The Organic English Blog

When do we use "such"? When do we use "so"? Both of these words are really important for adding emphasis or intensity to what you're saying, but they can be easily confused. Let's figure out how to use them correctly. • Such: First of all, we use "such" with a noun phrase. Here's an example: • "These are such good chocolates." Here, "good" and "chocolates" (good, the adjective; chocolates, the noun) combine to make a noun phrase. Notice we cannot say, "These are so good chocolates" because "so" goes with an adjective or an adverb phrase. Instead, we could say something like: • "These chocolates are so good." Here, "so" is followed by the adjective "good." Here's another example: • "He's so kind." We can't say "He's such kind." We can say, "He's such a kind person." I hope that helps. Thanks for watching. See you

Up in Arms? Learn This Essential Idiom & Boost Your Vocabulary! Ever wondered what it means when someone is "up in arms"? This video dives deep into this common idiom, explaining its meaning and providing practical examples to help you understand and use it like a pro! Improve your English fluency and vocabulary with our fun and engaging lesson. Perfect for language learners of all levels! Watch now and: • Discover the meaning of "up in arms" • Learn how to use it in everyday conversations • Practice pronunciation and intonation • Get tips for expanding your vocabulary Today, we're looking at the idiom "up in arms." I want to help you build your vocabulary, but it's not enough just to listen to me. Here's what I suggest you do: After each example sentence I give, pause the video and repeat it. Mimic me, copy my intonation, my rhythm, how I make the sounds. And then, when you're done with the video, make your own exampl

What does it mean if someone is down-to-earth? The idiom "down-to-earth" describes someone who is practical, realistic, and sensible. Someone who's not arrogant or pretentious, someone who's easy to talk to. Here are a couple of examples to illustrate: • Despite his fame and wealth, the movie star was surprisingly down-to-earth. He was chatting to his fans as if they were old friends. • She's beautiful. She's down-to-earth. She's fun. It's been forever since I've met someone I'm this excited about. • I really like my boss. She's really down-to-earth and always makes time to discuss any issues that we might have. You can also apply "down-to-earth" to things. For example: • I really appreciate my boss's down-to-earth advice. It's always helpful and realistic. So, this means that her advice is practical and sensible and based on real life. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching. See you next time. https://org

Today's phrasal verb is "take back." Phrasal verbs have different meanings in different contexts. In this short video, we are going to look at the top two ways that we use "take back." Number one: "take back" means to return something or somebody to a place or a period of time. Here are a couple of example sentences: After the party, I need to take my friend back to her house. He took the book back to the library because it was overdue. Here, we're talking about returning something or somebody to a place. The smell of freshly baked bread takes me back to my childhood and my grandma's kitchen. Now, here the smell is taking me back to a time period, my childhood. Number two: "take back" also means to regain possession or control over something. For example: The king and his army fought bravely to take back control of the castle. Have you ever said something hurtful to somebody and wished you could take back your words? https://org

Today's idiom is "knock on wood." What does it mean if someone says "knock on wood"? It's a pretty lighthearted, fun expression. We use it after we've said something positive and we want to avoid bad luck. Here are a couple of examples to illustrate: • The weather is supposed to be really good for our picnic this weekend, knock on wood. We generally accompany the expression with a knock on the head or on a wooden surface. • One of the things I hate about my success, and I'm knocking on wood because I don't want to jinx my successes… Another example: • The deal will be agreed on Wednesday, knock on wood. And you might have heard the expression "touch wood." This is a variation on the same theme, and you can use them interchangeably. • The deal will be agreed on Wednesday, touch wood. • My old car is running perfectly. Knock on wood. So there you go. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching. See you next time. https://organ

Let's cut to the chase. What does it mean to 'cut to the chase'? Today's idiom is 'cut to the chase.' So, let's get straight to it: if you cut to the chase, it means you skip straight to the main point, cutting out all the unnecessary details. Let's look at a couple of example sentences: Say you're in a meeting that's just going on and on. Somebody might say: "We've spent a lot of time discussing different options, but let's cut to the chase. What's the final decision?" Someone's telling you a long story about their vacation. You might say: "I know you're excited to tell me all about your trip, but cut to the chase, did you have fun?" or, "Maybe I could cut to the chase and ask you about a broader question." You could use the phrase in an email. For example, you could write: "To cut to the chase, I need your approval on the budget by tomorrow." I hope that helps. Thanks for wat