Category: Vocabulary Classes

Today’s phrase is…

All of a sudden

Introduce it with some examples:

All of a sudden, the power went out and we were left in complete darkness.

We were driving along the highway when all of a sudden a deer ran out in front of us.

Lead students to the meaning: suddenly/unexpectedly.

Discussion:

• Have you ever had a near miss while travelling in a car/bus/other vehicle? What happened?
• Have you ever been shocked, scared or surprised by a sudden unexpected event? What happened?
• Are you a fan of horror films? Can you remember any particularly good jump scares?
• Invent the perfect jump scare from a horror film. The ingredients are: a spooky situation, tension building, a distraction or misdirect, the sudden appearance of something horrifying.

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

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….

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.

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.

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.