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 …
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, …
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 …
“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 …
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 …
English Lesson: ~ Reminds Me Of ~ / ~ Takes Me Back To~
Do you feel nostalgic sometimes? Do people or things sometimes make you think about think about the past? Have you met someone who looks like or acts like another person you know? Here are two was you can express these situations in English: Reminds Me Of When something makes you think of something else, or a person makes you think …
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 …
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 …
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 …
English Lesson: Bored Vs. Boring Take 2
So this came up in a lesson today and I thought I would share it with you guys. Hopefully you’ll find this to be a helpful way to remember the difference between bored and boring, excited and exciting, etc. If you havn’t see it yet, check out my bored vs boring lesson here which has the details of this language …