Grammar Tips and Notes in English
Table of Contents
Idioms
| Time to hit the road | Time to depart |
| Around the clock | At all times |
| A devil of a time | A difficult or frustrating time |
| For the time being | At the present moment; for now |
| Bad time | An inconvenient moment or an unfortunate experience |
| Kill time | To do something while waiting |
| As time goes by | As time passes or moves |
| Lose track of time | To be unaware of what time it is |
| Caught in a time wrap | Unchanged in an antiquated or obsolete way |
| As red as a cherry | Very red |
| To go bananas | To go crazy |
| The apple of someone’s eye | At the present moment; for now |
| Second banana | A person in a subservient position |
| The cherry on the cake | The final thing that makes something perfect |
| A bite at the cherry | An opportunity to achieve something |
| A plum job | An easy, pleasant job that also pays well |
| Go pear-shaped | To fail; to go wrong |
| Cool as a cucumber | Calm even in difficult or frustrating situations |
| Cat nap | A short sleep |
| Flew the coop | Escape, left |
| Get someone’s goat | To irritate someone deeply |
| Fat cat | A highly placed, well-paid executive |
| Like a fish out ot water | To be uncomfortable in a particular situation |
| Hold your horses | Wait and be patient |
| Cash cow | A good way to make money |
| Get the lion’s share | Get the greatest percentage |
| Loaded for bear | Prepared for problems, well prepared for a challenge |
Daredevil: someone who takes unnecessary risks
Cheapskate: someone who hates to spend money
Joined at the hip: to be exceptionally close to someone
Elbow grease: hard physical effort
Oddball: a weirdo or a strange person
Down-To-Earth: sensible and realistic
Go-Getter: a person who is active, energetic, and has the initiative to pursue the things they want.
Break a leg: good luck
Cutting corners: Doing something poorly in order to save time or money
Hang in there: Don’t give up
Pull yourself together: Calm down
Red tape; Official or bureaucratic tasks
To be yellow; To be cowardly
To see red; To be very angry
Black out; Faint
Black and blue; Describe something that is badly bruised
Golden opportunity; The perfect chance
Have the blues; Be sad or depressed
Black sheep; A person who is a disgrace to a family or group
Forty winks: a short nap
Barrel of laugh: someone who is very funny
Old as the hills: some who is very old
Conjunctions
| Hardly … when | I had hardly closed my eyes when she came. |
| Such … that | He is such a smart boy that he passes his math exams successfully. |
| Neither … nor | Neither George nor his brother is very tall. |
| Whether … or | He must do it, whether he likes it or not. |
| As … as | He’s not singing as loudly as he can. |
| Rather … than | I would rather go out than stay at home today. |
| Scarcely … when | Scarcely had I gone to bed when the doorbell rang. |
| Both … and | Michael can both read and write. |
| Not only … but also | Not only Mary but also Gabriel is from Italy. |
| Either … or | I can have either cola or tea. |
| So … as | Her story isn’t so boring as theirs. |
| No sooner … than |
We had no sooner gone to bed than the phone rang. |
| The more … the more | The more you can dream, the more you can do. |
| So … that | My mother speaks so quickly that nobody understands what she says. |
Adjectives
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
| angry | angrier | angriest |
| bad | worse | worst |
| big | bigger | biggest |
| bitter | bitterer | bitterest |
| black | blacker | blackest |
| bland | blander | blandest |
| bloody | bloodier | bloodiest |
| blue | bluer | bluest |
| bold | bolder | boldest |
| bossy | bossier | bossiest |
| brave | braver | bravest |
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
| busy | busier | busiest |
| calm | calmer | calmest |
| cheap | cheaper | cheapest |
| chewy | chewier | chewiest |
| chubby | chubbier | chubbiest |
| classy | classier | classiest |
| clean | cleaner | cleanest |
| clear | clear | clearest |
| clever | cleverer | cleverest |
| close | closer | closest |
| cloudy | cloudier | cloudiest |
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
| coarse | coarser | coarsest |
| cold | colder | coldest |
| cool | cooler | coolest |
| crazy | crazier | craziest |
| creamy | creamier | creamiest |
| creepy | creepier | creepiest |
| crispy | crispier | crispiest |
| cruel | crueller | cruellest |
| crunchy | crunchier | crunchiest |
| curly | curly | curliest |
| curvy | curvier | curviest |
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
| dark | darker | darkest |
| deadly | deadlier | deadliest |
| deep | deeper | deepest |
| dense | denser | densest |
| dirty | dirtier | dirtiest |
| dry | drier | driest |
| dull | duller | dullest |
| dumb | dumber | dumbest |
| dusty | dustier | dustiest |
| early | earlier | earliest |
| easy | easier | easiest |
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
| fat | fatter | fattest |
| few | fewer | fewest |
| fierce | fiercer | fiercest |
| filthy | filthier | filthiest |
| fine | finer | finest |
| firm | firmer | firmest |
| fit | fitter | fittest |
| flaky | flakier | flakiest |
| flat | flatter | flattest |
| fresh | fresher | freshest |
| friendly | friendlier | friendliest |
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
| good | better | best |
| grand | grander | grandest |
| grave | graver | gravest |
| greasy | greasier | greasiest |
| great | greater | greatest |
| greedy | greedier | greediest |
| gross | grosser | grossest |
| guilty | guilter | guiltiest |
| hairy | hairier | hairiest |
| handy | handier | handiest |
| happy | happier | happiest |
