Archive for March, 2010

idiom: to have a big mouth

{ March 7, 2010 @ 1:53 pm } · { idioms }
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big mouth

Today, I’d like to write about another idiom: to have a big mouth. This means for a person to be unable to keep a secret. We usually use this expression when talking about other people, but we don’t usually say this about ourselves. If you say it directly to another person, it’s very strong and not so polite. For example:

My sister told everyone about my promotion before I could do it! She has such a big mouth!

Don’t tell Martin about Jane’s surprise party! He’s got a really big mouth, and he’ll probably tell her.

I can’t believe you told my parents that we were drinking beer last night! You have such a big mouth!

As you can see in the examples, we often emphasize this expression with “such a” or “really”. If we simply say something like, “He has a big mouth”,  it sounds rather weak and a little unnatural.

intransitive phrasal verb: black out

{ March 5, 2010 @ 7:06 am } · { phrasal verbs }
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Here’s a good expression for everyone out there who likes to drink a lot: black out. This is used when someone loses part of their memory because of drinking too much alcohol or because of some kind of shock. The memory loss can be quite short (a few minutes) or much longer (all day or night). For example:

I don’t know how I got home last night. I was drinking at the bar, and I blacked out. My friend must have brought me home.

I can’t remember what happened at the end of the party. I was drinking vodka, and I completely blacked out.

A: What did Frank do after he heard about his wife’s death?

B: He says he can’t remember. He must have blacked out from the shock.

So this is a nice short entry for today as we head into the weekend. I hope nobody blacks out from drinking too much on Saturday night. 🙂

idiom: to bite one’s tongue

{ March 4, 2010 @ 5:41 am } · { idioms }
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zs

Yes, today we have yet another idiom related to our bodies. This one: to bite one’s tongue. It is used when someone wants to say something but knows it’s not a good idea, so they have to stop themselves from saying it. For example:

Jeff asked me what I thought of his new jacket. It’s really ugly, but I couldn’t say that to him, so I just bit my tongue and told him it was nice.

A: At the meeting, my boss took credit for my idea.

B: Really? That’s terrible. Did you say anything?

A: No, I just bit my tongue. I don’t want my boss to get angry at me.

We can also use this idiom in the imperative. This means that you use the verb as the first word of a sentence, without using the word “you”, in order to tell someone what to do. This is used when giving orders, instructions or directions. For example:

Come here please.

Turn left at the next corner.

Press the red button.

When we use “to bite one’s tongue” in the imperative, it means we are telling someone that their statement is unwelcome from our point of view. For example:

A: I heard it’s going to rain tomorrow.

B: Bite your tongue! I’m supposed to go on a picnic tomorrow.

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A: I really don’t think the Allstars will win the championship.

B: Bite your tongue! They’re my favorite team! I really want them to win!

the difference between words: wish and hope

{ March 3, 2010 @ 5:37 am } · { the difference between words }
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zc

There is a lot of confusion about the difference between the words “wish” and “hope” so I would like to clear it up in today’s blog entry. The word “hope” is used to talk about possible situations that we desire in the past, present or future. The important thing to note is that these situations are POSSIBLE. For example:

I hope you had a good time at the party last night.

I haven’t looked outside yet. I hope it’s not raining.

I hope you have a great day.

I hope you’re not going to go to the movie without me.

I hope my boss will give me a promotion this year.

I hope my boss gives me a promotion this year.

The last two examples are about the future. In English, we can use the future tense or the present tense after the word “hope” to talk about the future. Both are natural.

On the other hand, “wish” is used to talk about situations that we desire, but which are the opposite of the current reality or which are impossible. We can use wish + past tense to talk about our situation right now. Even though we use the past tense, we are NOT talking about the past. For example:

I wish I had a car. (In reality, I don’t have a car now, but I want one).

I wish I didn’t have to work tomorrow. (In reality, I have to work tomorrow, but I don’t want to).

I wish I were tall. (In reality, I’m short, but I want to be tall).

I wish I could play the piano. (In reality, I can’t play the piano, but I want to).

When we use wish + past perfect tense, we are talking about regrets we have from the past. For example:

I wish I hadn’t gone to the party. (In reality, I went to the party, and now I regret it).

I wish I had studied harder in school. (In reality, I didn’t study hard in school, and now I regret it).

I wish I hadn’t gotten drunk in front of my boss. (In reality, I got drunk in front of my boss, and now I regret it).

I wish I had gone to bed earlier last night. (In reality, I didn’t go to bed early last night, and now I regret it).

We can use wish + would + verb to talk about situations that often happen in our lives that we don’t like. For example:

I wish my husband would help me clean the house. (In reality, my husband never helps me clean the house, and I don’t like it).

I wish my children wouldn’t play their music so loudly. (In reality, my children play their music very loudly, and I don’t like it).

We can also use wish + noun to talk about things that we desire for other people. In these cases, the meaning of  “wish” is more similar to “hope”. This way of using “wish”, however, is much less common that the other ways. For example:

We wish you a merry Christmas. (The meaning is: We hope you have a merry Christmas).

Wish me luck on my exam. (The meaning is: Please hope that I have good luck on my exam).

I wish you health and happiness. (The meaning is: I hope you have health and happiness).

Finally, we can use wish + the infinitive form of a verb (this is means “to” + the base form). In these cases, the meaning of “wish” has the same meaning as “want”, but it is more formal. For example:

I wish to see your boss right away.

We don’t have a table available right now. Do you wish to wait?

If you wish to have more information, please let me know.

I hope that everyone now understands the difference between these two words. The best way to really learn them, as I’ve mentioned before, is to memorize the full sentences and then change the small details in order to create new sentences.

intransitive phrasal verb: catch on

{ March 2, 2010 @ 6:54 am } · { phrasal verbs }
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zx

Previously I discussed intransitive phrasal verbs. Just as a review, let me explain one more time. If a verb or phrasal verb is intransitive, it means that it does NOT take an object. So, today I’d like to write about the intransitive phrasal verb: catch on. It has two meanings:

1. to start to understand something. For example:

My girlfriend doesn’t want to tell her parents that we’re dating, but I think they’re starting to catch on.

A: I don’t understand how to play this game.

B: Don’t worry. Just watch us play, and I’m sure you’ll catch on.

In the first example, the parents are becoming suspicious that their daughter is dating the speaker. In the second example, the person is saying that if the listener watches them play the game, he or she will start to understand how to do it. This phrasal verb is often used when teaching someone how to do something.

2. for something to start to become popular. For example:

That TV show wasn’t popular at all when it started, but after a few weeks, it really caught on. Now everyone is watching it.

I know our products aren’t popular now, but I think they’ll catch on eventually. If they do, we’ll be very rich.

In the first example, the TV show started becoming popular after a period of being unpopular. In the second example, the products are still unpopular, but the person is predicting that after some time, they will become popular. The word “eventually” means after an unstated or unknown amount of time.

I hope that this is clear for you. If you don’t understand after reading the blog once, read it again and I’m sure you’ll catch on! 🙂

idiom: to put one’s foot in one’s mouth

{ March 1, 2010 @ 3:20 am } · { idioms }
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foot in mouth

I have another body idiom for you today. As you can tell by now, we have many idioms in English related to our body parts. This time the expression is “to put one’s foot in one’s mouth”. When we are using it in conversation though, we don’t say “one”; instead we replace that with “my”, “your”, “his”, or “her”. We generally don’t use this expression with plural forms such as “our” or “their”.

Anyway, people use this idiom to mean they have said something stupid to another person and insulted them by accident. It’s important to note that it’s always by accident and never on purpose. If we insult someone intentionally, we cannot use this expression. For example:

I was talking to Jim about that woman in the corner and I said she was ugly. I didn’t know she was his wife! God, I really put my foot in my mouth!

A: Have you ever put your foot in your mouth?

B: Yes, one time I met a woman at a party and said that I thought the party was really boring. It turned out she was the hostess! I really put my foot in my mouth! I was so embarrassed!

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