Questions and answers tagged #esl.
I'm helping a classmate edit her essay, but I don't want to come across as too harsh or critical. For example, I'm not sure whether to say, "This paragraph is …
I was backstage at my friend's school play, and just before she went on stage, someone told her, "Break a leg!" At first I thought it sounded a bit harsh, but …
I was watching an American TV show and one of the characters said they made it 'by the skin of their teeth.' I think it means almost not making it, but I'm not…
Today at my new job, I heard a coworker say, "There's no use crying over spilled milk" when someone made a mistake. I think I get the general idea, but I'm not…
Last night I was watching a movie, and one of the characters told someone, 'Don’t judge a book by its cover.' I think I understand the general idea, but I'm no…
I'm writing a letter to my friend who recently lost his job, and I wanted to include a comforting phrase. I remembered the saying 'every cloud has a silver lin…
I'm writing a story where one of the characters cancels her wedding just a few days before the ceremony. I remember hearing the phrase 'get cold feet,' but I'm…
I often find myself confused when I hear people use phrasal verbs like 'give up', 'look after', or 'run into' in conversations. For example, in my textbook it …
Hi everyone, Today at work, I was talking with a coworker who was late to a meeting. I wanted to tell my manager that maybe we should give him the benefit of t…
Hi everyone! I'm working on an essay for my English class, and I keep getting confused about how to use 'look up', 'look for', and 'look after'. For example, i…
I'm writing a thank you email to a coworker who really helped me out with a project. I want to express that she did more than what was required, so I thought a…
I'm having trouble figuring out when to split phrasal verbs, especially in sentences with objects. For example, should I say, 'Please turn off the light,' or '…
Yesterday at the office, my colleague told me, “I’m in hot water with the boss after missing that deadline.” I’ve never heard this phrase before and was a bit …
I was chatting with a coworker about a disagreement between two colleagues, and I wanted to express that both people were responsible for the situation. I trie…
I heard my coworker say that our manager 'jumped the gun' by sending out the report before it was finished. I haven't heard this phrase used much before, and I…
Hi everyone, I’m writing an email to my neighbor who asked me to look after her houseplants while she’s on vacation. I want to say that I’ll watch her plants t…
I'm writing an email to my friend about my weekend plans, and I wanted to say that I managed to finish my laundry and catch up on phone calls at the same time.…
Hi everyone, I'm writing a story in English about a time when I lost my house keys and searched everywhere to find them. I want to use the phrase 'leave no sto…
I'm writing a short story about a family that's having trouble paying their bills, and I want to use a natural sounding English phrase. I keep hearing people s…
Yesterday, I was talking to my friend who is struggling with her English homework. I wanted to motivate her to keep trying even though it's difficult. I rememb…