Questions and answers tagged #natural-english.
I'm writing a travel journal and keep getting stuck on whether I should use 'stay,' 'remain,' or 'keep' in my sentences. For example, I wrote: 'We decided to s…
I'm writing a short story for my English class about a group of children exploring nature. In one part, I want to describe the area they are in, but I'm not su…
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…
I'm writing a detective story and I keep getting confused about when I should use 'follow', 'chase', or 'pursue'. For example, one of my sentences is: 'The det…
I'm writing a short story set in the countryside, and I'm not sure when to use 'river', 'stream', or 'creek'. For example, in one scene, my character crosses a…
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 …
Hi everyone, I’m working on some emails and casual messages in English and keep getting stuck on when to use 'kind of', 'sort of', or 'a bit'. For example, I w…
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…
I'm writing an email to a client and want to sound both polite and professional. In my draft, I wrote, 'Maybe we could schedule a meeting next week,' but then …
Hi everyone, I was writing an email to a friend and got stuck trying to decide if I should say, "I miss my keys," "I lost my keys," or "I lack my keys." I feel…
I was writing an email to my friend about a minor accident I had last weekend, but I got stuck choosing the right word. Should I say, "I hurt my leg when I fel…
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…
I'm having a hard time figuring out when to use 'actually', 'currently', or 'eventually' in my sentences. For example, if I want to say what I am doing now, sh…
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…
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…
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…
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 often get mixed up about when I should use 'put on', 'wear', or 'dress' when talking about clothes. For example, when I'm telling my friend about my day, sho…