Tag: C2

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 do wonders for

Introduce it to your students with a personalised example:

“Getting away from the city for a couple of days did wonders for my mental health.”

Show them some more examples to help them grasp the meaning:

All that sunshine does wonders for your mood.

Yoga will do wonders for his fitness.

Fresh vegetables and pure water can do wonders for the liver.

Get a pet – my dog has done wonders for my soul.

The expression means to have a big positive effect on something. It’s most often used to describe positive impacts on physical or mental health, but can also be used to describe improvements to relationships or reputations.

The couples therapy did wonders for their marriage.

The announcement of the ceasefire did wonders for the country’s standing on the world stage.

Put students in pairs or small groups and have them think of some examples:

1. A product or activity that has had a positive impact on their mental or physical health.
2. Some advice you could give a couple who are going through a rough patch.
3. Something that a celebrity did that had a really good impact on their career or reputation.