2026-08-23 감정·관계·성장을 담은 영어 핵심 청크 31선

Session Overview

이번 세션에서는 인간관계(drift apart, reconnect, fall out of touch), 감정 표현(strike a raw nerve, get awkward, keep up appearances), 그리고 개인 성장(broaden one’s horizons, small wins, establish oneself)에 관한 핵심 청크와 구동사 31개를 집중적으로 다루었습니다. 한국어로 직역하기 어려운 영어 특유의 표현(buy some time, fly, just click 등)과 함께, 사건·날씨 등 무생물을 주어로 쓰는 영어 능동 문장 패턴(The news surprised me, Rain canceled the picnic)도 함께 익혔습니다. 이 표현들을 익혀 두면 일상 대화는 물론 감정적으로 깊이 있는 영어 표현이 훨씬 자연스러워집니다.

📦 Phrasal Verbs & Chunks

The news surprised me — 그 소식에 깜짝 놀랐다 (사건·소식을 주어로 ‘~이 나를 놀라게 했다’는 영어 문장 패턴)

• The announcement surprised me — I had no idea it was coming.
  • 그 발표에 깜짝 놀랐다 — 전혀 예상하지 못했다.

A: What did you think of the news today?

B: Honestly, the news surprised me quite a bit.

Rain canceled the picnic — 비가 와서 소풍이 취소됐다 (날씨를 주어로 쓰는 영어 능동 문장 패턴)

• Rain canceled our hiking trip last weekend.
  • 지난 주말 비 때문에 등산 여행이 취소됐다.

A: Why didn’t the school festival happen yesterday?

B: Rain canceled it — the field was completely soaked.

a great cook — 요리를 잘하는 사람 (그녀는 요리를 잘한다)

• My dad is a great cook — his pasta is unforgettable.
  • 우리 아빠는 요리를 정말 잘하신다 — 파스타가 일품이다.

A: These dumplings are incredible! Who made them?

B: My mom — she’s always been a great cook.

an early bird — 아침 일찍 일어나는 사람 (정체성을 명사로 압축)

• She’s an early bird who starts her day before sunrise.
  • 그녀는 해가 뜨기 전에 하루를 시작하는 일찍 일어나는 사람이다.

A: You’re already at your desk at 6:30 AM?

B: I’m an early bird — mornings are my most productive time.

perfect — 완벽하게 만들다, 완성하다 (perfect를 동사로 활용)

• He spent years perfecting his craft as a chef.
  • 그는 셰프로서 기술을 완성하는 데 수년을 보냈다.

A: Your guitar playing sounds so polished now!

B: Thanks — I’ve been working hard to perfect my technique.

pay attention to — ~에 주의를 기울이다, 관심을 주다

• Please pay attention to the safety instructions before we start.
  • 시작하기 전에 안전 지침에 주의를 기울여 주세요.

A: I always struggle to follow his lectures.

B: Try to pay attention to the key terms he repeats.

buy some time — 시간을 벌다

• He asked extra questions to buy some time before answering.
  • 그는 답하기 전에 시간을 벌기 위해 질문을 더 했다.

A: The client is on the line — are you ready?

B: Not yet — can you buy me some time?

carry the conversation — 대화를 이끌어 가다, 혼자서 대화를 유지하다

• He’s so easy to talk to — he carries the conversation effortlessly.
  • 그는 정말 대화하기 편하다 — 대화를 거뜬히 이끌어 간다.

A: Was the dinner awkward with so many strangers?

B: Not at all — Sara carried the conversation the whole night.

one day at a time — 한 번에 하루씩, 하루하루 차근차근

• After surgery, she recovered by taking it one day at a time.
  • 수술 후 그녀는 하루하루 차근차근 회복해 나갔다.

A: How are you coping with everything on your plate?

B: I just take it one day at a time — no other way.

break the tension — 긴장된 분위기를 풀다

• A well-timed joke can break the tension in a difficult meeting.
  • 적절한 타이밍의 농담 하나가 어려운 회의의 긴장을 풀어 줄 수 있다.

A: The argument was getting really heated in there.

B: Luckily, his laugh broke the tension completely.

get awkward — 어색해지다, 분위기가 서먹해지다 (우리 사이가 서먹해졌다)

• Things got awkward after they both applied for the same promotion.
  • 두 사람이 같은 자리에 지원하고 나서 분위기가 어색해졌다.

A: How was the team lunch after the big argument?

B: It got really awkward — nobody knew what to say.

fly — (아이디어·계획이) 받아들여지다, 먹히다 (그 아이디어는 받아들여지지 않았다)

• The budget proposal didn’t fly — the manager rejected it immediately.
  • 예산 제안이 받아들여지지 않았다 — 매니저가 바로 거절했다.

A: Did your new marketing idea get approved?

B: No, it didn’t fly — they said it was too risky.

take a toll on — ~에 큰 타격을 주다, 악영향을 미치다

• Constant overtime is taking a toll on his health and focus.
  • 계속되는 야근이 그의 건강과 집중력에 큰 타격을 주고 있다.

A: You look really worn out lately.

B: Yeah, the long hours are taking a toll on me.

establish oneself — 자신의 입지를 다지다, 자리를 잡다

• It took her two years to establish herself as the team leader.
  • 그녀가 팀 리더로 입지를 다지는 데 2년이 걸렸다.

A: How has the new designer been fitting in?

B: She’s already established herself as a key player.

keep cool — 침착함을 유지하다, 냉정을 잃지 않다

• She kept cool during the crisis and guided her team calmly.
  • 그녀는 위기 상황에서도 침착함을 유지하며 팀을 차분하게 이끌었다.

A: How did you handle that angry customer earlier?

B: I just kept cool and let them talk it out.

small wins — 작은 성공들, 작은 성취 (자신감과 동기를 키우는 발판)

• Celebrating small wins keeps the whole team motivated.
  • 작은 성공들을 기념하면 팀 전체의 동기를 유지할 수 있다.

A: I feel like I’m not making any real progress.

B: Focus on small wins — they really add up over time.

fall out of touch — 연락이 끊기다, 사이가 멀어지다

• We fell out of touch after he moved abroad for work.
  • 그가 해외로 일하러 떠난 후 우리는 연락이 끊겼다.

A: Do you still keep in touch with your college friends?

B: Not really — we fell out of touch after graduation.

fall through — (계획·거래 등이) 무산되다, 실패로 돌아가다

• The partnership deal fell through due to contract disagreements.
  • 계약 조건 불일치로 파트너십 거래가 무산됐다.

A: Did you sign the lease on that new apartment?

B: No, it fell through — they gave it to someone else.

keep at arm’s length — ~을 가까이하지 않다, 거리를 두고 대하다 (쉽게 마음을 열지 않다)

• He tends to keep new acquaintances at arm’s length for a while.
  • 그는 새로운 지인들을 한동안 거리를 두고 대하는 경향이 있다.

A: Why doesn’t she ever join us after work?

B: She just keeps everyone at arm’s length — it’s her style.

put a strain on — ~에 부담을 주다, 압박을 가하다

• Financial problems can put a strain on even the strongest relationships.
  • 재정 문제는 아무리 튼튼한 관계에도 부담을 줄 수 있다.

A: They seem really distant from each other lately.

B: That argument put a serious strain on their friendship.

Time did nothing to heal the wound — 시간이 지나도 그 상처는 아물지 않았다

• Even after years, time did nothing to heal the wound.
  • 수년이 흘렀지만 시간은 그 상처를 아물게 해주지 못했다.

A: Has he gotten over the breakup yet?

B: Not at all — time did nothing to heal the wound.

fuel one’s motivation — 동기를 불어넣다

• Her coach’s praise fueled her motivation to keep training.
  • 코치의 칭찬이 계속 훈련하려는 그녀의 의지에 불을 지폈다.

A: Why is she working even harder this month?

B: Losing that match really fueled her motivation.

broaden one’s horizons — 시야를 넓히다

• Living abroad for a year really broadened my horizons.
  • 1년간 해외에서 생활하며 내 시야가 정말 넓어졌다.

A: Why did you decide to study in a foreign country?

B: I wanted to broaden my horizons and experience new cultures.

just click — 말하지 않아도 통하다, 서로 잘 맞다

• We just clicked the moment we met at the workshop.
  • 우리는 워크숍에서 만나자마자 바로 통했다.

A: How did you two become such close friends so fast?

B: We just clicked — same sense of humor and everything.

translate into — ~로 이어지다, ~(결과)로 나타나다

• All that hard work translated into a well-deserved promotion.
  • 그 모든 노력이 마땅히 받아야 할 승진으로 이어졌다.

A: Did all those late nights actually pay off?

B: Yes — the effort translated into our best sales numbers ever.

strike a raw nerve — 오랫동안 묻어두었던 감정을 건드리다, 예민한 부분을 자극하다

• His comment about failure struck a raw nerve with the whole team.
  • 실패에 관한 그의 발언이 팀 전체의 예민한 부분을 건드렸다.

A: Why did she go so quiet after that remark?

B: It struck a raw nerve — she’s still sensitive about that.

keep up appearances — 겉으로는 괜찮은 척하다

• She kept up appearances at work despite struggling at home.
  • 그녀는 집에서 힘든 상황에도 직장에서는 괜찮은 척했다.

A: They seemed perfectly fine at the dinner party.

B: They were just keeping up appearances — things are rough.

drift apart — 서로 멀어지다, 거리가 생기다

• After college, we slowly drifted apart over the years.
  • 대학 졸업 후 우리는 세월이 흐르면서 서서히 멀어졌다.

A: Are you still close with your high school friends?

B: Not really — we’ve all drifted apart since moving away.

composed on the outside, but panicking on the inside — 겉으로는 침착한 척하지만 속으로는 당황하다

• During the presentation I was composed on the outside but panicking on the inside.
  • 발표하는 동안 겉으로는 침착했지만 속으로는 당황하고 있었다.

A: You looked so calm during that tough negotiation!

B: Trust me, I was composed on the outside but panicking on the inside.

put one’s mind at ease — 마음을 놓이게 하다, 안심시키다

• The doctor’s reassurance put my mind at ease immediately.
  • 의사의 말에 나는 바로 마음이 놓였다.

A: Were you really worried about the test results?

B: A lot — but the good news put my mind at ease.

reconnect — 다시 가까워지다, 다시 연결되다

• We reconnected over coffee after five years apart.
  • 우리는 5년 만에 커피를 마시며 다시 가까워졌다.

A: Did you ever reach out to your old college roommate?

B: Yes! We finally reconnected and caught up on everything.

✅ Check Yourself

Q1. Bringing up her failed marriage at the dinner table really ____.

• struck a raw nerve
• broke the tension
• put her mind at ease
• fueled her motivation

Q2. We had been planning the trip for months, but it ____ at the last minute.

• fell through
• fell out of touch
• drifted apart
• got awkward

Q3. He asked a few unrelated questions just to ____ before presenting his report.

• buy some time
• carry the conversation
• break the tension
• keep cool

Q4. She smiled and told everyone she was fine, trying to ____.

• keep up appearances
• keep cool
• break the tension
• reconnect

Q5. They met at the job interview and immediately ____— finishing each other’s sentences from day one.

• just clicked
• broke the tension
• reconnected
• got awkward

Q6. All those late nights studying didn’t ____ the grades she’d hoped for.

• translate into
• take a toll on
• put a strain on
• fuel her motivation

Q7. After her recovery, her therapist advised her to take it ____.

• one day at a time
• keep cool
• fall through
• get awkward

Q8. He pitched the marketing idea to the board, but it just didn’t ____.

• fly
• carry the conversation
• just click
• keep cool