EnglishMasterclass

To take someone under your wing is a fun business English idiom that I think you will enjoy learning.

If you take someone under your wing, it means to help, teach, or take care of someone who is younger or has less experience. Look at the following examples.

When I started working at the company, I was lucky that Mr. Jones took me under his wing.

They brought in a veteran pitcher to take some of the young pitchers under his wing.

I feel so fortunate that an experienced author took me under her wing and taught me how to be successful as a fiction writer.

Here is an introduction from one of our talented, professional teachers. You can contact Clare or any of our other teachers from this link. https://www.english-masterclass.co.uk/academy

My students often make mistakes with the use of “really” and “very” in my conversation classes. Look at the following sentences. Which of these sentences are incorrect?

I very like action movies.
She really enjoys math class.
They really want to eat a snack after school.
Fred very doesn’t want to go to the dentist.

Can you identify which sentences are correct and which ones are wrong?

The sentences with “very” are incorrect. Here’s the rule. We use “very” to describe adjectives and adverbs but NOT verbs. We can use “really” to describe verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Look at the following example sentences. All of these are correct.

Tiger really enjoys playing golf.
I am very hungry.
James is very excited about his new job.
Mary really wants to go to the beach this summer.

One of the fun things about learning English is learning the many different ways we can express similar ideas. There are many synonyms for most common words, but you will find that there are often slight differences between them. Today I want to look at words with a similar meaning to “smart.”
You probably understand this word and you know that a “smart” person did well at school, can think through complex math problems, and can read and write well. Here is a list of many words similar to the word “smart.”

book smart – someone who does well in school but might be gullible (easily tricked or fooled)

example: She is book smart, but she got scammed out of a lot of money.

street smart – You are street smart if you have common sense and are difficult to trick or fool.

example: He didn’t do well in school, but he is very street smart, and he was able to open a business shortly after high school.

clever – someone who is smart and can learn things quickly

example: She’s very clever. She taught herself how to play the guitar.

intelligent – often used in more academic situations

example: I always enjoy Professor Smith’s lectures. She is so intelligent.

bright – usually used to describe young people

example: She’s a bright young girl. She’s at the top of her class in school.

brilliant – exceptionally clever – Just like “huge” is bigger than “large”, someone who is brilliant is smarter than someone who is just clever.

example: Elon Musk is brilliant. He has so many big ideas.

wise – This is usually used to refer to older people who have knowledge, experience, and good judgment.

example: My father can’t use a smartphone, but he is very wise.

shrewd – Someone who is shrewd has sharp powers of judgment. This is often used to talk about businesspeople.

example: He is a shrewd businessman. He recognized the power of the internet and he was an early investor in Google.

astute – This word is used to talk about the ability to accurately judge people and situations. This is also often used to talk about business sense.

example: He made an astute decision when he changed his marketing strategy from print ads to online ads.

You probably know that we use the simple past tense to talk about an action that started and finished at a specific time in the past.

Another common use of the simple past is to describe a habit that stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, and when I was younger.

Look at the following examples to see how this works.

I "took" piano lessons when I was a child.
We always "went" skiing in the wintertime.
He never "cleaned" his room.
"Did" you play basketball when you "were" a kid?

Many students make mistakes with the use of "good" and "well". The rule is that "good" is an adjective and "well" is an adverb. Look at the following examples.

She swims well.
She is a good swimmer.

He speaks English very well.
He is good at speaking English.

However, when using a linking verb (i.e. to be, to become, to seem) or a verb that has to do with the five senses (sight, touch, hearing, smell, taste), use good (the adjective) instead of well. Notice how this works in the example sentences.

The idea seemed good at first.
I'm feeling good today.
The flowers smell good.
The house looks good after we painted it.
He has become good at English after taking online lessons.

Lastly, notice that we can also use well after linking verbs relating to health.

I'm not feeling well.
My grandmother was in the hospital, but she is doing well now.

Here is a great idiom that came up in one of my classes today. The idiom is "to be in hot water". If you are in hot water, you are in trouble. Look at the following examples to see how this works.

A: Can you play golf with us this weekend?
B: No, I'm in hot water because I forgot my wife's birthday.

Bill's in hot water at work because he was late for the weekly meeting.

You're going to be in hot water when Dad finds out you failed the math test!

Do you know the difference between "protect" and "prevent?" I've heard a few mistakes with these words in recent classes. We use the verb "to protect" to keep something good safe or in good condition. But, we use "to prevent" when we want to keep something bad from happening. Here are some examples:

I always lock the doors of my house to protect my family.
I always lock the doors of my house to prevent intruders from coming in.

It is important to protect yourself from illness by washing your hands.
It is important to prevent illness by washing your hands.

You should protect your money by putting it in the bank.
You should prevent possible theft of your money by putting it in the bank.

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you," is a fun idiom that I'd like to share with you today. It means that you shouldn't criticize or hurt people you depend on or who have helped you. Here are some examples:

A: I think I'm going to tell the boss my negative thoughts about his leadership style.
B: Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

A: I know they are my biggest customer, but I don't like how they talk to me. I deserve some respect!
B: Be careful, don't bite the hand that feeds you.

A: I know Mom and Dad are letting me stay here rent-free, but they keep meddling in my personal business.
B: Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

Here is an old-fashioned proverb that people still use today. The funny thing is that in everyday conversations, you will often hear people say, "When opportunity knocks," and then they skip the second part of the proverb. The idea is that everyone knows the second part, so you don't need to complete the entire saying. Look at the following examples to see how this works.

A: They offered me the job. Do you think I should take it?
B: When opportunity knocks...

A: Do you think I should take the plunge and open my own business?
B: When opportunity knocks...

A: Did Rachel decide to invest in Bitcoin?
B: When opportunity knocks...