IDIOMS = DAILY LIFE

EATING AND SLEEPING 

1. Square meal = a big meal with all types of food your body needs (equal/balance) 

You shouldn’t just snack try to have at least one square meal every day. 

2. Done to a turn = perfectly cooked (cooked both side) 

The meat is delicious. It’s done to a turn. 

3. Eat like a pig = eats very greedily and unpleasantly = not nice

He has no manners, he eats like a pig. 

4. Eat like a horse = eats a lot 

She's quite thin, even though she eats like a horse

5. Eat like a bird = eats very little 

She’s quite fat, even though she eats like a bird

6. Burn the midnight oil = work or study until very late at night

Try not to burn the midnight oil the night before n exam. It's best to get an early night

7. Sleep on it = postpone making a decision until after a nights sleep 

Don't decide now - sleep on it and see how you feel in the morning

8. Go / be out like a light = fell asleep very quickly

The little boy went out like a light as soon as he went to bed

9. Not lose sleep over sth = not worry about 

It was just a silly argument - I wouldn't lose any sleep over it 

More daily life idioms 

1. I don't know whether I'm coming or going = unable to think or decide what to do because there are so many things to deal with.

I've been really busy; in fact, i don't know whether i'm coming or going! 

2. Out on the town = spend the evening in the bars, restaurants or clubs

They"re lovely but they want to go out on the town every night. 

3. Give it a miss = not take part (informal) 

Well, last night i suggested to give it a miss, but they wouldn't listen.

4. Outstayed their welcome = stayed longer than the host would like 

Well, I enjoying at first but now I'm fed up. They've outstayed their welcome 

5. On the hoof = while doing other things 

I'll just have to have a sandwich on the hoof 

6. Pass the time of day = have a short, informal conversation or chat 

There's not even a spare moment to pass the time of day with colleagues. 

7. Having a bad hair day = a day when you think that you look unattractive, especially because of your hair; often used humorously to describe a day when everything seem to go wrong (informal)

I'm having a bad hair day today. 

8. Take each day as it comes = deal with things as they happen and not worry about future; often used to describe recovering from an illness

How is your father feeling after operation ?

He's just trying to take each day as it comes. 

9. Creature comforts = physical comfort like. Comfortable bed, hot water, food and warmth 

When Sam first went travelling, he really missed his creature comforts, like hot water and a soft bed.

10. On the house = free from the business

We went out for a meal and the owner let us have it on the house.

Today Learning - Idiom being angry

Couch potato : someone being lazy and not doing anything.
Copycat : someone who doing the same thing as someone else.

A. BEING ANGRY 

I'm FED UP (to the back teeth) with trying to live on such small wage.

I'm at my WITS END trying to keep things in order.
(wits= intelligence, brains)

I've HAD IT UP HERE with this organisation!

Informal used about other people :

Your boss will HAVE/THROW A FIT when he finds out you forgot to reply to those letters.
(go off the deep end / go spare/ do his nut / blow a fuse)


Less informal described other people's anger and are based on the world blood.

If someone's blood is up, they are very angry or excited and may react in a violent way.

If you are after someone's blood, you want to catch them in order to hurt or punish them.

If you are out of blood, you are determined to find someone to attack or blame for something bad that has happened. 

B. ANGRY RELATIONSHIPS

Meaning: making someone very angry or sometimes very bored.

Idiom: drive someone up the wall / drive/send someone round the bend/twist

Example:
The neighbor's loud music every night is driving me up the wall.

His lack of consideration is driving me round the twist.

Meaning: make someone annoyed.

Idiom: rub someone up the wrong way / get/put someones's back up / ruffle someone's feathers 

Example:
Jill always manages to say something to rub her father up the wrong way.

Roger put his sister's back up by saying she would never be a good driver.


Meaning: do or say something that makes a lot of people angry or worried.

Idiom: Put/send the cat among the pigeons

Example: Danny put the cat among the pigeons by suggesting that the company might have to make some redundancies.

Meaning: be so angry with each other that they refuse to speak to each other

Idiom: not be on speaking terms

Example: The haven't been on speaking terms for years although neither can remember what they first quarreled about.

Meaning: tell someone how angry you are with them

Idiom: give someone an earful / give someone a piece of mind 

Example:
The old lady gave the children an earful for nearly knocking her over.

He'll give the boys a piece of mind if he catches them in his garden.

New Phrase : Cherry Pick

Feifei

Hello, this The English We Speak. I'm Feifei… 

Rob

…and hello, I'm Rob.

Feifei

Why have you brought a bowl of fruit into the studio?

Rob

I'm not feeling great - and you know fruit is packed with vitamin C, so I though eating some would do me good.

Feifei

Hmm I see. Well, I'm sorry you're not feeling great, but we have got a programme to do and an English phrase to teach.

Rob

If you don't mind, I might just read a few lines from the script today - to save my voice. Perhaps I could just read the funny lines?

Feifei

No Rob! You can't just cherry-pick what you want to say. 

Rob

Cherry-pick? No Feifei, there aren't any cherries in my fruit bowl- so I won't be picking any. 

Feifei

I wasn't referring to your fruit. When you cherry-pick something, it means you choose only what's best or most desirable out of a group of things or a group of people. But Rob, you're not going to do that, are you? 

Rob

Errr… shall we hear some examples of other cherry pickers? 

Examples

Josh says he cherry-picked the players for his football team based on their skills - but I know it's because they were his friends! 

We need to cherry-pick the best food for our new restaurant - we really want to impress our customers. 

It seems unfair that our school has cherry-pickedthe best students to attend the conference - we should all have a chance to go. 

Feifei

You're listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English and we're talking about the phrase 'to cherry-pick', which means 'to choose the best or most desirable things from a group'. And Rob wants to cherry-pick only the best lines to read from this script. It's a bit unfair, Rob… 

Rob

I was just trying to save my voice but I will do my best. Would you like a piece of fruit from the bowl, Feifei?

Feifei

Oh, OK then. Err, that banana is a bit mouldy… that orange is a bit yellow…I'll have this apple, please.

Rob

Hmm, looks like you're cherry-picking the best piece of fruit. Right, well, now that you've got my delicious apple, do you mind if I go now - I'm really not feeling great.

Feifei

Oh go on, Rob. But next time I'm going to cherry-pick who I present with - someone who wants a bite of the cherry to work with me. A bite of the cherry means 'a chance or opportunity'. I need someone with a bit more… stamina. See ya. 

Rob

Bye.

Language to booking a venue - English for work - BBC

Narrator

Hello again and welcome to English at Work.

The team at Tip Top Trading has lots to do, but now Anna has discovered she has to organise a launch party for the new plastic aubergine.

It's taking place at the end of the week and nobody has organised a venue yet! 

I think Anna is going to need some help.

Paul

So Anna, I'm sorry Tom didn't tell you but do you think you can turn something round by Friday?

Anna

I'll try, but what do I need to do?

Paul

Oh not much, book a room somewhere, send out some invites… arrange some food… and drink… that sort of thing.

Anna

That's all?!

Paul

You can do it - you're great at this kind of thing. And get the team to help.

Anna

Well, I'll give it a go. See you later.

Paul

Thanks Anna. And don't forget to order some of those posh Belgian chocolate biscuits, they always go down well with the clients.

Narrator

Oh dear Anna. It looks like you have your work cut out.

Anna

Cut out?

Narrator

I mean, you have a difficult job to do - but as Paul says, you can do it.

Anna

Thanks.

Tom

Are you OK Anna? You look a bit worried.

Anna

I am. You forgot to tell me about the product launch on Friday and now Paul wants me to organise it.

Tom

Did I? Oh sorry. Look, if I can help in any way, just let me know.

Anna

Well, you could book a venue for the launch.

Tom

Ahh yeah… just remembered, I've got some Imperial Lemons I need to send out. Maybe later, yeah?

Anna

How am I going to find a venue for the launch at such short notice?

Narrator

You need to ask for recommendations, search on the internet, or look in the phone directory, and then make a call.

You need to say Could I check availability for your venue please?, then ask What business facilities do you have? and How many people can the room or venue hold?

You could ask Can you provide hospitality? - that's things like food and drink. 

Finally, don't forget to ask How much does it cost?

Anna

Thanks, there's a lot to ask. Hi Denise, I've got to book a venue for our plastic aubergine launch. Have you any ideas?

Denise

Well, my friend Marge works for a hotel company that has conference facilities. You could give her a call. Look, here's her number.

Anna

Oh, thanks Denise. Let's give it a try… 0-2-0-7-5-6-9-2.

Marge

Hello, the Pitz Hotel. Margery speaking.

Anna

Oh hi, this is Anna from Tip Top Trading, I'm a friend of Denise's.

Marge

Oh hi Anna. I've heard all about you. What are you ringing for?

Anna

I need to check availability for your venue for a product launch we're doing.

Marge

Right! Well, I'm sure I can help. We do have a conference room. When is it for?

Anna

This Friday.

Marge

Friday! This Friday? Well… that's a bit tricky: the room is being decorated at the moment.

Anna

Oh.

Marge

But we do have a smaller room that you could use - it's got a lovely view of the car park.

Anna

I see… and how many people does it hold?

Marge

You could easily squeeze in about 20 people.

Anna

20 people. I guess it will have to do. Do you have any business facilities - somewhere to plug in the laptop, projector, wi-fi, that sort of thing?

Marge

Oh yes, yes, yes we're very hi-tech. We even have a fax machine!

Anna

And can you provide hospitality too?

Marge

Of course! We do a 'business platter' consisting of orange juice, sandwiches, canapés - that really means cheese and pineapple on sticks.

Anna

I wonder, can you also provide Belgian chocolate biscuits?

Marge

I'm sure we can.

Anna

That's great! OK… and most importantly, how much does it cost?

Marge

Well, to book the room for 2 hours usually costs £1,000. The hospitality is a bit extra but as you're a friend of Denise, I'll throw it in for nothing.

Anna

You'll throw the food and drink in?! Won't that get messy?

Marge

No - I mean we'll provide it for free. Just don't tell anyone, otherwise everyone will expect it!

Anna

Well, that's fantastic Marge. Thanks. If you can send us an invoice, we'll sort payment out as soon as possible.

Marge

Bye Anna, and tell Denise I'll see her for our Zumba class tomorrow.

Narrator

Anna has saved the day again.

The launch party for the plastic aubergine can now go ahead.

If you're trying to book a venue for a business meeting or product launch, here are some of the phrases you could use:

• Could I check availability for your venue please?
• What business facilities do you have?
• How many people can the room or venue hold?
• Can you provide hospitality?
• How much does it cost? 

Denise

So Anna, was Marge any help?

Anna

Yes. She found me a room and gave me a good deal. We just need to invite our clients now.

Denise

I can do that. I think it's best if I call them - there's no time to post out invitations.

Anna

Good idea.

Denise

But I just need to give Marge a call first, just to check a few things.

Tom

Typical Denise. Nothing's more urgent than talking to Marge!

Narrator

He can talk! If you need something doing it seems like Anna is the woman you need.

Find out what else she is capable of in the next episode of English at Work. Bye!

cover letter example

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6 Ways How To Improve Your English Communication Skills

1. Slow Down Your Speaking Speed.

You might be an fluent speaker when it comes to your mother tongue, but expecing the same standard from yourself when speaking in foreign language may not be very realistic.

Learners are often told not to worry about the mistakes they're making, however, it is easy to understand why you would like to make a good impression on your audience.

To overcome this difficulty, you may try slowing down your speaking speed. Nobody will get angry if you speak more slowly and clearly. Good speakers do the same to get their massage accross. Selecting your words carefully may also be seen as a sign of respect towards your audience. It shows that you want to give them the best possible answer.

2. Give Yourself Time to Think.

You may be worried that the people you are talking to are impatient and would like you to say what you want as quickly as possible.

First of all, it may not be true - people often prefer well-thought-out answer to a rushed one. 

So just relax.

Another thing you can do is preparing yourself with fixed phrases you can use when people expect you to say something. Here’s an example:

• Why is there so much violence on TV? That’s a good question. Let me think for a moment, I haven’t really thought about it before. Well I suppose....

Here, you can get time to reflect just by repeating the question and adding a few sentences. Then you will sound more fluent and won’t feel the pressure of having to say something before you are ready. 

Fix all the surprises out of Francis was words are used to leave things in a certain order Dakin be for batons idioms call locations basically anything we always say in one particular week for example during the day sorry to bother trouble you but would you mind if in the meantime for what it’s worth Oh come on it’s been along time since I’m just kidding

3. Learn Sentences Not Only Words

In a way, this will take the pressure off too. when you learn new word, try to memorize a couple of sentences that contain it.

there might come a time when you can use one particular sentence with little, or no alteration at all. Unfortunately, many people learn words by heart, but have no idea how to use them in a sentence.

 it will be such a relief not having to worry about whether the sentence is correct grammatically or not. let’s look at an example:

to appreciate = To recognize the value of something or somebody

I think it’s necessary to feel appreciated in relationships/at work.

I appreciate all your hard work.

--------------i will finished it later ---------------

English Jokes for children

An easy way to get yourself fluent in your speaking is by telling simple jokes to children. let them discover jokes that resonate with them. to get started, let’s practice saying of the best funny jokes for kids.

Knock knock jokes

Knock knock 

who’s there ?

Justin 

Justin who

Just in time for dinner!

Knock knock 

who’s there ? 

lettuce

lettuce who?

lettuce in, it’s cold out here!

Knock knock 

who’s there 

wooden shoe 

wooden shoe who 

wooden shoe like to hear another joke? 

Knock knock 

who’s there 

atch

Atch who

 bless you

Knock knock 

who’s there 

boo 

boo who 

don’t cry it’s just me

Why did the banana go to the hospital?

he was peeling really bad

Where do hamburgers go to dance ?

they go to the meatball 

jokes about nature 

how does the ocean say hello ?

it waves 

what did the tree say to the wind ?

leaf me alone

Knock knock 

who’s there ?

cows says 

cows says who ?

no silly the cow says moo

Jokes about animal

What does a spiders bride wear?

A webbing dress 

Where do cows go for entertainment ? 

the movies 

what did one firefly say to the other? 

 you glow girl 

what kind of dinosaur loves to sleep ? 

a stega snore us