Some Idioms..

An idiom means an expression given by a group of words to convey a sense but exactly different from the actual individual words meaning. It enhances the beauty of our language.

1. Add fuel to the flames means to do or say something to make the difficult situation still worse.
    I totally forgot to invite my friends on my wedding anniversary but my excuses added fuel to the         flames despite convincing them.

                        

2.   Much ado about nothing means to make a big issue of an unimportant thing.                    
      In our area a proposal to construct airport is under consideration but its much ado about nothing.

3.   Skin and bones or A bundle of bones means to be very very thin.  

     After finishing their fasting for almost a month he was all skin and bones.

4.  At all costs means to achieve something regardless of the expenses or efforts in a very strong              minded manner.

     I would be glad to work in the college i studied at  all costs, it's my dream.

5.  At stake means to be in a risky situation to lose or win whatever one has. 

     I have kept my life long reputation at stake to make you a successful person, keep this in mind. 

6.  Back to square one means to start one's efforts once again after being unsuccessful.

     After I retired my family circumstances brought me back to square one by sending me to work. 

7.  Bare one's soul means to disclose the innermost feelings to someone. 

     Once he broke up with his wife he decided to  bare his soul to his brother for relieving mind.  

8. Old habits die hard means feel reluctance in changing habits followed from long time.
    My mother is always fond of doing something or the other, old habits die hard.

9. Hair's breadth means to manage to escape from a danger or narrow escape (just by a hair's breadth)
    When  tsunami hit our surroundings we escaped somehow by a hair's breadth luckily.

10. Break the ice means to make an uncomfortable situation light by talking  light.
      My husband broke the ice when even after months to his demise the family was in gloomy mood.

11. Get the jitters means to become nervous before an event.
      Often we can see candidates getting the jitters before a seminar conduction.

12.  Keep fingers crossed means to hope to get successful but not sure.
       Am trying to send my son abroad but lets keep fingers crossed till finalization of things.

13.  Lame excuse means to give a weak or unconvincing explanation.
      We knew she was giving a lame excuse for her being absent in the function.

Various Styles Of Expressions

Anger can be described in many a ways like;

She has a Fiery temper.
She Burned with hatred when heard of the affair.
My daughter is extremely Hot tempered.
We have Heated arguments often before family shopping.
My husband Flares up on the slightest cause.
I Lose Cool at the slightest pretexts nowadays.
Vulgar films make my Blood Boil.
On their demand for dowry we became Hot Under our Collar.

Losing control over temper is like an explosion.
On hearing the news of her eloping he exploded.
He Blew Up at my daughter unnecessarily.
His sudden Outburst made us bewildered as otherwise he is quite a cool type.

For Anger we can use a few words according to the situations demand.
Fury - Extreme limit of anger mostly uncontrolled and violent.
Rage - Violent uncontrollable anger.
Violence - Strong anger resulting in damaging or hurting.
Fierce - Aggressive and violent (mostly attacking type)
Wild - Not having control over behaviour due to excessive anger.

Vocabulary Improvement

In growing your vocabularies prefix, suffix, compound words can help a lot without much stress. For school going children it can be taught in playful activities. The children would love to compete and learn fast.

Prefix when added change the meaning entirely thus must be taught well to improve efficiency. Some prefix give positive whereas some negative meanings like;

Un; unhappy, unhealthy, unlucky, unnatural, unnecessary, unmarried, unwanted, uneducated.
In; inauspicious, indecent, inactive, indirect, insecure, incomplete, inedible, incorrect.
Dis; disorder, disconnect, disobey, dislike, disadvantage, disqualify, dislocate, dishonest, discourage,
Mis; mistake, mismanage, misconduct, misunderstand, misbehave, misspell, misfortune, misfit.
Il; illegal, illegitimate, illegible, illegitimate, illogical, illiberal, illiterate.
Im; impossible, impolite, immobile, impure, impartial, impractical, immature, imperfect.
Mal; malnutrition, maladjustment, malformation, malpractice.
Anti; anti-corruption, antibiotic, anti-terrorism, antihero, anti-ageing, antioxidants.

Re; recall, remember, relocate, replace, rejoin, report, remarry, reproduce, readdress, rearrange.
Pre; preface, premature, precaution, preposition, prearrange.
Over; overflow, overcome, overtake, overwrite, overestimate, overdo, overwork, overcook, overview.
Under; underestimate, understand, underweight, underwear, undergo, underground.

The words which end in these suffixes are Adjectives.
Ful; meaningful, beautiful, colourful, shameful, artful, fearful, dreadful, tearful, dutiful etc.
Ous; famous, tremendous, treacherous, dangerous, jealous, zealous, delicious, ferocious etc.
Ive; active, positive, negative, attentive, educative, effective, defective, protective, digestive etc.
Ent; intelligent, deficient, efficient, prominent, eminent, different, ardent, evident, dependent etc.
Ant; important, adamant, reluctant, tolerant, arrogant, abundant, dominant, extravagant etc.
Al; natural, casual, nominal, tropical, national, terminal, seasonal, formal, practical, legal etc.
Less; meaningless, nameless, shameless, brainless, senseless, colorless, effortless, aimless etc.
Some; troublesome, cumbersome, twosome, irksome, gruesome, burdensome etc.
Able; comfortable, portable, affordable, charitable, adorable, removable, disposable etc.
Ible; flexible, irresistible, terrible, sensible, eligible, negligible, gullible, edible and inedible etc.
So almost 75% of adjectives can be taught playfully to the learners.

In the same way words which end in these suffixes are Nouns.
Ment; development, enlargement, enrollment, employment, assessment, retirement, encouragement, improvement etc. (if the suffix is eliminated we get a verb so easily kids learn verbs as well nouns)
Tion; promotion, regulation, creation, certification, demonstration, vibration, renovation, reservation.
Sion; tension, pension, suspension, decision, conclusion, extension, depression, repulsion, omission.
Ness; kindness, tiredness, freshness, happiness, curiousness, carelessness, truthfulness, shyness, softness. (when ness is removed we can get adjectives)
Ty; simplicity, honesty, property, casualty, poverty, novelty, generosity, beauty, creativity.
Cy; policy, efficiency, tendency, diplomacy, literacy, decency, deficiency, privacy, accuracy.
Ance; importance, arrogance, appearance, reluctance, tolerance, abundance, extravagance.
Ence; intelligence, reverence, difference, preference, eminence, turbulence, interference.
Age; parentage, percentage, shortage, advantage, patronage.
Ship; hardship, leadership, friendship, partnership, scholarship, entrepreneurship, fellowship.

Some people only have good knowledge of compound words and a family of words. It also helps lot if learnt with curiosity and interest. Two nouns are combined to make a compound word. Time-table, dressing-table, dining-table, bed-room, bath-room, toilet-cleaner,  lamp-shade, lime-light, room-mate, life-partner, play-ground, table-cloth.

Some words have many derivatives which too can extend word knowledge.

Familiar, familiarity, familiarize, familiarization, unfamiliar,
Hospital, hospice, hospitalize, hospitalization, hospitality, hospitable, inhospitable.
Special, specialist, specialty, specialize, specially.

Some words have a set like Noun, Verb, adjective and adverb. it is essential to know the family of a word to be thorough. Mostly we know only one or two words generally used. English has a lot of flexibility and it must be learnt to use in appropriate manner.

Laughter (noun), Laugh (verb), Laughable (adjective) and Laughably (adverb).
Death (noun), die (verb) ,  dead (adjective) and Deadly (adverb)
Knowledge (noun), know (verb), Known (adjective), knowingly (adverb)

In the same way we should encourage the use of synonyms through reading and writing practice.
Think, ponder, reflect, muse, fancy, guess, consider though convey similar meanings yet the words have strong expression at apt places if used accurately.

Nowadays though children have access to net yet the good things especially towards language learning are ignored. in schools competitions for language improvement can be conducted where children are encouraged to write on their own instead of memorized essays.

Mostly children tend to get confused as pronunciation can not determine the correct idea of spellings in children's mind. same pronunciations have different spellings thus end up in confusions.

Words with missing vowels or jumbled letters too give good and sound practice to learners initially stimulating their interest for language learning. Kids learn much faster and eagerly so in schools the teachers need take special efforts to improve language skills and stimulate learning attitude.   

For Gaining Fluency

Almost every learner has the deep desire to speak fluently but few realize how much efforts they need to gain fluency. Fluency is a gradual procedure to be gained in a course of time with regular practice without careless attitude. reading has got a very significant part in learning good expressions and also improving language without any stress. Mostly students spend time in comparing knowledge level and forget how it is gained. Reading loud has it's own positives and silent reading has it's many positives which can not be injected in class rooms but only can be gained through own painstaking efforts and time.

Every language has a different slang, English is a very stress free language unlike Indian languages thus need to e practiced well, listening also is a helpful way in improving pronunciation as well slang free of our mother tongue influence which weakens our language. every word is stressed while speaking mostly whereas we need stress on only important words to draw attention or significance. when we stress unnecessarily our language loses it's beauty and we can not get good impact on listeners mind which is very essential part of communication.

We need to practice where to pause and give stress and also to reduce and increase our volume according to the situations while communicating. If we fail to then we can not gain excellence in fluency. In fact the way we speak leaves a strong impact on listeners than actual words. Voice quality, body language, words altogether create impression thus practice becomes must. It's a constant procedure not a temporary trial so growing a regular habit of reading is the best way, without any stress you would find lots of hidden things to shape up your language fluency.

When you speak try to be natural and leave inhibitions which are the greatest hurdles. Be confident and tell yourself "I Can speak well ...." It's a weakness that we never trust ourselves and easily trust others. By practicing we learn easily than imagining for a perfect situation to speak and get applauds. Once we try naturally our whole efforts are applied practically and after a few initial difficulties believe we can create a lasting impression but without trying for the first time it's not possible.

I remember very clearly the first time I spoke, I  just blurted something which was not on my mind at all due to nervousness so forget fear, imagine yourself smiling confidently shaking hands with many a people around to boost confidence. Think only positive things to frame a healthy mindset. Stand in front of mirror and practice talking confidently. Avoid others while practicing. Can also take help from a friend in correcting your voice mistakes and way of delivering speech.

Fluency means regular supply of thoughts while speaking without hesitations and it comes after gaining a certain amount of confidence so listening, reading and thinking in English would be a great help. It is a constant procedure so keep up trying, best of luck!

For maintaining continuity some Connectors

We have seen almost all the parts of sentence needed to frame sentences or communicate. For good communication we can further learn some more expressions which give continuity to our communication as well help in maintaining the flow and interest.

For Contrasting ideas; However, Nevertheless, in contrast, nonetheless, Yet, On the other hand, On the contrary, Instead, By comparison, In any case.

For Result ; As as result, as a consequence (mostly when the result is not positive), Accordingly.

For indicating sequence; First of all, in the first place, To start with, Also, Besides, moreover, Finally, At the end.

For Importance; Above everything, Essentially, Significantly, Basically, Primarily.

For Being Particular; Particularly, For example, For instance, To be specific, To be clear.

To dismiss anything mentioned earlier; At any cost, Anyhow, Anyway.

Some more connectors seen being used commonly are ; In the meantime, Meanwhile, Later, Afterwards, then. To be clear, That is, In fact, As a matter of fact,

We can use these words to keep the conversation going smooth and to be effective according to the meanings.

Using Adjectives

 Note the usage of adjectives like Many, Any, Little and Some :

1. We saw some animals at the zoo. 

2. How many oranges you kept in the parcel?     

3. There isn't any sugar in my cup.

4. She does not have many friends. 

5. I have packed some water bottles too.

6. He could not get much rest today.

7. How  many fruits you take everyday?  

8. Can you get me some fruits for my journey now?

9.  We urgently need some help.                                                       

10. We have not much money with us.   
11. We have little water in the can now, get some more from the tap.           

12. They have little time for  their exams. 

13. There are a few students in the class who always strive hard. 
14. Is any oil for frying in the bottle?
15. Have little juice for my baby?
16. Did you see any of them before?
17. Some of  these  players resided near our home earlier.
18.  That will cost you more money.
19. I added little honey in milk.
20. We should not spend much amount for this purchase. 
21. You can't complete this task with this little amount at all. 
22. Some changes make a big difference in appearance and confidence.
23. She paid little attention on him thus he lost the match. 

24. The kids have added some water in the cement containers.
25.  We can support you little financially.
26. You better have a few biscuits with milk.
27. More intake of fat containing items is against your health now, avoid it.
28. I have many friends settled abroad.
29. I recently got some antique designs for me.
30. She has much liking for classical dance.

Phrasal Verbs

Though English is a very versatile language yet many a times we fail to express our thoughts with just using verbs. For efficient expressions phrasal verbs help us. A phrasal verb is a verb followed by a preposition or an adverb; the combination creates a
meaning different from the original verb alone.

Here we would see commonly used phrasal verbs with examples.

Abide by Respect or obey
(the law, a decision, a rule)
If you want to stay at this school, you must abide by the rules.

Account for Explain; give a reason I hope you can account for the money you spent!

Ache for Want something or someone very much.
He was so lonely he ached for the sound of a human voice.

Act on Take action as a result of something.
The police acted on the call they received.

Add up Make sense; seem reasonable.
Her story just doesn't add up.

Adhere to Support; follow; act in accordance with.
All contestants must adhere to the rules.

Agree with Have the same opinion as someone else.
I agree with you. I think she deserves the award too.

Aim at Direct towards a target.
The policeman aimed his gun at the hijacker.

Allow for Take into consideration;
Include in a calculation You'd better leave early to allow for heavy traffic.

Answer back Reply rudely.
Don't answer back your mother!
answer for 1) Be responsible for something.
Normally parents have to answer for their children's behavior.

2) Speak on behalf of someone.
I agree, but I can't answer for my associate.

Answer to Be responsible to/be controlled by (someone).
Who do you answer to in your job?

Appeal to 1)Plead or make an earnest request.
The organizers appealed to the crowd to stay calm.

2) Be attractive or interesting.
Camping doesn't appeal to me.

Apply for Make a formal request for something.
(job, permit, loan, etc.) He applied for the job advertised.

Arrive at Reach (an agreement, a decision, a conclusion)
It is hoped that they will arrive at an agreement at the end of the meeting..

Ask after Enquire about someone's well-being.
My mother is always asking after you.

Ask around Mention it to people you see or meet.
I'll ask around and see if anyone has seen your cat.

Ask in Invite someone to come inside.
I couldn't leave her standing outside in the cold so I asked her in.

Avail (oneself) of Take advantage of something
(an opportunity)
When the company is privatized, you should avail yourself of the opportunity and buy some shares.

Some more commonly used Phrasal verbs

Blow up To explode.
The terrorists tried to blow up the railroad station.

Bring up Raise children.
It isn't easy to bring up children nowadays.

Call off Cancel.
They called off this afternoon's meeting.

Fill out Complete a form.
Fill out this application form and mail it in.

Fill up fill to capacity.
She filled up the grocery cart with free food.
Find out discover.
My sister found out that her husband had been planning a surprise party for her.

Give away Give something to someone else for free.
The filling station was giving away free gas.

Give back Return an object.
My brother borrowed my car. I have a feeling he's not about to give it back.

Hand in Submit something (assignment).
The students handed in their papers and left the room.

Hang up Put something on hook or receiver.
She hung up the phone before she hung up her clothes.

Hold up Delay.
I hate to hold up the meeting, but I have to go to the bathroom.

Hold up Rob.
Three masked gunmen held up the Security Bank this afternoon.

Leave out Omit.
You left out the part about the police chase down Asylum Avenue.

Look over examine, check.
The lawyers looked over the papers carefully before questioning the witness. (They looked them over carefully.)

Look up search in a list.
You've misspelled this word again. You'd better look it up.

Make up Invent a story or lie.
She knew she was in trouble, so she made up a story about going to the movies with her friends.

Make out hear, Understand.
He was so far away, we really couldn't make out what he was saying.

Pick out Choose.
There were three men in the line-up. She picked out the guy she thought had stolen her purse.

Pick up Lift something off something else.
The crane picked up the entire house. (Watch them pick it up.)

Point out Call attention to.
As we drove through Paris, Francoise pointed out the major historical sites.

Put away Save or store.
We put away money for our retirement. She put away the cereal boxes.

Put off Postpone.
We asked the boss to put off the meeting until tomorrow. (Please put it off for another day.)

Put on Put clothing on the body.
I put on a sweater and a jacket. (I put them on quickly.)

Put out Extinguish.
The firefighters put out the house fire before it could spread. (They put it out quickly.)

Read over Peruse.
I read over the homework, but couldn't make any sense of it.

Set up To arrange, begin.
My wife set up the living room exactly the way she wanted it. She set it up.

Take down Make a written note.
These are your instructions. Write them down before you forget.

Take off Remove clothing.
It was so hot that I had to take off my shirt.

Talk over Discuss.
We have serious problems here. Let's talk them over like adults.

Throw away Discard.
That's a lot of money! Don't just throw it away.

Try on Put clothing on to see if it fits.
She tried on fifteen dresses before she found one she liked.

Try out Test.
I tried out four cars before I could find one that pleased me.

Turn down Reject.
He applied for a promotion twice this year, but he was turned down both times.

Turn up Raise the volume.
Grandpa couldn't hear, so he turned up his hearing aid.

Turn off Switch off electricity.
We turned off the lights before anyone could see us.

Turn off Repulse.
It was a disgusting movie. It really turned me off.

Turn on Switch on the electricity.
Turn on the CD player so we can dance.

Use up Exhaust, use completely.
The gang members used up all the money and went out to rob some more banks.