Daily English Idiom – To Get Bent Out of Shape
To Get Bent Out of Shape What does the English idiom, to get or be bent out of shape mean? Sometimes things don’t go so smoothly in life. If something happens and someone gets upset or angry, you can say that they got bent out of shape. We generally don’t use this idiom to talk about ourself. It is more common to use it to talk about someone else. You can use [be] or [get] bent out of shape. Here are some examples: Jack got bent out of shape because his flight was cancelled. Jennifer’s mom was all bent out of shape because she came home after 2am. The driver got all bent out of shape when a motorcycle scratched his new car. Keep in mind the best way to remember this or any vocabulary in English is to take the word or phrase write it in a sentence that’s true for you or true in your world and then memorize your sentences. You can even take your sentences and write them in the comments below. I would love to see your examples. If you know anyone who might be interested in this English language point, why not help them …
One-Point English Idiom lesson: Get Cold Feet
Do you have cold feet? Do you get cold feet? If you “get cold feet”, it means that you have some fear and lost your courage. We usually use “get” with this idiom. For example: Ted was going to ask Kim for a date but he got cold feet. I was going to complain to my boss, but I got cold feet. If your feet are really cold, or frozen, then you can’t move. So this is the image we have from this idiom. When was the last time you got cold feet? If you know anyone who might be interested in this English language point, why not help them out! Just share this lesson with them. Thanks for studying today!
It’s not raining cats & dogs anymore, it’s pouring
Did you know that in English we have an expression which goes like this: April showers bring May flowers. This means that all of the rain in the month of may will result in lots of flowers growing in May. Interesting? Well, the main point of this lesson is about rain. Many people who study English have learned the idiom, “It’s raining cats and dogs” which means, “it’s raining very hard.” The truth is, that is a very old expression and we don’t really use it very much, at least not in American English. What we do say, and what you can say in this situation is, “It’s pouring” Please add this expression to your everyday conversation and leave the “pets” in your notebook ! Is it pouring where you are today? If you know anyone who might be interested in this English language point, why not help them out! Just share this lesson with them. Thanks for studying today!
Hang Out! One-Point American English Idiom Lesson
Hang out means to spend leisure time doing nothing in particular. When you spend time relaxing at home, in the park or with friends, you can use “hang out.” There are two structures. You can hang out with someone or you can hang out somewhere. Here are some examples I am hanging out with Fred on Friday. Do you want to join us? I can’t hang out with you tomorrow, I have to go to school Johnny is hanging out at Brad’s house tonight It’s a beautiful day. Let’s hang out in the park Where do you like to hang out? Leave a comment and let us know! If you know anyone who might be interested in this English language point, why not help them out! Just share this lesson with them. Thanks for studying today!
“Kind Of” vs. “A Kind Of” – English Phrase Lesson
I was kind of tired yesterday, so I went to bed early. I have a comfortable bed. It’s made from a kind of memory foam. It keeps its shape, and has good back support. I won’t mention the brand here, but I will say it was kind of expensive. My sister said I was a kind of crazy person to pay so much for a mattress, but my back is kind of weak, so I needed some good support. The kind of bed you sleep in has a strong effect on the kind of sleep you can have, and your back’s health. The sales person explained the mattress very well to. That was kind of him. Today, I want to show you how to use the English phrases, kind of and a kind of. Adding the indefinite article, “a” makes all of the difference. We use kind of + adjective to mean “rather” or “somewhat:” I was kind of tired yesterday. The bed was kind of expensive. This curry is kind of spicy. We use kind of + person to mean “the person’s action is very kind:” It was kind of you to help me with my homework. It was …
English Lesson: Common Phrases with Gerunds
Today, lets look at some common phrases using gerunds (VerbING) When you are excited about and anticipating a future event, you can use look forward to + gerund. Of course, look forward to + noun is also possible: I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. I am looking forward to my vacation. We also use enjoy, have fun, and have a good/great/nice time + gerund. I enjoyed seeing my former colleagues at the party. We had fun going shopping in the new mall last week. Jack said he had a great time traveling in Morocco. We also use have trouble, have a problem, and have a hard/difficult time+ gerund. I had trouble trying to repair my computer by myself. Jenny said she had a problem working with the new boss. I had a hard time figuring out the subways in Tokyo. I hope you enjoyed this lesson. I’m looking forward to seeing your comments here!
English Lesson: Used to Vs. Be Used to Vs. Get Used to
I wasn’t always an English teacher. In fact, I used to work in the music business. I was a music teacher and also a music transcriber. That job was interesting. I used to listen to heavy metal records and then transcribe the guitar parts. Some of the music was really heavy, and honestly, I never got used to it. I think I’m much happier being an English teacher. I started doing that in Japan. At first it was a little hard living overseas, but I got used to it pretty quickly. Today, let’s have a look at be used to and used to. These two words look similar, but they have two very different uses. Do you know how to use these words? Have a look at the paragraph above once more, and then check today’s lesson. Used to We use used to when we talk about our past habits or states of being. These are things that we did all the time in the past, but not anymore. The structure is used + to + verb (used + infinitive) I used to work in the music business. I don’t work in the music business anymore. Brad used to live …
English Lesson: How to use “mean”
I’ll never forget my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Jensen. She was very mean to all of the students. Well, looking back now, I would say she was strict, but at the time we all thought she was mean. Maybe when I was twelve I didn’t understand what strict means. I mean, I was probably too young to appreciate her strong discipline. The word mean has a few different definitions and uses. Do you know how to use this word? Take a look at the paragraph above and then check out today’s lesson: Mean, as a verb, is used to show the relationship between a word (or phrase) and it’s definition: “Organic” means something natural “Lift” means “elevator” in British English Maybe when I was twelve I didn’t understand what strict means. What does that symbol mean? Mean is also used to check understanding: Do you know what I mean? Important! When you want to know the definition of a word, you can ask: What does “organic” mean? Not, What means “organic”? Mean, as an adjective, means unkind, unfair, or aggressive (usually for animals) She was very mean to all of the students. Jack was a mean pirate, everyone was afraid …
English Lesson: Little Vs A Little, Few Vs. A Few
I have a few friends who are also English teachers, but few of them live in New York. A few of them live in Asia, one lives in the Middle East, and the others live in Europe. One of my friends also helps students prepare for the GMAT and GRE exams. I know a little about those two exams, but I have very little experience teaching such classes. Today we will look at a few, few, a little, and little. Take a look at the paragraph above once more and see if you can understand the difference between how we use those words, then look at the rest of this lesson. These words are used to show how we feel about the amount of what we are talking about. A few and a little have positive nuance. They show that there is a small amount, but we are satisfied with that amount. We use a few with countable nouns, and a little with non-countable nouns. Here are some examples: I have a few friends who are also English teachers. (A small number of my friends are English teachers) There are a few peaches in the fridge, why don’t you try …