Vocabulary & Idioms

Colds are more common in the winter months, and they’re very “contagious” – if people around you have a cold, you’ll probably get it as well. So how can you talk about having a cold in English? Check out the useful vocabulary to talk about cold symptoms; plus the different types of cold and flu. […]

How are you going to celebrate the New Year? If you’re going to a party on 31 December, check out this list of ten phasal verbs for the New Year. They’re all common in spoken English, so when you use them, you’ll sound more like a native speaker. There are also notes on how to

The next time you see an English advert, look at the language. You’ll find lots of marketing verbs and other “strong” vocabulary. These words attract a customer’s attention because they are strong and persuasive. Here are some typical English marketing verbs and other words. You can also use them when you want to strengthen what

Here are some native-speaker expressions and similes for describing people. A simile (pronounced “sim-i-lee”) is a type of comparison. You can make this comparision by saying “as + adjective + as + noun”. There are many similes in English, but these ones are used particularly to describe people. You’ll hear them a lot in spoken

A “placeholder name” is a name we use to describe a type of person with a particular characteristic. We generally use first names (“Jack” is very popular) but we can also use first names and last names to create the “placeholder”. Placeholder names are very common in informal, spoken English and you’ll hear them a

If you are involved in planning – especially if you work in a company – you need to refer to years, and important times in the year. Here are essential words and phrases so that you can talk about years in English, time periods, and also historical time. Types Of Years a leap year =

Are you healthy? Do you often get ill, or do you suffer from a particular condition? This health vocabulary will help you talk about health problems, lifestyles, cures and treatments in English. There are also common collocations to help you use the vocabulary in context. Common Health Problems high blood pressure This is very common

What are some traditional British dishes? What snacks do people normally eat? And what are these strange things you can see on pub and cafe menus? Here’s our guide to British food vocabulary so you can understand menus and talk about food in the UK. Common British Food Expressions We have lots of slang words

How can you talk about personal finance in English? What phrases do you need to know? Here’s our English guide to banking, pensions, mortgages and investments, with the key vocabulary and phrasal verbs you need to talk about them fluently and confidently. What is personal finance? Personal finance means how you manage your money, and

How can you talk about fashion and style in English? What fashion vocabulary do you need to talk about how a person looks – and their personal style? Get these fashion words and phrases – and learn other synonyms for style. The difference between fashion and style Fashion is a trend that changes quickly. Something