The Use of the Semicolon

Punctuation is a device in writing to help your readers understand better what you have expressed in your writing. There are certain punctuation rules you need to follow in order to make your meaning clear.

The Semicolon

The semicolon is used between independent clauses (sentences that are complete and can stand alone) not joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet).

e.g. I was very tied; I did not want to go home.

The sentence would not be correct without the semicolon, which replaces the coordinating conjunction but)

e.g. After hours of walking on the shopping mall I was very tied; but I did not want to go home because I wanted to buy a handbag.

In the above sentence, you may use both the semicolon and the coordinating conjunction, instead of either, because the sentence is a bit long.

e.g. The police knocked at the door; everybody in the room became frightened. (correct)

e.g. The police knocked at the door, everybody in the room became frightened. (incorrect: no conjunction)

e.g. The police knocked at the door, then everybody in the room became frightened. (incorrect: then is not a conjunction)

e.g. The police knocked at the door, and then everybody in the room became frightened. (correct)

A semicolon or a coordinating conjunction is required to join two independent clauses or sentences; then is not a coordinating conjunction.

Modifiers, such as in fact, on the other hand, for example, in the first place, still require a semicolon between independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

e.g. That was the best book he had ever written; in fact, it won him a book award.

e.g. That was the best book he had ever written, in fact, it won him a book award. (incorrect)

Remember this: the semicolon is a stronger break in a sentence than that of a comma, but weaker than that of a period.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Everyday American Idioms for ESL Learners

Act one’s age: behave maturely

e.g. Stop behaving like a teenager! Act your age.

Call someone on the carpet: scold or reprimand

e.g. If you late for work one more time, the manager will call you on the carpet.

Full of crap: talking nonsense all the time

e.g. I don’t like your friend; he’s full of crap.

Lead someone astray: cause someone to do something wrong or illegal

e.g. If you are always in the company of lawbreakers, you  may be easily be led astray.

Pass the hat: collect money for

e.g. He is always passing the hat for something.

No can do: impossible

e.g. He asked me for more money. I told him no can do.

Bag your face: shut up!

e.g. You and your loud mouth! Go and bag your face!

One’s days are numbered: about to die or to be dismissed

e.g. The manager doesn’t like her.  I would say her days are numbered.

Occur to someone: come to mind

e.g. It never occurred to me that I would fail my driving test.

Live beyond one’s means: spend more than one can earn

e.g. You are in debt because you are living beyond your means.

Pain in the neck: annoyance

e.g. You are pain in the neck, always complaining about this and that.

Over the hump: overcome the most difficult part

e.g. We are now over the hump; the rest may not be that difficult.

Pay the piper: receive the punishment due

e.g. You just can’t keep on spending without paying the piper.

Ball of fire: an energetic and enthusiastic person

e.g. We all want his presence; he is a ball of fire.

AMERICAN IDIOMS

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Better English for You

Choice of Words

Writing has to do with words, in particular, the choice of words. A good stock of vocabulary is of course important. But other than that, you also need to know the exact meaning of each word so that you will use it correctly. There are many words that may sound similar, but they have different meanings, and thus they are confusing. 

Mellow / Melodious

Mellow: mature; soft and pure; rich and full.

e.g. As he continues to age, he become more mellow and compassionate.

Melodious: tuneful; pleasant to the ear.

e.g. He voice is melodious; he should take up singing.

Reign / Rein

Reign means to rule over; rein means to control (e.g. an animal)

e.g. The emperor reigned over the country for decades.

e.g. You must rein in your hot temper.

e.g. Beware of giving free rein to your reason. (i.e. not release from any restraint).

Defuse / Diffuse

Defuse means to decrease the danger, such as deactivate a bomb; diffuse means to spread over a wide area.

e.g. It is difficult to defuse the conflicts in the Middle East.

e.g. Once you open the bottle of fragrant herbs, their scents will diffuse.

Genteel / Gentle

Genteel: well-bred, polite; imitating the lifestyle of the rich.

e.g. Your friend is genteel. Is he very rich?

e.g. All along he has been living in genteel poverty. He is not practical.

Faint / Feint

Faint (both as a noun and a verb) means loss of consciousness; feint means a misleading attack.

e.g. She fainted when she heard the bad news.

e.g. The robber, who gave a feint, began to attack the policeman.

Studio / Studious

Studio: a place where pictures are taken, or films are made.

e.g. The film was made in a Hollywood studio.

Studious: fond of study; careful and thoughtful.

e.g. To be a good scientist, you must be studious.

Hail / Hale

Hail means to greet or salute; hale means healthy and strong.

e.g. "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee."

e.g. A man is hale when his complexion is rosy.

e.g. This dress is too loose for you (not tight enough).

Some time / Sometime / Sometimes

Some time means a period of time.

Sometime, as an adverb, means approximately; as an adjective, means former or occasional.

Sometimes, as an adverb, means now and then.

e.g. We have been for the train for some time.

e.g. Why don't you visit me sometime?

e.g. She was my sometime girlfriend.

e.g. Sometimes I like her, and sometimes I don't -- that's our relationship.

Accountable to / Accountable for

Accountable to means responsible to someone; accountable for means responsible for something or having to explain.

e.g. The Manager has to be accountable to the Board; he has to be accountable for all his business decisions.

Lose / Loose

Lose means being unable to find; loose means to set free or to become less tight.

e.g. Here is your ticket to the game; don't lose it.

e.g. Don't lose your temper (become angry).

e.g. You are too loose with your children (you have little or no control over them).

Impersonate / Personate

Impersonate is to copy or imitate a person for fun; personate is to claim to be another person with the purpose to cheat or deceive.

e.g. The comedian impersonated the President to entertain the audience.

e.g. Someone personated the client, and took the money.

Recourse / Resort

Recourse means turning to others or something for help; resort means to turn to for help (both noun and verb).

e.g. His only recourse was the police.

e.g. The police should not resort to violence to stop the peaceful demonstration.

e.g. The army decided using violence as the last resort.

Decorative / Decorous

Decorative: having an artistic or showy effect.

e.g. The ballroom with all the ribbons and flowers are very decorative.

Decorous: showing good taste.

e.g. The Princess looks decorous in that simple but elegant dress.

Foul / Fowl

Foul means dirty or offensive; fowl  a fowl is a bird, such as hen.

e.g. The smoke from that factory fouls the air. (as a verb)

e.g. He always speak foul language, even in the presence of ladies. (as an adjective)

e.g. We are going to have a roast fowl for Thanksgiving.

Admit / Admit of

Admit means to confess an act; admit of means allow of or leave room for.

e.g. He did not admit taking the key without permission.

e.g. The circumstance admits of no delay.

e.g. His admission of guilt shows his honest personality.

e.g. There is no admittance for error.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

American Idioms

Gang up on: join to attack

e.g. They all gang up on the new student with verbal attacks.

By leaps and bounds: increase rapidly

e.g. Ever since the company’s makeover, the profits have increased by leaps and bounds.

Take the rap: take the blame or punishment for something one is not responsible

e.g. I’m not going to take the rap for something I have not done!

Strike someone’s fancy: appeal to someone

e.g. If you go to an online dating service, you may find a girlfriend who strikes your fancy.

Talk a blue streak: talk a lot and very rapidly

e.g. I didn’t understand what he was saying: he was talking a blue streak.

Stick one’s neck out: take a risk

e.g. If I were you, I wouldn’t stick my neck out for that ungrateful friend of yours

Get an in with: have influence with someone in authority

e.g. If you can get an in with the officials, you can park your car here.

Talk until one is blue in the face: talk a great deal

e.g. I talked until I was blue in the face, but she would not change her mind.

Tail wagging the dog: a situation in which a less important part is in control

e.g. In this coming election, the tail will be wagging the dog; that is, the minority will decide the outcome of the election

Buy something: believe

e.g. I don’t think I buy what you told me just now.

Take the bitter with the sweet: accept both the pleasant and the unpleasant

e.g. In life, one must take the bitter with the sweet.

Step on someone’s toes: offend

e.g. A public officer should avoid stepping on anyone’s toes.

By the skin of one’s teeth: just barely

e.g. I did not miss my plane; I made to the airport by the skin of my teeth.

Call someone on the carpet: scold or reprimand

e.g. If you late for work one more time, the manager will call you on the carpet.

Full of crap: talking nonsense all the time

e.g. I don’t like your friend; he’s full of crap.

Stephen Lau     

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Learning American Idioms

Learning American idioms is as important as learning the vocabulary, the sentence structure, and the grammar usage of American English. 

Idioms are words and phrases in a language that have come into existence for a variety of reasons, some obvious enough, some inexplicable, but most of them appropriately and delightfully characteristic of the race that created them. American idioms are no exception; they reflect American culture at every social level. They are used in everyday life, in speaking and in writing, in movies and on television, and by people from all walks of life. 

Through thick and thin: through good times as well as bad times

e.g. Don’t worry! I’ll stick by you through thick and thin.

Inch along: move very slowly

e.g. Business was inching along because of the economy.

You bet: yes, of course

e.g. “Are you hungry?” “You bet!”

Above and beyond: more than is required

e.g. Asking the employees to work extra hours but without paying them is above and beyond their loyalty.

Vested interest: a personal stake

e.g. He showed a vested interest in his uncle’s business.

Act one’s age: behave maturely

e.g. Stop behaving like a teenager! Act your age.

Under one’s own steam: by one’s own effort 

e.g. He cannot succeed under his own steam; he needs the support of his family.

Feel like: have a desire for something

e.g. I feel like eating a hamburger.

Dance to another tune: change to a different attitude or behavior

e.g. If your parents were here, you would dance to another tune.

As easy as pie: very easy

e.g. Cooking a turkey is as easy as pie.

Take something on the chin: get a direct blow

e.g. The bad news was a shock to me; I took it on the chin.

Flip-flop: change sides in an issue

e.g. Politicians who flip-flop too much are unpopular with voters.

Hold one’s end up: do one’s part; reliable

e.g. I know I can count on you; you always hold your end up.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Learn Some Catch Phrases

The English language is rich in catch phrases, which have caught on with the public. Learn some catch phrases to enrich your use of the language. 

There’s blood for breakfast: someone’s temper is very bad this morning.

e.g. Your Mom got off on the wrong side of the bed. So behave yourself: there’s blood for breakfast!

Mum's the word

Not a word of the pudding: say nothing about it; Mum’s the word! (don’t say a word; keep it a secret!).

e.g. It’s just between us; Mom’s the word!

And that’s that: that’s the end of the matter.

e.g. I’m not going, and that’s that! (i.e. the matter is closed; no more discussion)

Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do: giving a piece of good advice.

e.g. Bye now! And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! (i.e. be good)

Go up one: excellent; good for you.

e.g. Good job! Well done! Go up one!

Not if you don’t: a responder to “do you mind?”—i.e. I do mind!

e.g. “Do you mind if I use yours?” “Not if you don’t!”

He thinks he holds it: conceited and vain.

e.g. I don’t like his attitude: he thinks he holds it.

Don’t I know it: how well I know it.

e.g. You don’t have to tell me! Don’t I know it!

Back to the kennel: go way (in a contemptuous way); get back into your box!

e.g. You’re annoying me! Get back into your box!

Don’t pick me up before I fall: don’t criticize prematurely.

e.g. I don’t want to hear a word from you. Don’t pick me up before I fall!

That’s playing it on the heart-strings: that’s being sentimental instead of realistic.

e.g. Falling head over heals for that girl is more like playing it on the heart-strings.

A snake in your pocket: reluctant to buy his friends a round of drinks or to pay the bill

e.g. Now it's your turn to foot the bill! Have you got a snake in your pocket or something?

Spare a rub: let me have some.

e.g. Don’t take everything: spare me a rub!

Every barber knows that: that’s common gossip.

e.g. That is no longer a secret: every barber knows that.

Easy as you know how: it’s easy—if you know how.

e.g. There is nothing to this: it’s easy as you know how!

I see, said the blind man: a humorous way of saying “I understand!”

e.g. You’re telling me! I see, said the blind man.

I’ll take a rain check: I’ll accept, another time, if I may.

e.g. “Come over to my place for a drink.” “Some other time; I’ll take a rain check.”

Where’s the fire?: what’s all the rush?

e.g. What’s the matter with you? Where’s the fire?

Where’s the body?: why look so sad?

e.g. That’s not the end of the world! Where’s the body?

You must hate yourself!: don’t be so conceited!

e.g. The way you talked to her just now—you must hate yourself for doing that.

Head I win—tail you lose: I’m in a win-win situation.

e.g. It’s mine! Head I win—tail you lose!

Like a red rag to a bull: something that provokes annoyance or anger.

e.g. His very presence was like a red rag to a bull—immediately she looked sullen and sulky.

It’ll all come out in the wash: It’ll be OK; it doesn’t really matter.

e.g. Don’t worry about these minor details; they’ll all come out in the wash!

It’s boloney: it’s utter nonsense.

e.g. To do this is in the wrong order is like putting the cart before the horse—it’s boloney!

A fiasco: a complete failure of organization or performance.

e.g. The government’s bailout of the banks was a fiasco.

Hot from the mint: something “brand new” (mint is a place where money is coined).

e.g. The concept is innovative; it’s hot from the mint!

Straight from the horse’s mouth: first-hand news.

e.g. The story is v
ery reliable—it’s straight from the horse’s mouth.

  

No second prize: used for someone making an unoriginal suggestion

e.g. I must say there’s no second prize for your proposal!

Nothing to do with the case: it’s a lie

e.g. What you're telling me has nothing to do with the case!

AMERICAN IDIOMS

SLANG AND COLLOQUIAL EXPRESSIONS

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Better English for You