To be fluent in English speaking knowing phrases is very much essential. If you are into English movies, Web series or podcast , you must have noticed how frequently they use idiom and phrases, interjection, collocation etc. In this post we would discuss about some very basic and frequently used English phrases in daily English.
Example:
Now or never – do it immediately
One thing to keep in mind that the order of the words in the phrases can’t be change, if done the phrase loses its meaning. Also the constituent words will be of same parts of speech.
35 Basic English Phrases
| (every) now and then OR (every) now and again – sometimes but not very often # I still talk to B.Tech friends every now and then, but not as often as we used to. (Every) once in a while – sometimes, but not regularly # We lunch in KFC every once in a while. At times – sometimes; on occasions. # She is at times cruel and ruthless. # My job can be very hectic at times. |
| All in all – with all things considered # All in all this is the best smart phone in the market. By and large – on the whole; everything considered # By and large, the people of Arabia are rich. |
| Back and forth >>moving first in the one direction then in the opposite one; to and fro # KK swayed back and forth to the music. # The chair rocked back and forth. >>between two places or persons or things # The jinn can transform energy and matter back and forth. |
| Beg, borrow or/and steal – to do whatever is necessary to get what you want # I am going to have a four wheeler by end of the year, whether I have to beg, borrow, or steal one. |
| Culture vulture – someone who is fond of music, art, theatre, etc. # KK has passed away – we have lost another culture vulture after Lata Mangeshkar this year. |
| Done and dusted – be completely finished and ready # That Candy Crush nightmarishly hard level has been done and dusted just in one move by her. |
| Down and (ab)out – destitute, without money and place to live # A down-and-out loser. # It’s fact-no one cares you when you’re down and out. |
| Ever and anon – now and then; occasionally. The phrase ever and anon is archaic now. # Ever and anon the stillness is rent by the scream of a gibbon. |
| every nook and corner/cranny – every part of a place # Smell of dead rats filled every nook and corner of this warehouse. |
| every other something – activities, events etc. happening alternately but no consecutively # I run every other day. # The contest is held every other year. |
| Far and wide – over a large area # His fame spread far and wide. |
| First and foremost – most importantly # She’s not a businessman, she’s first and foremost a educator. |
| Flesh and blood >>used to emphasize that someone has human feelings or weaknesses, often when contrasting them with machines # I’m only flesh and blood, like anyone else. # Chitti Falls in Love with Sana – Isn’t it strange, that a robot starts behaving like flesh and flood? >>to be a member of a family # People are more interested in friends than their own flesh and blood? |
| Give or take – willingness to accept suggestions from another person and give up some of your own # Sometimes I think, our friendship in college was give and take type. Nowadays no one calls another. |
| Good and proper – very well # This person speaks English good and proper. |
| High and dry – in a difficult situation and unable to do anything about it; stranded; helpless; destitute # I was in high and dry situation when I was taking coaching for two years and due to pandemic no exams were being conducted. |
| Hustle and bustle – busy and frenetic activity or excitement # I don’t love living among the hustle and bustle of the city. # I avoid the hustle and bustle of malls and shopping centres whenever I can. |
| Law and order – a situation when the rules of the country is being obeyed # a complete breakdown in law and order # In a lead article, its editor predicted that the new light system would not improve law and order. |
| Live and learn – used to say that you learn things from bitter experience # Ram thought he could trust Rukmini, but he couldn’t. Oh well, live and learn. |
| Let bygones be bygones – forget past disagreement and reconcile # Let bygones be bygones and become friends again. |
| Little by little – gradually # Little by little the money dried up. |
| Loud and clear – very clear and easy to understand # I can hear you loud and clear. |
| Mumbo jumbo – language or ritual seemed to be complicated or mysterious but have no real meaning. # Raj don’t believe in horoscope – all that mumbo jumbo. # A maze of legal mumbo jumbo. |
| in any way, shape, or form – used for emphasizing that something is not true or possible # He is not in any way, shape, or form trying to escape his responsibility. # As a student you such behavior is not acceptable in any way, shape, or form. # In no way shape or form was he ever involved with the Mafia. |
| Now or never – do it immediately # “It was now or never —I had to move fast.” |
| Odds and ends – various things of little importance # All the major things has been packed, but only a few odds and ends left. |
| Part and parcel – an essential part # Travelling is a part and parcel of marketing job. |
| Pride and joy – the object of one’s great pleasure # Neeraj Chopra won Gold Medal at Tokyo Olympics. He is India’s pride and joy. |
| Pros and cons – advantages and disadvantages # Every scientific invention has its pros and cons. |
| Pure and simple – with nothing other than what has been mentioned. It is used after a noun or phrase to add emphasis # It was fraud, pure and simple. # You are the best, pure and simple. |
| Rise and shine! – used to address to someone to wake up from bed # Wakey wakey, rise and shine! |
| Rough and ready – crude in nature, method, or manner but effective in action or use # a rough-and-ready solution # a rough-and-ready fellow |
| Safe and sound – to be out safe from a danger # Babies are safe and sound in mother’s lap. |
| Short and sweet – talks, comments, proposal etc. that are brief, relevant and pleasing. # His comments were short and sweet. |
| Sick and tired – to be fed up (thoroughly fatigued or bored) of something or someone # The black and poor there were sick and tired of being over-policed. # The American voters are sick and tired of the Jordan’s and Pelosi’s of the world… |
| Sink or swim – to fail or succeed by your own effort # In money marketing they initially won’t let you leave to sink or swim. |
| Song and dance – to make an unnecessary fuss about something # Instead of simply denying the attestation of photocopy, BDO gave the boy song and dance abut legal issues. |
| Sooner or later – in will happen sometime in the future # Everyone will die, sooner or later. |
| Spick and span – very clean and tidy # My wife always try to keep our house spick and span. |
| Step by step – to progress gradually # He is a good teacher. He taught mathematics step by step. # You can’t solve the problem of Probability directly. You must have to go step by step. First learn Permutation, then combination and then finally Probability. |
| Take it or leave it – it is an non-negotiable offer # I can pay ₹500 max for this wallet-take it or leave it. # In shopping mall prices are take it or leave it. |
| Tall, dark and handsome – to refer to a classically good looking guy # While marrying girls generally don’t go for tall, dark and handsome guy, they see the career of the boys. |
| The nitty-gritty – the most important aspects # Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty – how much will it cost? # Get down to the nitty-gritty of the problem. |
| Through thick and thin – both in good times and in bad times # They stuck together through thick and thin. |
| Time after time – repeatedly # I am not going to make the same mistake time after time. |
| Time and time again – very often # Time and time again they have violated the traffic rules, but they always manage to escape. |
| Tit for tat – to take revenge for something wrong done to you # I’ve noticed that she didn’t send me a card – I think it was tit for tat because I forgot her birthday last year. |
| Tom, dick or/and harry – any unspecified person(s); any common people # Always help every Tom, Dick, and Harry in need. |
| Tried and tested – something that has proven in the past to effective or reliable # They demand that they have tried and tested method of success. |
| Ups and downs – In good times and bad times # Life has its ups and downs – there are joyful time but difficult moments too. |
| Wine and dine – to provide with good foods, drinks and entertainments # The marriage reception was awesome when came to wine and dine. |
| In the main – on the whole # I can conclude in the main that you must be paid immediately after the answer scripts checking is over. |
If you want to know about basic expression used in Spoken English visit here.
Consider reading this too: Idioms and Phrases for all competitive exams Must know 150+ Important Phrasal Verbs List for Competitive Exams Previous Years Idioms and Phrases Asked in Different Exams
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