Session 45
September 19, 2026 · Intermediate → B2
- Luck & the lucky break
- self-made success, legacy & inheritance
- military-service exemption
- using an opportunity (vs being used)
1 Corrections
How you said it, the natural version, and why. These are your own sentences.
How you said it
When we were sitting the break room.
The natural version
When we were sitting in the break room.
You sit in a room — don't drop the preposition.
How you said it
He applied anesthesia to her.
The natural version
He gave her the anesthetic (administered the anesthesia).
We give / administer an anesthetic. "Apply" is for creams, plasters, or rules.
How you said it
It was a strike of luck.
The natural version
It was a stroke of luck.
The idiom is a stroke of luck (or a lucky break). "A strike of luck" isn't natural English.
How you said it
A good employee is a bless to the company.
The natural version
A good employee is a blessing to the company.
The noun is a blessing. "Bless" is only a verb ("God bless you").
How you said it
To be in the right place in the right time.
The natural version
To be in the right place at the right time.
A point in time takes at — at the right time, at 3 o'clock.
How you said it
The daughter of the princes came to the hospital he works at.
The natural version
The prince's daughter came to the hospital he works at.
For people, use the possessive 's: the prince's daughter (not "the daughter of the prince").
1b Already right
These needed no correction at all.
He was the doctor who gave her the anesthetic.
Nice — correct relative pronoun who for a person.
2 Grammar tips
Relative pronoun + preposition at the end
who for people, which/that for things; the preposition can sit at the end.
the hospital (that) he works at; the doctor who treated her.
Word families (verb ↔ noun)
Learn the pair together.
exempt → an exemption; inherit → an inheritance.
Prepositions: at a time, in a place
Use at for a point in time, in for an enclosed place.
at the right time; in the break room.
Uncountable nouns
advice, money, work take no "a" and no plural.
He listened to my advice (not "advices").
Possessive 's with people
For a person + their thing, use 's, not "the ... of the ...".
the prince's daughter; the president's son; my mentor's advice.
take advantage of — two meanings
Same phrase, opposite tone: (1) use an opportunity well; (2) use a person unfairly.
He took advantage of the chance. / He took advantage of me and gave me nothing.
3 New words and phrases
4 Pronunciation
- ·anestheticStress on THET; the noun anesthesia is "an-uhs-THEE-zhuh."
5 Practice sentences
01Meeting the prince's daughter was a lucky break — a real stroke of luck.
02He was the doctor who gave her the anesthetic, and it changed everything.
03For that young doctor, that day was a turning point in his life.
04A good mentor guides you in everything, especially early in your career.
05He took advantage of the opportunity, but he never took advantage of anyone.
06He didn't earn the hospital himself; he only has a share in it.
07I'm a self-made businessman — I inherited nothing.
08After his father died he inherited all the money, but he wanted his own legacy.
09He paid compensation so that he would be exempt from military service.
10Losing my company was a blessing in disguise, because I met my business partner.
11A good employee is a blessing to the company.
12It's too risky — I don't want to risk it. Go big or go home, they say.
6 Model sentences
Read these out loud three times.
Being in the right place at the right time was a lucky break that changed his whole life.
The doctor who gave the princess the anesthetic became famous overnight.
A real mentor doesn't look down on you; he guides you and helps you grow.
He's a self-made man — he earned everything and inherited nothing.
He has only a small share in the hospital, so he didn't really earn it.
Sometimes a disaster turns out to be a blessing in disguise.
He paid compensation to be exempt from military service.
His greatest legacy wasn't his money, but the students he taught.
7 Mini-dialogue
- A
Did you hear how Dr. Sami became famous?
- B
No — was it hard work, or a lucky break?
- A
A real stroke of luck. He gave the anesthetic to a prince's daughter.
- B
So he was in the right place at the right time?
- A
Exactly. It was a turning point — now he has a share in a big hospital.
- B
So he's self-made?
- A
Not quite. He didn't earn it alone; luck opened the door, and he took advantage of it.
- B
Well, sometimes luck is a blessing in disguise.
Read A, say B's line yourself, then check.
8 Homework
- Writing: Describe a lucky break or turning point in your life, in 6 sentences, using stroke of luck, turning point, and take advantage of.
- Two meanings: Write 2 sentences with take advantage of — one meaning "use an opportunity," one meaning "use a person unfairly."
- Word families: Write the noun for each verb — exempt → ___, inherit → ___ — and use each noun in a sentence.
- Possessives: Rewrite with 's — "the son of the president," "the daughter of the prince," "the advice of my mentor."
- Vocabulary: Use self-made, legacy, a share in, and blessing in disguise in four sentences about a successful person.
- Speaking: Say these out loud three times each and record yourself — anesthetic, exemption, inheritance, franchise, neurosurgeon.
9 Self-check
This session was all about luck and success — a lucky break, a stroke of luck, being in the right place at the right time, and the turning point that follows. I can now tell a whole “how he made it” story.
I need to remember the small things: it's a stroke of luck (not a “strike”), at the right time (not “in”), and a blessing (not “a bless”). And take advantage of has two very different meanings.
I enjoyed the deeper words — self-made, legacy, inheritance, exemption, and blessing in disguise. Next time I'd like more of this B2 vocabulary for talking about success and ambition.