As different as chalk and cheese
As different as chalk and cheese is an English metaphor and idiom. We use it when two people – or two things – are so different from each other that they have nothing in...
Graham's Grammar Posts
Shopping precincts and retail parks
Shopping precincts and retail parks are types of shopping centres. In a previous post we discussed the difference between department stores and shopping malls. We said that there were other sorts of shopping centres....
Department stores and shopping malls
Department stores and shopping malls are places where we go shopping. A department store is usually a large shop where we can buy a wide variety of items such as clothing, luggage, make-up, lighting,...
Cloud Nine
“To be on cloud nine” is an English idiom meaning to be very happy. Here are some examples of how we use it: You might wonder why it’s cloud nine. Well, perhaps it comes...
Definite and Indefinite Articles Part 3
In previous posts (here and here), we’ve looked at when to use definite and indefinite articles and when we don’t need to use any article. We said that: In this post we’ll explain how...
Definite and indefinite articles Part 2
Definite and indefinite articles. In an earlier post we said that:: In this post we’ll talk further about definite and indefinite articles. We often use “a” or “an” when we mention something for the...
Definite and indefinite articles
Definite and indefinite articles can come very naturally to native English speakers but can be confusing to English languages learners – particularly when their first language doesn’t have articles. Let’s start at the beginning....
Semicolons – Part 2
In a previous post we looked at using semicolons to join two parts of a sentence when each part could be regarded as a sentence on its own. Here we’re going to find out...
Semicolons
People often get confused by semicolons. They are not sure how to use them so they either avoid them or use them badly. In reality, though, it isn’t too complicated to learn when to...
Down in the mouth
When we say that someone is down in the mouth, we mean that they are sad, unhappy, miserable, depressed or dejected. Examples: We often use “down in the mouth” when we want to describe...