Boost Your English

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To make your English more expressive and colorful, consider using proverbs, idioms, and interesting words. This page will be renewed every other week. So, if you are interested, make sure you visit this page often. Meanwhile, try to use the material from this page in your oral and written speech.

Proverbs:

1. A stitch in time saves nine.

On the one hand, this proverb is based on a practical skill. If you have a hole in your clothing, it is recommended to stop it from getting larger by making a stitch or two. At the same time, we understand that this proverb is not about stitching but about mending the upcoming problem in your life.

For example,

I am so proud of myself that I did not let my argument with my friend lead to breaking our relationship. A stitch in time indeed saves nine.

2. Haste makes waste.

This proverb warns us that if we do not spend enough time and instead do something very quickly, we can lose focus and make mistakes; thus, the time that we have spent on a task has been wasted.

For example,

Procrastination doesn't help. I remembered it when I realized that the essay was due the next day, and besides writing it, I had a lot of other assignments to do. I could afford only one hour for the essay. Multiple mistakes, inconsistent support, and a broken structure of the essay ultimately brought me a poor grade. Luckily, my teacher gave me another chance, but either way, the time (even though it was only an hour) that I spent on writing my first draft was wasted. No wonder people say that haste makes waste.

Useful phrases (collocations)

1. get a job means that a person is looking for a job. This phrase is pretty neutral.

For example,

Mark was sure that he would get a job in a new place where he had recently relocated.

2. land a (job, position, a deal) refers to a person who had to undergo some struggle to be accepted and probably finally got it by luck.

For example,

After graduating from college and submitting more than twenty applications, Mark finally landed a job of his dream.

3. secure a job points out to the fact that the person has done something that prevents others to take the job from him/her/them.

For example,

Getting a job with tenure made Mark confident that he had secured his job until the time he might decide to change it.

4. reach a fever pitch means that the excitement has gotten to its apogee.

For example,

Since it was obvious that his research was progressing, and he was very close to finding the major proof of his hypothesis, Mark's excitement was reaching a fever pitch, so he decided to pull an all-nighter, hoping to get the desired result by morning.