Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (19 of 25): “Hey, don’t go overboard!”

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Every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and it is a very important part of any language, including English, and is very useful for IELTS speaking. Here’s an example.

To go overboard

This is a verb phrase meaning to do something good, but do it too much or excessively so that it becomes bad, and is useful for IELTS speaking because this situation does happen in life. People may ‘go overboard’ in politeness, actions, and public behavior.

This phrase passes our test for use in written language: it is short [Rule 2], and it can be applied widely to many people [Rule 3].

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Speaking.

  • “I’m not convinced cosmetic surgery is good. Many people go overboard, and begin looking like freaks.”
  • “Study is important, but I see three-year-old babies learning Japanese. Now, that’s just going overboard.”
  • “Some memorisation is possible when writing in IELTS, but people just go overboard, and the whole essay becomes absolutely ridiculous.”

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  • “BLM might have started out as something good, but it went way overboard.”

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Writing.

  • Given the emphasis now placed on good looks in this celebrity-driven society, the current trend towards cosmetic surgery is understandable, but too many ‘go overboard’, Michael Jackson being a classic example.
  • Money is undeniably important, but those who sacrifice friends, family, and good health in the process of acquiring it, are obviously ‘going overboard’.

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (18 of 25): “Don’t turn your nose up at this!”

Turning up your nose.jpg

Every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and it is a very important part of any language, including English, and is very useful for IELTS speaking. Here’s an example.

To turn your nose up (at sth.)

This is a verb phrase meaning you don’t want to do, use, or accept something kindly offered to you. This is useful for IELTS because people generally try to help others in the world, so not accepting, or not having your offer accepted, can be quite common. Since this usually involves refusing a kind offer, the phrase can be negative.

Following Rule 2 (See Post Six of this series), this phrase is too long for formal writing, and so should not be used there.

Note: it would be hard to say this, and not perform the ‘body language’ as described – turning up your nose.

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Speaking.

  • “So, I offered to drive her home, but she just turned her nose up.”
  • “Sometimes I just don’t get it! Students ask me for help, say they desperately need a good IELTS mark, but when I recommend that they study harder, they just turn up their noses and walk away.”
  • “Oh, whenever they offer me something, I just basically turn up my nose.”
  • “Cats are so fussy. Basically, they’ll turn up their noses at just about everything.”

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (17 of 25): A salty idiom!

salt.jpg

Every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and it is a very important part of any language, including English, and is very useful for IELTS speaking. Here’s an example.

To take [sth.] with a grain of salt

This verb phrase means you don’t really believe the previous fact.

This is useful for IELTS because there are so many lies and so much deceit in the world. An intelligent person doesn’t necessarily believe it all, and we often have to indicate this to other speakers.

Following Rule 2 (See Post Six of this series), this phrase is too long for formal writing, and so should not be used there.

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Speaking.

  • “He claims he really helped me – but I took it all with a grain of salt.”
  • “All the advertising is just basically garbage. You have to take it all with a grain of salt.”
  • “I’ve checked other IELTS websites, from other school and freelance teachers, and almost every one of them is just utter lies. Totally! I don’t take it with a grain of salt; I just reject it outright with absolute disgust! The sad fact is that students usually believe it.
  • “I know a guy, and absolutely everything he said had to be taken with a grain of salt.”

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (16 of 25): Let’s talk about drugs.

Muscle man.jpg

Every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and it is a very important part of any language, including English, and is very useful for IELTS speaking. Here’s an example.

To be on steroids

This is an adjectival phrase meaning extremely developed when compared to something else. Body builders take ‘steroids’ [a hormonal drug’] in order to develop abnormally large muscles. Similarly, when comparing a strong with a weak form, we can consider the strong one to be ‘on steroids’. This is very idiomatic and descriptive (good), but not easy to use (bad). Try inventing some comparison and seeing if you can make these phrase work for you.

Examiner:     Did you like Shianghai?

Speaker:     In some ways. It’s sort of like Taipei on steroids.

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Speaking.

  • “My ambition has always been to climb Mount Everest, but basically the only thing I’ve done is ascend Yang Ming Shan – let’s call it Everest without steroids.”
  • “The chess player, Kasparov, played a computer called ‘Deeper Blue’ – which was, basically, just your average computer on steroids – and he lost the match.”
  • “The competition in schools in Taiwan is insane. It’s like a dog-eat-dog world on steroids. My teenage cousins, would you believe, are seeing psychiatrists due to the stress!”

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (15 of 25): “It’s a jungle out there!”

dog fight.jpg

Every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and it is a very important part of any language, including English, and is very useful for IELTS speaking. Here are three useful examples, all related to each other.

the rat race / concrete jungle (N phrase)

dog-eat-dog (adj. phrase)

It’s a jungle out there (sentence)

These terms describe the intense and often ruthless competition in society, and are useful because we all live in a society which has such competition. We can all be compared to laboratory rats racing each other to get food. City life can be compared to a jungle of buildings – a concrete jungle – where animals eat other animals, even of their own kind – a real dog-eat-dog existence. Yeah, it’s a jungle out there, right?

These phrases all express strong criticism or negative feelings towards this existence – and if you honestly feel this, express it.

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Speaking.

“After some 25 years in the workforce, I just want to get out of this rat race, and live in a quiet rural area.”

“Coming from Australia, it’s really weird that I find myself now marooned, probably forever, in an unlovely concrete jungle.”

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Writing.

The competition in the Asian-school systems is becoming increasingly competitive, often ruthlessly so, creating a ‘dog-eat-dog’ scenario, which can hardly be psychologically healthy for the students involved.

In the race to succeed in all aspects of life and work, ethics inevitably fall, and the ‘rat race’ begins from an early age.

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (14 of 25): “I definitely have a sweet tooth!”

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Every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and it is a very important part of any language, including English, and is very useful for IELTS speaking. Here’s an example.

To have a sweet tooth

This means to like eating sweet and sugary food and drink, and is useful because it can describe almost everyone, and food is a common topic that can come into many conversations. We all either like, or don’t like, sweet food.

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Speaking.

“Oh, I definitely have a sweet tooth. I just love chocolate, cheesecake, and various snacks.”

“I really have a sweet tooth, just like my mother, but my father didn’t have one at all.”

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Writing.

Confectionary companies produce a multitude of products, catering to the ‘sweet tooth’ of modern consumers.

One of the common causes of obesity is undoubtedly the ‘sweet tooth’ possessed by many people.

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (13 of 25): “I’m a super-IELTS teacher!”

super humanbeing.jpg

Every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and it is a very important part of any language, including English, and is very useful for IELTS speaking. Here’s an example.

Super-[adj]

This is a prefix which makes the adjective which follows much stronger, and it is useful because it can describe many more extremes of feeling, and has a fun and upbeat feel. It is used as a prefix (meaning ‘more than’) in some formal words, such as…

superstar

superstition

supersonic

supergroup

supernatural

superhuman

…and many others, but it can be used playfully to give a more informal feel to the speaking.

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Speaking.

“Oh, I thought the movie was good – super good, in fact.”

“I didn’t like the food in America. The deserts were super-sweet, so different to what we have in Taiwan.”

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Writing.

In this electronic age, and with this globalised world, media celebrities are often not just rich, but ‘super-rich’.

Media celebrities undergo far too much cosmetic surgery, deciding that only ‘super-glamorous’ will serve their purposes.

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (12 of 25): “He’s a hopeless alcoholic!”

drunk man.jpg

Every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and it is a very important part of any language, including English, and is very useful for IELTS speaking. Here’s an example.

[Word stem]-olic

This means that you are addicted or highly dependent on something

This phrase is useful because it can describe many more extremes of behaviour, and has a fun and upbeat feel. It all comes from the formal word, ‘alcoholic’ describing a person who is addicted to alcohol [as in the above picture]. The ‘-holic’ suffix has now been attached to many words to show a similar dependence on various forms of goods or behaviour. Many of these now appear in dictionaries, such as …

workaholic,

shopaholic, and

chocoholic.

This ‘-olic’ suffix can also be playfully twisted (with the appropriate fun intonation and facial expressions) to show even greater flexibility. For example,

I’m a bit of a …

coffeeholic. chess-aholic.
bookaholic. sleepaholic.
surfaholic. swimaholic.

The formal forms ‘alcoholic’, ‘workaholic’, ‘shopaholic’, and a few others, can be used in writing, but all the rest (immediately above) are too playful to be in IELTS Writing.

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Speaking.

“Sometimes I think I’m a coffeeholic, the way I drink the stuff.”

“Stereotypically, of course, women are assumed to be shopaholics.”

“I’m a bit of a workaholic, I’m afraid.”

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (11 of 25): “He’s a real nerd!”

computer game.jpg

Every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and it is a very important part of any language, including English, and is very useful for IELTS speaking. Here are two useful examples, which mean the same thing.

To be a nerd / geek

These terms refer to people absorbed in technology or books to the extent that they are socially awkward in the way they speak and act.

These terms are useful because technology is becoming such a part of our lives that many people are becoming (overly) absorbed by it. In actual fact, the terms were once very negative, but are becoming increasingly less so, and even positive, as ‘computer nerds’ such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and many others, achieved incredible fortunes with their ‘obsession’ with computers.

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Speaking.

“Oh, I’m not really technologically conversant. I don’t even know what my computer is called in geek-speak. Apple-Mac, or something like that.”

“It’s really weird, sometimes, when you think of all those computer nerds who are now multi-billionaires! I guess they get the last laugh, right?”

Here is an example sentence in IELTS Writing.

Technology now rules the world, and those adept in utilising it, far from being seen as ‘geeks’, are now considered visionary pioneers by the younger generation – and indeed, their ideas are changing the way people live.

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (10 of 25): “Girls, is he your Mr Right?”

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Every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and it is a very important part of any language, including English, and is very useful for IELTS speaking. Here are two useful examples, which mean the same thing.

Mr Right

Prince Charming

These refer to a perfect partner, and are useful (for female candidates) because they can describe a perfectly compatible partner, and most IELTS candidates are single, and may well need to refer to such a person when talking about the future, ambitions, problems in life – in other words, typical IELTS speaking topics.

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Speaking.

“Oh, I went to a nightclub, but I quickly realised I wouldn’t find Mr Right in that sort of place.”

“Basically, all us girls are looking for our Prince Charming, but it never happens, does it?”

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Writing.

Nightclubs exist, as do dating and match-making services, catering primarily to women seeking their ‘Mr Right’.

If we accept that women are innately different from men, then the very concept of ‘Mr Right’ may well be merely an illusion.

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (9 of 25): ‘Fingers Crossed!’

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Every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and it is a very important part of any language, including English, and is very useful for IELTS speaking. Here are two useful examples, which mean the same thing.

Fingers crossed

Knock on wood

As the picture at the top shows, we can make many shapes with our hands and fingers. Crossing your fingers …. as in this next photo …

Man with fingers crossed.jpg

… means, ‘I hope I have good luck’. Hence, just saying ‘Fingers crossed’ means this. And ‘knocking on wood’ has its meaning from an old superstition. So, these are things you say when you hope for something to happen.

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

Here are some 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.”

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (8 of 25): ‘That was a real eye-opener!’

Manilla slum.jpg

Every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and it is a very important part of any language, including English, and is very useful for IELTS speaking. Here’s an example.

To be a real eye-opener

This describes an event or experience that is surprising, and shows you something that you did not already know. 

This phrase is useful because it can describe any very surprising thing or event or experience which you have encountered. Admittedly, many people lead quite conventional lives, without encountering really interesting things, but you never know. This phrase is often useful for when describing event when traveling to other countries. Because this phrase involves so much personal reaction, it is more for spoken, not written English.

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Speaking.

“Oh, when I went into Libya it was a real eye-opener. I realised what a police-state was like, and the word ‘democracy’ finally took some meaning for me.”

“The poverty in South America was a real eye-opener. It’s just in-your-face, every day, and the beggars can be really aggressive.”

“In Manilla, I had the opportunity to sleep one night in a slum, and I’ll tell you, that experience was a real eye-opener.” [See the picture at the top.]

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (7 of 25): ‘Not everyone’s cup of tea’.

Cup of tea.jpg

Every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and it is a very important part of any language, including English, and in the IELTS Speaking test. Here’s a useful example.

Not [somebody’s] cup of tea

This simply means “I don’t like it”, and it is useful because in the IELTS Speaking test you are often asked about your likes and dislikes, and even if not asked, we often give these feelings anyway.

Examiner:      Do people in your culture like outdoor sport?

Speaker:       Some do, but it’s certainly not my cup of tea.

Here are two points to remember.

Point One: This phrase is always used in the negative, when saying that you do NOT like something.

Examiner:          Do people in your culture like indoor sport?

Speaker:           Well, it’s certainly my cup of tea.

Point Two: This phrase is probably too long [Check Post 6, Rule 2], and thus too informal to be used in IELTS writing.

Here are some example sentences in IELTS Speaking.

  • “People go to bars and drink, but that’s definitely not my cup of tea.”
  • “My ambition has always been to climb Mount Everest, but I know that would definitely not be everyone’s cup of tea.”

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary for IELTS (6 of 25): Smoking is ‘cool’, right?

Cool smoker.jpg

In the previous posts, I made the case that idiomatic language is good for IELTS Speaking, but what about using idiomatic language in IELTS writing?

The answer is that it is good for IELTS Writing, but there are three rules you must follow.

Rule 1

It is important to ‘flag’ this using inverted commas (as I did with ‘flag’, which is an idiomatic and imprecise term). This shows the examiner that you are aware the term is idiomatic, but wish to convey meaning with the term, since it can actually be more concise and stylish to do so. For example,

Some people think smoking is ‘cool’.

It would actually be very difficult to define ‘cool’ using formal language (‘suave’, ‘debonair’, ‘sophisticated’). The idiomatic use does it far more efficiently. By the way, smoking might look ‘cool’ (as in the above picture), but there’s nothing ‘cool’ about the stink of cigarette smoke, premature ageing, and dying of cancer. Anhow, let’s move on to ….

Rule 2

Do not use idiomatic terms which are long, or have too many words. The previous example – ‘cool’ – was just one word – so it certainly passes this rule.

So, think one, or two, or maybe three, but no more. Being too long makes it too casual or perhaps too imprecise to be appropriate to formal writing.

Rule 3

Do not use idiomatic terms which are too dependent on a single individual attitude – for example, ‘my cup of tea’. Idiomatic language works better in formal writing when it can be applied more generally – for example, ‘Mr Right’ [‘Women generally still seek their ‘Mr Right’, but it may be only an idealistic illusion’).

Okay, now that we know all about idiomatic vocabulary, the next 19 posts will give examples for you to learn.

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary (5 of 25): those pesky little critters!

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In the previous posts, I mentioned how every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and let us continue to explore this issue.

In the last post, I posted the question: in the IELTS Speaking Test, which is better: formal words (such as those on the left on the following table), or informal/idiomatic words (such as those on the right)?

regurgitative to stuff
to stifle to spew
ubiquitous claptrap
oppressive a damned thing
Orwellian jerk-offs
regime lemming-like

The answer is, both are good if it is appropriate to the situation and topic being discussed. However, with the informal situation of the IELTS Speaking, and the fact that the public version of the IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors says

IELTS Nine = uses idiomatic language naturally

… when talking about insects [see above picture], for example, the reply …

Oh, I definitely don’t like creepy crawlies. They give me the creeps, particularly cockroaches, and those pesky little critters inhabit just about every nook and cranny, don’t they?

… also shows GREAT idiomatic usage. Can you work out the meaning of …

creepy crawlies,

to give sb. the creeps,

pesky little critters,

every nook and cranny?

The fact is that the public version of the IELTS Speaking Band descriptors admits this idiomatic and informal vocabulary as sign of better speakers. Thus, it is worth learning some of this language, and we will do that in the following posts.

By the way, you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .

Idiomatic Vocabulary (4 of 25): “Do you know who I am?”

George Orwell.png

In the previous posts, I mentioned how every language has phrases and sentences that cannot be understood by just knowing the individual words. This is known as idiomatic language, and I mentioned how it is also informal speaking.

However, in the last post, I examined the opposite: ‘formal’ use of language. I gave an example IELTS speaking response which was so formal that it became strange, unclear, untrue, and repetitive. That’s not good, right? But I also said that ‘formal’ words or phrasing can be used in the IELTS Speaking test. Hmmmm. Let’s explore this.

The first point is that formal phrasing can be very good, as long as the words are appropriate to the situation. Thus, when talking about the education system, the answer …

What I don’t like is its regurgitative nature, which stifles the students, and if you add the ubiquitous cram-schools into the equation, you have a vast, oppressive, and Orwellian regime.

… shows GREAT use of vocabulary [surely at least IELTS 8 = uses vocabulary resource readily and flexibly to convey precise meaning]. But given the informal nature of the IELTS Speaking Test, this speaker could have said :

I don’t like it, the way they stuff knowledge down the students’ mouths, and make them spew out memorised claptrap, and you can see that in the west, with the social-justice jerkoffs in their lemming-like hoards.  

Here are all those difficult words again. Use a dictionary and find out their meaning.

regurgitative to stuff
to stifle to spew
ubiquitous claptrap
oppressive a damned thing
Orwellian jerk-offs
regime lemming-like

But, which set of words is better: the formal words on the left, or informal ones on the right? We will continue this discussion in the next post.

By the way, the picture at the top is George Orwell. Why don’t you do some research about him? – and you can find out more about me at www.aisielts.com .