Learn the meanings of useful English slang, common idioms and phrases, and other tricky words that can help you improve your English!
Devon Balwit
November 1, 2019
Learn English SLANG, IDIOMS, & PHRASES! To save money, many people cut coupons. The coupons get them a discount on the goods they wish to buy. Nowadays, many of these coupons are sent to us via apps we download onto our phones. Other people only buy big ticket items like appliances and electronics or luxury brands when they go on sale....Continue Reading...
Devon BalwitOctober 29, 2019
Learn English SLANG, IDIOMS, & PHRASES! Each time you use an idiom, you are making a verbal picture. When you learn an idiom, it helps to know its history. What is the picture it is using to express its idea? Idiom I When we make clothing by hand, we cut the shapes that we need from a pattern. Each piece fits...Continue Reading...
Devon BalwitOctober 29, 2019
Learn English SLANG, IDIOMS, & PHRASES! How can you discuss how much of something you understand? If a concept is easy, you can say: “I’ve got it,” or “I get it!” or “I’m following you.” If it’s super hard, you can say: “I don’t get it.” “I’m clueless.” “I’m lost.” “I’m not following you.” If you get the main idea only,...Continue Reading...
Devon BalwitOctober 29, 2019
Learn English SLANG, IDIOMS, & PHRASES! A student asked me today if it was OK to use idioms on a test because a test is a formal situation. I told him, sure. Idioms are a part of the English language. I think the question behind his question was: Can we say anything to anyone? Are all words OK in every situation? ...Continue Reading...
Devon BalwitOctober 28, 2019
Learn English SLANG, IDIOMS, & PHRASES! What can you say when people are doing (or saying) something that you dislike? If you want to be polite, you can say: I wish you wouldn’t do (or say) that, it… annoys me. irritates me. bothers me. You can also say: Could you please stop that? Would you mind not doing (saying) that. If...Continue Reading...
Devon BalwitOctober 24, 2019
Learn English SLANG, IDIOMS, & PHRASES! What do these sentences have in common? I need to make some xeroxes before the meeting. Hand me a kleenex, please. If you don’t know what it means, Google it. When you get here, just Uber over. Let’s make dinner simple tonight and throw some stuff into the crock pot. In each case, a company name is...Continue Reading...
Devon BalwitAugust 9, 2018
How can I improve my English? Learn English SLANG, IDIOMS, & PHRASES! There is a big difference between telling someone “You must not drink alcohol” and telling him “You don’t have to drink alcohol.” Meaning: Must not means that the action is illegal or dangerous. If I overhear the first speaker, I think this is a doctor telling someone that his health will be ruined if alcohol...Continue Reading...
Devon BalwitJuly 5, 2018
Learn English SLANG, IDIOMS, & PHRASES! In our Tricky Words blog posts, we explain grammar and vocabulary that our students sometimes ask us about. This posts explains the tricky English words anything, something, and everything. The three examples below use each of these words. So, what do each of these words mean and how are they used? Anything means any one...Continue Reading...
Devon BalwitJune 10, 2018
Learn English SLANG, IDIOMS, & PHRASES! So often, my students will misuse the word “there.” For example, they might write: I like Las Vegas. There is exciting. There has many casinos. Why can we write “It is exciting” or “There are many casinos in Las Vegas” but not “There is exciting” or “There has many casinos”? In English, the word “there”...Continue Reading...
Devon BalwitFebruary 23, 2018
Learn English SLANG, IDIOMS, & PHRASES! So many people love Selfies. What is a Selfie? A selfie is a photo of yourself. It is a modern-day self-portrait. Where do people take Selfies? A better question would be where DON’T they. They take them everywhere. They take them in bathrooms, in restaurants, in front of famous tourist attractions, out in nature,...Continue Reading...
