If you are trying to improve your English, knowing these idioms will help you sound more native and will also help you understand conversations better, too!

Check out these idioms:

All fired up – Highly enthusiastic

Example– I was all fired up last night because my favorite team won the match.

An eye-opener -Something that makes you see or think about something differently from then on

Example– I was so shocked about the lack of commitment in the office, it was a real eye-opener.

At the top of your lungs – In an extremely loud voice

Example– I lost my voice from the concert because I was singing at the top of my lungs.

At your fingertips – Directly accessible

Example– You don’t need a new car, your parent’s car is at your fingertips. Can’t you just borrow it?

A ballpark figure -A rough estimate within acceptable bounds

Example– The show is coming soon so let’s come up with a ballpark figure on what we can budget for it.

Bang for your buck – Best return on investment

Example– When I was buying my house, the realtor was able to get me a $40,000 saving! It was a real bang for my buck!

Barking up the wrong tree – Doing something that won’t give you the results you want

Example– You’re barking up the wrong tree, I can’t help you with your homework.

Be a catch – Be someone worth marrying/having

Example– His parents are going to love you, you’re such a catch!

English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are a crucial part of English. You deal with all the time in both written and spoken English. Because expressions don’t always make sense exactly, still you’ll need to know yourself with the purpose and practice of each idiom. That may look like a lot of work, but learning idioms and expressions is enjoyable, especially when you compare expressions in your language. They could be similar, or completely different!

Learning to use common expressions will present your English sound like a native, so it’s a good approach to expert some of these expressions, to improve your fluency incredibly!

Examples

“Beat around the bush”

Meaning: Speaking in an indirect manner

Example: Instead of apologizing, she kept beating around the bush.

“Hold your horses”

Meaning: Wait

Example: Hold your horses! We still have to know if we were accepted.

“It takes two to tango”

Meaning: There are two people involved. Usually used in a scandal

Example: We shouldn’t only blame her, it takes two to tango.

“Blow off steam”

Meaning: feeling upset, and want to do something to reduce these sentiments,

Example: “Hey, I’m feeling angry. I’m going to go blow off some steam.”

“Stabbed in the back”

Meaning: You’ve been disappointed by someone whom you deemed you could confident.

Example: These corporations will pretend you like they’re your supporter, but they’ll stab you in the back the time it makes the economic reason for them.

“Break a leg”

Meaning: the total contradiction of what it looks

Example: “Hey, don’t you have a program today? Break a leg!”

“Up in the air”

Meaning: the situation being depicted is still uncertain, and that everything is yet doubtful.

Example: Far up in the air was a gadget that looked like an aircraft.

“Hit the hay”

Meaning: exhausted and want to go to rest.

Example: “Sorry, fellows, it’s late, so I hit the hay”!

“Rule of thumb”

Meaning: not precise, based on common experience and sense.

Example: “As a rule of thumb, Evelyn should compensate for her loss.”

“Hit the books”

Meaning: going to study

Example: “I can’t attend the party tonight, because I have to hit the books due to my exams.

“Pitch in”

Meaning: contribute to something or to join someone

Example: The Pitch-In card is a different choice offered to Buy.

“Go cold turkey”

Meaning: smoking or drinking alcohol

Example: “I haven’t an idea, she just announced last week that she’s leaving drinking.”

“Is she quit cold turkey?”

So, now what?

Now it is time to make your own examples! Create a dialogue (a conversation) of two people talking and try to incorporate at least 5 of these expressions in that dialogue.

Make it fun and creative so that the expressions will make sense!

When you finish, send them to us or leave them in the comment section below!

Good luck!

Not sure how to use them? Send us a DM we can help you make sure you understand it.

It’s impossible not to use the word because when you need to explain yourself. The word because presents an immediate explanation behind an event or activity: I was doing it because I was drained.

Giving clarifications is a fundamental piece of writing. That is why creators usually utilize the conjunctions “because” and “due to” to make connections understood. These are essentially used to introduce reasons or contentions. In any case, there are elective choices that serve to play out a similar expressive capacity.

This article is a rundown of alternatives rather than always saying “because” and “due to”.

Keep away from pointless reiterations. Think about these recommended substitutes. Use them to make the language of your writing more interesting:

As – Writers ordinarily utilized this relational word rather than “because” or “due to”. It’s an immediate equivalent word to “because”, yet an auxiliary one. For example, as they had no wings, the outsiders couldn’t take off, and on the off chance that they hopped down from such tallness, they would doubtlessly be murdered. For example, as everybody definitely knows one another, there’s no requirement for presentations. We’ll get straight into the matter of the gathering.

Due to – This is equivalent to saying “because of” and plays out the capacity of a relational word. It’s regularly used to supplant the articulation “in light of”. It’s utilized to clarify why some activity occurred or didn’t. For example, Because of the realistic idea of this recording, watcher circumspection is exhorted.

For – The next preposition is used in poetry; still, its meaning agrees to “because” and “because of”.

Example: For the storm, I might not be able to catch a flight.

Since – This one is a rather formal equivalent of “because” and “because of” expressions.

Example: You will improve since you practice every day.

Because – This phrase is similar in its meaning to the word “since” and has a formal definition. The same as “because” and “because of”, this expression implies practical information.

Example:. Because all the other members of the group are going, I think you should go too.

So what now?

Now its time to practice what you just learned!

1. Make examples for every alternative word in this article
2. Research even more words you can use instead of because that are not mentioned in this article
3. Write a list of your favorite replacement words and keep that list nearby for when you are writing in English. Then you will be able to quickly remember other words you can use instead of because.
4. Lastly, leave us a comment below to let us know which words you will use and add an example for us, too!

Your teacher,

Dawn

Small talk is a light, formal and informal way of discourse. It’s normally used when you’re communicating with someone you don’t know very well and at social meetings. In short, it is a polite conversation about insignificant things. Small talk is best for situations where silence would be awkward and inconvenient, but private conversations would be unsuitable.

Formal Small Talk

The capability to involve in small talk with clients is vital business expertise.

Business small talk ascribes to small talk that is heading for in a business setting – such as in the deep silence before a meeting. It differs a little bit from the small talk as there is generally an agenda behind the chit-chat – this could be networking or judgment more about clients.

How to start

1.       Hello/ Hey/ Yo!

2.       Hi, how are you?

3.       What’s your name?

4. Let me introduce myself, I’m _________.

5.       Good morning/afternoon/evening

6.       How’s it going?

7.       How’s your day going?

8.       Having a busy day?

9.       Where are you from?

10.     What do you do?

How to let the conversation continue to flow

1. How have you been keeping?
2. What have you been up to?
3. How’s work these days?
4. How long have you been working here?
5. What’s the most memorable event so far?
6. Do you have many projects coming up?
7. What do you like to do when you’re not at work?
8. Would you recommend that course to your friends and family?
9. What are your hours like?
10. What is your field in?
11. Where did you study?

Listen & Respond

It is vital to show acknowledgment to an individual when you are having small talk. This can be done with simple body language like head nods, eye contact, etc. You can also make comments to let the other person know you are engaged:

1.       Oh really

2.       Oh WOW!

3.       That’s interesting

4.       What happened next?

5.       Sounds great!

Close the conversation

1.       It was great to meet you.

2.       It was a pleasure meeting with you.

3.       I look forward to seeing you again.

4.       Let’s keep in touch.

5.       Have a safe journey back.

Informal Small Talk

When would you use informal small talk? Usually you would use informal small talk when you are a customer at a business, at a friendly gathering, at the coffee shop, and more. Usually, when you are going to talk to someone who is not a close friend or family member, you would likely use informal small talk. Just like formal small talk, being able to hold a conversation with someone less known to you, can create a strong first impression of you which is very appealing to other people.

How to start

• Hello
• Good morning/ afternoon/ evening
• Hey, how is your day going?
• Nice to meet you.

How to let the conversation continue to flow

1.       How did you get here today?    

2.       What is your hobby/ favorite thing to do in your spare time?

3.       Do you have to travel regularly for work?

4.       What do you think of public transport here? 

5.       What do think of the weather?

6.       What do you like to do on the weekends?

7.       Do you play any sports?

8.       Would you like to get a coffee?

9.      Where did you study at college/ university?

10. Do you speak any other languages?

11. What do you do for work?

12. What movie have you seen in theatres recently? What did you think about it?

Just like formal small talk, you should listen, respond and close the conversation seamlessly.

So what now?

Now is the perfect time to practice with a partner! If you have a friend who is a native English speaker (or near-native), then ask them to practice with them! Use different scenarios that can help you think of several different ways to effectively have small talk with a complete stranger.

Remember, the more you practice, the more you are able to effectively have small talk without worry!

Good luck!

Your teacher,

Dawn

A phrasal verb is a phrase or expression made of a verb plus another word or two words. In this article, we are going to see how three different phrasal verbs that have the common word “call” have completely different meanings.

“Call in”

1). To communicate by telephone (frequently a television or radio station to give your view, or at the workplace)

Example: Call in to tell us about your comical pets, and you could win $1000!

Example: Jack called into work sick today.

2)   To ask someone to come and carry out a job

Example: We had to call in the doctor as all the grandma is not feeling well.

3)  To visit someone

Example: Can you call in on mother on your way home and make sure she is at home?

4)       To ask a person, especially a professional, to come to check

Example: We had to call in the plumber when there was no water in our house.

5)       To ask someone to enter a room

Example: My boss called me into his office yesterday to give me a notice because I came to work late twice this week.

“Call out”

There are two ways to use “call out”

•         Expose someone

Example:  He called out his boss for inappropriate behavior.

•         Say something out loud 

Example:  She called out for help after she dropped the coffee pot

Examples

1)       To shout or speak vociferously to get someone’s consideration

Example: I called out his name, but he couldn’t hear me over the music.

2)       To ask someone to come and carry out a job

Example: We had to call out the fumigators to deal with the mice and cockroaches.

3)       To challenge or condemn someone

Example: She called out his actions, and he expressed regret.

If I think you’ve done something wide of the mark, I’ll call you out                  

4)       Order or request help

Example: They called out the fire services when they saw the high flames.

“Call up”

What’s the difference between call and call up to mean make a phone call to? Is the latter any more casual than the former, or is it mostly a regional thing?

Examples

1)       To telephone somebody

Example: As soon as I heard the news, I called up my stockbroker and told him to sell the share.

Example: I called up Tom a day before as we hadn’t talked in months.

2)       To be summoned for military service

Example: I was called up when I was only 16!

3)       To bring back memories

Example: That melody calls up winter in the Lake District.

4)       To use magic to try and make the spirit of a dead person appear

Example: One Halloween we heard to call up the ghost of my sister!

5)       To make information in a computer pop up on the screen

Example: If you want to call up the report, we can go through it mutually.

6)       Select someone to play on a team

Example: He was called up to play for Peru in the World Cup.

So what now?

Now it’s time to put this into practice! Keep in mind that phrasal verbs are meant to be used to in casual conversations, never formal. For this reason, I would recommend creating your own examples and say them out loud. You could even create a scenario where you use all three in one conversation. By doing this, you will be combining several skills into one exercise that will enhance your fluency in English.

Good luck!

Your teacher,

Dawn

In British English, ‘practise’ is used as a verb, whereas ‘practice’ is used as a noun. However, in American English, ‘practice’ is used both as a verb and a noun. Using practice as both the noun and verb forms, ‘Practise’ and ‘Practice’ look very similar but their meaning is very different. Several other English words ending in ‘-ice’ and ‘-I’ can be confusing for English learners.

I’ll share some of the best tricks for remembering the difference between them. By the end of this blog post, you should be about to grasp the difference between ‘Practice’ and ‘Practise’.

‘Practice’ as a noun

In American English, ‘practice’ is used as a verb. It means “to do things regularly to master it” or “to pursue as an occupation or art.” So a churchgoer can practice their religion like a student practice the violin. As a noun, ‘practice’ means a “habit or way” (as in a religious custom). It can also mean “repeated exercise to acquire a skill” (e.g., practice makes perfect) or “the chasing of a profession” (e.g., He just retired from his medical practice).

British and American English uses this noun insight of ‘practice’.

The noun practice can mean a drill or run-through, doing something, or habitual action.

It can also indicate an office pertaining to certain professionals – such as a doctor’s practice, a lawyer’s practice, or the dentist’s practice.

Examples

1.       She was skilled in the practice of law.

2.       I need a practice session before my piano recital.

3.       I went to the local medical practice to see a doctor for my throat infection.

4.       I want to improve our workplace practices so that we can create a friendlier work environment.

5.       She manages a Law practice’ and ‘its common practice’ (practice is a noun).

6.      His father joined him and handed him his wooden practice sword.

It’s also accepted as an adjective, such as in ‘Linda took a practice shot.’

‘Practise’ as a verb

In British English, the verb form of the word is purified as “practise”. In earlier cases, churchgoers “practise” their religion, while student “practises” their instrument. This rule is valid for British, Canadian, and Australian English. The verb “practise” means performing to improve, carry out, or be engaged in a particular occupation. So you might “practise” scales on the piano, or “practise” law.

Examples

1.       I want to practise English so that I can become a confident speaker.

2.       I practise cricket for one hour every day because I have an exam next month.

3.       He settled in Amsterdam, intending to practise medicine.

4.       He sat down to practise scales on the piano.

5.       She has been practising law for three years.

The bottom line

In summary, the difference is from the location where it is used. In American English, practice is used as both a noun and a verb. In British, Canadian, and Australian English, practice is a noun and practise is a verb.

How can you use this?

Whether you use practice or practise, be mindful of which English you are writing in. If you are writing in American English because you prefer it or because you are writing for Americans, make sure you are consistently using practice and do not change it. You will also need to remember to use all American English rules and never mix the rules with British English.

The best way to practice any English exercise is to do it consistently. If you prefer to use British English, create 5 examples of both practice and practise so that you can train your subconscious to know the difference.

What is the difference between these two similar words? Can’t we just use them the same way? Surprisingly, there is just a small difference that changes one into a verb and the other into a noun.

Usually, word choice posts include homophones (i.e., words that sound similar but have different spellings, origins, and meanings). In this case, yet, we’re considering two variants of the same word: Extent and Extend. Both terms tell the scope, length, or degree of something, but one is a noun, and the other is a verb. Puzzling them in your work can, as a result, affect its clarity. As such, in this post, we are looking at how to use them correctly.

Extent (The length or degree of something)

“Extent” has a noun sense, “the length or degree of something.”

In a physical sense, this refers to the size or three-dimensional of something. Whereas in a non-physical sense, it relates to the significance or scope of something. For example:

We weren’t ready for the extent of the damage.

In both situations, “extent” is always used as a thing rather than an action.

Examples

1: To what extent does physical exercise release moodiness?

Example: She walked the extent of the plank, then go down into the sea below.

2: Length, area, range

Example: Let me check the full extent of the park.

Example: The race track is almost five kilometers in extent.

3: SCOPE the extent of her jurisdiction

Example: Should we MAGNITUDE the extent of the forest?

4: Limit or degree to which something extends using talents to the greatest extent

Example: Ali was surprised at the extent of his awareness.

5: seizure (as of land)

Example: The community playground surrounds over an acre in extent.

And as the degree of something is a thing, not an action, the right term will always be “extent” in such situations.

Extend (to stretch out or enlarge)

“Extend” is a verb, so it expresses an action. In a physical sense, “extend” can mean stretch out or place something at full length, grow, or develop. In a non-physical sense, “extend” can recommend expanding the range of something. Or it can indicate increasing the length of time over which something happens:

For instance:

• These results support extending the plan to new populations.
• Extending his arm, David plucked an apple from the tree.
• To assure security, we will extend our testing period up to three months.
• In thanks for your help, I’d like to extend a request to the book launch.

In all situations, however, to “extend” is an action.

Examples

1: She extends her hand in friendship.

Example: She extended the aerial, wishing to get better reception.

2: Make longer or larger

Example: Joe, can you extend your stay a few more days longer?

Example: The fence should be extended.

3: to stretch out in distance, space, or time:

Example: Their jurisdiction extended over the whole area

4: to exert (oneself) to full capacity

Example: James could work long and hard without seeming to extend himself.

5: to cause to reach (as in distance or scope)

Example: National authority was extended over new territories

6: to cause to be of greater area or volume

Example: Extended the yard to the back of the house.

How can I practice using extend and extent?

The best thing for you to do right now is to make your own examples! Use the different scenarios you have seen in this post and then create your own for every one. Writing them down is a great idea and an even better idea is to create a full conversation and try to include a few different examples all together.