... SOME OF THEMOSTCOMMONLYUSED CONNECTIVE WORDS AND PHRASES
referring
Use to give more
examples
For instance, …
In particular, …
… such as …
Group 6:
showing results
Use to express
the
consequence
As ... result, …
Consequently, …
Hence,…
So …
Therefore, …
Thus, …
Group 7:
inferring
Use to deduce
In other words, …
In that case, …
Then, …
Otherwise, …
Group 8: giving
alternatives
Use to refer to
an ... alternative
Alternatively, …
On the other hand, …
Then again, …
Group 9:
restating
Use to express
what you have
said in another
way (usually
more simply)
In other words, …
That is to say,...
... someone to learn something
The teacher thinks that she must beat the material into the heads of the students.
beat the clock
- to finish something before the time is up
The basketball team ...
bark up the wrong tree
- to make a wrong assumption about something
The police are barking up the wrong tree in their investigation of the criminal.
base one's opinion on (something)
... something
We had a birds-eye view of the playing field from our seats high up inthe stadium.
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be into (something)
- to be interested or involved in something...
... for their share either in a
lump sum inthe early spring (before
planting) or over the course of the
growing season. They then receive
a weekly “bounty” from the farm
throughout the growing ... their time in doing the best job
they can raising their crops instead of
searching for buyers.
*The information in this piece is
adapted from the writings of
Robyn Van En, CSA of North America ... Observer, there are
more than 2,300 farms registered
in the state, most of them in rural
eastern North Carolina.
Inthe late 1990s, state lawmakers
were the first inthe nation to
institute...
... achieve the national goals in reducing health risk
behaviors.
To meet these goals, the Merck Institute of Aging &
Health and the National Academy on an Aging Society,
the policy institute of The ... rates for older
Americans have been declining in recent years. In 1982,
the disabled older population inthe United States totaled
6.4 million. If the 1982 rate had continued, the number of
disabled ... older.
The Merck Institute of Aging & Health and the
National Academy on an Aging Society, the policy
institute of The Gerontological Society of America,
are releasing this report to assess the...
... clothes and went out.
wrap (something) up
- bring something to an end
We wrapped up the meeting before dinner and went home.
wrapped up in
- thinking about or interested only in one thing ... something in a sneaky way
My friend weaseled out of helping us clean up the yard.
weather permitting
- if the weather allows
Weather permitting, we will go to the lake on Saturday.
weave in ... be the boss in a family
She is very strong and is the one who wears the pants in her family.
wear thin
- become thin from use or the passing of time
The silver dollar began to wear thin...
...
Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 1
Commonly- Used Idioms, Sayings and phrasal verbs
What is the meaning of idioms?
Words that come together and change the whole meaning of the statement like "it
rains cats and ... meet the lawyer at the appointed time.
at the bottom of the hour
- at the half hour - 10:30, 11:30 etc. (like the bottom of a clock)
The weather forecast is on the radio at the bottom of the ... complain (often publicly)
We aired our grievances during the monthly meeting.
air (something) out
- to freshen something by putting it inthe open air
We put the blankets outside in order...
...
behind schedule
- unable to do something by the time on the schedule, after the time on a schedule
The trains were behind schedule because of the accident early inthe morning.
behind ... not buildings)
The uniforms burned up inthe fire.
.
burst at the seams
- to explode with pride or laughter, to be full to the breaking point
The train was bursting at the seams ... touching backs
There were two back-to-back games today because of the rain last week.
back to square one
- to go back to the beginning of something
The city was back to square one in their...
... of (doing something)
- to catch someone doing something illegal or private
The police caught the politician inthe act of taking money from the business owner.
catch (someone) napping
- ... red-handed
- to find someone inthe middle of doing something wrong
The clerk caught the boy red-handed when he was stealing the candy.
catch up on (something)
- to do something that you have ... a book during the weekend.
crack the whip
- to try to make someone work hard or obey you by threatening them
We had to crack the whip in order to get the job finished before the weekend....
... throwing money down the drain when he goes to the horse races.
down the hatch
- to swallow a drink or eat something
The captain says down the hatch whenever he gives the sailors a drink. ... complaining is driving me up a wall.
drive (something) home
- to make something clearly understood
The high price of gasoline drove home to us the necessity of driving less.
the driving ... less.
the driving force behind (someone or something)
- the motivating force behind someone or something
The potato farmers were the driving force behind the efforts to get people to eat...
... during the meeting.
Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 165
every Idioms
every cloud has a silver lining
- there is something good in every bad thing
Every cloud has a silver lining ... everything but the kitchen sink on our camping trip.
everything humanly possible
- everything inthe range of human powers
The doctors did everything humanly possible to save the man after the accident. ... explain himself after the accounting problems were
discovered.
explain (something) away
- to explain something so that it seems less important
The sales clerk tried to explain away the...
... at the party wanted to get into the act and join the singers.
get into the swing of things
- to adapt to a new environment or situation
My friend got into the swing of things after the ... get into trouble or difficulty
We got into hot water when they found us inthe building after it had closed.
get into (something)
- to become involved in something, to become interested in ... find a starting point somewhere
The new political party is beginning to get a foothold inthe big cities.
get a grasp of (something)
- to begin to understand something
I am beginning to get...
... local city government.
have a finger inthe pie
- be involved in something
The man has his finger inthe pie of many businesses.
have a fit
- become upset
The woman had a fit when she ... something)
- resemble each other in specific ways, have similar interests to someone
I have much in common with a girl in my class.
have (something) in mind
- have a plan or idea in one's ... come to meet me.
have a keen interest in (someone or something)
- be very interested in someone or something
I have always had a keen interest in hiking and camping.
Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com...
... for the city library
expansion.
join hands
- hold hands with other people
Everybody inthe group joined hands at the end of the meeting.
Join the club!
- an expression used when the ... want to join the fray and argue with the other members of the group.
jolt to a stop
- stop moving suddenly which causes a jolt
The train jolted to a stop when the engineer put the brakes ... early inthe morning at the jumping-off place for our hike to the
mountains.
.
the jury is still out (on someone or something)
- have not decided about something
For myself, the jury...