Idiomatic Vocabulary 3: ‘fingers crossed’

The PhrasesFingers_Crossed

  • Fingers crossed
  • Knock on wood

 

Their Definition

Something you say when you hope for something to happen.

 

Discussion

This phrase is useful because we often wish for things to happen, and in the IELTS Speaking Test, we talk about our lives, our wishes, and our future hopes. These phrases are interchangeable, but can not really be used for IELTS Writing.

These phrases are too individual and situational to be used in IELTS Writing.

 

Example Sentences

In IELTS Speaking

  • “Well, one day – fingers crossed – I can get a mainstream publisher interested in my novels.”
  • “The market in China could be huge, so – knock on wood – maybe I can get some books published there.”
  • [For students] “I hope to go to an overseas university, and – fingers crossed – hopefully my IELTS mark will be good enough.”
  • [For students] “My aim is to work for a big banking companies, and – knock on wood – it may happen in the near future.”