Phrase Lists

Halloween English phrases

Halloween is a holiday that happens on October 31st each year. People dress up in strange costumes. Kids wear these costumes to walk around the neighborhood and ask their neighbors for candy. Adults go to parties or street fairs. Here are some phrases that you might hear around Halloween:

Costumes

People wear costumes on Halloween.

They can either buy a pre-made costume or make their own...

English expressions that waiters, waitresses, and restaurant staff use

When you go to a restaurant, you usually have a good idea of what's going to happen. That's because eating at a restaurant usually follows a set script. The wait staff isn't actually given a written script to memorize, of course. But even so, waiters and waitresses usually stick to a very narrow range of phrases. Here's what you can expect when you go to a restaurant.

The host or hostess

When...

Ways to talk about crime in English

There are a lot of specialized words and phrases in English. There is formal terminology that judges, lawyers, and newspaper reporters use. There's also informal language that people use when talking about crimes in casual conversation. This list will get you started with some common phrases that are "in between": not slang, but not too technical.

Actions related to crime:

• attempt (a crime) -...

Wedding phrases in English: the reception

A wedding "reception" is a party that happens after the wedding ceremony. Here is a list of things that happen at the reception:

• The bride and groom, and their families, greet the guests.
• Guests mingle and have cocktails.
• There's a catered dinner. Seating is usually assigned.
• Guests may get wedding favors from the bride and groom.
• The bride and groom cut the wedding cake.
• The bride tosses the...

Wedding phrases in English: the ceremony

Here are some phrases to describe what happens at a traditional American wedding ceremony. Of course, there are people from all different backgrounds living in the U.S., so this doesn't describe all weddings. But this is a very common wedding style that you often see on TV and movies.

• The ceremony is held in a church, a garden, in an outdoor pavillion (like a big tent), in someone's home,...