It’s another Saturday night, and most people are enjoying themselves in bars, restaurants, night-clubs or simply watching some TV program, but FOR ALL I KNOW, IT MIGHT WELL BE just a way of killing time if you haven’t got anything better to do!
I, on the other hand, have loads to do in terms of running my blogs and recording YouTube videos, and after all – I can’t relax for another 2 weeks before the 50 American Phrase Acquisition Mission is complete!
Tonight I’m on phrase #22 in this mission, but FOR ALL I KNOW, IT MIGHT WELL BE my thousandth phrase I’ve learned while recording my YouTube videos for the English Harmony Blog and this blog.
You see, I strongly believe – and it’s all backed up by my English fluency development! – that my regular spoken English practice sessions are largely responsible for new phraseology acquisition, and here’s how it happens:
There are plenty of English idiomatic expressions originating in practical life and then being used as figurative speech.
Here’s a couple of typical ones:
I couldn’t put my finger on it – this expression is used to describe one’s inability to clearly identify the issue or a specific detail but its origin is clearly of a practical nature; if you don’t see something, you can’t put your finger on it!
Barking up the wrong tree – this idiom was obviously coined while observing dogs chasing cats and then barking up the wrong tree while the cat had actually slunk away to a different location; in terms of human interaction this idiom means totally missing the point.
Beating around the bush – this idiomatic expression simply means to avoid the subject – just like you’d beat around the bush in real life and avoid to come out in the open and face the problem!
Today’s American English expression – TO HAVE A SHORT SHELF LIFE – also originates in something practical, namely – product sell-by date on a grocery store shelf – and just like the above examples, it’s used figuratively.
It says black on white that it might mean all of the following:
To neglect
To avoid
To evade
Now, tell me honestly – does this clarify the meaning of the word TO SHIRK by a 100%? And most importantly – does it make it clear exactly WHEN this English word can be used? I mean – would you be able to actually use this new English word in your conversations just by memorizing the word and its meanings?
Have you ever PLAIN REFUSED to eat certain food just because you PLAIN HATE IT?
Or maybe you PLAIN LIKE watching a certain TV program and you’d watch the same old episodes for the hundredth time given the chance?
Not that these questions make any sense, I just made up these grammar constructs to show you guys how you can use the simple English word PLAIN in an American way!
Yes, in American English PLAIN can be simply used to describe a very intense action, feeling or emotion; it can also be used to describe your attitude towards other people.
A PLAIN refusal to help, for example, means an outright refusal when you wouldn’t even consider some alternative solution to rectify the situation for the person who asks for your help.
As always, you’re welcome to watch the video above where I’m talking about how the word PLAIN is used in American English – and not only!
Hello my dear fellow foreign English speakers and also the odd native English speaker who might be following me here on my Accent Adventures!
I had to skip a day in terms of posting these daily American English phrases for the simple reason that I had to publish an update on my mission and shoot a video where I’m using all 12 phrases I’ve acquired so far.
Now I’m back on track, and today’s American phrase – or collocation, to be more specific – is a RUNNING JOKE.
A RUNNING JOKE is something that happens on a regular basis in TV shows and programs, for instance, and a typical example of that would be Susan Mayer being laughed at for being dumped in Desperate Housewives, or – if you’re not familiar with the said TV show – Kenny being killed in each and every single one of the South Park episodes.
Today’s my sixth day into the mission to learn 50 new American English phrases, and today’s phrase SAY WHAT? is 100% conversational – as opposed to other phrases I’ve learned so far which can be used both when speaking AND writing.
The phrase “It was a long shot”, for example, can just as easily be used when writing a news article or a report, but you won’t really find any use to SAY WHAT? when writing for a couple of reasons:
This kind of a phrase can ONLY be used in very informal conversations; if you speak like this to higher standing people and also to those who you’re not very closely related, you’ll be sounding a bit rude, to say the least!
You won’t find any practical need to use this phrase in writing because it’s ONLY of any value when quoting actual people’s speech!
Hello my friends American accent learning enthusiasts! 😀
Today I’m bringing you another American English phrase I’ve retrieved from GONE series fiction, and the phrase in question is TO CALL SOMEONE OUT ON SOMETHING.
If you go to the Free Dictionary website and type “call out” into the search bar, the description right next to the phrasal verb “to call out” reveals that it means either to summon someone, or to challenge someone.
Well, obviously that’s how this phrasal verb is traditionally used; however, the trend is changing my friends ❗
Nowadays you can’t rely only on the information found in dictionary websites and other sources – the hell, you can’t even take my word for it! – you need to draw your own conclusions as to the meaning of specific phrases.
Another day – another American English phrase, and tonight I’m on the eight phrase in my 50 American Phrase Acquisition Mission which is going to last for 25 days in total.
Now, let me ask you a question first.
Are you a self-righteous person? Do you find it hard to admit you mightn’t be IN THE RIGHTwhen it comes to discussing things that different people have different opinions about?
I have to admit that I’m like that on 9 situations out of 10, but at the same time I have to make it clear that when I can clearly see the fallacy in my assumptions, I won’t hesitate to admit I wasn’t IN THE RIGHT.
How about you?
Are you often making sure to tell others that you were correct in relation to this or that particular issue after it’s gone wrong due to bad decisions made by other people?
Are you often complaining that others should have listened to you and done as you suggested because your way of doing things was the most efficient and made most sense?
If that’s the case, you’ll definitely find the phrase IN THE RIGHT quite useful for yourself, just like I do!
Hello everyone who aspires to acquire some American phraseology and improve their American pronunciation at the same time!
Today’s my 3rd day in my 25 day mission to learn 50 new American English phrases, and there’s only one thing I can say – so far, so good! 😀
I’m reading my English fiction and as I go along, I cherry-pick the best slang expressions with the prospect of including them into my list of 50 American slang expressions.
In case you’re wondering HOW exactly I’m choosing those phrases – here’s a short list of criteria those phrases have to match to be considered valid candidates:
In this video I’m focusing on the following American slang phrase: HAVE YOU A BEEF WITH ME?
In this particular context the word “beef” simply means “a problem”, so the whole question essentially sends the following message across to your conversation partner:
Have you a problem with me?
Obviously there are many different situations when you may have to use this phrase:
Unavoidable physical confrontation;
Situation when somebody’s been argumentative with you for quite some time and you want to settle the matter once and for all;
Your friend has been ignoring you for a while and you want to ask him/her if they have any problems with you;
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