in size, i.e. "take in pants" 3) understand, i.e. "I was able to take in everything." 4) being deceived, i.e. "I was taken in by that guy." |
| make up (MA-kup) pronounce a common phrase as one word | 1) to compensate for, to provide for a lack 2) to change one's appearance, "i.e. the actor made himself up to look old." 3) to repeat a class, "i.e. she is making up her algebra class." 4) to resolve a conflict, i.e. "we were arguing--then we decided to make up." |
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