ESL Learning: Work idioms

Love it or hate it, we’ve all got work to do in our lives.

Let’s talk about some phrases and idioms that we use around work.

Tremendous work ethic/Great work ethic: dearly valuing hard work, and able to work hard for long amounts of time. Someone who has a tremendous work ethic will most likely succeed after learning to direct his or her actions well.

Examples:

• She works two jobs in a row, and still comes home and cooks dinner! She has a tremendous work ethic.

• You must develop a great work ethic to succeed in business.

• He does not have a great work ethic, so he was happy to find a job where he did not have to work too hard.

Work smart: use logic and strategy to do your work in the best possible way.

Examples:

• Because he learned to work smart, he does not have to work so hard.

• One way to work smart is to find ways that we are wasting time in our work.

• She decided to work smart, and started having a personal assistant answer her company’s emails.

Burn the midnight oil OR Burn the midnight lamp: work late into the night. Often, artists and musicians say that they do some of their best work late at night.

To explain the root of the phrases ‘burn the midnight oil’ and ‘burn the midnight lamp’. Before the times of electricity, we, of course, used oil lamps to light our homes after the sun had set.

Examples:

• The project is due tomorrow, so we might have to burn the midnight oil to complete it.

• Some people are sleepy the next day after they burn the midnight oil.

• “I continue to burn the midnight lamp, all alone.” –Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix, considered to be one of the best American guitarists of all time, even has a song called “Burning of the Midnight Lamp:

Jimi Hendrix was famous for burning the midnight oil in the music studio, often erasing his band mates’ tracks, re-recording while playing their instruments, and experimenting with new effects and alternate tuning for his guitar well into the morning hours.

Burning the candle at both ends: working (or playing) until late at night and getting up early in the morning.

A candle that burns at both ends will be finished quickly, and working (or playing) too hard and not getting enough sleep are considered to be bad for people’s health in English speaking cultures.

Examples:

• After five days of working 15 hour days, he slept almost all weekend. Too much burning the candle at both ends!

• I’m going to sleep! I’ve got work in the morning, and I won’t be burning the candle at both ends!

• Get some sleep, my dear; you don’t want to be burning the candle at both ends.

So in conclusion, remember to get enough sleep. It’s okay to burn the midnight oil sometimes, but don’t burn the candle at both ends!

It’s good to have a tremendous work ethic, but it’s even more important to work smart! Believe in yourself, and know that amazing things are in the works for you and ETO this year.

If this was interesting or useful to you, you may also be interested in many of our new English topics at EnglishTutorOnline. Get started with a free English class today!

Thanks for visiting our blog. May your work be successful, purposeful, and joyful in all that you do!

By Joseph

ETO American English teacher

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ESL Learning: May versus Might

May and might are words that have very similar meanings in English, and it might be hard to decide which of these words to use. But then again, after reading this blog, it may be a lot easier!

May: used to ask (or give) permission in a formal way

Examples:

• May I ask you a question?

• Yes, you may!

• May I have a raise?

May: to suggest that something is probable (will probably happen).

Examples:

• I see some dark clouds in the sky. It may rain this afternoon.

• He loves basketball so much that he may continue practicing in the rain.

• They have been saving up money, so they may go on a vacation during their break from work.

Remember that may often suggests something is probable to happen (or at least we have hope or faith that it will). Also, please note that May is the English name for the fifth month of the year on the Western (Gregorian) calendar, when it is used as a proper noun.

Might: used when an outcome is less probable, or probably will not happen

Examples:

• The weather reporter said it will snow, but I think that it might be hot later on today.

• The team is not very good, but they might get lucky and qualify for the playoffs.

• He drank so much beer that he might not remember his name.

Might: also used as the past tense form of may

Examples:

• Native Americans might have been in the Americas before the Bering Strait migration.

• Bill Clinton might have been the best musician out of all of the American presidents: Here

Remember that English is a fluid language, meaning that it is always changing, but these are the official grammar rules for now. You may sometimes hear native English speakers say, “I may have been there before.” But according to current grammar rules, this is not correct.

Please note as well that might as a noun means strength. The noun might is used less often than the modal might in English. Some people say that eventually, may will replace might in English, and may is now used more often, especially in spoken English.

Are you ready to put your learning to the test? You might be! No, you may be!

I __________ go to the store later, but it’s so cold outside tonight! Maybe I will wait until tomorrow.

1. may

2. might

She _________ have an easy time finding a husband. She is very beautiful, and a good cook!

1. may

2. might

We _________ pay less money for phone calls now that we can Skype online for free.

1. may

2. might

Sir, it would be good to get some fresh air. __________ we continue this meeting outside in the garden?

1. Might

2. May

Who knows? We may be speaking soon! You can set up a free trial class to get started now!

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By Joseph

ETO American English teacher

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Idioms & Slang- Needle in a Haystack

This post is part of an ongoing series of posts from our website that help you learn more about idioms and slang. Let’s learn about a needle in a haystack today!

Have you ever lost something? Have you ever looked for something that you could not find? Imagine trying to find one small single needle in a haystack! Wouldn’t that be very difficult? Of course it would!!!

So the next time you are trying to find something that is very hard to find you can say this is like finding a needle in a haystack.

What do I lose? There are two things that I am always looking for. They are my writing pens and my car keys. I have so many things in my office that finding a pen is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Have you ever searched for a needle in a haystack?

What did/do you lose? Share with us in the comment section.

My last comments:

If you enjoy learning lots of new language for a range of topics, you might like our Social / Global English Program; it is packed with lots of unique classes & expressive language.

If you have never learned English online, but you want to try, please do not hesitate to book a free English class with ETO today!

In the meantime, please stay subscribed to our Facebook, YouTube & Twitter pages.

Additional resource:

The idiom Dictionary: Here

By: Luke 

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Idioms & Slang – Count Your Blessings

This post is part of an ongoing series of posts from our website that help you learn more about idioms and slang.

Let’s get started

Do you feel lucky to be alive, lucky to have money or lucky to have two legs?

In this case we can say that we count our blessings.
This means we appreciate the things that we have.

It means we do not take things for granted.

My examples

I am happy to have a nice family, nice friends and a nice home.

I count my blessings every day.

Do you ever count your blessings?
If so, tell us in the comment box about the things you appreciate most.

Want to sound more like a native speaker of English?

Check out our class demo and see how natural and realistic our classes really are. Why not book a free English class with ETO today!

In the meantime, please stay subscribed to our Facebook, YouTube & Twitter pages.

Other valuable resource:

The idiom Dictionary: Here

By: Luke 

ETO American English teacher

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Idioms & Slang – What is a Cliché?

This post is part of an ongoing series of posts from the blog page on our website that help you learn more about idioms and slang. Let’s learn about clichés today!!!

What is a cliché?

A cliché is a certain kind of figurative language that we use a lot in spoken English. A cliché is basically a phrase or a sentence that is very similar to an idiom or a piece of American or English slang. Clichés are very useful but they should never be overused.

General clichés
What happens in the dark will come to the light.

Means: What you do in secret or privacy will eventually be seen by others.
No news is good news.

Means: Most news is bad & so long as there is no news, this means all is normal, which is good.

Descriptive clichés
That was crystal clear.
Means: Something if very clear and easy to understand.

He is colder than ice.
Means: He has a cold heart; he is mean or inconsiderate to others.

Funny clichés
That is the coolest thing since sliced bread.
Means: This means something is really useful, unique or really cool by any measure.

He is cooler than a fan.
Means: He is a very cool person.

I am cooler than a polar bear’s toenails.

Means: I am a very cool person.

Clichés about success and failure
When it rains it pours.

Means: Many bad things happen all at once.
It is not the end of the world.

Means: Failure is not so important and it is not going to stop everything from working.

The early bird catches the worm.

Means: People who do not wait get the most opportunities.

My last comments:

Please feel free to write in our comment box below your favorite clichés.

Also, check out our class demo and see how fun and realistic learning with a modern Native English Teacher can be.

If you have never learned English online, but you want to try, please do not hesitate to book a free English class with ETO today!

In the meantime, please stay subscribed to our Facebook, YouTube & Twitter pages.

Other valuable resource:

The idiom Dictionary: Here 

By: Luke 

ETO American English teacher

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Idioms & Slang – What is Figurative Language?

If you want to understand English very well, you must know lots of figurative language.

Figurative language is language that does not reflect its literal meaning. Our ETO Courses are loaded with figurative language covering many topics.

A few popular examples of figurative speech

I know everyone in this city (actually I know many people but not all of them)

That man is a real snake (the man is immoral, but still a human in reality)

Can you give me a hand (means to give me help, not actually removing your hand)

What figurative language do you know?

Figurative language makes you sound more like a native speaker. Please feel free to share some other figurative language in our comment box.

Want to sound more like a native speaker of English?

Check out our class demo and see how natural and realistic our classes really are. Why not book a free English class with ETO today!

In the meantime, please stay subscribed to our Facebook, YouTube & Twitter pages.

Other valuable resource:

The idiom Dictionary: Here

By: Luke 

ETO American English teacher

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Grammar – Its versus It’s

This has been a common grammar point that causes all kinds of problems for people who want to learn English. I was just asked this question last week on our ETO Facebook Page, so here is the answer 🙂

Use apostrophe: ‘It’s’ is a contraction meaning ‘it is’ or ‘it has’.

No Apostrophe: ‘Its’ is a possessive showing ownership or belonging.

These grammar rules are very easy and true 100% of the time. Let’s see some examples below.

Examples of contractions:

It’s a great hat.

It’s our opportunity to vote.

It’s been such a nice day.

Examples of possessives:

The website just posted its 25th blog

The company just bought its 5th building.

The zoo lost one of its animals.

Let’s look at more examples:

1. It’s been snowing hard for a month, but now it’s beginning to slow down. – Correct

2. Its one of the best hamburgers in the country. – Wrong (should be ‘it is’ or ‘it’s’.)

3. I think the country wants to get its economy stronger. – Correct

Below is an English quiz to help you practice and understand today’s English grammar better:

1. The company had spent all _______ money.

a) its

b) it’s

2. ________ been a great day!

a) its

b) it’s

3. Give me a call when _______ done.

a) its

b) it’s

4. The last car lost all ________ power.

a) its

b) it’s

5. The population voted for ________ new president.

a) its

b) it’s

My last comments:

Please feel free to write in our comment box below any questions, comments or contributions you might have.

Every ETO lesson has on average 20 or more grammar corrections to help you speak better English. Check out our class demo of a Skype English class and see what learning with a professional Native English Teacher can be like.

In the meantime, please stay subscribed to our Facebook, YouTube & Twitter pages.

Other valuable resource:

The ETO Blog Page

By: Luke 

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What is the difference between good and well?

This is a question that English learners & Native speakers of British English and American English get incorrect in spoken English all the time.

Basically, ‘well’ should be an adverb and ‘good’ should be an adjective. The parts of speech are used differently. Let’s keep reading to understand better.

Have you ever heard this before?

1. I am doing good.

2. He plays guitar so good.

Well, they are both wrong!!! Why?

Answer: Because ‘good’ is an adjective that should be used to describe nouns. ‘Well’ is an adverb that should be used to modify verbs.

So, really we should say “I am doing well and I play guitar well”.

Can I see more examples and explanations?

You made a good painting. (‘good’ is an adjective that describes the painting)

You paint well. (‘well’ describes HOW you paint)

Are there more grammar rules I should know about ‘good and well’?

Yes!!!

Rule 1:

With the following words: look, smell, taste and feel, we must decide if these words are used actively or not. If the words are used actively, then we use ‘well’ and not ‘good’. If these words are being used as adjectives to describe nouns, then we use ‘good’.

For example:

1. The food smells good today.
Good describes the food, not the way that you use your nose.

2. You smell well considering you are sick and not breathing normally.
Here you are actively smelling with your nose, so use the adverb ‘well’.

3. He looks good considering he is 65 years old.
He is not actively looking with his eyes, so we use ‘good’ to describe his looks / appearance.

Rule 2:

Any time we are talking about health, we use ‘well’.

For example:

1. Do you feel well?

2. He does not look so well.

Rule 3:

We use good anytime we talk about someone’s emotional state.

For example:

1. She does not feel good about her IELTS score.

2. He feels good about learning English online.

Grammar Quiz:
1. He ran very good/well for his weight.
2. We had a good/well meeting last night.
3. Because of a broken leg, I am sure he will not feel good/well enough to play golf next week.
4. Red shirts look good / well on most people.

Please feel free to write below in our comment box  a question, comment or a response for our teacher to check for you.

Last thoughts:

Learning English online is very convenient. You are welcome to try a free English class with ETO.

Also, check out our class demo and see how fun and realistic learning with a modern Native English Teacher can be.

 

By: Luke 

ETO American English teacher

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What Are Collective Nouns?

A noun that refers to a group of individuals or individual things (e.g., team of players, bundle of newspapers or a wealth of blogs, as seen on the ETO blog page at the ETO website).

I have put together a list of collective nouns for you guys and girls. There are so many collective nouns in English grammar, so I have picked a few that I think are more fun and interesting.

Have a read, go out and use these collective nouns and impress your friends.  Enjoy ^__^

Objects Collective Noun

Apples Bushel

Bananas Bunch, Comb

Cash/Bills/Notes Wad

Bread Batch

Canyons Maze

Chairs Fold

Clothes Suit

Condiments Accompaniment

Documents Dossier, Wealth

Drinks Round

Drugs Cocktail

Eggs Clutch

Firewood Faggot

Flowers Bunch, Bouquet

Furniture Suite

Grapes Bunch

Information Wealth

Islands Archipelago, Chain, Group

Keys Ring

Machine guns Nest

Mountains Range

Paper Pad (together), Ream (loose)

Ribs Rack

Ships Armada, Fleet, Flotilla

Stairs Flight

Steps Flight

Sticks Fagot

Things Bunch, Cluster

Trash Heap, Pile

Trees Clump, Coupe, Forest, Grove, Stand, Stillness, Thicket, Wood

Trucks Convoy

Winnings Purse

Your thoughts

Please write in the comment box which one of these collective nouns you liked the most.

Want to learn more?

If this was interesting or useful to you, you may also be interested in our Social / Global English Course, which focuses on a wide variety of language useful for many topics.

Also, check out our class demo and see how easy & fun it really is.

In the meantime, please stay subscribed to our Facebook, YouTube & Twitter pages.

By: Luke 

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What is a Clause?

I get this question a lot from people learning English as a second language.

A clause is a group of related words with both a subject and a verb. This is different from a phrase, which is a group of words that do not have both a subject and a verb.

Here are examples to help us understand:

Clause: I really like to eat pineapple.

Phrase: In the morning.

Dependant versus Independent clauses:

Yes, there are 2 types of clauses that are used in English grammar. The independent clause and the dependent clause, also called a subordinate clause.

The independent clause has all of the parts of speech needed to stand alone as a complete sentence.

A dependent clause depends on another part of the sentence to get the full meaning.

Here we see 2 independent clauses: 1) He is faster than her. 2) The dog is fat.

Here we see 2 dependant clauses: 2) Because he is faster than her, … 2) Since the dog is fat, …

Here we see an independent clause + dependant clause: He did not think he could eat the whole pizza, but he was still able to finish it all.

As we can see, the independent clause “He did not think he could eat the whole pizza” can be a sentence by itself.

When we look at the dependent clause “but he was still able to finish it all.”, there must be more information to understand what the sentence is about.

What is a relative clause?

A relative clause is a dependant clause that begins with a relative pronoun, like that, which, whichever, who, whoever, whom, whomever, whose, and of which.

Here are some examples of relative clauses:

1. I went to a restaurant where they serve raw food.

2. I know a man who works 80 hours per week.

3. I am thinking about a thing that is used to cut holes.

What is a noun clause?

Sometimes when we speak English, we use a clause to represent a single noun. This is called a noun clause. Let’s have a look below at a normal noun compared to a noun clause:

1. You should know about healthy food. (normal noun)

2. You should know about what to eat to be healthy. (noun clause)

Please feel free to write a question, comment or a response for our teacher to check in the comment box below.

Last thoughts:
Learning English online is very convenient. You are welcome to try a free English class with ETO.

In the meantime, please stay subscribed to our Facebook, YouTube & Twitter pages.

Other valuable resource:

The idiom Dictionary: Here

By: Luke 

ETO American English teacher

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