Jenny Smith - 500 Really Useful English Phrases

500 Really Useful English Phrases

Jenny Smith

Jenny Smith 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this book can be reproduced or distributed in any form whatsoever without the permission of the publisher. The only exceptions are short quotations and some non-commercial uses allowed by copyright laws.

All efforts have been made to make the contents as accurate as possible. However if there are inaccuracies the publisher cannot be held liable. This book contains short stories and example sentences, all of which are fictitious and not based on any real event or person.

Do you feel stuck in the intermediate level?

I started writing this book because I could see that once students had studied all of the basic grammar and vocabulary and could communicate to a fairly good level they just sort of got stuck there and never really improved very much.

The problem was that they really needed to start using and being exposed to real English that is in everyday use. However, the usual textbooks just sort of continue teaching the same boring stuff and dont take into account that the students need to be challenged by using real English and not just lists of grammar.

Of course the student could just pick up an English language newspaper or watch TV but that could be a bit off-putting or intimidating if they had no guidance as to how to use the new language being introduced. This is where this book fits in; it bridges the gap between being comfortable with beginner and lower intermediate grammar/vocabulary and being able to comfortably use normal English language books, magazines, television etc.

This series uses interesting stories to help the student learn everyday English naturally and in a fun and engaging way. It also features easy to understand explanations and example sentences to ensure the student is guided from the intermediate to the advanced level without ever feeling confused or lost.

How does this book help you move from intermediate to advanced English?

R eason 1. It will help you understand everyday English by introducing 500 commonly used phrases. It also features both descriptions and examples so students can fully understand the meaning of the phrases.

Reason 2. It makes learning fun and interesting. All of the phrases are used in context in interesting short stories and articles. You can see how the phrases are actually used in everyday life.

Reason 3. It uses easy to understand English to introduce more difficult phrases. So you can improve smoothly.

Reason 4. One of the things about being an advanced speaker is that you can speak fluently on any subject. The stories are all about particular subjects and feature the phrases you will need to speak fluently on that subject.

This book is written for people who have reached the intermediate level but are finding it difficult to move forward. By studying phrases in context in a fun and interesting way you will be improving naturally and be learning English that people actually use rather than just classroom English. You will actually start to sound like a native English speaker.

So lets get started and move from the intermediate to the advanced level.

The New Business

Y ears ago when I was still in my twenties and still working for a large company I decided to throw caution to the wind and start my own business. At the beginning it was by no means plain sailing and I had to get through a lot of bad times. At one point I had a close shave with bankruptcy but I was able to get a big sale just in the nick of time and my company was saved.

Phrases:

Throw caution to the wind: to take a risk.

Example: Even though he doesnt have much experience, lets throw caution to the wind and hire him.

B y no means: this means definitely not.

Example: Of course you can run a marathon, but by no means is it going to be easy.

P lain Sailing: this is used when you want to say that something is easy and that the process was smooth.

Example: I studied very hard so the exams were basically plain sailing.

A close shave : a lucky escape from danger.

Example: That was a close shave. He almost caught me reading his private diary.

I n the nick of time : just in time.

Example: I got paid just in the nick of time. Id just run out of money.

A t one point I totally ran out of money and had to let go of a few staff members. This rough patch lasted for the best part of a year but I was able to ride it out and keep my company running long enough until business improved. In retrospect, while this was a difficult period for me, the upshot was that I was able to pick up a lot of new skills and became much more self-reliant.

P hrases:

To run out of (something): to use up all of your supplies of something.

Example: We are about to run out of petrol/gas, so lets stop at the next station.

T o let go of staff : this is a nice way of saying the staff member was fired or made redundant. It is often used when it is not the employees fault, when the company cant afford to employ them any longer etc.

Example: Because of the recession we have had to let half of our staff go.

R ough Patch: this means a difficult period of time.

Example: After I lost my job I went through a rough patch financially.