Phrases

Here are some adjectives and the prepositions we use with them. There is no real system and so the only way to learn them is to treat them as a 'fixed combination' and record them as you meet them when you read or listen. There are many adjective preposition combinations which are not show here.

at

I'm good at learning languages but bad at maths.
He's terrible at expressing his ideas.

We've put together a small set of common words, phrases and expressions which we think will come in handy for those who follow fashion…
For those of you who aren’t that interested, we still hope this will help you have a conversation about the subject. You never know enough vocabulary, right?

Take a look at this email sent by a manager to his employees. Pay attention to the orange idioms which all relate to the body. Do you know what they mean?

Note: The tone of this email is informal for a business correspondence. I have used a lot more idioms than you would expect to find in an email. I would not recommend using so many in real-life!

Business Email to Staff

Colleagues,

Collocations refer to words that usually go together. For example, basic collocations are make and do:

We say, I made a mistake, not I do a mistake.

We say, I do my homework, not I make my homework.

A: Hey! Have you ever seen the cartoon, The Simpsons?

B: Duh! Everyone has seen The Simpsons!

A: What does Homer Simpson say when he makes a mistake?

B: He says "d'oh"!

D'oh is an example of an interjection. Homer says d'oh when he makes a mistake or something does not happen in the way he had planned.

Which is the best way to answer this question?

Question: Where did you go?

Answer: I go to school.
Answer: I went to school.

The correct answer is I went to school. We must use this answer because the question uses the past tense, did. Our response has to use the past tense too i.e. I went.

Once in a blue moon

When something happens once in a blue moon, it very rarely happens.

"Since my daughter was born, I only go out with my friends once in a blue moon."

"My brother is so good at chess I only beat him once in a blue moon."

(Living) on another planet

When you say that someone is living on another planet, you are saying either they do not notice what is happening around them or they are not realistic.

Some people go abroad because they love shopping and want to do it in a new place. From haggling in local markets to maxing out your credit card in designer boutiques, there are plenty of options.

Take a look at this conversation between a customer and a shop assistant. Can you guess which words are needed to complete the conversation?

Conversation: In the shop

Shop Assistant: Can I _1_ you?

Roses are plants that have large beautiful flowers. They are popular with gardeners and are traditionally given by romantics on Valentine's Day!

Here are three common idioms that use this plant.

No bed of roses

When a situation is no bed of roses, it is difficult or unpleasant.

"Having to share a bedroom with his younger brother was no bed of roses."

"She soon found out that working as a flight attendant was not always a bed of roses."

If I told you my brother eats like a horse, what would you think?

Would you think that he ate horse food, that he had a big appetite or that he was a horse?

Eats like a horse is an idiom. When someone eats like a horse, they always eat a lot of food.

"Although he eats like a horse, he never gets fat."