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Using idioms is a way to show the examiner your talent with vocabulary and increase your score
in the speaking exam. Using a few of the phrases below is a good way to get a score of 7 or
higher.
Explanation/synonym
On the go
up-market
work flat out
chill out to
the in thing
at the height of fashion
up-to-the-minute
off the top of my head
run of the mill
soul mate
a sounding board
in high spirits
bump into
once in a blue moon
have a chin-wag
on cloud nine
down in the dumps
the real McCoy
the wee hours very early in the
morning
make a fuss over
busy
fashionable
work very hard
relax
fashionable
fashionable
the most recent
without thinking
average, typical
best friend
a good person to talk to
happy
meet
not very often
have a conversation
happy
sad
genuine, not fake
after midnight
early bird
Using Idioms
In order to understand these idioms better you can see the examples usages of these idioms
below and also if you want to you can download my MP3.
1. On the go (Busy) => In this modern high-tech world, most people especially young people are
usually on the go with modern technology like cell phones. I've been on the go all day and I'm
really tired.
2. Up-market (fashionable) => The younger generation buy up-market clothes to impress their
peers. Celebrities have to wear up-market clothes to show their fans how successful they are.
3. Work flat out (work very hard) => I believe that if we work flat out using all our energy, we
will be successful in the future.
4. chill-out (relax) => Students usually chill-out by going on picnics after their exams.
5. the in thing (fashionable) => Eating healthy food and getting regular exercise are the in thing
as trying to be healthy is now really popular.
6. at the height of fashion (fashionable) => Televisions were at the height of fashion in the 1980s.
7. up-to-the-minute (the most recent) => Nowadays, the internet includes up-to-the-minute news
stories.
8. off the top of my head (without thinking) => When Mary asked John about his plans for the
holidays, he replied "off the top of my head, probably I'll go to my lakeside cottage."
9. run of the mill (average, typical) =>. He gave a fairly run-of-the-mill story that quickly had
everyone bored.
10. soul mate (best friend) => A husband and wife should be soul mates to each other in their
married life.
11. a sounding board ( a good person to talk to) => My mother is really a good sounding board
for me whenever I face difficulties in my life.
12. in high spirits (happy) => When I passed the exam with flying colours, I felt in high spirits.
13. bump into (meet without planning) => I usually bump into my old friends once a month at
Starbucks.
14. once in a blue moon (not very often) => If you exercise once in a blue moon, you will have a
high chance of getting cardio-vascular diseases.
15. have a chin-wag (have an informal conversation) =>. Every Friday, I like to meet my mates
at the bar for a chin-way.
16. on cloud nine (happy) => When parents hear good news from their children's success, they
feel on cloud nine.
17. down in the dumps (sad) => My uncle was down in the dumps when his business went
bankrupt.
18. the real McCoy (genuine, not fake) => The stamp on the certificate is the real McCoy.
19. the wee hours (very early in the morning after midnight) => Asthma patients can have an
attack in the wee hours due to variations of hormone levels in our body.
20. make a fuss over (overly care for someone/something) =>. Don't make a fuss over this, it is
really quite trivial.
21. early bird (someone who gets up early) => My uncle is an early bird he gets up at 6 o'clock
every morning to do exercise.
Adding supporting
ideas
Adding a
contrasting idea
Making general
statements
Another reason is
As a general rule,
Furthermore,
However,
Generally,
Moreover,
Nevertheless,
In most cases,
Although,
Giving examples
Giving an
explanation
Clarifying an
opinion
Drawing a
conclusion
For example,
To be more
precise
As a consequence,
This is because
More specifically
This is due to
By this I mean
First of all,
In the first place,
For instance,
In particular,
Therefore,
As a result,
In other words,
Partially correct
statements
Other people's
opinions
Making a
concession
From my perspective,
somewhat
agree/disagree
From a political
point of view,
It is sometimes
argued that
In my opinion
to a certain degree,
to some extent,
view of the
economy,
Some people
believe
Admittedly,
However,
To give advantages
To give
disadvantages
To express cause
A major advantage of
this is
Owing to
Therefore,
Another
disadvantage is
As a consequence,
Another important
merit is
The final benefit is
to express effect
As a result
Meaning
biodegradable
biodiversity
climate
climate change
deforestation
desertification
fossil fuels
energy
saving energy
conservation
environment
extinction
habitat
natural
resources
renewable
energy
Meaning
the curriculum
the entire school program including course materials and testing
of students. Everything that a school aims to teach students.
graduate
a person who has graduated from a school
illiteracy
literacy
nurture
to help grow or develop
pedagogy
the way of teaching including the instructional methods that is
used
qualification
social skills
the ability to communicate and interact well with others
student centred
education
tuition
Meaning
graduate
concentrate
revise
enrol
to join a class
indoctrinate
interpret
persevere
procrastinate
Meaning
academic
co-educational
single sex
hands-on
multidisciplinary
pedagogical
primary
education
secondary
education
high school
segregated
tertiary
education
vocational
Meaning
addiction
allergy
anxiety
stress
diagnosis
diet
insomnia
ingredients
obesity
nutrition
physician
treatment
Word
Meaning
a medium
censorship
credibility
exaggeration
ideology
journalism
journalist
mass media
propaganda
social media
Word
Meaning
corporal
punishment
capital punishment
community service
consequences
deterrent
evidence
fine
imprisonment
legislation
felony
a major crime
misdemeanour
a minor crime
motive
prevention
victim
violation
to break a rule
Word
Meaning
computerisation
digital divide
gadget
innovation
revolution
technophobe
technophile