PhraseMix Articles

English phrases for talking about sports

I have to admit that I'm not much of a sports fan myself. But here are a few phrases that are so common that even I know them:

• They have the home team advantage.
• They're tied for third.
• They had a 20-game winning streak.
• This is their fifth straight losing season.
• The season kicks off in...

Your morning routine

Here are some phrases that describe what you do every morning:

• I'm up bright and early.
• I'm up at the crack of dawn.
• I wake up to an alarm.
• I'll usually hit "snooze" a few times.
• I roll out of bed at about 8:00.
• I tend to sleep in.
• I've got to have my coffee first thing in the morning.
• Then I...

How to talk to young children in English

Do you know these English phrases for talking with young children? Words that English speakers use with kids have a lot of repetition ("no-no", "pee-pee", etc.) and often end in the "i" sound ("doggie", "yucky", etc.)

Here are some common examples of things people say to young children.

• Good...

Phrases using "adjust"

• adjust the temperature
• adjust your attitude
• adjust the settings
• adjust your mirror
• (your eyes) adjust to the light/dark
• adjust your package

Phrases using the word "foreign"

• A foreign language is a language which is not someone's native language.
• A foreign country is a country that is not one's own.
• A country's foreign policy is how that country acts toward other countries.
• Foreign currency is another country's money.
• Foreign exchange rates are...

Study and use

When have you made the fastest improvements in your language learning? I was thinking about this recently. I remembered that I've improved the fastest when I was:

1. Studying the language every day by looking up new words, drilling with lists, and reading explanations of grammatical structures
2. ...

What's the difference between a 'phrase', an 'idiom', a 'phrasal verb', a 'saying', an 'aphorism', etc.?

What is difference between a "phrase" and an "idiom", and what are "proverbs" and "phrasal verbs"?

I don't think it's very important to know the differences between these. The important thing is to learn as much as you can, whether it be idioms, phrasal verbs, or whatever.

- "Phrase" can really...

The key to understanding natural spoken English

Today a friend told me a story. She was doing translation work at a booth in a restaurant trade show. She was translating for the CEO of a company that made high-quality kitchen knives.

This CEO had studied English, but hadn't gotten many chances to use English in real situations. So he was able...

What's your favorite English-language TV show?

Watching TV is a great way to learn a foreign language. TV shows are great because:

• They're not too short and not too long.
• You learn in context. That means that you can see what language to use in a specific situation.
• They're fun to watch, so you keep coming back to them.

I'd like to...

When and where do you learn English?

I want to know about your English learning environment. When and where do you most often learn English?

Do you study in the morning when you wake up? At night in bed? On your lunch break?

Do you like to listen to lessons on your phone while you're jogging? Do you take an English class at...