Useful tips for writing letters, essays in English.
English tenses are of three types: Present, Past and future. Tenses are divided on the basis of time.
E.g. I thought I loved him until I realized he was a momma’s boy who can’t do anything without his mother’s permission or approval.
E.g. I learned how to bake at my mother’s knee when I was just a girl.
E.g. I’m so jealous, everyone and his mother is going on a vacation this summer except for me.
E.g. Jenny can be a bit of a mother hen when we’re out at the bars.
E.g. Can you make a decision on your own, or are you tied to your mother’s apron strings?
E.g. My mother loved sweets, and everytime my father saw me with a cookie in my hand, he would sigh, “Like mother,like daughter.
E.g. Wow, that is the mother of all sandwiches.It’s a foot high!
E.g. Look at all the wonders that Mother Nature provides, from fruit and vegetables to beautiful mountains and oceans.
E.g. The poor baby has a face only a mother could love.
E.g. I know the subway’s crowded, but you should really give your seat to the expectant mother standing by the door…
Eg: I admire Jamal because he always sees the sunny side of life. He’s a born optimist.
Eg: John spends most of his weekends reading books or attending art exhibitions. He’s a real culture vulture.
Eg: She always does her English grammar homework and even asks for extra exercises on the weekend. What an eager beaver!
Eg: In her senior years, when she finally had the luxurious freedom to sleep in, Delores became an early bird and got up every morning at 5:00 am.
Eg: Even as a young girl, Ida showed herself to be an earth mother. She always helped her mother to look after her younger brothers and sisters.
Eg: Since the birth of his twins, Harvey has become a family man. He spends all of his spare time with his children.
Eg: It isn’t surprising that Isaac has made it to the top of the corporate world. He was always someone who went after what he wanted, a real go-getter.
Eg: Marry was the type of person who would have helped anyone – a real good egg.
Eg: From auto repair to hairdressing, Frank can do it all. He is a jack-of-all-trades.
Eg: You can trust Samuel. He is a man of his word…
E.g. She has three children, but her youngest son is the apple of her eye.
E.g. She’ll go bananas if she sees the house in this (dirty) condition.
E.g. He definitely wants a bite of the cherry.
E.g. You can do what you want. I don’t give a fig.
E.g. My mom and my mother-in-law are just apples and oranges.
E.g. The car dealer sold me a lemon.
E.g. You brought me coffee? Ah, you’re a peach.
E.g. What are we going to do this weekend if our plans go pear-shaped?
E.g. He got a plum job in an insurance company.
E.g. Her daughter soon showed her own musical talent, proving that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
E.g. It is hoped the inquiry will pick out the bad apples in the police force…
Eg: I think I’m falling in love with my best friend. What should I do?
Eg: My wife and I met at a party. It was love at first sight.
Eg: I didn’t know Chris and Sue were an item. They didn’t even look at each other at dinner.
Eg: “Do you think Matt and Amanda will get married?” – “I hope they will. They’re a match made in heaven.”
Eg: Look at them. They’re head over heels in love with each other.
Eg: I don’t want to go out with Jenny and David. They’re so lovey-dovey, I just can’t stand it.
Eg: She is so blinded by love that she can’t see him for who he truly is. He is not a good person, he is rude and disrespectful to everyone around him, including her.
Eg: My sister keeps organising blind dates for me. She’d just love to fix me up with someone.
Eg: “When are you and Jenny going to tie the knot?” – “This year, but we haven’t set a date yet.”
Eg: Don’t even think about asking Jane out. How could you look your wife in the eye? Don’t be a love rat…
Eg: I’m a scientist, so art will always be a closed book to me.
Eg: Ask me anything, I’m an open book.
Eg: There are a number of books on the market which suggest that it is possible to learn to read a person like a book.
Eg: Look, you can fix it by threading a paper clip through the hole. Oldest trick in the book!
Eg: I cleaned the bathroom yesterday so I’m in Mum’s good books.
Eg: The lawyers want to make sure we’ve done everything strictly by the book.
Eg: Police should be asked to investigate so that the guilty can be brought to book soon.
Eg: I think I’m going to take a leaf out of your book and start going for a run first thing in the morning.
Eg: The candidate did not look very intelligent, but you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Eg: My partner had been cooking the books for years, but because I was the CEO, I got the blame for our company’s collapse…
Meaning: Why are you not saying anything?
Meaning: Say or do something that causes trouble or controversy
Meaning: Looking particularly self-satisfied, often to the annoyance of others
Meaning: Mistakingly allow a secret to be known
Meaning: Continually arguing with each other
Meaning: When the person of authority is away, people will behave badly
Meaning: A negative description of a rich and powerful person
Meaning: Being too curious can get you into trouble
Meaning: When some something has no chance of success, it doesn’t have a cat in hell’s chance.
Meaning: When someone looks very untidy and messy, they look like something the cat dragged in…
Eg: Our argument was no big deal – just a storm in a tea cup
Eg: I lost my wallet and now I’ve lost my phone. It never rains but it pours!
Eg: No thanks. I’ll take the rain check. Enjoy the party!
Eg: I’m snowed under with work. I’ve got so much to do.
Eg: I can’t finish my work today. I feel under the weather.
Eg: I can’t talk sense into him. He has his head in the cloud.
Eg: Let’s go out and soak up some sun
Eg: yesterday, I lay on the beach and catch some rays.
Eg: It has been at least 50 degrees every day this week!. The dog days of summer are here!
Eg: When my boyfriend proposed to me, I was on cloud nine.
Eg: I was kept in the dark about the intervention until a few minutes before it was a reality.
Eg: Let’s come back soon before the heavens open!…
Eg: The driver had taken French leave
Eg: Sally said she wouldn’t let a man pay for her meal on a first date. She prefers to go Dutch.
Eg: I think I’ll have a glass of whiskey for Dutch courage before I ask that girl if she wants to dance with me.
Eg: I tried to watch a TV show about physics last night, but I gave up. It was all Greek to me.
Eg: All this talk about the President resigning is just Chinese whispers. There’s no truth to this rumour at all.
Eg: There seems to be a Mexican standoff in the talks as neither the buyer or seller can agree on a price.
Eg: I don’t love cotton candy, but we are at a carnival. When in Rome, right?
Eg: I’m so sorry I’m late. I couldn’t get away from Linda. She can talk for England!
Eg: Much as I love this Indian Summer, I wish we had this warm weather in the summer rather than in October…
E.g. He got home from the party all in one piece.
E.g. The project failed, we’re back to square one.
E.g. I can’t drive, I had one too many.
E.g. When my mom bought me a computer, I was on cloud nine.
E.g. Let’s have one for the road!
E.g. I’m going to be six feet under by 2100.
E.g. Ten to one I’m going to win.
E.g. I’ll drop you off on the way to work, we’ll kill two birds with one stone.
E.g. I have a million and one ideas…
E.g. You’ve got a head start over / another’s trying to get the job because you’ve got relevant work experience.
E.g. You’re a sight for sore eyes!
E.g. Talking over my problem with my close friend was a weight off my shoulders.
E.g. This calculus homework is a real pain in the neck.
E.g. Jennifer’s mother had a gut feeling that something was wrong when her daughter wasn’t home by 10 o’clock.
E.g. I’d like to raise people’s salaries but my hands are tied.
E.g. Amy and her boss were joined at the hip; you never saw one without the other.
E.g. The thought of kissing him made me go weak at the knees.
E.g. Maths has always been my achilles heel.
E.g. Did it take you long to find your feet when you started your new job?
E.g. She is just stalling to buy time.
E.g. He did time in a California prison.
E.g. It’s a race against time to complete the construction.
E.g. The kids had a whale of a time at the theme park.
E.g. Look how fast our children grew up, how time flies.
E.g. It’s high time he met with me to resolve this issue.
E.g. I had to ask her out three times before she said yes. Well you know… Third time’s a charm.
E.g. Although she was late to the exam, she managed to beat the clock and finished all of it 10 minutes before the end.
E.g. Well hello John. Better late than never, huh? Class started half an hour ago.
E.g. We barely made the deadline, there was so much to do in this project we turned it in at the eleventh hour…
Compound adjectives are adjectives that are made up of two or more words usually with hyphens (-) between them.
Compound adjectives can be formed as follows:
1. Adjective + Past participle
I can’t stand narrow-minded people who are intolerant of new ideas.
The students gave a high-spirited musical performance.
We had lunch in an old-fashioned restaurant.
He was dancing with a short-haired woman.
His absent-minded comment hurt his sister’s feelings.
She’s a strong-willed woman who won’t stop until she gets what she wants.
The quick-witted detective solved the crime before anyone else had a clue.
A kind-hearted stranger helped us find the train station.
2. Adverb + Past Participle
They have three well-behaved children.
A lot of well-educated people are still having trouble finding jobs.
This densely-populated area has the highest crime rates in the country.
She’s a widely-recognized expert in technology.
Our speaker tonight is a highly-respected scholar.
We live on a brightly-lit street in the city center.
3. Noun + Past Participle
We strolled along the sun-baked streets of Naples.
I wanted to buy my daughter the most child-wanted toy.
A lot of middle-aged men are dissatisfied with their lives.
4. Noun + Present Participle
United Kingdom is an English-speaking country.
These time-saving techniques will help you work more efficiently.
The athlete’s record-breaking performance won him the gold medal.
There was a variety of mouth-watering desserts at the wedding reception.
It was a thought-provoking novel.
5. Adjective + Present Participle
Who’s that good-looking guy over there?
This long-lasting makeup will keep you looking lovely day and night.
I was stuck in slow-moving traffic for over an hour.
The new law will have far-reaching effects in the economy.
6. Adverb + Present Participle
Learning a language seems to be a never-ending process.
Some forward-thinking politicians are proposing reforms to the educational system.
7. Noun + Adjective
We had dinner at a world-famous Italian restaurant.
There’s nothing better than drinking an ice-cold lemonade on a hot summer day.
This is a smoke-free restaurant.
8. Adjective + Noun
The director produced his first full-length movie in 1998.
It was a last-minute decision.
9. Noun + Noun
We have 20 part-time members of staff .
10. Adjective + Adjective
These fat-free cookies are delicious!
A list of compound adjectives with their meanings:
Prepositional phrases act as single parts of speech. They usually act as adjectives or adverbs.
E.g. I learned to drive at the age of 21.
E.g. I joined a gym at the beginning of the year.
E.g. There’s a shop at the bottom of this hill.
E.g. I need to pass this exam at all costs.
E.g. My manager spoke to me at my desk.
E.g. There’s somebody at the door.
E.g. I’m going to Madrid at the end of month.
E.g. Who was at fault for the accident?
E.g. At first, I was happy here but now I’m not.
E.g. I can’t believe it’s closed. I came all this way for nothing.
E.g. Late again! For once, can you try to arrive on time?
E.g. I could live here for the rest of my life.
E.g. At the gym, I put my stuff in a locker for safekeeping.
E.g. Maria was upset so I had to be calm for her sake.
E.g. They stayed together for the sake of their children.
E.g. There’s a lovely house for sale at the end of this street.
E.g. My name is John but my family call me J for short.
E.g. At school we had to learn poems by heart.
E.g. Membership to the club is by invitation only.
E.g. I get sick whenever I travel by sea.
E.g. Dog owners must have a licence for the pets by law.
E.g. They played badly but won the match by luck.
E.g. I was able to afford the car by means of a bank loan.
E.g. I chose the wrong road by mistake. Now we’re lost.
E.g. German people tend to be quite organised by nature.
E.g. It’s by no means certain that the economy will improve.
E.g. If you don’t know me by now, you’ll never know me.
E.g. I don’t mind spending time by myself.
E.g. Get in touch with me by phone if you need any help.
E.g. I can’t talk right now as I’m in a hurry.
E.g. The whole house is in a mess. We need to tidy it today.
E.g. Can money buy happiness? In a way, I think so.
E.g. I went to Camp Nou to see Lionel Messi in action last week.
E.g. In addition to feeling tired, I felt a bit sick.
E.g. It’s a busy restaurant so we should book a table in advance.
E.g. I’m in agreement with many of the views of my classmates.
E.g. I don’t want to go and in any case, I wasn’t invited.
E.g. The interview was, in brief, a complete disaster.
in case (+ clause)
E.g. Take an umbrella in case it rains.
E.g. In case of emergency, dial 911.
E.g. I’d prefer to pay in cash, if you don’t mind.
E.g. Our president is too incompetent to be in charge of the economy.
E.g. I have a lot of in common with my best friend.
E.g. The weather in Scotland is awful in comparison with Italy.
E.g. In conclusion, I believe we should do more to help the poor.
