--- Advanced Phrases ---
- 10 Ways to Avoid Answering a Question
- No comment.
- I’m not at liberty to say.
(= I don’t have permission to give the information) - Wait and see. (= you will discover the answer later)
- Let me get back to you.
(= I will give you the answer later) - I’m sorry, that’s confidential.
- I’m sorry, that’s personal.
- I’d rather not talk about it.
- It’s none of your business.
- Mind your own business.
- Why do you want to know?
#8 and #9 are rather rude – telling the other person to stop inquiring about your life
- 15 Phrases for Being Rich & Poor
- He’s short on cash.
- He’s broke. (= he has no money)
- His bank account is overdrawn.
- He’s just scraping by.
(= he is just barely surviving on little money) - He makes minimum wage.
(= he earns the minimum salary) - He’s pinching pennies.
- He’s scrimping and saving.
- She’s very wealthy.
- She’s quite well-off.
- She’s loaded.
- She’s filthy rich.
- She inherited a fortune.
- She’s making a killing.
- She’s raking in the cash.
- She’s rolling in dough.
#6 and #7 express the idea that the person is trying to conserve money, when they have very little money.
- 10 Phrases for Talking about Statistics
- The crime rate rose.
- The crime rate went up.
- There was a sharp increase in crime. (sharp = sudden and large)
- There was a gradual rise in crime.
- There was a spike in crime.
(spike = a sudden increase and then decrease) - The crime rate reached its peak.
(peak = the highest point) - The crime rate plateaued.
(plateaued = stayed at the same level) - There was a slight decrease in crime.
- The crime rate dropped.
- The crime rate plummeted.
(= decreased a lot, very quickly)
- 10 Ways to Say Someone’s Talented
- She was born to… [dance].
- He’s a natural.
- She could do it in her sleep.
- He knows it inside out.
- She knows [New York] like the back of her hand.
- She’s a walking encyclopedia of… [philosophy].
- He’s in a class of his own.
- He’s the best in the business.
- She’s very gifted.
- He’s a [chemistry] whiz.
- 10 Phrases for Telling Someone to Wait
- Could you give me a minute?
- (informal) Hang on a sec / Just a sec.
- Hold on...
- Let me see/think…
- I'll be right with you.
- Bear with me.
- That’ll have to wait.
- Be patient.
- Not so fast!
- Hold your horses!
- #9 and #10 are used for cautioning someone to wait and not make a bad decision or take reckless action.
- 10 Phrases for Estimating & Guessing
- If I had to take a guess, I’d say… [she’s about 35 years old].
- It’s difficult to say, but I think… [our customers are more satisfied].
- Off the top of my head, I’d say… [the company has 500 employees].
(= what I remember/estimate, without checking the actual statistics) - It’s about… [10 miles away].
- It’s around… [three hours long].
- I wouldn’t be surprised if… [Peter asks Jill to marry him].
- There’s a good chance… [it’ll rain tomorrow].
- I have a feeling/hunch… [the boss won’t be happy about this]. (hunch = an instinctive feeling)
- I bet… [he’ll be late].
- Your guess is as good as mine. (= I don’t know)
- 10 Phrases for Decisions
- I’m debating between… [option A and option B]
- I can’t make up my mind.
- I’m on the fence. (= I’m in the middle, I don’t know what to decide)
- I’ll take that into consideration.
- On the other hand…
- I’m having second thoughts. (= I’m reconsidering my decision)
- I changed my mind.
- He convinced/persuaded me to…
- Looking back, I know it was the right decision.
- It’s up to you. (= You can decide)
- 10 Phrases for Good Luck & Bad Luck
- Good luck!
- Better luck next time.
(say this after someone fails, and you hope they do better next time) - Just my luck! (this is a sarcastic phrase meaning that something UNLUCKY happened)
- Lucky you!
- That was a stroke of luck.
(= a sudden event of good luck) - Some people have all the luck.
(say this when someone else is constantly lucky, and you feel like you’re not lucky) - As luck would have it… (= by chance)
- He’s down on his luck.
(= he’s having a long period of bad luck or difficulty) - No such luck.
(= something good that could have happened, didn’t happen) - What rotten luck!
- 10 Phrases for Worries & Relief
- I’m scared that…
- I can’t help thinking that…
(use this for thoughts that you try to avoid, but they keep coming into your mind) - It’s been keeping me up at night.
(use this when you’re so worried about something that you can’t sleep) - What if… ?
- Whew!
- Thank goodness!
- What a relief!
- You had me worried for a moment.
- You have no idea what a relief it is.
- That’s a huge load off my mind.
- 10 Phrases for Talking about the Future
- It’ll happen any day now.
- It’s right around the corner.
- …in the near future.
- It will/won’t happen in our lifetime. (= in the next 40-50 years)
- It’s a sign/taste of things to come.
(= it indicates how things will be in the future) - I’m counting down the days until…
(= I’m excited about the future event, I can’t wait for it to happen) - Sooner or later… / It’s bound to happen eventually. (= it will definitely happen sometime in the future)
- I’ll get around to it. (= I’ll do it sometime in the future, but I don’t know exactly when)
- I’ll do it right away. / I’ll get right on it. (= I’ll do it immediately)
- Time will tell.
(in the future, we will know if something is true/false or good/bad)
#1, #2, and #3 are used to say something will happen soon.
- 10 Phrases for Compliments
- You look nice. / You look amazing!
- What a beautiful [necklace/dress/etc.]!
- I like your [shirt/shoes/haircut/etc.]
- The lasagna is delicious.
- You’re a fantastic cook.
- My compliments to the chef!
- What a nice apartment!
- You have a beautiful home.
- He’s/She’s so cute!
- Your kids are a lot of fun.
#1-3 are used for complimenting a person’s appearance
#4-6 for complimenting a person’s cooking
#7-8 for complimenting a person’s home
#9-10 for complimenting a person’s children.
- 15 Phrases for Certainty & Probability
- I’m absolutely sure.
- I’m positive that…
- I have no doubt that…
- I’m a hundred percent certain.
- I’m convinced that…
- Chances are that…
(= this will probably happen) - Odds are that…
(= this will probably happen) - I seriously doubt it.
- I don’t think so.
- Probably not.
- It’s not very likely.
- There’s not much chance of that.
- I’d be very surprised if that happened.
- I wouldn’t bet on it.
(= there’s a small chance it could happen… but it probably won’t happen) - That’ll never happen
- 10 Ways to Say Something is Interesting/Boring
- It’s fascinating.
- It’s intriguing.
- I couldn’t tear myself away.
- I couldn’t put it down. (this phrase is used for en extremely interesting book)
- I was so into it, I lost track of time.
- It does nothing for me.
- I was bored to tears.
- I was bored to death.
- I was dying of boredom.
- It’s about as exciting as watching paint dry.
(= it’s very boring)
- 10 Phrases for Cheering Someone Up
- What’s the matter?
- What’s wrong?
- Are you all right?
- You look a bit down. (= a little sad)
- Is there anything I can do to help?
- Cheer up! / Chin up!
- It’s not so bad.
- Everything will be OK.
- Look on the bright side. (= consider the positive aspects)
- It’s not the end of the world.
(this phrase is used when someone is upset about something small and trivial)
- 7 Phrases for Disappointment
- What a pity!
- What a shame.
- How disappointing.
- That’s too bad.
- Bummer.
- It was a real letdown.
- It didn’t live up to my expectations.
- 10 Ways to Say You Don’t Believe Someone
- Yeah, right.
- You're kidding.
- You're pulling my leg.
- That's a bit of an exaggeration.
- He’s stretching the truth.
- He’s not telling the whole truth.
- She’s being economical with the truth.
(= she’s lying or not telling the entire truth) - His story is fishy.
- That's an outright lie.
- That's a pack of lies.
- 10 Expressions for Bad People
- He’s a creep.
(= unpleasant, suspicious, makes you afraid/uneasy) - He’s a pervert.
(= someone with disgusting sexual tendencies) - He’s a sicko.
- He’s a scumbag.
- He’s an asshole.
- He’s a jerk.
- He’s a bastard.
- She’s a bitch.
(= she’s irritating and unpleasant) - She’s a psycho.
(= crazy, irrational) - She’s a slut. (= she has sex with a lot of people)
- 10 Words for Describing Speaking
- He yelled.
- She screamed.
- I whispered.
(= spoke in an extremely quiet voice) - We chatted.
(= had an informal conversation) - He mumbled.
(= spoke in a low voice, not clearly, without opening his mouth much) - My kids whined.
(= complained) - He rambled. / He went on and on.
(= talked too much without stopping) - She stammered.
- I snapped at my husband.
(= said a quick and angry remark) - He muttered.
(= spoke in a low voice, usually making complaints or negative comments)
- 10 Phrases for Facial Expressions
- She was beaming. (= she had a big, radiant smile)
- The kids were smiling from ear to ear.
- He looked puzzled. (= confused)
- She grinned. (= had a small smile)
- He winced when the doctor gave him an injection. (= had a quick expression of pain)
- She gave me a dirty look. (= looked at me angrily)
- She blushed. (= her face turned red because she was embarrassed)
- His eyes were glazed over. (= he appeared
- Why the long face? (an informal expression to ask why someone looks sad or upset)
- Her expression was unreadable. (= you can’t know what she is feeling)
- 10 Phrases to Describe Offending or Upsetting People
- They got off on the wrong foot. (= when they first met, they didn’t get along)
- He got on the teacher’s bad side.
- She took offense at his comment.
- He has a chip on his shoulder. (= he is easily offended)
- She got bent out of shape.
- He left in a huff.
- She got her panties in a wad.
- He has a short fuse. (= he gets angry easily)
- She dissed my mother. (= she insulted/disrespected my mother)
- He got his nose out of joint.
#5, #7, #10 all mean the person got irritated/annoyed
- 10 Phrases for Bad Travel Experiences
- My flight was overbooked. (overbooked = there were too many passengers and not enough seats)
- My flight was delayed/canceled.
- My luggage was lost.
- I was jet-lagged. (= I felt tired because of the time zone difference between my origin and destination)
- My hotel was in a seedy area. (seedy = possibly unsafe)
- I was mugged. (= I was robbed on the street)
- The weather was miserable.
- I got the runs. (= diarrhea)
- The place was a tourist trap. (= made only for tourists; not authentic)
- I couldn’t wait to get back home.
- 10 Phrases for Drinking (Alcohol)
- It’s on me. (= I’ll buy you a drink)
- I’d like to make a toast. (= I’d like to honor a person/event/idea)
- Here’s to… (your health / the New Year / our success)!
- Another round of drinks, please.
- Put it on my tab. (tab = bill to pay later, before you leave)
- He’s a bit tipsy. (= a little bit drunk)
- He’s completely sloshed/wasted/plastered. (= completely drunk)
- She’s trying to drown her sorrows. (= drinking alcohol for relief from pain/sadness)
- I’m the designated driver. (= I’m not drinking alcohol because I will drive other people home later)
- I had a hangover. / I was hung over. (= the bad feeling you have the morning after drinking too much)
- 15 Comparative Idioms
- It’s as light as a feather.
- It’s as dry as a bone.
- It’s as flat as a pancake.
- He’s as mad as a hornet.
- It’s as old as the hills.
- It’s as quick as lightning.
- She’s as sick as a dog.
- He’s as strong as an ox.
- They’re as different as night and day.
- She’s as stubborn as a mule.
- He’s as proud as a peacock.
- She’s as white as a sheet. (usually used when someone is very afraid or very sick)
- It’s as solid as a rock.
- It’s as good as new. (used after something broken has been repaired)
- It’s as clear as mud. (= it’s not clear at all)
