Now, some of you may have been thinking that 'chunk of the day' had turned into 'chunk of the month' - or even 'chunk of the year'! I'm afraid we've been a bit busy and perhaps a bit depressed by how in…
Phrase of the day: in the run-up to
As many of you may be aware, there's a general election here in the UK in just a couple of months. This year also sees crucial elections in Turkey and Spain and no doubt in many other places as well.…
Phrase of the day: on the way
I went to visit my parents yesterday and on the way there, I was thinking about the number of times I've done that journey up and down the motorway and imagined all the little ant trails that I have left…
Phrase of the day: It’s alright for some!
This week, a friend of mine in France sent me a message via Facebook asking if I'd got a copy of a new box set that collects together all the LPs by The Pretty Things, one of my very favourite…
Phrase of the day: would’ve thought
Last Wednesday evening, I took a train from Preston back home to London. As we were nearing Euston station, I left my seat and went to wait near the door. A mother and her teenage daughter were already there, and…
Phrase of the day: It’s not as though
I had two conversations last night which featured this chunk. The first one was with a friend who was moaning about a culture clash in the Paris office he often visits. Leaving his house at 5.30 in the morning to…
Phrase of the day: What’s not to like?
We've often said that what strikes us most about the many incredibly competent non-natives we meet in our field is very rarely their grammatical accuracy! Rather than noticing the correct use of a mixed conditional or the stunning use of…
Phrase of the day: nothing if not
Listening to a Radio 4 review programme the other day, I was struck by the description of quirky Icelandic singer Björk's new LP - Vulnicura - as "nothing if not honest". The chunk is a subtle and interesting way of…
Phrase of the day: saying it is one thing; meaning it is another.
Jon Wright is the author of the wonderful Idioms Organiser, for our money perhaps the best self-study book on idioms on the market. Just before Christmas, I was lucky enough to catch Jon talking at the English UK South-West conference…
Phrase of the day: What’re you doing later?
Lots of very common chunks don’t get taught early enough in many course because they are seen as somehow being examples of ‘advanced’ grammar. For instance, this common question is often left out of Elementary and Pre-Intermediate courses due to…