Similes with As - As Busy as a Bee/Beaver

Meaning – very busy

Ø      Ever since William started his own business, he’s been as busy as a bee/beaver. In fact, he hardly has time to sit down and have a proper meal.

Ø      Despite being as busy as a bee/beaver, Ken never complains. In fact, he reckons it’s better to be busy with work than sit idle at home.

Homophones - Practice v Practise

Practice (noun)

1.  training

Ø     Are you coming for dance practice tomorrow?

Ø     I need more practice before I take my driving test next month.

2.  regular activity

Ø     There’s a lot we can learn from Japanese business practices.

Ø     It’s standard practice to tip the waiters and waitresses in the US.

3.  action

Ø     I’d like to see you put what you preach to practice.

Ø     These are all great ideas, but how do you intend to put them into practice?

4.  work

Ø     Sam recently left the government hospital and joined a            private practice not far from his home.

Practise (verb)

1.   training

Ø     Sally practises the piano for an hour every day. It’s no wonder she’s so good.

Ø     I’m quite satisfied with the way I’m moving on the tennis court. I just need to practise my serve a bit more.

2.  work

Ø     How long has Dr Johnson been practising as a bone specialist?

3.  regular activity

Ø     Everyone has the right to practise their own religion in a democratic country.

Ø     Practising safe sex is crucial (= very important) in order to avoid HIV infection.

Synonyms - Decide

Decide (verb)

1.  determine

Ø     The weather will determine whether or not I go for a swim in the evening.

Ø     Where we spend our holidays is determined by how much money we have in our bank account.

2.  settle

Ø     The young couple plans to start looking for a venue now that the wedding date is finally settled.

3.  choose

Ø     He was recently offered the job of his dreams, but it requires him to relocate to another country. Now, he has to choose between his career and his partner.

4.  resolve

Ø     She resolved that she would only stay in reputable hotels after her bad experience with a new hotel on her last holiday.

Ø     After days of discussion, they resolved against expanding the business.

Proverbs and Sayings - Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Meaning – Don’t risk everything you have in one plan.

Ø      I always like to keep my options open in anything and everything I do. It’s like they say, ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’

Ø      They literally put all their eggs in one basket and invested their entire life savings into this restaurant. Fortunately, business has been very good.

Homophones - Hoarse v Horse

Hoarse (adj) – used to describe a person’s rough voice, which is often due to a sore throat or cold.

Ø      Maria sounded a bit hoarse over the phone this morning. I hope she’s not coming down with a cold.

Ø  We always remember Uncle Sam for his hoarse voice.

Horse (noun) – a large animal ridden by people or used to carry things or pull vehicles.

Ø      William spends a lot of his time riding horses during summer.

Confusing and Misused Words - Alternate v Alternative

Alternate (verb) – to make sth happen or exist repeatedly one after another

Ø      He alternated working long hours in the office with short, frequent breaks.

Ø      Sarah alternated between swimming, yoga and hiking a few times a week.

Alternative

   1.      (adjective) – one of more things available as another possibility or choice.

Ø      We may need an alternative venue for the gathering in the event it rains.

2.     (noun) – sth that is different from what is usual and offers the possibility of choice

Ø      Wine is an alternative to beer.

Ø      There must be an alternative to spending the night at this old hotel.

Proverbs and Sayings - Don't count your chickens before they are hatched

Meaning – Do not be too confident that something will be successful.

Ø      We find it rather amusing that John is already talking about how he’s going to spend the money he stands to make from the lucrative deal. In fact, the manager even told John not to count his chickens before they’re hatched.

Ø      Randy seems to think that he can make a lot of money by starting his own business. His family was very quick to remind him about the challenging economic climate and cautioned him not to count his chickens before they are hatched. 

Similes with Like - Like a Hawk

Meaning – used to describe someone who sees or notices every small detail

Ø      Kent has got eyes like a hawk. He notices everything, right down to the amount of sugar we put into our coffee and tea.

Ø      It’s very stressful when the manager is in the office. He watches everyone like a hawk, and he doesn’t hesitate to point out our mistakes, no matter how trivial (= having little to no value or importance).

Grammar - Reflexive Pronouns

Compiled from Grammar Builder Book 3

The rules are:

1. A reflexive pronoun is used as the object in a sentence to show that the subject and the object are the same person or thing.

Ø      He (subject) hurt himself (object) while he was playing football.

* He and himself are the same person.

Compiled from Grammar Builder Book 3

2. When used as an object, a reflexive pronoun can come immediately after a verb or a preposition in a sentence.

Subject           Verb                   Reflexive pronoun

                                                     as object

Ø                  She           introduced                   herself                   to my friends.

    

     Subject       Verb                      Preposition     Reflexive pronoun

                                                                                    as object

Ø                  They         were     annoyed         with                 themselves.  

                                                               

3. The reflexive pronoun is placed at the end of the sentence or immediately after the subject to emphasise that a person does something without any help.

Ø      She caught the fish herself.                 (RIGHT)

Ø      She herself caught the fish.                 (RIGHT)

Ø      She caught herself the fish.                 (WRONG)

            * In such cases, the subject is not the object of the sentence. As                      such, we do not place it immediately after the verb.

Synonyms - Break

Meaning – fracture, shatter, crash

Ø      Danny suffered a terrible fall and fractured a few bones.

Ø      The vase shattered into a thousand tiny pieces when James accidentally dropped it this morning.

Ø      Paul was furious when he learnt that Vincent had crashed his motorbike into a tree. 

Common Idioms - At the Drop of a Hat

Meaning – A willingness to do something immediately.

Ø      Our manager expects us to show up at the office at the drop of a hat, even when it’s after office hours.

Ø      Danny really likes Jenny. It’s no surprise he showed up at her house at the drop of a hat when she invited him over for dinner.

Homonyms - Lead (As a Verb and Noun)

1.  (verb) – control

Ø     We were relieved when we heard Mark was leading the team.

Ø     I’ve asked Wendy to lead the team.

2.  (verb) – to be winning

Ø     After an hour, our team was leading by two points.

Ø     With one lap left to go, Norman led by less than five seconds.

3.  (verb) – influence

Ø      The ad led me to believe that the price applied to all drinks on the menu.

4.  (verb) – to show the way

Ø     I’m not familiar with this area. So, you’d better lead.

Ø     A black limousine carrying a hearse led the funeral procession.

Ø     I was led down a hall and into a small room for the interview.

5.  (verb) – direction

Ø     The trail of blood led the police directly to a small, white car.

6.  (verb) – to live

Ø     Randy was thankful to be able to lead a normal life despite being ill.

Ø     Despite being wealthy, Sally leads a very simple life.

7.  (noun) – a winning position

Ø     For the first time in ages, Harry is in the lead.

8.  (noun) – information

Ø      After weeks of investigation, the police finally have a lead in the case.