Posted in Phrase of the Day

Proficiency Phrase of the Day #16: To keep someone waiting

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.

Author:

Barcelona based English Teacher, blogger and sometime actor and director.

Leave a Reply