PRACTICAL ENGLISH

  "Live off the grid" Meaning To live without one's home connected to municipal utility systems, such as the water supply or the main electrical grid. To exist outside of governmental observation; to be untraceable through any means of commerce or communication that could be linked to one's identity. Explanation “ The Grid ” refers to the electrical grid, i.e. the system or network which delivers electrical power to residential and commercial properties, building, homes, and machinery, etc. So, off the grid means simply  off , as in disconnected. Example Sentences I just need to get enough solar panels installed to disconnect from the city's electricity supply and I'll be able to live completely off the grid. Fearing for his life, the whistle-blower from the intelligence agency was forced to live off the grid for a number of years, eschewing anything that might leave a digital footprint for someone to find. We're interested in independent self-sufficien

  "It's a bitter pill to swallow." "It's a hard pill to swallow." Meaning A difficult or unpleasant fact or situation that has to be accepted If medicine has an unpleasant taste, it is difficult to swallow. If a situation or fact is unpleasant, we say it is " a bitter pill to swallow. " This expression describes something that is hard or difficult to accept. When someone receives bad news that he or she has no choice but to accept or no ability to change, it is said to be " a hard pill to swallow." Origin “A bitter/hard pill” is a metaphor that relates to something unpleasant but has to be endured (for the better). It can also be assumed that it stems from the nasty taste of some medicines that were often forced upon patients in order to get results. Source:  theidioms.com Related words: painful truth, bitter truth, hard pill , hard to take Example Sentences Losing to a younger player was a bitter pill to swallow. To know that his friend

 "Let's call it a day." Meaning to end doing an activity for the day because you feel you have done enough (but will resume the activity the next day or at a later time) to stop working for the day to stop doing something, especially working  to terminate or end something Example Sentences I'm getting a little tired now. Let's call it a day. After 14 years living and working in this country, she thinks it's time to call it a day. You've been studying hard – I think you should call it a day. I think I'll call it a day and go home. Come on, let's call it a day and go home. Look, we're all tired - let's call it a day. It's getting late. Let's call it a day. I think we've done enough, Let's call it a day. Ok, let's call it a day , and see you tomorrow! I'm getting a bit tired now - shall we call it a day? After 40 years in politics I think it's time for me to call it a day. We realized we weren't going to get

  "I can go without..." Meaning:  to proceed, continue, do, or live without something If you go without something that you need or usually have or do , you do not get it or do it. Similar Expressions Humans can go without food for weeks. Humans can do without food for weeks. Humans can manage without food for weeks. Humans can live without food for weeks. When do we use it? 1. We can use this phrase to literally mean that we can go to a place without something or someone. You can go to the game without me. Children can go without their parents to the park. You can go to lunch without me. 2 We can also use this phrase to show that we do not need something in order to do something else. I can go without sleep for days. I can  go a  week  without  alcohol. You can go without a car if you can't afford it. I have known what it is like to go without food for days. I can go without any kind of luxury. Some families go without medical treatment because of their inability

  "Get it off your chest" Meaning If you get it off your chest , you tell somebody about something that's been bothering you or making you feel guilty for a long time and you've been thinking about a lot. Example Dialog Jean has been carrying a secret for years. It has weighed her down and made her quite unhappy. Jean is tired of carrying the burden of the secret. Jean and her friend, Fred, are talking one day... Fred :  I notice that you have been quite down in the dumps, lately. Jean :  I have a big big secret that I am so afraid to tell. Fred :  I am your very good friend, Jean.  I will understand and accept anything you want to tell me.  You know, sometimes it is a great relief to just  get  it  off  your  chest . Example Sentences I can see that something's upsetting you, so why don't you get it off your chest and tell me what it is. You'll feel better if you do. Charlie was feeling bad about cheating on his wife, so he got it off his chest and told

  "Jump to conclusions" Meaning To guess the facts about a situation without having enough information To quickly assume something or make a decision without carefully knowing all the facts or without thinking carefully about something If you jump to conclusions, you decide something is true, or make a judgement about something, before having enough information to be sure you're right. Example Sentences He saw the two of them together and jumped to the wrong conclusion. When Tom and Madonna were seen together, people jumped to conclusions and thought they were dating. If you jump to conclusions before having all the facts, you could easily make a fool of yourself. I'm tired of you always jumping to conclusions.   How many times have you been wrong when you didn't wait to get all of the information? My boss jumped to conclusions when he saw my CV on my desk. I'm sure he's just fine. Don't jump to conclusions just because your son is a few minutes l

  "I stand corrected" Meaning Used to admit that something you have said or done was wrong. I admit that I said something that was not correct. Usage You can’t always be right. It’s easy to assume that you know the answer, but when you find out that you were wrong, you must be sure to handle it gracefully. After all, everybody is wrong once in a while. When you learn that you weren’t correct about something, instead of feeling embarrassed or trying to argue the fact, you can just say “I stand corrected.” Note: “I stand corrected” is a formal phrase. We use it when someone proves our opinion on something wrong (usually by including evidence to make it obvious that we were wrong). You won’t typically say “I stand corrected” if someone doesn’t provide evidence. That’s because there’s no guarantee that you’re in the wrong and they’re in the right. However, it might help you to keep an open mind when someone tries to correct you on something. Example Dialog 1 A: The bus should a

  "Pull yourself together" Meaning To control your emotions and behave calmly after being very upset, angry, shocked, etc. It is used to tell or say that somebody who is behaving very emotionally or out of control should stop doing it. Related words: relax, compose yourself, calm down, get a grip on yourself, get over it Example Dialog A: "Lucy is very depressed at the moment, she hasn't left the house for days." B: "She shouldn't be behaving like that, she's got children to look after. She needs to pull herself together for them." A: "I can't speak in front of all those people. They'll laugh at me and think I'm stupid." B: "You have to do it. So, pull yourself together and stop being so paranoid." Example Sentences Just pull yourself together . There's no point crying about it. You have to pull yourself together , go out there and talk to them. He’s finding it hard to pull himself together after the a

  "Close call" Meaning A situation in which usually something bad, unpleasant, or dangerous almost happens, but you manage to avoid it. Example Sentences It was a close call for residents when a tornado swept through just west of the town. Getting to the airport on time was a close call. We almost got hit by another car driving over here – it was really a close call. She had several close calls before she had the accident so she should’ve been more careful. I've never been married before but I had a close call when I was 21 and was dating a girl from Spain. That was a really close call. If I hadn't reached down to pick up my beer the baseball would have hit me in the face. There have been a lot of close calls in this game. Good thing they have instant replay. That car almost hit you! That was a close call! We had a close call last night. There was a big storm and lightning hit a tree beside our house. It damaged a small part of our house, but fortunately, it

 "Get rid of" Meaning:   It is an informal phrasal verb. It means to dispose of a person or thing that is useless, no longer wanted, or is broken.  If you get rid of something or someone, you get free from this thing or person so that you don’t have to deal with them anymore. to remove something or someone take action, so you are no longer bothered by something eliminate or discard something or someone free yourself from someone or something throw something away Example Sentences He finally  got rid of  the door to door salesman, by saying he had to go out. We must  get rid of  this kettle and buy a new one. It doesn’t work anymore. Every January, I  get rid of  people in my contact list that I haven’t spoken to all year. It’s a good feeling to go through your wardrobe and  get rid of  your unwanted clothes. Every Tuesday, a van goes around the streets, collecting all the scrap metal that people want to  get rid of . Hilary’s mother is so glad she  got rid of  her useless boy

  1. "To begin with" Meaning You use to begin with when you are talking about the first stage of a situation, event, or process. Used to give the first important reason for something Used to say that something was already in a particular condition before something else happened Synonyms: at first, to start with, in the first place, first of all More Example Sentences It was great  to begin with  but now it's difficult. The hotel was awful! To begin with , our room was far too small. Then we found that the shower didn't work. I never would have bought this car to begin with if I'd known there weren't airbags. You should have said you were feeling ill to begin with ! I wouldn't have given you such a hard time if I'd known. Why am I quitting? Well, to begin with , I haven't been paid for overtime in nearly a year, and I just don't feel valued as an employee in general. There are a lot of problems with your paper. To begin with , you just seem

1. "Lose face" Meaning To become less respected by others or to lose someone's reputation. If you lose face , you do something which makes you appear weak and makes people respect or admire you less. Example Sentences She had to accept defeat without losing face. His terrible performance in the debate caused him to lose face with the voters. John is more afraid of losing face than losing money.  Things will go better if you can explain to him where he was wrong without making him lose face. Terry lost face when his assistant was promoted and became his boss. You made him look bad. He lost face in front of his crew. The government can’t agree to the changes without losing face. He thinks he would lose face if he admitted the mistake. You'll lose face if you don't keep your promise. 2. "Save face" Meaning To keep your reputation and avoid others losing respect for you. If you do something in order to save face , you do it in order to avoid appearing

  "Pitch in" Meaning To help out; lend assistance; contribute something; to do one's part. This phrase actually makes no sense if you try to take it literally. However, figuratively speaking, it means to contribute (give) to something or someone or to join in. So if your dad tells the family that he wants everyone to  pitch in  this weekend and help clear the backyard, it means he wants everyone to join in on the efforts to clear the yard and get things done quicker. Example Dialog A: “What are you going to buy Sally for her birthday?” B: “I don’t know. I don’t have much money.” A: “Maybe we can all  pitch in  and buy her something great.” Example Sentences Donors had already pitched in $27 million to meet humanitarian needs. If we all pitch in , we can raise enough money for the renovation of the church. Everyone pitched in 10 bucks each for another co-worker's wedding gift. We all pitched in to build Amy a new doghouse. If we all pitch in together, it shouldn&

  Meaning Literally, this means to no longer have the ability to touch or feel with your fingers or hands. But to lose your touch actually means that you lose an ability or talent you once had when dealing with things, people or situations. To be no longer able to do something as well as you could before. Usage We use this when you’re usually good at a certain skill or talent, but then things start to go wrong. Example Dialog A: “I don’t understand why none of the girls here want to speak to me.” B: “It looks like you’ve lost your touch with the ladies.” A: “Oh no, they used to love me, what happened?” Example Sentences I have lost touch with my computers! I can't even install a simple software. Although their goalie has been away from football, he doesn't seem to have lost his touch with catching balls. I used to make beautiful paintings but it seems I've lost my touch. He’s not as good a salesman as he used to be. He’s losing his touch. You haven’t sold anything toda

  "Take a rain check" Meaning: To politely refuse an offer or invitation, on the implication that you may accept it some time in the future.  If you use this expression you are saying that that you cannot accept an invitation at this point in time, but you are making it clear that you would like to accept it at a future time. Usage: When could you use this idiom? You can’t accept an invitation to a good friend’s dinner party. Someone is inviting you to an event but you already have made arrangements. A family member is inviting you for coffee but you are too busy to accept. You want to watch a movie with a friend but you are busy at the time they suggest. Origin This phrase originally referred to a voucher given to spectators at a baseball game that was rained out. The “rain check” allowed them to watch another game for free. Our sources indicate that the term came into being around 1884 and gradually came to refer to vouchers for other sports and eventually to vouchers you g

  "In the same boat" Meaning: To have the same problem or to be in the same unpleasant situation as other people. If two or more people are in the same boat, they have the same challenges or problems. Related words: in the same situation, alike, even, together Usage:  This idiom is used when you want to make someone feel better about an unpleasant position that you are both in. Or it can be used to express that you are both experiencing the same situation (good or bad). Origin: The phrase originated in the mid-1800s and was used mainly by the Greeks to refer to the risks faced by the passengers in a small boat at sea. Another interesting but probably incorrect theory about the origin of the phrase refers to the sinking of the ship Titanic in 1912 when people from all classes were stuck in the same situation when the ship was sinking. Example Dialog A: The traffic is terrible.  B: Don't get angry. We're all in the same boat. A: I'm broke. Can you lend me twenty