Questions and answers tagged #esl.
I'm writing a story for my English class, and I want to describe a scene where a small argument suddenly turns into a big fight. My friend suggested I use the …
Yesterday, I was telling my coworker that I've been having a tough week at work. She replied, 'Hang in there!' I wasn't sure exactly what she meant, but it sou…
Last night at a party, I told my friends, "I'm going to hit the sack" when I wanted to leave and go to bed. A few people laughed, but I'm not sure if they thou…
Yesterday, I was chatting with my coworker, and I almost told her about the surprise party we're planning for her. My friend later said, "Be careful not to let…
Today at work, my coworker said, "If we don't submit this report today, we'll miss the boat." I was a bit confused because I thought she was talking about an a…
Yesterday at work, my colleague laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'm just pulling your leg!" I think she was joking, but I'm not sure if that's the only meaning…
I'm writing an essay for my English class, and I keep getting confused about the differences between 'however', 'nevertheless', and 'nonetheless'. I want to so…
Hi everyone, I was chatting with my friend about making a decision, and she said, "Stop sitting on the fence!" I wasn't sure what she meant, so I wanted to ask…
Hi everyone, I’m trying to write better emails in English for work, but I keep worrying I sound unprofessional or awkward. For example, I sometimes write, "I a…
I'm working on a formal essay for my English class, and I keep getting stuck when choosing between 'therefore', 'thus', and 'so' to connect my sentences. For e…
Today at work, I walked into the break room just as my coworkers were talking about me, and one of them said, 'Speak of the devil!' I was surprised and a bit c…
During a work meeting this morning, my manager said, "But take those numbers with a grain of salt." I understood that he was being cautious, but I'm not sure w…
I'm writing an email to my friend about a difficult week at my job. My manager has been piling on extra work, and today she gave me another project with no war…
Today in a work meeting, my manager said, "It can be hard to wrap your head around all these new policies." I was a bit confused because I hadn't heard this ph…
Hi everyone, I'm working in an international office where most of my colleagues are native English speakers. Sometimes I need to suggest changes or share new i…
I recently heard my colleague say, "Looks like we're back to square one with this project," after our presentation was rejected. I'm not sure I fully understan…
Yesterday in my English class, we practiced giving opinions during meetings. Sometimes I need to disagree with my colleagues or my manager, but I want to do it…
I was writing an email to my colleague about a project issue, and I wanted to say that someone was blaming the wrong person. I thought about using the phrase '…
Hi everyone, I recently heard the phrase 'bend over backward' in a meeting at work. My colleague said, 'Our manager really bends over backward to support the t…
I often hear people say they need to 'blow off steam' after a long day, but I'm not sure exactly what it means or how to use it in everyday conversation. For e…