Today I’d like to write about the grammatical expression “easier said than done”. It is used when we want to respond to someone who thinks a particular thing is easy, but you know that it’s not. For example:
A: If you practice hard, you’ll be able to win the piano competition.
B: That’s easier said than done. There are a lot of good pianists in the competition this year.
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A: Making an omelette isn’t difficult. You just have to beat some eggs, add some cheese and vegetables and then cook them.
B: Well, for me that’s easier said than done. I’ve never made an omelette before.
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A: I don’t understand why you can’t quit smoking. You just have to smoke one cigarette less every day.
B: You’re not a smoker, so you don’t understand. That’s much easier said than done.
So, as you can see, we usually use this expression when responding to someone else’s statement. Even though we say it directly to the person, it’s not considered rude to say this.
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