Month: April 2023

Today’s phrase is…

To be in one’s element

Introduce it to your students with some examples:

I had a dinner party last week with loads of old friends from university, I love telling jokes and old anecdotes about our uni days I was in my element.

There was a lot to get done before the wedding but my uncle was in his element; he was giving out orders, making phone calls and making sure everyone was involved.

Lead students to the meaning: to be in a situation where you feel comfortable and perform well.

Put students in pairs or small groups and have them discuss the following questions:

• When are you in your element?
• How do you feel in the following situations?:
• When people are looking to you to make decisions.
• In a group of people cracking jokes and making fun of each other.
• In a large crowd at a concert or festival with loud music.
• In the sales in a busy shopping centre hunting for bargains.
• Planning a social event.
• Working on a creative project on your own.
• Leading a team of people.

Here’s the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.

Today’s phrase is….

to be out of touch

Introduce it with some examples:

The politician’s response to that question just shows that he is completely out of touch with the ordinary person on the street.

I used to listen to the latest pop music when I was younger but I‘m a bit out of touch now.

They’re completely out of touch with reality if they think building more coal power plants is a good idea.

Lead the students to the meaning of the expression: to not be aware of recent changes to a situation or to not understand a situation fully.

Put students in pairs and have them discuss the questions in pairs:

• Do you keep up with any of the following things?
• Football/pop music/fashion
• Do you think politicians understand what life is like for ordinary people? Why?/why not?
• How would you describe yourself, are you a pragmatist with your feet on the ground, or do you tend to have wild and unrealistic hopes and dreams?

Here’s the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.

Today’s phrase is…

to come to terms with

Introduce it by showing your students the photo on the left. Have them discuss the meaning in pairs. Lead them towards the idea of the empty nest as the family home once all the children have moved out. Ask them to discuss how parents tend to feel when they become “empty nesters”, then show them the sentence below:

It can be difficult for parents to come to terms with being empty nesters.

It can be difficult for parents to come to terms with the fact that their children are independent adults who can fend for themselves (mostly).

Lead them to the meaning of the expression: to accept a new and painful event or situation.

Put students in pairs and have them discuss the following questions:

How would you describe the process of accepting/adapting to the following important changes in life and how long do you think the process takes?

1. The death of a family pet
2. Breaking up with your childhood sweetheart
3. A romantic partner cheating on you
4. Your child becoming a teenager
5. Your football team being relegated
6. Retirement from a job you loved

What unique challenges does each situation involve?

Today’s phrase is….

Be nothing short of

Introduce it with some examples:

The view from the boat was nothing short of spectacular.

It’s nothing short of miraculous that no one was hurt in the crash.

The desserts were nothing short of fantastic.

The way he treated you was nothing short of abuse.

The dinner party was nothing short of a disaster.

Lead students to the meaning and use: it’s typically used to emphasise a situation or quality, mostly followed by extreme adjectives, however, it can also be followed by some nouns, like the final two examples above.

You can check for more examples by using Skell, the free version of Sketch Engine.

Put students in pairs or small groups and have them discuss these questions, encourage them to use the expression:

1. What’s the most beautiful view you’ve ever seen?
2. Describe the best meal you’ve ever eaten.
3. Have you ever been to a particularly disastrous party or meeting?
4. Have you ever narrowly avoided having an accident?

Here’s the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.

Today’s phrase is…

To keep someone waiting

Introduce the expression with some examples:

The hotel staff kept us waiting for the best part of four hours before our room was ready.

Keeping your date waiting for you to arrive is not a good look.

The expression means “to make someone wait”. There’s also a bonus expression today: “for the best part of an hour/a day/etc.”, which means “almost an hour/a day/etc.

Put students in pairs or small groups and have them answer these questions:

1. How punctual are you in general?
2. Do you have any friends/relatives who are always late?
3. How do you feel when you have to wait around for someone?
4. What’s the longest you’ve had to wait for a friend/relative to arrive?
5. What’s the longest you’ve kept someone else waiting?

Here’s the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.

Today’s phrase is….

to go halves on something

Introduce it with an example:

On a first date you should always go halves on the bill when it arrives. Do you agree?

The expression means to split/divide the cost of something between two people.

Put students in pairs or small groups and have them discuss these questions:

1. What’s your opinion of dating etiquette when it comes to paying the bill in a restaurant? How has this etiquette changed over the years?
2. If you’re sharing a house/flat with a partner, what do you think is the best way to organise the finances? Should the two people’s relative income be taken into account?
3. When you were a child/teenager and you wanted a particularly expensive item for our birthday/Christmas/another celebration, did you ever split the cost with your parents?

Here’s the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.