Daily English Phrases
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Entries in explanation (10)

Sunday
Aug212011

“They're more energy efficient than conventional bulbs because they generate a lot less heat.”

English Lesson: They generate less heat.

You use fluorescent light bulbs in your house to save electricity. You're explaining why you use them to an acquaintance who says he doesn't know why people use them. You say:

They're more energy efficient than conventional bulbs because they generate a lot less heat.

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Sunday
Jan022011

“I went to a doctor and got some antibiotics, but she said that it would take a few days for them to kick in.”

You're feeling sick with a sinus infection. You went to a doctor and got some medicine, but you don't feel better yet. You were supposed to meet a friend for dinner tomorrow evening, but you don't think you're going to feel better by then. So now you're writing an e-mail to cancel the dinner. You explain why:

I went to a doctor and got some antibiotics, but she said that it would take a few days for them to kick in.

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Sunday
Nov282010

“As the Earth orbits around the sun, the angle at which sunlight hits the Earth changes.”

You're talking to a child. You're explaining why the temperature is different at different times of year. You say:

As the Earth orbits around the sun, the angle at which sunlight hits the Earth changes.

As (something happens), (something else happens)

Use this kind of grammatical structure to describe two things that happen at the same time. It's most commonly used for two continuing processes that happen together:

As you get older, you learn what your own strengths and limitations are.

"As ___, ___" is good for describing how things work. Here's a technical description of how water boils:

As the temperature of the water rises, some of the water molecules begin to go into a gaseous state.

(something) orbits around (something)

To "orbit" something means to travel in a circular path around it. Planets orbit the sun, and the moon orbits the Earth.

Technically, the word "around" is not needed. A more grammatically correct sentence would be:

As the Earth orbits the sun, the angle at which sunlight hits the Earth changes.

But other phrases use "around" to describe the same motion, like:

  • travel around the sun
  • move around the sun

So adding "around" to "orbit" might make it easier for someone to understand if they're not familiar with the meaning of the word "orbit".

at which

The example at top includes the phrase "the angle at which sunlight hits the Earth". This is a reordered version of "hit (something) at an angle":

The light from the sun hits different parts of the Earth at different angles.

When you reorder a sentence, you still have to keep the preposition "at". There are two choices for where to put it:

As the Earth orbits around the sun, the angle which sunlight hits the Earth at changes.

As the Earth orbits around the sun, the angle at which sunlight hits the Earth changes.

The first version is a lot more casual. The second version sounds more intelligent. It's also considered more grammatically correct, so please use it when you're writing or answering a grammar question on a test.

This same structure works with other prepositions:

  • for which
  • by which
  • on which
Sunday
Nov282010

“The Earth's axis is tilted.”

You're talking to a child and explaining why there are different seasons. You start out with

The Earth's axis is tilted.

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Wednesday
Nov242010

“I was going for something abstract and kind of edgy.”

You are an artist, and you're having an art show at a gallery. You're explaining the ideas behind your art to one of the people who came to the show. You say:

I was going for something abstract and kind of edgy.

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Sunday
Sep122010

“It's a long story.”

You're frustrated because you've been having trouble with your visa paperwork. You're talking to a friend and mention your problems. He asks what happened, but you don't want to explain it all because it's a complicated problem and will take a long time to explain. You say:

It's a long story.

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Sunday
Sep122010

“I don't want to get into it right now.”

You're upset because of a problem that you're having with your visa paperwork. You're talking to a friend and she can tell that you're upset. She asks what's wrong, but you don't want to explain your problem to her because it wll take too long and you're too upset. You say:

I don't want to get into it right now.

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Tuesday
May252010

“I have to put together a presentation for Upper Management.”

You have to give a presentation to several executives at your company. You need some help with creating a nice-looking presentation. You are asking a coworker who's good with design to help you. You start by explaining the situation:

I have to put together a presentation for Upper Management.

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Wednesday
May052010

“There must be a lot of pollen.”

You're sneezing a lot. Your friend asks you what's wrong. You think you're sneezing because of your allergies. You say:

There must be a lot of pollen.

there must be (something)

When you see evidence of something, or you have a strong reason to believe something, you can say "There must be ___". For example, when you hear music playing and people talking in the house next door to you, you can say:

There must be a party going on.

If your toilet doesn't flush correctly, you can say:

There must be something stuck in there.

a lot of (something)

Some English learners use the word "much" too much! In normal conversational English, "a lot of ___" is far more common than "much ___":

There was a lot of dust in the air.

My daughter always likes to put a lot of ketchup on her fries.

However, you can use "much" when you're saying "not much":

There's not much money left.

And it's good in the phrase "too much":

Sorry, I can't. I have way too much work to do here.

You can also use "much" for very, very formal positive sentences. When I hear a sentence like this, it reminds me of the Bible! It has that level of formality and age.

There was much rejoicing among the people.

"Many" is the same as "much". It sounds strange and old-fashioned in positive sentences, but normal in questions and negative sentences.

There were a lot of people there.

There aren't very many chairs left.

pollen

"Pollen" is the dust that flowers produce. A lot of people are allergic to pollen.

Thursday
Mar042010

“Can you explain to me how this works?”

You've just started a new job in an office and you're trying to send a fax. You can't figure out how to use it. You ask a coworker:

Can you explain to me how this works?

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