Helping English language learners
“Incredible” and “incredulous” are similar words that have different meanings. They are often confused, even by native speakers of English. “Incredible” means that something is unbelievable. “Incredulous” means that someone doesn’t believe something. Examples:...
When you tell someone not to hold their breath, you’re advising them that what they expect or want to happen won’t happen soon, or ever. Examples: I know you want a new dress, but...
“To button your lip” is an idiom meaning to keep quiet about something. Examples: Similar idioms include:
“In the sticks” means in the countryside, in a remote place, or a long way from anywhere else. Examples: I used to live in the city but now I enjoy being in the sticks....
“To bang on about” is an idiom meaning to talk about something continuously, repeatedly and at length. Someone who bangs on about something can often become annoying. Examples: She’s always banging on about her...
When you say that someone “flies off the handle” you mean that they lose their temper – perhaps suddenly and unexpectedly. Examples: He flew off the handle when I told him I had lost...
“Thick-skinned” is an English idiom used about someone who is not easily upset or insulted: “I don’t mind you criticising me. I’m very thick-skinned”. “It’s all right; she won’t feel insulted. She’s quite thick-skinned”....
English is the main language in many countries and has sometimes developed in different ways in different places. Here are some words that are different in British English and American English: British English American...
“Precarious” is an adjective meaning dangerous. It is usually used about a particular situation. If I am walking in the middle of a busy road, I am in a precarious situation. If I only...
A surprising number of native English speakers confuse these two words. They might say, for example: “I like to go to the market and barter”, when they really mean: “I like to go to...