Learn Some Common Expressions

Act one’s age: behave maturely

e.g. Stop behaving like a teenager! Act your age.

Call someone on the carpet: scold or reprimand

e.g. If you late for work one more time, the manager will call you on the carpet.

Full of crap: talking nonsense all the time

e.g. I don’t like your friend; he’s full of crap.

Lead someone astray: cause someone to do something wrong or illegal

e.g. If you are always in the company of lawbreakers, you  may be easily be led astray.

Pass the hat: collect money for

e.g. He is always passing the hat for something.

No can do: impossible

e.g. He asked me for more money. I told him no can do.

Bag your face: shut up!

e.g. You and your loud mouth! Go and bag your face!

One’s days are numbered: about to die or to be dismissed

e.g. The manager doesn’t like her.  I would say her days are numbered.

Occur to someone: come to mind

e.g. It never occurred to me that I would fail my driving test.

Live beyond one’s means: spend more than one can earn

e.g. You are in debt because you are living beyond your means.

Pain in the neck: annoyance

e.g. You are pain in the neck, always complaining about this and that.

Over the hump: overcome the most difficult part

e.g. We are now over the hump; the rest may not be that difficult.

Pay the piper: receive the punishment due

e.g. You just can’t keep on spending without paying the piper.

Ball of fire: an energetic and enthusiastic person

e.g. We all want his presence; he is a ball of fire.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Better English for You

Learn Some American Idioms

Learn Some American Idioms

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth: be appreciative of any gift

e.g. You should be more thankful and less critical of the gifts from your friends; don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Dose of one’s own medicine: being treated the way one treats others

e.g. Now you’re getting a dose of your own medicine—see how you like it!

In nothing flat: in exactly no time at all

e.g. Don’t worry! I’ll get you to the airport in nothing flat.

Leave no stone unturned: try every possible way

e.g. The police will leave no stone unturned to find your stolen car.

Go back on one’s word: break a promise

e.g. Going back on your word does not make you a trustworthy person.

Alive and kicking: living and healthy; okay

e.g. I had been sick for some time, but now I am alive and kicking.”

e.g. “How are you?” “Well, alive and kicking.”

Cold cash: money not credit

e.g. Will you give me a better price if I give you cold cash?

Come again: please repeat

e.g. “I’m not going to help you.” “Come again.”

Needless to say: obviously

e.g. Needless to say, we were pleased with the outcome of the election.

More dead than alive: completely exhausted

e.g. I was more dead than alive after fixing the driveway.

Never say die: never give up

e.g. The outcome might not be optimistic, but never say die.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Correct Use of the Comma

Punctuation is a device in writing to help your readers understand better what you have expressed in your writing. There are certain punctuation rules you need to follow in order to make your meaning clear and your sentences effective.

The Comma

(1) The comma is used for clarity in separating different parts (words, phrases, or clauses) of a sentence.

e.g. The box contained some nails, a pair of cloves, and a hammer.

The comma before and is optional, but is preferable where clarity may be an issue. The comma is not omitted before and in a series of independent clauses.

e.g. The father took the key, his children carried the bag, and their dog followed them.

(2) The comma separates independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (but).

 e.g. This is an excellent movie, but many people have not seen it.

(3) The comma separates a dependent clause from an independent one.

e.g. Although this is an excellent movie, many people have not seen it.

(4) The comma separates coordinate adjectives (describing the same noun) without the conjunction and.

e.g. a tall, dark, handsome man (coordinating adjectives)

However, the comma is omitted in cluster adjectives (describing the subsequent words)

e.g. a dark brown leather jacket (dark describes brown; brown describes leather; and leather describes jacket)

(5) The comma is used for clarity of meaning.

e.g. At sixty-five, you may consider retirement.

e.g. Not getting any sleep, the man felt exhausted.

e.g. To write effectively, you must learn some basic writing skills.

(6) The comma separates a non-essential clause or sentence element from the rest of the sentence.

e.g. Look at this book, which was found on the kitchen floor!

There is only one book here, and it was found on the kitchen floor; which was found on the kitchen floor becomes only additional but not essential information (indicated by the presence of the commas).

Look at another example:

e.g. Look at this book that was found on the kitchen floor!

There are many other books, and this one was found on the kitchen floor; that was found on the kitchen floor is essential information because it identifies which book to look at (indicated by the absence of the commas).

(7) The comma separates modifiers and conjunctive adverbs.

e.g. He was helpful. For example, he always helped in the kitchen.

e.g. He was a fast runner. In fact, he was the fastest on record.

e.g. There are several things you must do. In the first place, you must have the mindset to be diligent.

e.g. He wanted to pass the exam. Therefore, he worked extra hard.

e.g. She was beautiful. Moreover, she had a taste for fashion.

e.g. He is always helpful. Nevertheless, this time he did not lift a finger to help me.

e.g. He knew he was wrong. Thus, he apologized right away.

(8) The comma is NOT used before subordinating conjunctions (after, although, because, before, if, since, unless, until, when, where).

e.g. You cannot leave now because the airport is closed. (NO comma)

e.g. Because the airport is closed, you cannot leave now. (comma here)

e.g. Do not call 911 unless it is an emergency. (NO comma)

e.g. Unless it is an emergency, do not call 911. (comma here)

e.g. We left the bar when we finished our drinks. (NO comma)

e.g. When we finished our drinks, we left the bar. (comma here)

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Choosing the Right Words

Choosing the Right Words

Effective writing is about choosing the right words and using them correctly.

Flair and Flare

e.g. You always have a flair for fashion. (natural talent)

e.g. The fireworks exploded in a flare. (bright light)

Censor and Censure

e.g. We had to censor this film before letting the public view it. (edit or remove anything objectionable)

e.g. We had to censure the producer for making this controversial film. (condemn)

Exhausting and Exhaustive

Exhausting means “tiring out”; exhaustive means “complete or thorough.”

e.g. This work is too exhausting for me.

e.g. Exhaustive research on cancer cure has been conducted for decades.

Different from and Different than

e.g. The movie was different from the book.

e.g. The movie was different than I had expected. (than a subordinating conjunction)

Grisly and Grizzly

e.g. A grisly crime was committed in this quiet neighborhood. (terrifying)

e.g. I saw a grizzly bear at our backyard. (hairy)

Eminent and Imminent

e.g. My daughter is an eminent attorney. (prominent; well known)

e.g. A storm was imminent. (coming soon)

Beside and Besides

e.g. He was sitting beside me. (next to)

e.g. Besides cycling, he was interested in swimming. (in addition to; apart from)

   

Complement and Compliment

e.g. What a wonderful dessert to complement the meal! (complete)

e.g. I wish to compliment you on your success.(praise)

Any way and Anyway

e.g. I cannot think of any way to do this. (any method)

e.g. I didn’t like it, but I did it anyway. (in any case; just the same)

Bad and Badly

Bad is always an adjective; badly is always an adverb:

e.g. Don’t feel bad about getting a “C” in your English. (NOT badly: a bad feeling)

e.g. I performed badly in the piano competition. (NOT bad: performed badly or poorly)

e.g. The food looked bad to me. (NOT badly: bad or rotten food)

e.g. He coughed badly. (NOT bad: coughed seriously)

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Learn Some Slang

Language is forever changing. What is currently acceptable or popular may be replaced by something else in years to come, and the use of slang is a strong testament to that. Slang is just an alternative way of saying something. It is sometimes hard to identify what is slang and what is not. Slang and colloquial expressions are often acceptable in informal writing because they are used in communication in movies, newspapers, radio, television, and other mass media The more you learn, the more you will know when to use or not to use them in your formal writing. No matter what, knowing these common everyday expressions is a plus for all ESL learners.

By a long chalk: by a great amount.

e.g. He lost his re-election by a long chalk.

Get wise to: discover; realize.

e.g. Soon you’ll get wise to what is really happening under the roof.

Killer: a very funny joke.

e.g. That last one was really a killer;  everybody laughed.

Kick back: relax and enjoy.

e.g I really want to kick back and enjoy the music.

Go the whole hog: go through thoroughly.

e.g. The prosecutor went the whole hog when he inspected the murder weapon.

Alive and kicking: in good health.

"How is your grandmother doing?" "Very much alive and kicking."

For a song: very cheaply.

e.g. I got that piece of antique for a song.

Head above water: out of debt.

e.g. Nowadays, it is not easy to keep your head above water.

Mean-green: money.

e.g. Can I borrow a little mean-green from you?

All that jazz: all that sort of thing; etcetera.

e.g. He was telling everyone about his success in real estate investment and all that jazz. Well, we all heard that before.

In a jiffy: soon.

e.g. The manager will see you in a jiffy.

Head above water: out of debt.

e.g. Nowadays, it is not easy to keep your head above water.

Next to nothing: hardly anything.

e.g. “Did she leave you anything at all?” “Well, next to nothing.”

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Learn Some Common American Expressions

Learn Some Common American Expressions

Half-baked: silly.

e.g. What do you take me for? A fool half-baked!

Keep early hours: go to bed early.

e.g. If you want good health, keep early hours.

Hard stuff: whisky or any liquor.

e.g."Would you like a Coke?" "I'd prefer some hard stuff."

Make one's pile: make one's fortune.

e.g. Real estate is where he makes his pile.

Go under: fail.

e.g. I am sorry to say that all your proposals have gone under.

Hook on to: attach oneself to.

e.g. Don't hook on to your computer all day.

Hook it: depart immediately.

e.g. Come on, hook it; our parents will be back soon.

Can't complain: okay.

e.g. "How are things going with you?" "Can't complain."

What gives?: what happened?

e.g. "Hey, guys, what gives?" "We just had an argument; now it's okay."

e.g. "Where's your purse? What gives?"

Heads up: look around; be careful.

Pooped: exhausted.

e.g. I was pooped after working for nine hours in the yard.

Hard at it: busy.

.e.g. "Are you working on the project?" "You bet! I'm hard at it."

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Common Colloquial Expressions for ESL Learners

Common Colloquial Expressions for ESL Learners

Expressing an opinion

As I see it

e.g. As I see it, the cold weather is going to stay for some time.

If you ask me

e.g. If you ask me, the weather is extremely cold and frigid.

The way I look at it

e.g. The way I look at it, gas price is going to go up again.

Expressing reassurance and support

We can get to the bottom of this.

e.g. Trust me, we can get to the bottom of this.

You're doing the best you can

e.g. Believe me, you're doing the best you can.

Expressing an alternative

All that's left

e.g. All that's left is to declare bankruptcy.

If all else fails

e.g. If all else fails, you can turn to your parents for financial support.

If nothing else works

e.g. If nothing else works, go on a fast to lose those extra pounds.

Expressing warning

Just a heads-up

e.g. Just a heads-up: don't go to that neighborhood at night all by yourself..

You’d better not

e.g. You'd better not put all your money on that stock; it's like putting all your eggs in one basket.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Correct Use of Words

Correct Use of Words

Effective writing means you use the language appropriately.

Indoor and Indoors: The former is an adjective, while the latter is an adverb. 

e.g. Bowling is an indoor sport.

e.g. It's raining; let's go indoors. 

Pretense and Pretension: Pretense (Br. English "pretence") is make-belief; pretension is a claim.

e.g. She made a pretense to faint in front of the audience.

e.g. Your pretension to the money is groundless.

Welcome and Welcomed: The former is an adjective, while the latter is a  participle.

e.g. You are most welcome (i.e. you are free) to take whatever you need..

e.g. The Queen was welcomed by the President of the United States

Infer and Imply: Infer means draw a conclusion from; imply means to suggest.

e.g. I can infer from what you said that you don't like him.

e.g. Your comments imply that she was not speaking the truth.

Await and Wait: Await must have an object (meaning be in store for); wait for a person or a thing.

e.g. A big fortune awaits the person with the winning lottery ticket.

e.g. I will wait for my wife here.

Forbidding and Foreboding: Forbidding means discouraging; foreboding means suggesting in advance.

e.g. The embassy with its heavy iron gates has a forbidding appearance.

e.g. Look at the dark clouds and high winds foreboding an imminent storm.

Beside and Besides: Beside means next to; besides means in addition to.

e.g. He was sitting beside the President.

e.g. Besides the difficulties, you must also consider the costs of these projects.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau