Month: April 2023

Posted in Phrase of the Day

Proficiency Phrase of the Day #14: To bite off more than you can chew

Posted on by Tim Warre

Today’s phrase of the day is…

To bite off more than you can chew

Introduce it with some examples:

When I took on that extra part-time job I bit off more than I could chew.

The government bit off more than they could chew when they tried to completely overhaul the tax system.

Lead students to the meaning: to accept too much responsibility and fail to complete a commitment/try to do something that is too hard for you.

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

  1. How much do you have on your plate at the moment? Can you handle it? Or have you taken on too much work?
  2. How good are you at predicting how long a piece of work will take?
  3. When it comes to taking on new responsibilities, where is the line between being ambitious and being naïve?
  4. Have you ever accepted a job/project that was too difficult for you? What happened?

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

Posted in Advanced C1, Exam Preparation Class, Phrase of the Day, Proficiency

Proficiency Phrase of the Day #13: Bury One’s Head in the Sand

Posted on by Tim Warre

Today’s phrase is…

To bury one’s head in the sand

Introduce the expression to your students with some examples.

When it comes to climate change, most governments are burying their heads in the sand and just going on as normal.

You can’t just bury your head in the sand, your symptoms are bad, you should see a doctor.

The expression means: to avoid or ignore unpleasant facts even though they might have a bad effect on you in the future.

Put students in small groups and have them ask and answer these questions. Encourage them to use the phrase of the day:

  1. Apart from climate change, are there any other major issues that you think governments are refusing to face up to?
  2. How do you normally deal with potentially scary news or information? Do you face up to it? Or try to avoid thinking about it or discussing it?
  3. How do you normally deal with strange symptoms or other health problems? Do you get them checked out? Or ignore them and hope they go away?

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

Posted in Advanced C1, Exam Preparation Class, Phrase of the Day, Proficiency, Vocabulary Classes

Proficiency Phrase of the Day #12: To prey on your mind

Posted on by Tim Warre
“Worried bride” by spaceodissey is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Today’s phrase is…

To prey on one’s mind

Introduce it with some examples:

The problem has been preying on my mind for over a week now.

You mustn’t let past failures prey on your mind when making big decisions.

The expression is often used with “let” in imperatives: Don’t let it prey on your mind.

Lead students to the meaning: if a problem is preying on your mind it is worrying you or causing you anxiety.

Have students take part in a little therapy session in pairs or small groups:

  • Is anything bothering you at the moment?
  • Do you have any big deadlines or events looming on the horizon?
  • Do you have any big decisions to make coming up?
  • Do you have any regrets about recent things that have happened that you need to open up about?

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

Posted in Advanced C1, Exam Preparation Class, Phrase of the Day, Proficiency

Proficiency Phrase of the Day #11: There’s no telling/knowing

Posted on by Tim Warre

Today’s phrase is….

There’s no telling/knowing….

Introduce it with a few examples:

There’s no telling who’s going to win the next elections.

There’s no knowing how the situation in Ukraine is going to develop.

Lead students to the meaning: “nobody knows/it’s impossible to know”, point out that the expression is typically followed by a question word. Challenge them to work in pairs to complete the sentences below while covering a range of topics:

  • There’s no knowing/telling who…
  • There’s no knowing/telling what…
  • There’s no knowing/telling where…
  • There’s no knowing/telling how long….
  • There’s no knowing/telling how much….
  • There’s no knowing/telling which…
  • There’s no knowing/telling when…

Topics: politics, pop culture (music, films, video games, etc.), school/class/exams, class gossip, celebrity gossip, science and technology, finance and business, etc.

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

Posted in Advanced C1, Exam Preparation Class, Phrase of the Day, Proficiency, Vocabulary Classes

Proficiency Phrase of the Day #10: By the skin of one’s teeth

Posted on by Tim Warre

Today’s phrase is…

To do something by the skin of your teeth.

Introduce it to your students with some personalised examples from your own life:

I passed my driving test by the skin of my teeth, one more mistake and I would have failed.

My football team managed to win the league by the skin of their teeth, it came down to goal difference in the end.

Lead them to the meaning: by the thinnest of margins. Point out that it’s most commonly used in the contexts of exams/tests, elections or competitions.

The politician held onto his seat in parliament by the skin of her teeth.

The golfer qualified for the next round by the skin of her teeth.

I passed my Spanish speaking exam by the skin of my teeth.

Put students in pairs and encourage them to think of examples from their own life.

As a counterpoint, you could introduce the following opposite expressions:

  • to pass with flying colours
  • to sail/breeze through

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