Mastering English: Idioms, Phrases, and Grammar

Posted on Jan 30, 2025 in Civil Engineering, Civil Constructions

Common English Idioms and Their Meanings

Thrown in at the Deep End

Meaning: Facing a new and difficult situation, often in a new job.

See Eye to Eye

Meaning: To agree with someone (often used in the negative to indicate disagreement).

Got into Hot Water

Meaning: To get into trouble.

Put My Foot in It

Meaning: To make a mistake, to embarrass oneself.

Get on Like a House on Fire

Meaning: To get along very well with someone.

Be Like a Fish Out of Water

Meaning: To feel uncomfortable in a situation.

To Be a Real Eye-Opener

Meaning: To be a surprising revelation.

To Break the Ice

Meaning: To ease tension, especially when meeting new people.

Useful English Connectors and Phrases

  • To begin with: Para empezar
  • In the first place: En primer lugar
  • All in all: Considerándolo todo
  • In short: En resumen
  • To sum up: Para resumir
  • Even so: Aún así
  • However: Sin embargo
  • Above all: Sobre todo
  • This is why: Esta es la razón por la que
  • In the same way: Del mismo modo
  • On the other hand: Por otra parte
  • Indeed: En realidad
  • Therefore: Por lo tanto
  • As a result: En consecuencia
  • Last but not least: Por último, aunque no menos importante

More Connectors

  • As: Como
  • So: Así pues
  • Therefore: Por lo tanto
  • Unless: A menos que
  • But: Pero
  • However: Sin embargo
  • Even though: Aunque
  • While: Mientras que
  • Also: También
  • Besides: Además
  • In other words: En otras palabras
  • Especially: Especialmente
  • Above all: Sobre todo
  • Like: Como
  • Such as: Tal como
  • In fact: De hecho

Common English Expressions

  1. Correct: I am glad to hear that you are having a baby.

  2. Correct: ‘I’m sorry, I haven’t seen you.’ ‘Don’t worry, after you.’

  3. Correct: I’m scared that I can’t accept this job; thank you.

  4. Correct: ‘Dinner was 40€ – here is my 20€.’ ‘No, it’s on me.’

  5. Correct: Excuse me, do you know what time it is?

  6. Correct: Welcome to my house! Come in and make yourself at home.

  7. Correct: Please help yourself to some more cake.

  8. Correct: I don’t mind telling people about my allergies.

  9. Correct: I heard you failed your driving test. Bad luck!

  10. Correct: Sorry? I didn’t hear you. Could you please repeat that?

Verb Patterns in English

Verbs Followed by -ing

Admit, adore, allow, avoid, can’t stand, carry on, consider, deny, delay, mind, enjoy, fancy, finish, give up, imagine, involve, keep, postpone, practice, put off, recommend, risk, suggest.

Verbs Followed by to + infinitive

Afford, agree, allow, appear, arrange, ask, attempt, choose, dare, decide, expect, fail, forget, help, hope, learn, manage, offer, plan, pretend, promise, refuse, seem, tend, threaten, go, would like to.

Verbs with Special Meanings Depending on -ing or to + infinitive

  • Remember/Forget:
    • To + infinitive: Remembering or forgetting to do something.
    • -ing: Remembering or forgetting something that happened in the past.
  • Regret:
    • To + infinitive: To regret giving bad news.
    • -ing: To regret not having done something.
  • Try:
    • To + infinitive: To make an effort to do something.
    • -ing: To experiment with something.
  • Stop:
    • To + infinitive: To stop doing one action in order to do another.
    • -ing: To stop an action completely.
  • Mean:
    • To + infinitive: To have the intention to do something.
    • -ing: To imply or involve something.
  • Go on:
    • To + infinitive: To start a new action after finishing another.
    • -ing: To continue the same action.
  • Need:
    • To + infinitive: To need to do something yourself.
    • -ing: Something needs to be done by someone else.