Hospital emergency, medical staff pushing patient on gurney.

A matter of life and death: Talking about importance (1)

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Hospital emergency, medical staff pushing patient on gurney.
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by Liz Walter

The word ‘important’ is extremely common and is sometimes overused by learners of English. There are many possible alternatives – so many in fact, that this is the first of two posts on the topic. This one looks at general words, words meaning ‘extremely important’ and words that carry the sense of something being necessary. Continue reading “A matter of life and death: Talking about importance (1)”

five women, wearing blue jeans and white t-shirts, seen from behind against a white background

Watch your back! Idioms with the word ‘back’

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five women, wearing blue jeans and white t-shirts, seen from behind against a white background
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by Liz Walter

There are an extraordinary number of phrases containing the word ‘back’, so today’s post will pick out some of the most useful ones, all of which use ‘back’ in the sense of a part of the body. Continue reading “Watch your back! Idioms with the word ‘back’”

a drinking glass lying on its side on a wooden floor with milk spilling from it

It is what it is: the language of acceptance

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a drinking glass lying on its side on a wooden floor with milk spilling from it
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by Liz Walter

I’ve been struck recently by the huge popularity of the phrase it is what it is. According to the New York Times, it first appeared in 1949, but it is only in this century that it has really caught on. Like many phrases that find sudden popularity, it is a neat way of expressing a concept that many of us have experienced: that a difficult situation which can’t be changed must be accepted:

My application was late and I can’t apply again until next year. Still, it is what it is. Continue reading “It is what it is: the language of acceptance”

two white mice hiding inside a hole - a white cat is visible outside

Look out! Talking about being careful.

two white mice hiding inside a hole - a white cat is visible outside
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by Liz Walter

It is natural to want our family and friends to be safe, and this post looks at words connected with being careful – both for advising people to be careful and for describing careful people and actions. Continue reading “Look out! Talking about being careful.”

close-up of a hand drawing five yellow stars with a yellow highlighter pen

Conflicting, positive or strongly held? Using the word ‘opinion’

close-up of a hand drawing five yellow stars with a yellow highlighter pen
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by Liz Walter

You will probably already know several ways to express your opinions in English. This post is about something different: the words we use with the noun opinion – in other words, its collocations. Continue reading “Conflicting, positive or strongly held? Using the word ‘opinion’”

a man looking shocked and disbelieving

No way! Using the word ‘way’ (2)

a man looking shocked and disbelieving
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by Liz Walter

My last post looked at some meanings of the word way and how to avoid common mistakes when using it. This post will look at just a few of the very many useful phrases that contain way. Continue reading “No way! Using the word ‘way’ (2)”

two hikers checking directions, their heads and bodies hidden behind a large paper map

Is this the way? Using the word ‘way’ (1)

two hikers checking directions, their heads and bodies hidden behind a large paper map
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by Liz Walter

According to the Cambridge International Corpus, we use the word way 848 times in every million words, making it extremely common (by contrast, method comes up 65 times per million). Continue reading “Is this the way? Using the word ‘way’ (1)”

a young man writing in a library, with a notebook, laptop and textbooks in front of him

Moreover, consequently and therefore: ways to link ideas (2)

a young man writing in a library, with a notebook, laptop and textbooks in front of him
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by Liz Walter

My last post looked at linkers that express the contrast between ideas. This post covers linkers for adding extra information, showing the reason for something, and showing things in sequence. Continue reading “Moreover, consequently and therefore: ways to link ideas (2)”

a young woman looking thoughtful as she writes an essay - she has a notebook and laptop in front of her

Whereas, despite and nevertheless: ways to link ideas (1)

a young woman looking thoughtful as she writes an essay - she has a notebook and laptop in front of her
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by Liz Walter

When we speak and write, it is important to show the link between different statements. For example, do we want to add information, contrast two ideas, or show that one thing is the reason for another? Of course it is possible to use very simple linking words such as and, but and so, but it is useful to have a wider range of linking words, particularly for formal or academic writing. Continue reading “Whereas, despite and nevertheless: ways to link ideas (1)”

a young man counting on his fingers and looking puzzled

At a rough guess: talking about approximate numbers and amounts

a young man counting on his fingers and looking puzzled
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by Liz Walter

We often need to talk about amounts and numbers that are not exact, either because an exact figure isn’t needed or because we don’t know it. This post looks at some words and phrases for doing this. Continue reading “At a rough guess: talking about approximate numbers and amounts”