Tag: intermediate

No news is good news

  • Nothing bad happened, even if my life is a bit boring, I am happy. Most of the time news is usually about something bad, news is always

 

Make my day

  •  Do to something that make today the best day for me, better than any other day, something special

 

Thrilled to bits

  • Extremely happy, usually because some good news, it could be marriage or birth, passing your degree, celebrating

 

Can’t thank you enough

  • I want to thank you, but it was such a great thing there is no way to return the favor

 

On top of the world

  • extremely pleaded, similar to over the Moon

   

______ means a lot to me

  • something is important for, something or someone you love, you don’t want to lose. E.g. My Mum means a lot to me

  

A weight off my shoulders

  • A problem that you had previously, a burden, which disappeared, it is no more, the problem is gone

 

Can’t wait to (infinitive)

  • Looking forward to, to be excited about something in the future: I can’t wait to run. I am looking forward to running

 

Shattered/ knackered, exhausted

  • extremely tired

 

drives me crazy

  • makes you feel angry,

Fed up with sth :

  • tired, bored, angry E.g. I am fed up with pandemics

 

Under the weather

  • Little bit sick

 

Shaken up

  • Shocked, gob-smacked,

 

Bored to death

  • Extremely bored

 

Cranky:

  • Irritable, especially when you get old, you get annoyed very easily

 

Let sleeping dogs lie

  • similar to let bygones be bygones, don’t annoy or bother bad people because they can cause you problems.

What is the ‘rat race’?

  • The rat race describes the city or the environment which is very competitive, lots of people trying to improve their careers and for example in the rush hour on the metro or underground, millions of people that look like rats.

What is ‘peacocking’?

  • Strutting around like peacock, trying to impress people but in a ridiculous overstated way. Usually males who try to impress with their cars or expensive things, or even their looks.

What are ‘sheeple’?

  • People who do not think for themselves and simply follow the rules, mainstream media and government.

What does ‘barking up the wrong tree’ mean?

  • A mistaken idea about something, usually when you have an idea and you think it is correct and excellent but is completely wrong.

What is a ‘sting in the tail’?

  • Like the Scorpion. A small animal that is not that powerful or big but has the ability to cause massive damage and pain with its sting.

 

What is ‘sadfishing’?

  • Fishing for sympathy. Usually on facebook, or youtube when people talk about their problems or tragedies in order to get other people to feel sorry.

 

What is the ‘GOAT’?

  • the greatest of all time. Eliud Kipchoge.

 

What is ‘cloud cuckoo land’?

  • Absolutely insane, mad, unreal, fantasy.

What is a ‘tiger mother’?

  • Usually Chinese but also other Asian mothers who really push their kids to study and organize their schedules to become child geniuses. They are protective but also extremely ambitious for the children and try to make them achieve their greatest potential. It is mostly a positive trait.

Here are 10 must-know English expressions and their meanings

1. Best thing since sliced bread

To be fair, this is not necessarily an expression that is used very often, but it has all the more impact when it is used. This “title” should only be awarded to great ideas or innovations, preferably ones that are more genius than the invention of pre-sliced bread. I for one am not too sure what’s so great about sliced bread. It’s not that difficult to cut up bread, and an unsliced loaf stays fresh for an extra day or two…

2. Challenge accepted

This expression has gained popularity thanks to Neil Patrick Harris’ constant use as Barney Stinson in the TV show “How I Met Your Mother”. It can be used in different ways but is most appropriate when someone claims that something is impossible or should not be done for some reason. An example: “You’ll never be able to eat all of that cake!” – “Challenge accepted!”

3. Cross that bridge when you come to it

This useful expression is much loved by procrastinators because it is a convenient way to delay or avoid facing a problem! If someone points out a potential future problem, you can simply dismiss them by saying “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it”; literally meaning “I don’t want to think about this now. Let’s hope it won’t happen, but if it does, we’ll handle the problem then.”

4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Got a friend who thinks he’s a budding novelist and is thinking about quitting his day job to write full-time so that he can finish the “novel of the century”? You might want to tell him not to “put all of his eggs in one basket”. Most people probably keep their eggs in the fridge… but this expression is used when we want to caution others not to rely on just one opportunity – to keep their options open. If, however, you’re the writer and your friends say this to you, you should either give up on that novel or find yourself some new friends!

5. Dutch courage

“Dutch courage” is really more of a euphemism for drunken bravery. If you’re facing an uncomfortable task you think can only be handled with “Dutch courage” it means you’d rather be drunk (or at least a tiny bit tipsy) while performing said task. This English expression is especially relevant for language learning, as even scientists have now conceded that a few glasses of booze can help with your fluency in any language you’ve learned. But be careful not to overdo it; complete loss of speech has been linked to extreme drunkenness!

 

6. In the heat of the moment

Have you ever heard anyone say something happened “in the heat of the moment” and wondered what the temperature had to do with any of it? This expression is used to explain that a decision or action was taken in anger or passion and that, in hindsight, it may not have been the most logical idea or the best choice. It works really well as an excuse if you regret making a rash decision or saying something a bit mean.

7. Keep something at bay

This English expression can be used if you’re having a glass of germ-killing whisky or pre-emptive cold and flu medication when you feel a cold coming your way – you’d be trying to keep your cold at bay! And if you end up feeling better and having a few more tumblers of whisky, then lots of water and an aspirin will keep tomorrow’s hangover at bay. This expression really works in so many ways…

8. Make a long story short

We all know someone who loves to ramble. They are trying to make a point but instead they:

  • diverge from the point,
  • embellish the story with too much detail,
  • and therefore don’t get to said point.

Sometimes they might realise what they’re doing and quickly interrupt the flow of their babbling by using the expression “to make a long story short”. Usually by this point you’ve stopped listening so it’s a good way of getting a quick summary of their story…

9. Steal someone’s thunder

This English expression is a bit difficult to explain, so let’s try with an example: maybe you have some news that you’re super excited to tell people. If someone else announced their news before yours, they would be stealing your thunder. It also works the other way around. If you had just shared your big news with a group of friends and another friend comes in to share their news, thus interrupting the proper reaction to your news, they’d be stealing your thunder. Not cool.

10. Your guess is as good as mine

A good expression to finish off this list! If someone asks you a question you can’t answer but don’t want to say something silly like “I don’t know”, say this instead: “Your guess is as good as mine”. It makes you feel better because you don’t have to admit to not knowing the correct answer and you’ll make the other person feel great because you assume they can guess as well as you can! How is that not a win-win situation!?

tense Affirmative/Negative/Question Use Signal Words
Simple Present A: He speaks.
N: He does not speak.
Q: Does he speak?
  • action in the present taking place regularly, never or several times
  • facts
  • actions taking place one after another
  • action set by a timetable or schedule
 always, every …, never, normally, often, seldom, sometimes, usually
if sentences type I (If I talk, …)
Present Progressive A: He is speaking.
N: He is not speaking.
Q: Is he speaking?
  • action taking place in the moment of speaking
  • action taking place only for a limited period of time
  • action arranged for the future
 at the moment, just, just now, Listen!, Look!, now, right now
Simple Past A: He spoke.
N: He did not speak.
Q: Did he speak?
  • action in the past taking place once, never or several times
  • actions taking place one after another
  • action taking place in the middle of another action
 yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday
if sentence type II (If I talked, …)
Past Progressive A: He was speaking.
N: He was not speaking.
Q: Was he speaking?
  • action going on at a certain time in the past
  • actions taking place at the same time
  • action in the past that is interrupted by another action
 while, as long as
Present Perfect Simple A: He has spoken.
N: He has not spoken.
Q: Has he spoken?
  • putting emphasis on the result
  • action that is still going on
  • action that stopped recently
  • finished action that has an influence on the present
  • action that has taken place once, never or several times before the moment of speaking
 already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, up to now
Present Perfect Progressive A: He has been speaking.
N: He has not been speaking.
Q: Has he been speaking?
  • putting emphasis on the course or duration (not the result)
  • action that recently stopped or is still going on
  • finished action that influenced the present
 all day, for 4 years, since 1993, how long?, the whole week
Past Perfect Simple A: He had spoken.
N: He had not spoken.
Q: Had he spoken?
  • action taking place before a certain time in the past
  • sometimes interchangeable with past perfect progressive
  • putting emphasis only on the fact (not the duration)
 already, just, never, not yet, once, until that day
if sentence type III (If I had talked, …)
Past Perfect Progressive A: He had been speaking.
N: He had not been speaking.
Q: Had he been speaking?
  • action taking place before a certain time in the past
  • sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple
  • putting emphasis on the duration or course of an action
 for, since, the whole day, all day
Future I Simple A: He will speak.
N: He will not speak.
Q: Will he speak?
  • action in the future that cannot be influenced
  • spontaneous decision
  • assumption with regard to the future
 in a year, next …, tomorrow
If-Satz Typ I (If you ask her, she will help you.)
assumption: I think, probably, perhaps
Future I Simple(going to) A: He is going to speak.
N: He is not going to speak.
Q: Is he going to speak?
  • decision made for the future
  • conclusion with regard to the future
 in one year, next week, tomorrow
Future I Progressive A: He will be speaking.
N: He will not be speaking.
Q: Will he be speaking?
  • action that is going on at a certain time in the future
  • action that is sure to happen in the near future
 in one year, next week, tomorrow
Future II Simple A: He will have spoken.
N: He will not have spoken.
Q: Will he have spoken?
  • action that will be finished at a certain time in the future
 by Monday, in a week
Future II Progressive A: He will have been speaking.
N: He will not have been speaking.
Q: Will he have been speaking?
  • action taking place before a certain time in the future
  • putting emphasis on the course of an action
 for …, the last couple of hours, all day long
Conditional I Simple A: He would speak.
N: He would not speak.
Q: Would he speak?
  • action that might take place
 if sentences type II
(If I were you, I would go home.)
Conditional I Progressive A: He would be speaking.
N: He would not be speaking.
Q: Would he be speaking?
  • action that might take place
  • putting emphasis on the course / duration of the action
  
Conditional II Simple A: He would have spoken.
N: He would not have spoken.
Q: Would he have spoken?
  • action that might have taken place in the past
 if sentences type III
(If I had seen that, I would have helped.)
Conditional II Progressive A: He would have been speaking.
N: He would not have been speaking.
Q: Would he have been speaking?
  • action that might have taken place in the past
  • puts emphasis on the course / duration of the action