Confusing English Words
😳A lot of learners get confused with these three words: imagine, image and imagination. Let's find out the difference.
✨Imagine is a verb and and a key word of a very famous song by John Lennon. John asked us to imagine all the people living life in peace!
Can you imagine what you would do if you won a lottery?
Jack said that Vegas was better than he imagined.
🌅Image is a noun. Image is like a picture or a photo in your mind. As well, in the graphic design world, an image is a digital picture or graphic.
I still have the image of her face in my mind.
Let's use this three images in our new brochure.
🌈Finally, imagination is both the ability to imagine and the part of mind where the images exist.
Imagination is the key to creativity.
Use your imagination and tell me a story about a faraway land.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
😳A lot of learners get confused with these three words: imagine, image and imagination. Let's find out the difference.
✨Imagine is a verb and and a key word of a very famous song by John Lennon. John asked us to imagine all the people living life in peace!
Can you imagine what you would do if you won a lottery?
Jack said that Vegas was better than he imagined.
🌅Image is a noun. Image is like a picture or a photo in your mind. As well, in the graphic design world, an image is a digital picture or graphic.
I still have the image of her face in my mind.
Let's use this three images in our new brochure.
🌈Finally, imagination is both the ability to imagine and the part of mind where the images exist.
Imagination is the key to creativity.
Use your imagination and tell me a story about a faraway land.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Ugly Christmas Sweaters
🙈ugly = not good looking
👉That's the case... = An example of this is...
⏳over the years = over a long time
🧩creative = inventive; with new ideas
🎄adorned = decorated
🎀ribbons = long, thin color pieces of fabric, often worn in women's hair
🧶pom poms = small, round balls of soft material
✨glitter = very small pieces that shine when light hits them
💡light up = shine using electricity
in earnest = seriously
🎉cheer = happiness; joy
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
🙈ugly = not good looking
👉That's the case... = An example of this is...
⏳over the years = over a long time
🧩creative = inventive; with new ideas
🎄adorned = decorated
🎀ribbons = long, thin color pieces of fabric, often worn in women's hair
🧶pom poms = small, round balls of soft material
✨glitter = very small pieces that shine when light hits them
💡light up = shine using electricity
in earnest = seriously
🎉cheer = happiness; joy
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
All 12 Gifts for You
🍐A partridge in a pear tree - a partridge is a kind of bird, and a pear is a type of sweet fruit
🕊Two turtle doves - turtle doves are another kind of bird
🐓Three French hens - also called Faverolles (a type of chicken)
🪶Four calling birds - also called a songbird for the noise they make
💍Five golden rings - a ring is what you wear on your finger as jewelry
🪿Six geese a-laying - geese are birds, and "a-laying" is another way of saying that they are producing eggs
🦢Seven swans a-swimming - swans are beautiful birds related to ducks and geese
🥛Eight maids a-milking - a milkmaid is a girl or woman who works getting milk from a cow (maid is an old word for a young, unmarried woman)
💃Nine ladies dancing - a lady can refer to a woman, but an older use of the word refers especially to a woman of authority, power, and wealth
🏃➡️Ten lords a-leaping - a lord is an older term for a man of power and wealth, often the owner of a large house and a lot of land; to leap means to jump
🪈Eleven pipers piping - a piper is someone who plays a musical instrument such as a bagpipe
🥁Twelve drummers drumming - a drummer plays a drum (of course!)
Was there something different between the song and my post?😏
Wish you to get all the gifts!
Happy new year!
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
🍐A partridge in a pear tree - a partridge is a kind of bird, and a pear is a type of sweet fruit
🕊Two turtle doves - turtle doves are another kind of bird
🐓Three French hens - also called Faverolles (a type of chicken)
🪶Four calling birds - also called a songbird for the noise they make
💍Five golden rings - a ring is what you wear on your finger as jewelry
🪿Six geese a-laying - geese are birds, and "a-laying" is another way of saying that they are producing eggs
🦢Seven swans a-swimming - swans are beautiful birds related to ducks and geese
🥛Eight maids a-milking - a milkmaid is a girl or woman who works getting milk from a cow (maid is an old word for a young, unmarried woman)
💃Nine ladies dancing - a lady can refer to a woman, but an older use of the word refers especially to a woman of authority, power, and wealth
🏃➡️Ten lords a-leaping - a lord is an older term for a man of power and wealth, often the owner of a large house and a lot of land; to leap means to jump
🪈Eleven pipers piping - a piper is someone who plays a musical instrument such as a bagpipe
🥁Twelve drummers drumming - a drummer plays a drum (of course!)
Was there something different between the song and my post?😏
Wish you to get all the gifts!
Happy new year!
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Four money-related idioms
💸Make money means "to earn or get money". It has a positive nuance of earning a good or high profit.
It's hard to make money working as a musician.
💴Make a living means " to earn money to live and support oneself or one's family". We often use a gerund or as after make a living.
Tommy makes a living doing accounting.
OR
Tommy makes a living as an accountant.
💰Make do and make do with means "to manage with a limited amount of something".
Danny doesn't have a job now, so he has to make do with his savings.
💳Lastly, make ends meet means "to earn just enough money to be able to pay one's bills". Literally, it means "to live and budget your money, so that the end of the money and the end if the bills meet at the same time".
Chris and his wife just bought a house, so they are working really hard to make ends meet.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
💸Make money means "to earn or get money". It has a positive nuance of earning a good or high profit.
It's hard to make money working as a musician.
💴Make a living means " to earn money to live and support oneself or one's family". We often use a gerund or as after make a living.
Tommy makes a living doing accounting.
OR
Tommy makes a living as an accountant.
💰Make do and make do with means "to manage with a limited amount of something".
Danny doesn't have a job now, so he has to make do with his savings.
💳Lastly, make ends meet means "to earn just enough money to be able to pay one's bills". Literally, it means "to live and budget your money, so that the end of the money and the end if the bills meet at the same time".
Chris and his wife just bought a house, so they are working really hard to make ends meet.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Confusing words LAY and LIE
First of all, lay is an irregular verb. lay > laid > laid.
Lay means “to put something down,” and it usually has the nuance of put something down carefully or gently. If you are a fan of police dramas on TV, you often hear the policeman telling the criminal
Lay your weapons!
or
Lay down your weapons!
On the other hand, we use lie to mean “put your body in a horizontal position or resting position.”
Lie is also an irregular verb.
lie > lay > lain.
And here is where the confusion happens. The past of lie is lay.
Last night, I lay in bed reading a book.
Here, lay is the past of lie. “I lay in bed” means “I was in a
resting position in bed.”
So lay means “to put something down,” and lie means “to put your body in a horizontal position or a resting position".
Practice below not to confuse them anymore 👇
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
First of all, lay is an irregular verb. lay > laid > laid.
Lay means “to put something down,” and it usually has the nuance of put something down carefully or gently. If you are a fan of police dramas on TV, you often hear the policeman telling the criminal
Lay your weapons!
or
Lay down your weapons!
On the other hand, we use lie to mean “put your body in a horizontal position or resting position.”
Lie is also an irregular verb.
lie > lay > lain.
And here is where the confusion happens. The past of lie is lay.
Last night, I lay in bed reading a book.
Here, lay is the past of lie. “I lay in bed” means “I was in a
resting position in bed.”
So lay means “to put something down,” and lie means “to put your body in a horizontal position or a resting position".
Practice below not to confuse them anymore 👇
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
So and Such
So and such have similar meanings, but they are used differently.
🌟We use so before adjectives to mean “very” or “quite”. The structure is “so + adjective.” For example, you can say “so warm,” or “so nice,” or “so interesting”.
Here are a few sentences using so:
• It was so warm today, that I saw people on the streets wearing just coats.
• I’m so happy that you’re studying with me here.
⭐️We use such before nouns and noun phrases to mean “very” or “quite.” The structure is such + noun or noun
phrase. For example, you can say “such a nice day,” “such a fun party,” or “such a gentleman!”
Here are a few sentences using such:
• This has been such a warm week.
• My sister is such a busy person.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
So and such have similar meanings, but they are used differently.
🌟We use so before adjectives to mean “very” or “quite”. The structure is “so + adjective.” For example, you can say “so warm,” or “so nice,” or “so interesting”.
Here are a few sentences using so:
• It was so warm today, that I saw people on the streets wearing just coats.
• I’m so happy that you’re studying with me here.
⭐️We use such before nouns and noun phrases to mean “very” or “quite.” The structure is such + noun or noun
phrase. For example, you can say “such a nice day,” “such a fun party,” or “such a gentleman!”
Here are a few sentences using such:
• This has been such a warm week.
• My sister is such a busy person.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Six Apple Idioms🍎
The Big Apple is the nickname for New York City.
Nobody knows exactly why New York City is called the Big Apple, but there are some stories about it (comment, if you want me to tell you about it😉).
As American as apple pie
When something or someone is as
American as apple pie, they are something that is typically American.
Apple of your eye
Someone who is the apple of your eye is your most cherished person. An apple is very shiny, so when someone is very dear to you, your eyes shine. We usually use this idiom to talk about someone’s baby or child.
To polish the apple
Someone who polishes the apple is giving someone a compliment because they want something in return. In the old days, children would try to make the teacher
like them by bringing the teacher an apple.
To upset the apple cart
When someone or something upsets the apple cart, it means that something upsets a calm or balanced situation.
To be a bad apple
If you have a bag of apples, and there is one rotten apple in the
bag, it will cause the other apples to get rotten. So the bad apple has a negative influence on the other good
apples. A person who is a bad apple is the bad person in the group.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
The Big Apple is the nickname for New York City.
Nobody knows exactly why New York City is called the Big Apple, but there are some stories about it (comment, if you want me to tell you about it😉).
As American as apple pie
When something or someone is as
American as apple pie, they are something that is typically American.
Apple of your eye
Someone who is the apple of your eye is your most cherished person. An apple is very shiny, so when someone is very dear to you, your eyes shine. We usually use this idiom to talk about someone’s baby or child.
To polish the apple
Someone who polishes the apple is giving someone a compliment because they want something in return. In the old days, children would try to make the teacher
like them by bringing the teacher an apple.
To upset the apple cart
When someone or something upsets the apple cart, it means that something upsets a calm or balanced situation.
To be a bad apple
If you have a bag of apples, and there is one rotten apple in the
bag, it will cause the other apples to get rotten. So the bad apple has a negative influence on the other good
apples. A person who is a bad apple is the bad person in the group.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
❤️7 Romantic Idioms❤️
🫣Go on a blind date. When two people go on a blind date, they meet each other for the first time during that date.
🫶Hit it off with [someone]. When you hit it off with someone, you get along well with them from the beginning. Hit it off can be used in all kinds of situations, not just romantic ones.
🫠When you experience love at first sight, you fall in love the first time you meet someone. How romantic that must be!
🥹When you make eyes at [someone] you look at them in a romantic way.
💔When you steal [someone’s] heart, you cause them to fall in love with you.
❤️If someone is the one, it means that person is the one for you. The one is the only person you want to marry.
🙈Lastly, if you have the date from hell, it is a date that doesn’t go well at all.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
🫣Go on a blind date. When two people go on a blind date, they meet each other for the first time during that date.
🫶Hit it off with [someone]. When you hit it off with someone, you get along well with them from the beginning. Hit it off can be used in all kinds of situations, not just romantic ones.
🫠When you experience love at first sight, you fall in love the first time you meet someone. How romantic that must be!
🥹When you make eyes at [someone] you look at them in a romantic way.
💔When you steal [someone’s] heart, you cause them to fall in love with you.
❤️If someone is the one, it means that person is the one for you. The one is the only person you want to marry.
🙈Lastly, if you have the date from hell, it is a date that doesn’t go well at all.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
What's your favourite?
🤗Hugs- a short embrace, usually on your feet
🥹Cuddles - long embrace
🫠Snuggle- to lay or sit under a blanket, hugging
❤️Cuddle up to somebody- to curl up comfortably or cozily
Don't loose a chance to hug and cuddle people you love🥰
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
🤗Hugs
🥹Cuddles
🫠Snuggle
❤️Cuddle up to somebody
Don't loose a chance to hug and cuddle people you love🥰
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Confusing words - Between/Among
🏡We use between, when we talk about something that is located in the middle of two things.
George's house is between the beach and the park.
⛓When there are more than two things, we use between, when those things are clearly separable:
I think the cat is hiding between the chairs. (There are many chairs, but we can clearly see each individual chair)
🏘When there are more than two things we use among, when those things are part of a group that we don't look at individually.
Joe is the brightest student among his classmates.("His classmates" is a group of students)
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
🏡We use between, when we talk about something that is located in the middle of two things.
George's house is between the beach and the park.
⛓When there are more than two things, we use between, when those things are clearly separable:
I think the cat is hiding between the chairs.
🏘When there are more than two things we use among, when those things are part of a group that we don't look at individually.
Joe is the brightest student among his classmates.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Bring vs. Take – Confusing English Words
Let’s take a look at bring and take. Sometimes, these two words can be interchangeable, but in some cases, they cannot.
In general, we bring something to a place, so the emphasis with bring is on the final location. We bring something somewhere.
And we take something from a place, so the emphasis is on the starting location.
By the way, bring and take are both irregular verbs.
We use bring > brought > brought and take > took > taken.
Here are some examples:
• I brought pizza to the party. (It’s from my house, but the party is the final location, and that’s the important point. So I would say, “I brought pizza to the party.”)
• I took the pizza out of the freezer. (Or “from the freezer”) • I need to take the trash out. (I need to take the trash out from the house to the outside.)
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Let’s take a look at bring and take. Sometimes, these two words can be interchangeable, but in some cases, they cannot.
In general, we bring something to a place, so the emphasis with bring is on the final location. We bring something somewhere.
And we take something from a place, so the emphasis is on the starting location.
By the way, bring and take are both irregular verbs.
We use bring > brought > brought and take > took > taken.
Here are some examples:
• I brought pizza to the party. (It’s from my house, but the party is the final location, and that’s the important point. So I would say, “I brought pizza to the party.”)
• I took the pizza out of the freezer. (Or “from the freezer”) • I need to take the trash out. (I need to take the trash out from the house to the outside.)
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Time Phrases and Prepositions
So let’s look at some of the vocabulary and expressions that we use to talk about the different parts of the day.
☀️Day is the period from when the sun comes up until the sun goes down.
🌘Night is from sunset to sunrise. Of course, in the winter time, the days are shorter, and the nights are longer.
When we talk about the parts of the day, we do it this way:
🌅in the morning
🏞in the afternoon
🌆in the evening
🌃BUT, we say at night.
For example:
• I always walk my dog in the morning.
• Sometimes, she takes a nap in the afternoons.
• When I get home in the evening, she always greets me at the door.
• She’s quiet at night.
Speaking of night, in English, midnight is exactly 12:00 AM or 0:00, just as noon is exactly 12:00 PM. The period of time from about 12:00 AM to about 3:00 AM is called the middle of the night.
Do you sometimes stay up until midnight?
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
So let’s look at some of the vocabulary and expressions that we use to talk about the different parts of the day.
☀️Day is the period from when the sun comes up until the sun goes down.
🌘Night is from sunset to sunrise. Of course, in the winter time, the days are shorter, and the nights are longer.
When we talk about the parts of the day, we do it this way:
🌅in the morning
🏞in the afternoon
🌆in the evening
🌃BUT, we say at night.
For example:
• I always walk my dog in the morning.
• Sometimes, she takes a nap in the afternoons.
• When I get home in the evening, she always greets me at the door.
• She’s quiet at night.
Speaking of night, in English, midnight is exactly 12:00 AM or 0:00, just as noon is exactly 12:00 PM. The period of time from about 12:00 AM to about 3:00 AM is called the middle of the night.
Do you sometimes stay up until midnight?
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
5 Ways To Use Wonder💫
❓You can use wonder as a verb followed by a WH-question word.
• I wonder why Jack is late this morning.
• I wonder who is going to speak at the workshop.
• I wonder what happened to the pizza shop. It is closed today.
🧐You can also use wonder as a verb followed by IF.
• Wow, that new girl in the office is really cute. I wonder if she’s noticed me.
• I wonder if it will rain tomorrow.
🙏We also use the phrase I wonder if or I wonder whether to make a polite request or invitatition.
• I wonder if you can help me. I’m looking for the subway station.
• I wonder whether you would be able to come to the party with me.
🤷We use the phrase It’s no wonder to mean, it’s not surprising or it’s clear that. Sometimes, in conversation, we drop it’s and we just say, no wonder.
• It’s no wonder Jack got sick. He always goes out without a jacket.
So in other words, it’s not surprising that Jack got sick.
I could also say, No wonder Jack got sick. He always goes out without a jacket on.
👍And finally, we say that something works wonders. This means that something works very well. The structure is [something] works wonders for [something] or [something] works wonders when.
• This medicine works wonders for shoulder and back pain.
It means, this medicine works very well for shoulder and back pain.
• A few days off of work will work wonders for relieving your stress.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
❓You can use wonder as a verb followed by a WH-question word.
• I wonder why Jack is late this morning.
• I wonder who is going to speak at the workshop.
• I wonder what happened to the pizza shop. It is closed today.
🧐You can also use wonder as a verb followed by IF.
• Wow, that new girl in the office is really cute. I wonder if she’s noticed me.
• I wonder if it will rain tomorrow.
🙏We also use the phrase I wonder if or I wonder whether to make a polite request or invitatition.
• I wonder if you can help me. I’m looking for the subway station.
• I wonder whether you would be able to come to the party with me.
🤷We use the phrase It’s no wonder to mean, it’s not surprising or it’s clear that. Sometimes, in conversation, we drop it’s and we just say, no wonder.
• It’s no wonder Jack got sick. He always goes out without a jacket.
So in other words, it’s not surprising that Jack got sick.
I could also say, No wonder Jack got sick. He always goes out without a jacket on.
👍And finally, we say that something works wonders. This means that something works very well. The structure is [something] works wonders for [something] or [something] works wonders when.
• This medicine works wonders for shoulder and back pain.
It means, this medicine works very well for shoulder and back pain.
• A few days off of work will work wonders for relieving your stress.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Using Have
🐶First of all, have is used when we talk about possession and ownership.
• Tom has a dog, but Greg has a cat.
👫You can use have when you talk about relationships.
• Do you have a big family?
💊We also use have to talk about health problems.
• Mom has a headache, so she’s taking a nap.
🎊We also use have to talk about hosting an event.
• We are having a birthday party for Jane. Can you come?
☺️Next, we use have + an adjective to describe our experience.
• I had a good time at the party last night.
🫡Finally, we use have + an infinitive (that’s the to + verb) to talk about obligations.
• I have to work on Sundays.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
🐶First of all, have is used when we talk about possession and ownership.
• Tom has a dog, but Greg has a cat.
👫You can use have when you talk about relationships.
• Do you have a big family?
💊We also use have to talk about health problems.
• Mom has a headache, so she’s taking a nap.
🎊We also use have to talk about hosting an event.
• We are having a birthday party for Jane. Can you come?
☺️Next, we use have + an adjective to describe our experience.
• I had a good time at the party last night.
🫡Finally, we use have + an infinitive (that’s the to + verb) to talk about obligations.
• I have to work on Sundays.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Appointment, Reservation, Meeting, & Plans
📝We use appointment when we talk about arrangements we have with a person. Usually, it’s a professional person, like a doctor, a lawyer, a tutor, or a personal trainer. You can make or have an appointment.
• I have a dentist appointment on Thursday morning.
• Jenny made an appointment with her trainer at 4:00.
✈️We use reservation when we talk about arrangements we have with a company. Usually, a reservation is for travel and leisure situations. So the company would be something like hotels, restaurants, and airlines. You can make or have a reservation.
• She made a reservation for 6:00 PM at our favorite Italian restaurant.
• Cathy has reservations at a really nice hotel in Vegas.
💼Next, we use meeting in business situations when people get together to discuss business. You can hold or have a meeting.
• On Friday I have a meeting with a publishing company.
• The board of directors will hold a meeting on September 1st.
👫Lastly, we use plans when we talk about arrangements we have with friends or family. And, we generally use the word plans in the plural form. You can make or have plans.
• I have plans with my sister for dinner.
• On Friday I have plans with my friends to meet in Times Square.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
📝We use appointment when we talk about arrangements we have with a person. Usually, it’s a professional person, like a doctor, a lawyer, a tutor, or a personal trainer. You can make or have an appointment.
• I have a dentist appointment on Thursday morning.
• Jenny made an appointment with her trainer at 4:00.
✈️We use reservation when we talk about arrangements we have with a company. Usually, a reservation is for travel and leisure situations. So the company would be something like hotels, restaurants, and airlines. You can make or have a reservation.
• She made a reservation for 6:00 PM at our favorite Italian restaurant.
• Cathy has reservations at a really nice hotel in Vegas.
💼Next, we use meeting in business situations when people get together to discuss business. You can hold or have a meeting.
• On Friday I have a meeting with a publishing company.
• The board of directors will hold a meeting on September 1st.
👫Lastly, we use plans when we talk about arrangements we have with friends or family. And, we generally use the word plans in the plural form. You can make or have plans.
• I have plans with my sister for dinner.
• On Friday I have plans with my friends to meet in Times Square.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Beside vs. Besides – Confusing English Words
Beside is a preposition of location. Beside has the same meaning as "next to", and we generally use beside to show the physical location of something. We use beside plus a noun. Here are some examples:
🏘 There is a nice café beside the building that my office is in.
👬 Jack is standing beside his boss in the photo.
On the other hand, besides as a preposition means “in addition to” or “apart from”. We use besides to talk about one thing which is in addition to other things. Here are some examples:
🍩 Besides being sweet, I think donuts are not healthy.
🎾 Besides tennis, Jack plays golf and soccer.
We can also use besides as an adverb, meaning “in addition” or “as well”. In this way, besides can come at the beginning or the end of a sentence. For example:
👔 I didn’t go to the gym because I hurt my back shoveling snow. Besides, I had to go to work.
👨🎓 Jack is a smart guy and works hard. He knows computers, databases, and a lot more besides.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Beside is a preposition of location. Beside has the same meaning as "next to", and we generally use beside to show the physical location of something. We use beside plus a noun. Here are some examples:
🏘 There is a nice café beside the building that my office is in.
👬 Jack is standing beside his boss in the photo.
On the other hand, besides as a preposition means “in addition to” or “apart from”. We use besides to talk about one thing which is in addition to other things. Here are some examples:
🍩 Besides being sweet, I think donuts are not healthy.
🎾 Besides tennis, Jack plays golf and soccer.
We can also use besides as an adverb, meaning “in addition” or “as well”. In this way, besides can come at the beginning or the end of a sentence. For example:
👔 I didn’t go to the gym because I hurt my back shoveling snow. Besides, I had to go to work.
👨🎓 Jack is a smart guy and works hard. He knows computers, databases, and a lot more besides.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Home vs. House – Confusing Vocabulary
🏢If you live in a big city, you might live in a building that you share with other people and families. If you pay rent, then this building is called an apartment building. In the apartment building, there are many apartments, and different people rent one apartment in the building. Thus, you can use the word apartment to talk about the building or the space you rent inside the building.
My apartment is on 79th street, near the museum. (Here, apartment means the building.)
I’m having a party on Friday, so I need to clean my apartment. (Here, apartment means my space in the building.)
🏯A condominium is just like an apartment building, except you buy and not rent the space you live in. Most people use the short form of condominium, which is condo. Here too, you can use the word condominium or condo to talk about the building or the space you own inside the building.
🏠Many people talk about their apartment or condo using the word house. So, the meaning of the word house here is “the space I live in.” Even though the space you live in is in an apartment building or a condominium building, you can use house. Of course, the word house also refers to a small building where one family lives.
Joe just bought a new house.
💛Basically then, house refers to the building, but home refers to the atmosphere and warmth in the building. Here are some ways we use the word home:
I want to go home for the holidays.
When you return from being outside, you say, “I’m home!”
I’m going to stay home tonight. I’m a little tired.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
🏢If you live in a big city, you might live in a building that you share with other people and families. If you pay rent, then this building is called an apartment building. In the apartment building, there are many apartments, and different people rent one apartment in the building. Thus, you can use the word apartment to talk about the building or the space you rent inside the building.
My apartment is on 79th street, near the museum. (Here, apartment means the building.)
I’m having a party on Friday, so I need to clean my apartment. (Here, apartment means my space in the building.)
🏯A condominium is just like an apartment building, except you buy and not rent the space you live in. Most people use the short form of condominium, which is condo. Here too, you can use the word condominium or condo to talk about the building or the space you own inside the building.
🏠Many people talk about their apartment or condo using the word house. So, the meaning of the word house here is “the space I live in.” Even though the space you live in is in an apartment building or a condominium building, you can use house. Of course, the word house also refers to a small building where one family lives.
Joe just bought a new house.
💛Basically then, house refers to the building, but home refers to the atmosphere and warmth in the building. Here are some ways we use the word home:
I want to go home for the holidays.
When you return from being outside, you say, “I’m home!”
I’m going to stay home tonight. I’m a little tired.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
Prepositions with Work
📌We use work at followed by a place or a task.
The boss was working at his desk all day.
I had a problem with my computer, and I was working at it for a few hours until it was solved.
📊We use work for followed by a company, a cause, or a person:
Jack works for New York City Finance downtown.
Jenny has been working for animal rights all her life.
Did you know, Teddy used to work for Jack Welch?
🧩Next, we use work in followed by a field or industry:
I’ve been working in international education for more than 20 years.
📝We use work on followed by a task:
Jack works on finance reports for the bank.
⚒We use work with followed by a body part, a tool, or a person:
Freddy is a plumber, so he works with his hands.
Jack works with a computer and a financial calculator.
I worked with Greg and Nobi in my previous job.
🏋By the way, work out is a phrasal verb, and it means exercise:
I need to start working out, but it’s so difficult to get started!
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
📌We use work at followed by a place or a task.
The boss was working at his desk all day.
I had a problem with my computer, and I was working at it for a few hours until it was solved.
📊We use work for followed by a company, a cause, or a person:
Jack works for New York City Finance downtown.
Jenny has been working for animal rights all her life.
Did you know, Teddy used to work for Jack Welch?
🧩Next, we use work in followed by a field or industry:
I’ve been working in international education for more than 20 years.
📝We use work on followed by a task:
Jack works on finance reports for the bank.
⚒We use work with followed by a body part, a tool, or a person:
Freddy is a plumber, so he works with his hands.
Jack works with a computer and a financial calculator.
I worked with Greg and Nobi in my previous job.
🏋By the way, work out is a phrasal verb, and it means exercise:
I need to start working out, but it’s so difficult to get started!
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
6 Bird Idioms
🦉A night owl
We use the idiom a night owl to talk about a person who likes to stay awake all night, or very late in the night.
Jenny is a night owl. It’s hard for her to wake up early.
🪿Goosbumps
Goosebumps are small bumps that appear on your skin usually on your arms. This can happen when you are excited or very nervous.
I got goosebumps when I sat in the roller coaster seat for the first time.
🦆Next is, like water off a duck’s back
Ducks have waterproof feathers on their backs, and when they get wet, the water falls right off. So, water doesn’t bother a duck. If someone tries to speak badly to you or to scold you unnecessarily and it doesn’t bother you, you can say that it’s like water off a duck’s back.
Even though the boss was yelling at me for missing my sales target, it was like water off a ducks back.
🐔Next, is chicken!
We call a person who is not very brave, chicken. I’m not sure why that is, but maybe chickens aren’t brave animals. You can say that someone is chicken (as an adjective) or that someone is a chicken (as a noun).
It seems like Tommy was too chicken to ask that girl for a date.
🦅To be free as a bird or as free as a bird
Birds can fly wherever they want. They’re free! When someone is free as a bird it means that they are carefree and don’t have any heavy responsibilities or attachments.
I finished my final exams and turned in all of my papers, so I am free as a bird.
🐦A birdbrain
The size of a bird’s brain is pretty small, so we use the idiom birdbrain to talk about a person who is not very intelligent.
Jenny’s new boyfriend might be a good looking guy, but he’s kind of a birdbrain.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov
🦉A night owl
We use the idiom a night owl to talk about a person who likes to stay awake all night, or very late in the night.
Jenny is a night owl. It’s hard for her to wake up early.
🪿Goosbumps
Goosebumps are small bumps that appear on your skin usually on your arms. This can happen when you are excited or very nervous.
I got goosebumps when I sat in the roller coaster seat for the first time.
🦆Next is, like water off a duck’s back
Ducks have waterproof feathers on their backs, and when they get wet, the water falls right off. So, water doesn’t bother a duck. If someone tries to speak badly to you or to scold you unnecessarily and it doesn’t bother you, you can say that it’s like water off a duck’s back.
Even though the boss was yelling at me for missing my sales target, it was like water off a ducks back.
🐔Next, is chicken!
We call a person who is not very brave, chicken. I’m not sure why that is, but maybe chickens aren’t brave animals. You can say that someone is chicken (as an adjective) or that someone is a chicken (as a noun).
It seems like Tommy was too chicken to ask that girl for a date.
🦅To be free as a bird or as free as a bird
Birds can fly wherever they want. They’re free! When someone is free as a bird it means that they are carefree and don’t have any heavy responsibilities or attachments.
I finished my final exams and turned in all of my papers, so I am free as a bird.
🐦A birdbrain
The size of a bird’s brain is pretty small, so we use the idiom birdbrain to talk about a person who is not very intelligent.
Jenny’s new boyfriend might be a good looking guy, but he’s kind of a birdbrain.
#Bri_teachers_Lyubov