Similes With As - As Good as Gold

Meaning – very well-behaved

• The children have been as good as gold ever since I told them I’d take them to their favourite restaurant for dinner if they behaved themselves.
• The employees have been as good as gold. The management suspects it’s because they’re afraid of being retrenched/fired.

Synonyms - Acquire

Meaning – buy, gain, gather, get, obtain, procure, purchase

• John acquired (=bought, purchased) a small law firm 2 years ago.
• I don’t know how you managed to acquire (=obtain, gather) all this information, but I appreciate your sharing it with me.
• Due to his unpredictable mood swings, Raymond has acquired (=gained) a reputation for being extremely difficult to work with.  
• I still haven't figured out how he managed to procure my mobile number.

Phrasal Verbs - Get (Get about v Get (sth) across v Get ahead v Get along v Get away v Get by)

Get about – to be able to move or travel from place to place.

• William gets about quite easily on his new motorbike.

Get (sth) across – to successfully communicate a message or idea.

• I haven’t had any luck getting my ideas across to management. Hopefully, I’ll have better luck next week.

Get ahead – to make progress or be successful in sth.

• In order to get ahead in the rat race, people are willing to try different things.

Get along (with someone) – to be friendly towards each other.

• It’s great to see the children getting along so well.

Get away (with sth) – to do sth, usually sth bad without getting caught or punished.

• Many people wouldn’t pay their taxes if they thought they could get away with it.

Get by – to manage satisfactorily

• It’s amazing how Randy gets by on such a low salary.
• We can get by with two cars until my brother returns from Australia.  

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year! May 2015 be filled with love, joy, peace, happiness, health and wealth!

Confused and Misused Words - Respectful v Respective v Respectively

Respectful (adj) – to show respect and admiration for someone or sth.

• He gave a respectful bow before apologizing for his bad behaviour.
• She always speaks in a respectful tone of voice in the presence of her parents.

Respective (adj) – relating or belonging to each individual or thing mentioned.

• The students were all instructed to return to their respective classes after the morning assembly.

Respectively (adverb) – refers to named individuals in the exact order that they are mentioned.

• Sam and Gary are aged 6 and 8 respectively. (= Sam is 6 and Gary is 8).

Homophones - Prize v Prise

Prize (noun) – sth that is given to someone who excels in a competition or game. It is sometimes given as a reward to someone for their good work.

• Tom was delighted when he won first prize at the drawing competition.
• The prize money for certain competitions can run into thousands of dollars.

Prise (verb) – to separate things using force

• After numerous attempts (=tries), I finally managed to prise the lid off the box.
• Sally slowly prised Tim’s fingers apart and forced him to give her the pills which he had found in one of the drawers.      

Homonyms - Punch (As a Noun and Verb)

1.   (noun) – a blow with one’s fist

·        The brave girl threw a punch at her attacker and fled.

2.   (noun) – a drink

·        Everyone laughed at Sally for ordering a punch at the bar last night.

3.   (noun) – an equipment used to cut holes in a material

·        After searching the study room for nearly fifteen minutes, I still couldn’t find the hole punch.

4.   (verb) – to hit

·        Randy punched Tim in the eye after a heated argument over money.

Similes with As - As Drunk As A Lord

Meaning – Very drunk. Being rich, a nobleman could afford to consume as much alcohol as he wished, therefore, getting drunk.

• Richard really shouldn’t be driving tonight. He’s been drinking for the past three hours and he’s as drunk as a lord!
• Tim was as drunk as a lord at Lisa’s party. He was dancing and singing the entire night.

Common Idioms - A Fair-weather Friend

Meaning – someone who is a good friend in good times and stops being one when you have problems

• Banks are like fair-weather friends. They are only keen to lend money to people who are financially sound (= people with no financial problems).
• It’s best to stay away from fair-weather friends as they are never around when you need them the most.

Homophones - Pore v Pour v Poor

Pore (noun) – a very small hole found in the skin of people and animals

• Lawrence has a lot of pimples on his face. I suspect his pores are blocked with dirt.

Pour (verb)

·        Could you please pour Mrs Lee a glass of water?

·        I accidentally spilt some milk on the floor while I was pouring it out earlier on.

Poor (adj)

• Although Richard came from a poor family, he is now a successful lawyer.
• Despite being poor, Michael is grateful to have a loving, supportive family.

Similes - As Deaf as An Adder/As a Post

Meaning – Very deaf. An adder is a kind a snake, and snakes have no sense of hearing.

·        Although John’s relatively young, he’s as deaf as an adder. In fact, many of his friends secretly think he needs a pair of hearing aid.

·        Ben’s as deaf as a post when he’s on the computer. You have to practically shout in order for him to hear you.

Common Idioms - Empty-handed

Meaning – without getting or bringing anything

• I didn’t want to come to your birthday bash empty-handed. So, I brought you a bottle of wine.
• John refused to leave the meeting empty-handed. In the end, he managed to convince the client to commit to a one year contract with the company.

Confused and Misused Words - Proof v Prove

Proof (noun) – a piece of information that shows that sth exists or is true.

·        Does the police have any proof that Julia’s a thief?

·        I suspect he’s cheating on his wife, but unfortunately, I don’t have any concrete proof.

·        It’s best to keep all your receipts as proof of purchase.

Prove (verb) – to show a particular result after a certain period of time.

• The operation proved to be a complete success.
• This murder case proved impossible to solve 20 years ago.

Grammar - Before v After v During v While

 Before     After     During     While

 A.    Before     During     After

• Many people get nervous before the final exams.
• I fell asleep during the film.
• We were tired after our visit to the zoo.

 B.    Before     While       After

• Don’t forget to lock all the doors before you go out later.
• My grandmother often falls asleep while she’s watching television.
• They went home after they finished shopping.

 C.    During     While       For

 We use during + noun (during the exams). We use while + verb (while I’m    studying):

• We hardly spoke during the meal.
• We hardly spoke while we were eating. (not ‘during we were eating’)

 We use for  +  a period of time (five days/ three hours/ six years etc)

• I lived in Beijing for a year. (not ‘during a year’)
• We played tennis for three hours. (not ‘during three hours’)

 D.    Before/after  +  -ing (before sleeping / after playing etc)

• I always have breakfast before going to the gym. (not ‘before to go’)
• After doing the shopping, they went for dinner. (not ‘after to do’)
• I started exercising after having my breakfast. (not ‘after to have’)

Confused and Misused Words - Observance v Observation

Observance (noun) – the act of obeying the law or following a religious custom or tradition

• It’s most unfortunate that the mall does not insist on strict observance of the ‘No Smoking’ policy.
• In certain countries, fasting is a religious observance carried out once a year for an entire month.

Observation (noun) – the act of observing/watching something or someone

• Daniel was kept under observation overnight at the hospital after the accident before being sent home the next day.
• Sally made a few observations of the people working at the company while waiting to be interviewed.

Homonyms - Cricket

1.               a game (noun)

·  Cricket is a very popular sport in the US.

2.                a brown insect that makes short, loud noises by rubbing its wings together (noun)

·      We could hear the sounds of crickets very clearly in the stillness of the night.

Synonyms - Able

Able = Capable of doing sth (adj)

·        Anna is a very able/capable young lady. I’m confident she’ll have no trouble finding a job.

Proverbs and Sayings - Many Hands Make Light Work

Meaning – The more people you have helping on a job, the less work each person has. Hence, making it easier for everyone.

• The mess from last night’s party was cleared up fairly quickly due to the great teamwork between the eight of us. Indeed, many hands make light work.

Homophones - Pole v Poll

Pole (noun)

1.  a long, thin metal standing straight up in the ground to support things.

·        Sam lost control of his car and crashed into a pole. Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt.

2.  either of the two points at the most Northern or Southern ends of the Earth.

·         It’s so cold at the North Pole that only certain animals like the polar bear and penguin can live there.

Poll (noun) - a study in which people are asked for their opinion about a particular person or subject

• We’re conducting a poll to find out what people think about same sex marriages.
• The latest opinion poll shows the Republicans are leading.

Common Idioms - In Your Element

Meaning – in a job, situation, activity etc that one enjoys and is well suited to

·        It’s amazing how happy and productive people can be when they are in their own element.

·        Look how happy John is working in the kitchen! He’s clearly in his own element.

Similes with As - As Crafty/Cunning as A Fox

Meaning – clever, especially at tricking people

·         I’m sure John will do well regardless of where he works. After all, he’s as crafty/cunning as a fox.

·         We’re not surprised Danny almost always gets what he wants. He is, after all, as crafty/cunning as a fox.

Confused and Misused Words - Precede v Proceed

Precede (verb) – to go before sth or someone.

• Sam preceded me onto the stage last night.
• John preceded Mark as the president of the company.
• It would be advisable to precede the presentation with a short introduction of the company.

Proceed

1.   (verb) – to start an activity or to continue with it.

• The doctor proceeded (= started) to examine Cathy after asking her a few questions.
• I’m sorry for interrupting you. Please proceed (= continue) with your work.

2.    (noun) – profits generated from an event or activity.

• All proceeds from this event will go to charity.

Grammar - At v On v In

1.                      At

·                     I start work at 9 o’clock.

·                     The bank closes at 4.30.

·                     I felt really guilty for having a snack at midnight.

              On

·                     John is delighted that most of his friends can make it to his party on Friday.

·                     The banks aren’t open on Saturdays.

·                     The networking event is on 2 December.

              In

·                     I’m going on holiday in April.

·                     Esther left school in 2001.

·                     The weather is lovely in spring.

       2.     We say:

                At the weekend

·                     Is James going away at the weekend?

                             At night

·                     I sometimes have trouble sleeping at night.

                             At Christmas/Easter

·                     Will you be at your parents’ place at Christmas? (but on Christmas Day)

                             At the end of…

·                     We’re going on holiday at the end off April.

                             At the moment

·                     What are you doing at the moment?

       3.      In the morning/in the afternoon/ in                     the evening

·                     I usually hit the gym in the morning.

·                     It’s always great to have a nap in the afternoon.

   BUT

  On Tuesday morning/ on Friday afternoon/ on Sunday night etc.

·               I’m meeting a potential customer on Tuesday morning.

·               Are you doing anything on Friday evening?

       4.     Do not use at/on/in before:

This…(this evening/ this week etc.)

·                     Are you doing anything this evening?

Last…(last September/last week etc.)

·                     The weather was lovely last spring.

Next…(next Thursday/next week etc.)

·                     I’m going on holiday next Tuesday. (not ‘on next                                            Tuesday)

                   Every…(every day/ every week etc.)

·                     Zack wakes up at 6am every day.

       5.      in ten minutes/ in five days/ in three weeks/ in two years etc.

·                     Hurry up! The train leaves in ten minutes. (= ten minutes from now)

·                     Bye! I’ll see you in five days. (= five days from now)

Phrasal Verbs ( Aim at V Aim for V Aim to)

Aim at (someone)

1.              intended for someone

·              John’s cruel remarks were clearly aimed at Sarah, his former partner.

2.              to point at someone

·              Diana aimed a blow at her attacker’s face and struck him squarely in his nose.

Aim for (sth)

·              I was aiming for the bull’s eye but completely missed it.

·              I am aiming for an A for my English, Mathematics and Science paper. That’s why I’m studying so hard now.

Aim to (do sth) – intend to do it

• We are aiming to buy a shop in this mall within the next two years.

Similes with As - As Clean as a Whistle

Meaning – very clean

·        Sally spent hours cleaning the house yesterday. It’s no wonder it’s as clean as a whistle.

·        The chef scraped the meat off the bones until it was as clean as a whistle.

Proverbs and Sayings - One Good Turn Deserves Another

Meaning – If someone does you a favour, it is only right that you help them in return.

·         The reason I helped James was because he did me a favour in the past. I’m a true believer that one good turn deserves another.

Confused and Misused Words - Partly V Partially

Partly (adverb) – to a certain degree, but not completely

• Jake’s attractiveness is partly due to his great sense of humour.
• This building is partly owned by my grandfather.

Partially (adverb) – not in a state of completion

• This building was only partially built when I saw it six months ago.
• Kelly refused to eat the chicken as it was only partially cooked.