ANIMAL IDIOMS

Animals feature strongly in idioms. This is logical if we consider the various habits and characteristics of animals that we have lived side-by-side with for centuries.

a sly fox / to be as sly as a fox

Someone who is very experienced and has acquired a lot of guile.
You can’t trust him; he’s as sly as a fox.

to let sleeping dogs lie

To leave well alone and refrain from starting trouble.
You must have known that mentioning his ex-wife would upset him. You should have let sleeping dogs lie.

as stubborn as a mule

Someone who is unwilling to listen to reason or change his mind.
It’s a waste of time trying to get him to change his mind; he’s as stubborn as a mule.

a dark horse

A person of unknown abilities or a person who has kept his abilities to himself and may surprise everybody. This is a racing metaphor which says that an unknown horse which could win the race unexpectedly.
Who would have thought George would win the competition? He’s a real dark horse.

no room to swing a cat

A very small, cramped place. The original phrase was probably ‘not room to swing a cat-o’nine-tails’, and dates from the time when sailors were flogged (whipped) on ships. The floggings took place on the deck because the cabins were too small.
This room’s not big enough to swing a cat in.

to put/set the cat among the pigeons

To provoke a quarrel.
You shouldn’t have criticised the boss in your speech; now you’ve really put the cat among the pigeons.

a dog’s-body

One who does the routine or mechanical work, especially that which no one else wants to do.
When I worked in the factory I was the dog’s-body; I was given all the worst jobs.

as weak as a kitten

Feeble, very weak, having no strength.
After her operation she felt as weak as a kitten.

FOOD IDIOMS

 Idioms are very important to sound natural in English, here are some food idioms, together with definitions and examples:

Las expresiones idiomáticas o "Frases Hechas" son muy importantes en Inglés, así sonaremos más natural al hablar. Estos son algunos divertidos "dichos" relacionados con la comida.

as cool as a cucumber

To be very relaxed and calm in a particular situation
The Swedish tennis player Bjorn Borg was known for always being as cool as a cucumber on court. He never looked nervous or stressed.

not my cup of tea

Something is not to your taste.
Beach holidays are not my cup of tea: I much prefer going sightseeing in cities.

don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Spread your risks; don’t depend on one thing
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket by investing all your money in one company. Invest smaller amounts in several companies.

take something with a pinch of salt

Don’t automatically believe something / Don’t immediately assume that someone is telling the truth.
You should take what she says with a pinch of salt – she’s always exaggerating.

a bad egg

Someone who is often in trouble and is not to be trusted
My mum says that John Smith is a bad egg and she doesn’t want me to be his friend. She says he’ll get me in trouble.

have your cake and eat it

You can’t always have everything / you can’t have two opposing things or situations.
Mike loves his easy part-time job and all the free time he has, but he says he wants to be rich and successful. He can’t have his cake and eat it – if he wants more money he’ll have to get a full-time job.

the apple of my eye

To love and adore someone.
My daughter is the apple of my eye.

cheesy

To be kitsch and / or without style
That film was so predictable and unoriginal – it was just a cheesy love story.

to butter someone up

To be especially nice to someone or give someone something in order to get what you want.
She doesn’t usually speak to me but yesterday she was buttering me up after she heard I had been promoted to a higher position at the company.

in a nutshell

Basically / to summarise.
He’s selfish, greedy and impolite. In a nutshell, he’s horrible.

WEATHER IDIOMS

Idioms can be confusing for non-native speakers. Someone might have said to you that you look a bit under the weather. Or perhaps you heard someone say they were snowed under. What did they mean
Well, they definitely weren’t speaking about the weather. They were using an idiom, i.e. a phrase whose collective meaning is different to the meaning of its individual words.
Here are six common weather idioms to impress your friends with.

 

Frases idiomáticas sobre el Tiempo meteorológico.

raining cats and dogs

This is used to describe very heavy rain.
It’s terrible weather outside; it’s raining cats and dogs.

to weather the storm

To get through a difficult time and survive.
The government is in a crisis but they look like they will weather the storm.

to be snowed under

To have too much work or things to do.
Oh, no! Not another new project. I’m already snowed under. I don’t have time to do any more.

every cloud has a silver lining

You can always find something positive in a bad situation.
Don’t worry about losing your job, it might be the best thing that’s happened to you. Remember, every cloud has a silver lining!

stormy waters

To be in trouble. To be going through a period of problems.
The government is in stormy waters over its new transportation policy.
I’m in stormy waters with my girlfriend; I didn’t get home till 2 o’clock this morning.

to be a bit under the weather

To feel ill, sick; not feeling completely well.
I’m taking the day off work today – I’m feeling a bit under the weather.
You look a bit under the weather, John. Aren’t you feeling well?

BRITISH VS AMERICAN ENGLISH LESSER-KNOWN WORDS

  On the whole, British and American speakers of English have very few problems understanding one another. Over the last half a century or so television and film have done much to familiarise Americans with British English (BrE) and Britons with American English (AmE).
There are actually thousands of vocabulary differences between British and American English. While many of these words can be instantly understood by speakers from the other country, other words might easily baffle someone who hasn’t spent a long period of time in both countries.
First let’s look at some of the well-known vocabulary differences between Britain and the United States. Native speakers from either country should know all of these:

10 well-known vocabulary differences

petrol (BrE), gas (AmE)
pavement (BrE), sidewalk (AmE)
lift (BrE), elevator (AmE)
boot (BrE), trunk (AmE)
lorry (BrE), truck (AmE)
sweets (BrE), candy (AmE)
car park (BrE), parking lot (AmE)
motorway (BrE), highway (AmE)
biscuit (BrE), cookie (AmE)
rubbish (BrE), garbage (AmE)
OK, they were the easy ones. Now try 10 more difficult ones, some of which may be completely unknown or are liable to cause some confusion between an American and British speaker.

10 lesser-known vocabulary differences

How many do you know? (The correct answers are at the bottom of the page.)

1. _______ (BrE) / barf (AmE)
2. pedestrain crossing (BrE) / _______ (AmE)
3. _______ (BrE) / downspout (AmE)
4. drawing pin (BrE) / _______ (AmE)
5. flyover (BrE) / _______(AmE)
6. _______ (BrE) / teeter-totter (AmE)
7. _______ (BrE) / rutabaga (AmE)
8. _______ (BrE) / eggplant (AmE)
9. _______ (BrE) / antsy (AmE)
10. braces (BrE) / _______ (AmE)

(Scroll down to see the answers.)




Here are the answers:

1. vomit (BrE) / barf (AmE)
2. pedestrain crossing (BrE) / crosswalk (AmE)
3. drainpipe (BrE) / downspout (AmE)
4. drawing pin (BrE) / thumbtack (AmE)
5. flyover (BrE) / overpass (AmE)
6. see-saw (BrE) / teeter-totter (AmE)
7. swede (BrE) / rutabaga (AmE)
8. aubergine (BrE) / eggplant (AmE)
9. fidgety (BrE) / antsy (AmE)
10. braces (BrE) / suspenders (AmE)

BODY VOCABULARY

COLOUR IDIOMS

Colour idioms are very common in English. We’ve chosen ten common ones for this list.
At the bottom of the page there is a little quiz to see how many you can remember.



black and white

Thinking of everything or judging everything in a simple way and seeing it as either good or bad.
The situation isn’t as black and white as it seems; it’s much more complicated.

to black out

To darken by putting out the electric lights or covering over the windows.
Londoners had to black out their windows during the German bombing raids at the beginning of the war.

to black out

To lose consciousness.
He blacked out after standing up for three hours in the parade. A doctor had to attend to him.

to be blue in the face

To be very angry or upset; to be excited and very emotional.
She argued with her husband until she was blue in the face but he wouldn’t see her point of view.

to be green

To be inexperienced and/or immature.
He’s a bit green – he still believes that someone is going to come and help him out of his situation. He doesn’t realise he has to do it himself.

the grass is always greener (on the other side)

When a place that is far away or different seems better than the place where we are now.
He must be crazy to leave the company; he’s got a great job and a great salary. He really should stay where he is but he can’t see it – the grass is always greener on the other side.

to be green with envy

To be very jealous and full of envy.
I was green with envy when I heard that she was going on holiday to Spain for a week while I had to stay and work.

to be in the red

To have debts.
The company has been in the red for two years now. We now owe over $500,000 to our suppliers and the bank.

red tape

Excessive bureaucracy.
Many businesses complain about the amount of red tape that they have to deal with in Russia.

to come out of the blue

When something happens without a warning and by surprise.
His decision to leave the company came completely out of the blue. No one expected it at all.

TEN BASIC PHRASAL VERBS FOR BEGINNERS IN ENGLISH

Here are 10 important phrasal verbs for elementary learners of English.
If you're learning English and you're in the beginner level you must learn this basic Phrasal verbs.

wake up

To stop sleeping. I wake up at 6 o’clock every morning.
[irregular verb] The verb wake is irregular: wake, woke, woken.
I woke up at 7 o’clock yesterday morning.

get up

To get out of bed. I always wake up at 6.30 and then I get up at 6.40.
[irregular verb] The verb get is irregular: get, got, got.
Yesterday I got up late.

speak up

To speak more loudly. Speak up, please! I can’t hear you.
[irregular verb] The verb speak is irregular: speak, spoke, spoken.

hurry up

To go more quickly. We are late. Hurry up!
You’re so slow. Please hurry up!

give up

To stop a habit. I want to give up smoking. It’s unhealthy and expensive.
[irregular verb] The verb give is irregular: give, gave, given.
I gave up smoking last year. I feel much healthier now.

wash up

To wash the plates, cups and cutlery. My wife cooked the dinner and afterwards I washed up.

slow down

To go more slowly. Don’t drive so quickly – slow down!
You’re speaking too quickly. Please slow down!

break down

When a car or machine stops working. Old cars often break down.
[irregular verb] The verb break is irregular:break, broke, broken.
My car broke down yesterday and I was late for work.

look out

To be careful, to pay attention. Look out! The floor is wet.

grow up

When a child is bigger and becomes an adult. My daughter is growing up fast.
[irregular verb] The verb grow is irregular: grow, grew, grown.
He grew up in London but now he lives in Paris.

via speakspeak.com

USEFUL VOCABULARY FOR COMPOSITIONS (1)

We are going to show a very useful list with the most important terms for your compositions in English!
Letter A

a corto plazo <> as soon as possible
a corto plazo <> in the short term
a decir verdad <> actually

a decir verdad <> as a matter of fact

a decir verdad <> in fact

a decir verdad <> to tell the truth

a deshora <> at an unusual time

a diario <> day in day out

a diario <> everyday

a estas alturas <> as late as this

a estas alturas <> at this point

a este respecto <> for that matter
a este respecto <> with regard to this matter

a fin de cuentas <> after all

a fin de cuentas <> all things considered

a fin de cuentas <> finally

a fin de cuentas <> in short

a fin de cuentas <> taking everything into account

a grandes rasgos <> briefly

a grandes rasgos <> in a few words

a grandes rasgos <> in a general way
a juzgar por las apariencias <> judging by appearances

a juzgar por las apariencias <> on the face of it

a la distancia <> in the distance

a la intemperie <> in the open air

a la intemperie <> out of doors

a la larga <> eventually

a la larga <> in the end

a la mayor brevedad posible <> as soon as possible

a la sazón <> at the time

a la ventura <> at random

a la ventura <> with no fixed plan

a la vez <> at the same time

a la vez <> together

a la vista de las dificultades <> in the light of the difficulties

a la vuelta de 6 años <> at the end of 6 years

a lo más <> at most

a lo más <> at the most

a lo mejor <> maybe

a lo mejor <> perhaps

a lo que parece <> apparently

a lo que parece <> to all appearances

a lo sumo <> at most

a los ojos de muchos <> in the judgement of many

a manera de ejemplo <> as an example

a manera de ejemplo <> as an illustration

a mi costa <> at my expense

a mi juicio <> in my opinion

a mi parecer <> in my view

a mi parecer <> to my way of thinking

a modo de ejemplo <> by way of example

a nivel popular (comunitario o local) <> at the grassroots

a ojo de buen cubero <> at a rough estimate
a pesar de <> despite

a pesar de <> in spite of

a pesar de todo <> in spite of everything

a pesar mío <> against my will

a pie juntillas <> firmly (believe)

a posta <> intentionally

a posta <> on purpose

a primera vista <> at first blush

a primera vista <> at first sight

a propósito <> by the way

a simple vista <> at a glance

a simple vista <> at first

a su debido tiempo <> in due time

a su tiempo <> at the right time

a su tiempo <> in due time

a tal efecto <> for the purpose
a tiempo <> on time

a toda costa <> at all costs

a todas luces <> obviously
a través <> through

a última hora <> at the eleventh hour

a última hora <> at the last minute

a veces <> at times

a veces <> sometimes

actualmente <> currently

además <> in addition

además <> moreover
ahora bien <> however

ahora bien <> nevertheless

al aire libre <> outdoors

al azar <> at random

al contrario <> on the contrary

al correr de los años <> as the years go by

al correr de los años <> as the years roll by

al efecto <> for that purpose

al fin <> at last

al fin <> eventually

al fin <> finally
al final <> after all

al final <> in conclusion
al pie de la letra <> exactly according to instructions

al pie de la letra <> literally

al pie de la letra <> to the letter

al pie de la letra <> word for word

al principio <> at the beginning

al principio <> at the outset

al principio <> at the start

al principio <> in the beginning

al pronto <> at first
al revés <> backwards

al revés <> in the opposite way

al revés <> in the reverse order

al revés <> inside out

al revés <> upside down

ambos (ninguno) <> both (neither)

ante <> before

ante mí <> in my presence

ante todo <> above all

ante todo <> first of all

antiguamente <> formerly

aparentemente <> apparently

aparte <> besides

aparte de esto <> apart from this

apresuradamente <> hastily

así <> as

así <> thus

así (que) <> so

así como <> as well as

así parece <> so it seems

aún <> still

aun a pesar de <> even though

aún así <> even so

aún así <> for all that

aunque <> although

aunque <> even though

aunque <> though

aunque no lo parezca <> incredible as it may seem

aunque parece extraño <> curiously enough

aunque sea cierto <> although this may be true

SAY AND WRITE NUMBERS IN ENGLISH

Numbers in english are a bit confusing , these are some tips not to get lost! / Los números en inglés son un poco confusos y podemos perdernos, aquí tenéis alguna información útil.

Fractions and decimals


We say simple fractions like this:

1/8 = one eighth

5/7 = five sevenths

2/5 = two fifths

3/4 hour = three quarters of an hour


More complex fractions are usually expressed by using the word over.

218/576 = two hundred and eighteen over five hundred and seventy six

We say and write decimals like this:

0.278 = nought point two seven eight (US zero point two seven eight)

(NOT nought point two hundred and seventy eight)


Nought, zero, nil etc


The figure 0 is usually called nought in British English, and zero in American English. When we say numbers one figure at a time, 0 is often called oh.

My phone number is nine three two five oh six (= 932506)

In measurements of temperature , 0 is called zero in both British and American English.

Zero scores in team games are called nil. In tennis and similar games, the word love is used for zero.


And the score is: Brazil three, Italy nil.

Forty-love: Nadal to serve

Telephone numbers


Each figure is said separately. There is usually a pause after groups of three or four figures. If the same figure comes twice, British people usually say double.


657 4481 – six five seven, double four eight one (British)

- six five seven, four four eight one (US)

Roman numbers

The names of kings and queens are still written in Roman numbers.

It was built in the time of Louis XIV.

Queen Elizabeth II

Henry V

Cardinal and ordinal number

The numbers one, two, three, four etc., are called cardinal numbers

whereas the numbers first, second, third, fourth etc., are called ordinal numbers.

Ordinal numbers are used before nouns. After a noun, we use cardinal numbers.


the fourth chapter – chapter four

the third act – Act Three

Words that are easily confused

Doubt and suspect


To doubt is to think that something is unlikely.

I doubt if he will come.

I doubt whether you can finish the work in time.

To suspect is to believe that somebody is guilty or something is true.

How could they suspect him of murder?

I suspect that my servant has stolen my watch.

Drown and sink

Drown means ‘die by immersion in water’. In British English, both active and passive forms of drown can be used to talk about accidental drowning.

He drowned while swimming across the river. OR He was drowned while swimming across the river.

In American English, only active forms are used to talk about accidental drowning.

To sink is to go beneath the surface of water.

The explosion sank the ship. (NOT The explosion drowned the ship.)

Facility and felicity

Facility means something with a particular function.

A wide range of facilities is available at the sports center.

Felicity means intense happiness.

Only the virtuous can experience true felicity.

Hard and hardly

Hard means difficult.

You have given me a very hard problem to solve.

Hardly means scarcely

She had hardly arrived when she was put to work.

Prescribe and proscribe

To prescribe is to recommend remedy

Doctors should be wary of prescribing antibiotics for minor infections.

To proscribe is to ban something.

POPULAR ACRONYMS in ENGLISH

This list is an extension of another post about Acronyms we've puplished some time ago. they are useful in every day English.
Have a look!
(Esta lista de abreviaturas del Inglés es muy útil en clase y fuera en la calle, ya que son muy utilizadas por los anglófonos)

HOW MEMORIZE ENGLISH VOCABULARY

MEMORIZE ENGLISH VOCABULARY, A NIGHTMARE?

The best way to memorize words, according to scientific studies, is to write in English and Spanish several times, saying them while writing. However, there are people who can not tolerate, this automatic process. We recommend you put aside your anger and try to do what is proven to work. If you insist on doing otherwise is your choice, just make sure you are memorizing the word.

Become robots! this way isn't funny but it's fast!

Cómo memorizar vocabulario en inglés:

La mejor manera de memorizar palabras, según estudios científicos, es escribirla en inglés y en español varias veces, diciéndolas mientras las escribes. Sin embargo, hay gente que no tolera bien este proceso automático. Te recomendamos que pongas a un lado tu disgusto y que intentes hacer lo que está demostrado que funciona. Si insistes en hacerlo de otra manera es tu elección, sólo asegúrate de que estás memorizando la palabra.
Learning like a robot isn't fun... but it's fast!

Así que, escribe cada palabra con su traducción cinco veces. Sin embargo, después de cinco palabras (cada una copiada cinco veces), tómate un respiro y comprueba tu progreso mediante un test rápido de las palabras. (Si escribes las veinte palabras totales, copiadas cinco veces una después de la otra, será demasiada información para ser asimilada y acabarás con dolor de cabeza y sin progreso alguno).

Y no hagas columnas (los adolescentes siempre intentan hacerlo así). En otras palabras, no escribas la palabra inglesa cinco veces seguidas en una columna, una debajo de la otra, y después su traducción al español. Escribe la palabra inglesa y su traducción en la misma línea una vez y luego repite esto cinco veces.

Cuando haya terminado, trate de repetir la palabra en  Inglés y su significado en su lengua varias veces  en voz alta. Aunque al principio te sentirás ridículo, esta es la mejor actividad para mejorar tu confianza en la lengua extranjera.

So, write each word five times its translation. However, after five words (each copied five times), take a break and check your progress at a rapid test of words. (If you write twenty words total, copied five times one after the other, it will be too much information to be assimilated and end up with a headache and no progress).

And do not make columns (teens always try to do so). In other words, do not write the word five times in a column, one above the other, and then translated into Spanish. Write the word and its translation into the same line once and then repeated this five times.

When you finish, try to repeat the english word and its meaning in your language several times ( it's OK) aloud. Although at first you'll feel ridiculous, This is the best activity to improve your confidence in the foreign language.

VOCABULARY: THE OFFICE /vocabulario: LA OFICINA

It is quite common in NY or London to go clubbing after work and have a beer or two or three... It is also very important the "office party" at Christmas, especially due to the new relationships that appear after that.// En New york o London es muy común dejar el trabajo y ir directamente a un bar con sus compañeros de trabajo (workmates) y tomar un par de cervezas. O diez. Esta costumbre es menos importante en el mundo latino. Mas importante en España, por ejemplo, es almorzar con tus colegas. También, una fiesta que es muy importante en Inglaterra es ‘the office partty’ de navidad. Y existe una tradición muy larga de tener aventuras románticas en ella. También, hay una tradición de tener sexo en el almacén (stationary cupboard).


This video shows the importance  of Office relationships  in the English Speaking countries.//El contenido de este vídeo nos dice mucho sobre la cultura de las oficinas en Reino Unido y los Estados Unidos.


 
 This is a relevant  list of Vocabulary related to The OFFICE / una lista de vocabulario relacionado con el trabajo y la oficina en inglés.

Marketing department............ Departamento de marketing
Office ..................Oficina
Work ....................Trabajo
Canteen Vending.......... cantina
My boss .....................Mi jefe
Head of human resources .....................Jefe de recursos humanos
Security....................... Seguridad
Recruited....................... Reclutado
Secretary ........................Secretaria
Filing cabinet ......................Archivador
Meeting room ...................Sala de reuniones
Maternity leave .....................Baja de maternidad
Sick leave................................ Baja
Stationary cupboard ........................Almacén, armario
Lunch break............................. Hora de comer
Made redundant ..........................Despedir (por reducción de plantilla)
Sacked/ fired .................................Despedido
Labor relations,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Relaciones laborales

Now, a game. Try to guess the name of all the elements in an office, you have 30 seconds. Trata de averiguar el nombre de todos los objetos que aparecen en esta oficina, sólo tienes 30 segundos.

THE HISTORY OF THE F*CK WORD

YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE! This post deals with a curious part of language : 4 letters words and Swear. If you feel disappointed about this, leave a comment in the comments section of this post. If you like it, we'd be really pleased with positive comments about it as well. Thank You!.

This contribution  was sent by Tony Shin.

SEMANTIC FIELD LOOK / campo semántico de verbos relacionados con mirar.

Semantic Field Look

Economy and Politics Vocabulary ! wide your knowledge about English.

This is a list of essential and basic vocabulary about Economy and Politics. It is really useful when dealing in English with these abstract topics .

( Esta lista es muy útil para los alumnos de Bachillerato y para preparar los textos y redacciones de Selectividad relacionados con economía y política; constituyendo la base para empezar a comprender y producir textos relacionados con esta temática.)

Economy and Politics Vocabulary

SPORTS, VOCABULARY LIST for elementary level (1-2 ESO)

We're dealing with Sports this week , Here you are a useful list of different kind of sports , the word between brackets is just an adaptation for the English pronunciation, that's it, it is pronouced in English as you read it in Spanish.

( Esta lista de palabras relacionadas con el deporte sirve para aumentar nuestro vocabulario en clase relacionado con una de vuestras mayores aficiones. Las palabras entre paréntesis, es la pronunciación inglesa, como sonaría al leerla como si fuese Español. )

aerobics (aeróbiks) - ejercicios aeróbicos



archery (árcheri) - arquería


athletics (azlétiks) - atletismo


badminton (bádminton) - bádminton

baseball (béisbol) - béisbol

basketball (básketbol) - básquet


bicycling (báisikling) - ciclismo


billiards (bíliards) - billar


bowling (bóuling) - bolos


boxing (bóksing) - boxeo


canoeing (kanúing) - canotaje


car racing (car réising) - automovilismo


diving (dáiving) - buceo


fencing (fénsing) - esgrima


fishing (físhing) - pesca


football (fútbol) - fútbol americano

golf (gólf) - golf


gymnastics (dchimnástiks) - gimnasia


hang gliding (háng gláiding) - aladeltismo


hockey (hóki) - hockey


horse racing (hors réising) - carrera de caballos


horse riding (hors ráiding) - equitación


hunting (hánting) - caza


ice hockey (áis jóki) - hockey sobre hielo

ice skating (áis skéiting) - patinaje sobre hielo


jogging (dchóguing) - footing


karate (karáti) - karate


martial arts (márshal árts) - artes marciales


motorboat racing (mótorbout réising) - carrera de lanchas


mountaineering (maunteníiring) - montañismo


parachuting (parachúting) - paracaidismo


ping-pong (píngpong) - tenis de mesa

polo (póulou) - polo


pool (pool) - pool, billar americano


rowing (róuing) - remo


sailing (séiling) - navegación a vela


skating (skéiting) - patinaje


skiing (skíig) - esquí


skydiving (skáidáiving) - paracaidismo acrobático


soccer (sóker) - fútbol

surfing (sérfing) - surf


swimming (suíming) - natación


target shooting (tárguet shúuting) - tiro al blanco


tennis (ténis) - tenis


volleyball (vólibol) - vóleibol


water skiing (uóter skíing) - esquí acuático


weight lifting (uéit lífting) - pesas


windsurfing (uínd-sérfing) - windsurf

wrestling (réstling) - lucha libre

Computers and Internet vocabulary

This useful list will enrich your vocabulary with many terms related to computers and the internet. You can download it, and use it in class or study at home. / Esta útil lista de vocabulario de internet y términos relacionados con los ordenadores es muy útil par todos los estudiantes de habla inglesa, puedes descargarla e imprimirla en casa.

Internet Vocabulary

Get Married/ Be married / Marry

A lot of people get confused about how to use these words. Maybe this will help.


to marry (someone)- this is the general verb. It is the time when people come together as husband and wife. Do not say I married with someone. It is not correct. And do not say I married to someone. It is also incorrect.
Correct example: I married Sam 3 years ago.

to get married- this talks about the time two people got married. It makes us think of the wedding.

Correct example: I got married.

to get married to (someone)- We think of who was married in the wedding. Do not say I got married with someone. It is incorrect.

Correct example: I got married to Sam.

to get married in (someplace)- We think of where the wedding took place.

Correct Example: I got married in Hawaii.

to be married- This means a state of being. Are you married or are you single?

Correct Example: I am married.

to be married (to someone)- Also state of being. But who is married to you?

Correct Example: I am married to Sam.

Conclusion- When you use to marry or to get married, think about the wedding. When you use to be married, think about the person's life now.

Note:When I see "marry with" I automatically assume that person is a non-native speaker of English, because no one else ever uses that phrasing in the sense of being married to someone.
I have seen it where the 'with' is introducing a prepositional phrase (We will marry with parental consent) but NEVER followed by the person (I am married with Tom). That is considered an incorrect usage (regardless of whether or not it is actually grammatically correct).


Check Your Understanding

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of marry. Check your answers in the comments of the post.

1. Is Jim single or married? He___________ .

2. Who did he marry? He____________ Susan.


3. Where did he get married? He_________________ London.


4. Is Anna single? No, she____________ .


5. Who is Anna married to? She_______________ Juan.


6. What is Jolene going to do this Saturday? She is going to_________ Mike.

TRAFFIC JAM OR TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK: CARAVANA O EMBOTELLAMIENTO

Almost everyday in busy cities we can hear that there are traffic jams in the centre and drivers should choose an optimal way of getting to work or home in the evening. The word "traffic jam" is used very frequently to speak about road conjestion by vehicles.
Sometimes there are jams which stretch for several kilometres and may result in spending the whole day there because traffic does not move at all standing still, in this case we use the words traffic gridlock. A jam is where too much traffic is causing heavy congestion and movement is very slow. Gridlock is when traffic has reached such a state that no movement at all is possible.
To sum up, A jam is where too much traffic is causing heavy congestion and movement is very slow. Gridlock is when traffic has reached such a state that no movement at all is possible.