Daily English Phrases
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Entries in conditionals (21)

Sunday
Mar252012

“If you could live in any period in history, which one would it be?”

If you could live in any period in history, which one would it be?

You're hanging out with a group of friends late at night. You want to ask a silly question to start a discussion.

If you could live in any period in history, which one would it be?

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Monday
Mar122012

“I'm a little worried about what would happen if we were to have an earthquake.”

I

In your apartment, you have a tall bookshelf set up near your bed with some heavy boxes on top of it. Earthquakes aren't common in your area, but you're worried that the boxes would fall and hurt you if one happened. You communicate this fear to your wife.

I'm a little worried about what would happen if we were to have an earthquake.

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Sunday
Nov272011

“If you're feeling under the weather, by all means go home and get some rest.”

English lesson: By all means

One of your employees looks sick. You ask her why she came to work, and she says that she has a lot of work to do. You'd rather she go home so that she doesn't make other people sick. You say:

If you're feeling under the weather, by all means go home and get some rest.

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Saturday
Aug132011

“I don't think I'd be able to endure that kind of pain.”

I don't think I'd be able to endure that kind of pain.

Your friend's sister is pregnant with her second baby. She's talking about how painful childbirth is. You've heard that it's painful, so you say:

I don't think I'd be able to endure that kind of pain.

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Tuesday
Jul262011

“Do not use if seal is broken.”

English lesson: Do not use if seal is broken.

You're looking at a bottle of pain medicine in a drug store. It has plastic wrapped around the cap. You read the instructions on the side of the bottle, and it says:

Do not use if seal is broken.

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Sunday
Jun262011

“I would have guessed that you were in your mid-twenties.”

Example English phrase: I would have guessed that you were in your mid-twenties.

You're talking to someone who you don't know very well at a cookout. He tells you that he's 36 years old. You're surprised, because he looks about 10 years younger than that. You say:

I would have guessed that you were in your mid-twenties.

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Tuesday
Apr052011

“You'd never guess they were related.”

You'd never guess they were related.

You know two guys who are brothers but don't look or act the same at all. You're talking about them with a friend who just met them. You say: 

You'd never guess they were related.

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Saturday
Mar052011

“I just thought I'd come out and get some fresh air and sunshine.”

Just thought I'd go out and get some fresh air.

It's a nice day outside, so you go out to ride your bicycle. You see your neighbor jogging and stop to make small talk with him. You talk about why you're riding your bicycle:

I just thought I'd come out and get some fresh air and sunshine. 

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Tuesday
Nov162010

“Maybe if we rearrange some of this stuff...?”

You're going on a trip with a group of friends. You're all riding in your friend's car. He's trying to put all the suitcases in the trunk, but yours isn't fitting. You think it might be possible to get them all in if they're all packed in the right way. You suggest:

Maybe if we rearrange some of this stuff...?

Maybe if (someone) (does something)?

When you're looking for solutions to a problem, you can introduce different ideas that you have with "Maybe if...". For example, if someone is looking for a way to sell her old computer, you can suggest:

Well, maybe if you put it on Craigslist, someone might buy it.

In the example at top, the sentence doesn't include what the conclusion would be. Usually "if" sentences include the conclusion, but if the speaker and the listeners all know what the conclusion is, you can leave it off. In the original example, the conclusion is:

Maybe if we rearrange some of this stuff, we can fit all of the suitcases in the trunk.

But because everyone knows that this is what they're trying to do, it's not necessary to say it in the sentence.

rearrange (something)

To "rearrange" things means to change their order or position:

Did you rearrange the furniture in here?

I rearranged my schedule so that I could sleep in until 9:00 every morning.

You can also use the specific words "reorder" and "reposition". but "rearrange" can mean both of those.

stuff

"Stuff" can mean almost any physical items or material. It's similar to the word "things", but "things" are countable and "stuff" is not. So "stuff" is better to use when you're talking about a group of things that are different from each other - different sizes, shapes, etc.

"Stuff" is especially used to refer to things that you buy or own:

There's a good chance that you'll end up buying a lot of stuff while you're there.

I'll go pick up all the stuff we need.

Excuse me. Would you mind watching over my stuff for me for just a minute?

Saturday
Oct092010

“What if we rented a moving van instead of hiring someone?”

You and your family are planning to move to another city in 2 months. You haven't fully planned how you're going to move all your stuff yet, but you have an idea. While you're having dinner with your wife, you brought up the topic of the move. Now you make your suggestion:

What if we rented a moving van instead of hiring someone?

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