Do you think my odds are good? (Photo by Drew Rae from Pexels)

After that fortuitous experience, I could focus on what truly matters: the incredible English language. So I started thinking of the different ways we can use the word odds and I’ve rounded them up for us today, along with some meaningful phrases and collocations. Let’s go for it!

So let’s start with the basic definition:

Very useful in a casino, but frequently used figuratively, ODDS describe the probabitly of a certain outcome, the chance or likelihood for something to happen:

• After the corruption scandals, the odds on her being reelected are slim.
• If you keep driving while intoxicated, the odds are that you be involved in an accident soon.
• It’s been cloudy all day. Odds are that it will rain later.
• The odds of winning the lottery is like 1 in a million. It’s just not worth it.
  

  After faliling multiple times, Phil managed to beat the odds and become a thriving business owner) Photo by Vlad Chețan from Pexels)

Note: do not mistake it for ODD, which is used to refer to something unusual or strange (i.e. Isn’t it odd that your mother never pays us a visit?).

Phrases, collocations and idioms:

AGAINST ALL ODDS/ TO BEAT THE ODDS

Contrary to probability or expectation

• Against all odds, he worked his way through college and got himself a law degree.
• The underdogs were able to win the championship against all odds.
• As a woman from a poor family, she managed to beat the odds and build a succesful career in politics.
• Although most restaurants go bankrupt within a year, Papa’s Bistro beat the odds and has been popular for a decade.

THE ODDS ARE (STACKED) AGAINST

When something is unlikely to happen:

• Our best player has got a broken leg and our coach is sick. The odds are definitely against us on the match.
• After losing our most important account and failing to get that promotion, I feel like the odds are stacked up against Jim.

They’ve been frequently at odds with each other lately (Photo by Timur Weber)

TO BE AT ODDS

to be in disagreement or conflict with someone

• Tensions are rising because the two countries have been at odds for the past few years.
• The couple was always at odds over financial issues.

Are you familiar with any other ways to use the word odds? Leave your comment below and let us know.

Stick around for more next time! Odds are that we’ll learn a lot of new things.

     

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Plus they are a great way to learn a language and get some insight into a certain culture. So today we have got a fun little challenge for you. I rounded up five popular sayings that all English speakers are familiar with, and your task is to have a look at them and try to guess the ending of each one and then match them! And to make it even more interesting, you can also try to figure out what they mean!

How do you think these might end?

• Don’t bite off . . .

• Necessity is . . .

• Never test . . .

• The nail that sticks out . . .

• An idle brain . . .

• Don’t count the chickens . . .

Now see if you can match them:

Then, scroll down for the full sentence and meaning:

• Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

Used to warn someone that their undertaking might be harder to achieve than they are thinking.

– Are you sure you can take on a second job? Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew.

• Necessity is the mother of invention.

It means that creativity and innovation are motivated by times of need or a demand for something.

– As a college student, I was so broke I had to use a frisbee as a plate. After all, necessity is the mother of invention.

• Never test the depth of water with both feet.

Act with caution so you don’t end up in an unfavorable situation, evaluate the risk you are taking before taking a step.

– Listen, I know this investment opportunity sounds promising, but you should never test the depth of water with both feet. Ask around first and don’t give away all of your savings.

• The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.

Whoever is too different or draws too much attention to him or herself is likely to be punished until they start behaving like the others.

– My high school called my parents once because I dyed my hair blue. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, am I right?

• An idle brain is the devil’s workshop.

Keeping oneself busy and active is the best way to avoid getting into trouble.

– I really think Frank should get a summer job instead of just sitting around all day. You know an idle brain is the devil’s workshop.

• Don’t count the chickens before they hatch.

Wait for something more concrete to happen before making definite plans, as you don’t what the future might bring.

– I feel confident about my job interview, but I’d better not count the chickens before they hatch.

So what was your score? Could you guess any of them? If you know any other proverbs in English, tell us in the comment box below! Have a nice week and keep on learning! After all, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Speaking of which, here are some more interesting sayings and proverbs from our previous posts:

English Phrases and Idioms About Dogs

English Sayings and Idioms About Cats

Saint Patrick’s Day and Irish sayings

Southerner sayings: American expression you might hear in the South

     

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• Happy World Water Day!
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Inflation is hitting us hard (Photo by cottonbro from pexels)

Greetings, dear readers! How is everybody doing? Our previous post outlines a few terms and phrases that are being used to address the inflation that has been hitting us hard and is the reason of much distress and economic recession worldwide.

Now for the second part of our text, we are going to have a look at some inflation-related keywords and terms collected from news articles and headlines. If you, like me, often feels bombarded by the overload of information in the media, we can at least try to look at it in a meaningful way.  We don’t know what lies ahead. So let’s stay in the present for now and talk inflation!

One thing that caught my attention when watching the news were the words used to describe this historic inflation surge: 

• unprecedented

• at an all-time high

• record-high/ record-breaking

On the other hand, many sources were also eager to offer advice and tips on how to deal with the problem, often using collocations like:

How are you coping with inflation? (Photo by nappy from Pexels)

• cutting down expenses/ cut back on spending

• to fit the budget / stick to a monthly budget

• money is tight/ tight budget

• cope with/ navigate

• live within one’s means

• demands for a wage increase/ discuss a pay raise

The examples below might provide some insight on how to use these phrases in a sentence:

• Record-breaking June inflation rates have led to an increased cost of living. 
• If your budget a bit too tight and you feel like your dollar is stretched thin, you might want to consider changing your habits.
• Households hit by inflation are having to dip into family savings and cut down expenses.
• One way to cut back on spending is unplugging appliances when they are not being used.
• In times of unprecedented financial uncertainty, sticking to your budget is key to navigating inflation.
• With my savings dwindling away and my money losing value, I think the time has come to discuss a pay raise.
• Workers are demanding a wage increase following the dramatic surge in consumer prices which has reduced their purchasing power.
• As the cost of every day items continues to rise, low-income families are struggling to cope with the record-high inflation and live within their means. 

How have you been tackling inflation? Do you think harder times are yet to come? Share your thoughts with us!

Care to learn more about money vocabulary? We’ve got you covered! Check out these previous posts:

Money talks

Know Your Wonga – British and American Slang Terms for Money

Money, money, money: English expressions related to $

     

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Costs are going through the roof (Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay)

Well, if we can’t beat it for now, at least we can discuss it, right? Specialists, journalists and ordinary people alike have been sharing money-saving tips to help tackle this issue. From an educational standpoint, this kind of content can offer an insight into the English language and teach us some useful terms when it comes to speaking about the current economical situation. After all, no matter if you are having a casual bar chat with friends or speaking to a business partner, I’m sure this subject will come up eventually!

So lately I’ve been skimming through articles online not only to get informed but also to put together a glossary of relevant terms and phrases about inflation that you can use, along with some sample sentences to learn in context. So let’s get down to business? 

Adjectives, nouns, verbs and collocations to refer to the inflation and high prices:

A lot of words have been used in association with our current times, as in phrases like:

• whopping inflation

• price hikes

• consumer prices

  

  Inflation is on the rise (Image by Foto-Rabe from Pixabay)

• purchasing power

• to spike

• to surge

• to skyrocket

• to soar

• to be on the rise

• to go through the roof

• to drive up the prices/costs

Now see the examples below:

• As a result of a disruption on the supply chain, fuel prices have skyrocketed over the past months.
• The ongoing war in Ukraine has been driving up costs throughout Europe.
• Economists warn that the price of electricity could soar in the months to come.
• With inflation rates on the rise, they had to put off their hope of taking out a mortgage this year.
• My car expenses have been going through the roof lately, I think I’ll just start walking to work.
• Since the beginning of the year, rent has spiked in my area.

Rent has spiked (Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay)

Using adverbs to highlight your point

Although they might not sound as natural in other languages, English speakers are big fans of adverbs and they often use them as intensifiers.  Here’s how you can use words like drastically, sharply, significantly, alarmingly and etc. to place some emphasis:

• As consumer prices are surging in France, the purchasing power has reduced sharply.
• Two years of pandemic restrictions and lockdowns have drastically impacted the automotive industry.
• Families must face the fact that an increased cost of living might significantly alter their future plans.

More on this coming shortly! Stay tuned!

     

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Indirect questions might be harder to formulate, but are more polite (Photo by Olya Kobruseva: from Pexels)

Hey, everyone! I wonder how you’ve been doing. Too formal? Well, that’s because I just used an indirect question! And yes, they are supposed to be more formal than a direct question because you use them in certain situations. I notice that my students, as non-native English speakers, are more concerned about trying to express themselves correctly and get their ideias across and often overlook certain subtleties of the language. But learning how to assess a situation and properly addressing someone also goes a long way when you are communicating.

Indirect questions are commonly used when you are asking for information, approaching strangers or when you are meeting someone new. Or perhaps you don’t know someone so well and don’t want to sound too straighforward or come across as rude. They are also helpful if you want to ask someone for a favor, even it is a friend, but is trying to avoid sounding inconvenient. Who knows? Maybe you won’t get the answer you were hoping for, but at least you tried as gracefully as possible!

Essentially, you need indirect questions when you are trying to be polite or want to soften the blow. There are usually certain topics that are more delicate or private and you want to ask about those things in a respectful way. So there is usually a phrase introducing the main question. Compare the questions below:

Use them when addressing someone you don’t know (Photo by cottonbro from Pexels)

• Where is the nearest ATM?

• Could you tell me where the nearest ATM is?

• Are you single?

• Would you mind telling me if you are single?

Keep in mind that, when asking an indirect question, we invert the subject and the verb, much like we would in an affirmative sentence. The same goes for a sentence with auxiliaries like do/does/did. We simply omit the auxiliary and form the sentence in the affirmative:

• How much did you pay for this car?

• May I ask how much you paid for this car?

Here are some useful phrases in case you intend to ask an indirect question:

• Do you have any idea if?

• Could you tell me?

  

  You can ask smeone for a favor with indirect questions (Photo by Alexander Suhorucov from Pexels)

• Can/Could/May I ask?

• I wonder if/ I was wondering if

• I would like to know

• Is there any chance?

• What do you do for a living?

• Do you happen to know if?

• Would you mind telling me?

• Do you know if?

Now have a look at these examples:

• I would like to know when the next train leaves.
• I wonder if I could borrow 20 bucks.
• Do you happen to know why the flight is delayed?
• Would you mind telling me how old you are?
• May I ask why you were late for the meeting?
• Do you know if the report is ready?
• Could you tell me where the bus station is?
• Is there any chance you could help me move on Sunday?
• Do you have any idea how long this is going to take?
• May I ask you what your name is again?
• Could I ask where the toilet is?
• Is there any chance I could borrow your car this weekend?
• I was wondering where Princeton avenue is.

Do you normally use indirect questions or do you prefer do get straight do the point? Let us know in the comments!

     

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I need to throw some things away (Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels)

In our previous post, we covered some basic cleaning terms and phrases that go along with it. So today is time to dig out your notes from the bottom of the drawer, spring cleaning style, and review a few more useful words about cleaning and organizing. And who knows? In addition to a vocabulary boost, you might also get that much-needed motivation to get a headstart on your spring cleaning or on that long overdue home improvement project. So time to get our hands dirty!

Spring cleaning doesn’t start until you decide to do some serious decluttering. You don’t need to be a big time Marie Kondo fan to understand what this means. To declutter is to get rid of any mess or unwanted objects from a room, surface or closed so that it doesn’t look overcrowded or disorganized.

• I can’t find anything on my desk, I need to declutter before I end up misplacing an important document.

And that can be easily achieved with the phrasal verb holy trinity of decluttering: put away, throw away or give away. Although they are all formed with the preposition away, their meanings can differ significantly.

To put away is to store something in the place it normally belongs:

• When you are done playing with those toys, remember to put them away.

To throw away, on the other hand. means to dispose of something that no longer has any use, normally in a trashcan.

• Oh no, this wine glass is broken. I’d better throw it away before someone gets hurt.

You wash your hands by rubbing them together with soap (Photo by Sorapong Chaipanya from Pexels)

And to give away is to offer for free something you don’t want anymore:

• Mikey’s clothes are getting too small for him! I think I’ll give them away to charity.

Our first post about cleaning covered some basic terms, but if we’re talking about heavier duty cleaning, here are a few words to keep in mind: rub and scrub.

When you rub, you make movements back and forth, applying pressure, so as to clean something.

The best way to rub out a stain from a tablecloth is to use club soda and salt.

As for scrub, it is to use an object (like a cloth or a brush, for instance) to rub something hard:

• Grime can build up on kitchen cabinets and surfaces over time, so make sure to scrub it nicely to get rid of any dirty spots.
  

  Apply product, them wipe it down (Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels)

Another word you will definitely find useful when spring cleaning is concerned is thoroughly, which is an adverbs that describes something that is done very carefully and paying attention to details.

• First you apply the product, then mop the floor thoroughly.

And lastly, don’t forget the phrase spruce up to talk about making something look nicer or to improve its condition.

• Spring has arrived. Time to spruce up our home!

Can you guys think about any other cleaning-related terms? Let us know. Hope your homes are looking spotless by now!

And if you are in the mood for learning abour more spring-related idioms, phrases and proverbs, we’ve got you covered! Have a look below:

English Idioms for the Spring

English Spring Phrases

April showers bring May flowers

     

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We need to get past that truck (Photo by Life Of Pix from Pexels)

In those cases, I find it more helpful and productive to simply narrow it down to a few terms whose definitions are somewhat related and delve more closely into that. And this is what we’ll be doing today! Let’s have a look at two English phrases with get which, at first glance, can be seen as opposite pairs but whose meanings go even beyond that: get past and get behind.

Are you familiar with these terms? Maybe you can infer what they mean by having a look at the sentence below:

• I was never able to get past the fact that Adam didn’t get behind my ideas for the project after he promised me he would have my back. It really hurt me. 

Based on this example, we can understand get past in the sense of overcoming something bad that happened, also like:

Excuse me, could I get past? (Photo by Hert Niks from Pexels)

• If you want your relationship with Nora to work, you have to try to get past the fact that she cheated on you years ago. 

As for get behind, it works here in the sense of supporting someone or encouraging them in their projects, plans or ideas. Check this one out:

• If the sales team is able to increase revenue by 2%, I’m sure management will get behind their proposal to review their wages. 

Similarly, to get something past someone means to obtain approval, permission or acceptance from people who are in a position of power:

• You have to get past the local authorities if you want the building permit to expand this parking lot.
• Marty’s 4-day working week plan will never get past the board.

It is also used in the sense of ignoring or overlooking a negative aspect of something so you can better enjoy an experience:

• Once you get past the over-the-top décor and questionable design choices, the hotel can be really charming a make for a pleasant stay.

But you can also use get past in a more physical sense, as in asking people to move to make room for you or as in to go over an obstacle (in this sense, it is similar to “get through”):

We need to convince more employees to get behind us on this overhaul project (Photo by fauxels from Pexel)

• Excuse me, could I get past?
• We need to get past this slow truck if we want to make it to the hotel before sunset.
• Due to the storm, there are an uprooted tree on the road, so we couldn’t get past.

And the same goes for get behind, which also implies a physical movement (in this sense, it is similar to “fall behind”):

• Cindy! How did you get behind the couch? Come over here, honey?
• We can’t get any further behind schedule if we want to finish this audit presentation by Wednesday.

Do you know any other ways to use get past or get behind? Let us know in the comments below! Have a nice week.

And while we are at it, why not check out our previous posts on the subject? 

Phrasal verbs for phone calls

Phrasal verbs and their opposites

Useful phrasal verbs in English

     

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