PhraseMix Articles

What to say in English when someone dies

Knowing what to say when someone dies is difficult, for native English speakers as well as for learners. You may have strong emotions when someone has died, but you also have to think about how other people feel about it. So there are lots of things to take into consideration.

What to say when...

What's the difference between 'vacation' and 'holiday'?

"Vacation" and "holiday" are words with similar meanings. They both describe days when you don't go to work or school. There are differences between them, but they can be a little difficult to discover on your own.

Holidays are for everyone

One big difference between "vacation" and...

Talk about your place in society, Part 2: Professions

This is the second article in our series on describing your place in society. In the last article, we presented ways to talk about wealth. This time, we'll be talking about a person's occupation.

We use different phrases to describe different kinds of jobs.

Blue collar and service jobs

A "blue...

Talk about your place in society, Part 1: Wealth

How would you describe your place in society?

Your "place in society" includes a few different aspectes:

• how much money you have
• your level of education
• the kind of job you have
• your ethnic background

It can be tricky to talk about these issues politely, but it's something that people...

When will you be perfect in English?

A PhraseMix reader wrote to me recently about her problems with learning English, and I noticed this sentence:

My problem is that I can't apply for a job because I am not so perfect in English.

I thought it would be good to talk about this idea of "perfect in English". If you study English...

33 English words and phrases for talking about your extended family

You probably already know how to talk about your immediate family in English. Your immediate family includes your mother, father, sister, sisters, brothers, husband, wife, and children.

But you might have some questions when it comes to your extended family and some complicated family relations....

Why do English speakers sometimes use present tense when they talk about the past?

When you learned English in school, you were taught to use the past tense when talking about things that happened in the past. For example:

I got a text message from my sister.

But sometimes English speakers use present tense when they're talking about the past. Here's an example:

...

How to remember phrasal verbs without mixing them up

You have to learn phrasal verbs if you want to sound natural in English. English speakers use phrasal verbs all the time. They give our language color and life.

How have you learned phrasal verbs in the past? Most English learners study phrasal verbs in lists grouped by verb like these:

• go out...

30 phrases for encouraging someone in English

When you want someone to try hard, keep going, or not give up, you can "encourage" them.

Here are some phrases that you can use for encouraging someone.

Phrases to use when someone hasn't started yet.

You can say these phrases to someone who's trying to decide whether to do something that seems...

What's the difference between "house" and "home"?

You may have wondered what the difference between "house" and "home" is. Here's an explanation.

What "house" and "home" mean

A "house" is a building.

Specifically, it's usually a single-family building. Apartment buildings aren't...