a young man and woman sitting together in a living room smiling as they speak to each other

You’re speaking my language! Phrases with the verbs ‘speak’ and ‘say’

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a young man and woman sitting together in a living room smiling as they speak to each other
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by Liz Walter

My last post was on phrases containing the verb ‘talk’. This one looks at some phrases with the related words ‘speak’ and ‘say’. Continue reading “You’re speaking my language! Phrases with the verbs ‘speak’ and ‘say’”

three people sitting outside in a city drinking coffee and having an enthusiastic conversation

Now you’re talking! Phrases with the verb ‘talk’

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three people sitting outside in a city drinking coffee and having an enthusiastic conversation
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by Liz Walter

My last two posts (Verbs to use instead of ‘say’ and Using animal noises to show human emotions) have been about verbs that describe the way people speak. In this post and the next one, I’ll be looking at some useful phrases that actually contain the verbs talk, speak, and say. Continue reading “Now you’re talking! Phrases with the verb ‘talk’”

a young man putting chairs up on tables in a cafe as he prepares to leave work at the end of the day

At the end of the day (Phrases with ‘day’, Part 2)

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a young man putting chairs up on tables in a cafe as he prepares to leave work at the end of the day
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by Kate Woodford

In a recent post, I looked at phrases containing the word ‘day’, most of which relate in some way to time. Today, I’m considering frequent idioms that feature the word ‘day’. In many of these, the original meaning of ‘day’ isn’t quite as obvious. Continue reading “At the end of the day (Phrases with ‘day’, Part 2)”

composite photograph of the Beijing skyline seen at several different times of day and night

From one day to the next (Phrases with ‘day’, Part 1)

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composite photograph of the Beijing skyline seen at several different times of day and night
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by Kate Woodford

The word ‘day’ features in a lot of commonly used phrases and idioms so I thought I’d take a look at the most useful ones. This post focuses mainly on phrases rather than idioms. Continue reading “From one day to the next (Phrases with ‘day’, Part 1)”

a man with his mouth open and eyebrows raised in a shocked expression, halfway through removing his glasses as he stares at something off-camera

Stunned and thunderstruck (Words for being surprised or shocked)

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a man with his mouth open and eyebrows raised in a shocked expression, halfway through removing his glasses as he stares at something off-camera
izusek / iStock / Getty Images Plus

by Kate Woodford

This post is for anyone who feels they use the words ‘surprised’ and ‘shocked’ too much and is looking for more interesting alternatives. It will include both single words and phrases. Continue reading “Stunned and thunderstruck (Words for being surprised or shocked)”

a father and his young daughter sitting next to each other on a sofa and reading a news magazine together

Calling it quits and pitting your wits! (Idioms and phrases in newspapers)

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a father and his young daughter sitting next to each other on a sofa and reading a news magazine together
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by Kate Woodford

Today’s post is the latest in my ‘Idioms and phrases in newspapers’ series, which I write in order to provide you with a regular supply of contemporary, frequently used English idioms and phrases. The expressions all come from a range of national newspapers that were published on the same day. Continue reading “Calling it quits and pitting your wits! (Idioms and phrases in newspapers)”

four seated men seen from the chest downwards - three are sitting formally and wearing plain black suits, and one is sitting casually with crossed legs and wearing a bright red suit

Out of the ordinary: ways of saying that something is unusual (2)

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four seated men seen from the chest downwards - three are sitting formally and wearing plain black suits, and one is sitting casually with crossed legs and wearing a bright red suit
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by Kate Woodford

My last blog post looked at adjectives used to describe things that are unusual or in some way different. In today’s post, I focus on idioms and phrases in this area. Continue reading “Out of the ordinary: ways of saying that something is unusual (2)”

three whole fish cooking in a frying pan set over a campfire

There’s bigger fish to fry: talking about things that are not important

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three whole fish cooking in a frying pan set over a campfire
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by Liz Walter

I have recently written two posts on the topic of importance, so this one looks at the opposite: how to say that something isn’t important. Continue reading “There’s bigger fish to fry: talking about things that are not important”

a boy and his father singing and dancing together in the kitchen while doing the washing up, pretending that a scrubbing brush and mop are a microphone and guitar

Making a song and dance about it: talking about importance (2)

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a boy and his father singing and dancing together in the kitchen while doing the washing up, pretending that a scrubbing brush and mop are a microphone and guitar
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by Liz Walter

This is the second of two posts on importance and covers some more aspects of the topic.

I will start with things that are important because of their effect on someone or something else. Someone or something that has the power to affect things can be described as influential. Something that has a great effect on future events is momentous, or – even more emphatically – seismic: Continue reading “Making a song and dance about it: talking about importance (2)”

Weighed down or perking up? Phrasal verbs to express emotions, part 1

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by Liz Walter

Phrasal verbs are a very important part of English (even if students hate them!) and I have written several posts explaining useful ones. I realised recently that there is a surprisingly large number of phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs relating to emotions. Today I am going to concentrate on happiness and sadness. My next post will cover some other emotions, and a final post will present a selection of phrasal verbs for talking more generally about emotions. Continue reading “Weighed down or perking up? Phrasal verbs to express emotions, part 1”