IDIOM:CHIP IN-Grammar & Spoken English Class-Learn Idioms & Phrases

Posted by Nash Biani

chip in

Learn Spoken English - Lesson On Idioms

 

The boys chipped in to buy a cricket bat and a ball.

 

 

 

 

 

LEARNING IDIOMS TO IMPROVE SPOKEN ENGLISH AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS

What does this idiom / phrasal verb mean?

How should we use this idiom / phrasal verb?

This phrase ‘chip in’ means

1. to contribute some money to a fund or pool organised to buy something (usually a gift) for somebody

English Grammar Lesson

2. to contribute some money to pay a bill    

                      

3. to contribute help or advice to somebody or some organisation

4. to contribute or add a few words or sentences to a conversation or a discussion

Now, before we go ahead with our discussion, let me say something: this phrase is defined as an idiom in some dictionaries and as a phrasal verb in other dictionaries. This should not really bother us as we are not interested in definitions. What we want to know is what it means and how it can help us speak better English.

1. to contribute some money to a common pool for the purpose of buying something (usually a gift) for someone:

When everyone (or several persons) gives some money – usually a small amount – to buy a gift for someone, they are said to chip in on the gift.

Usually, the amount of money is small, but in certain cases it could be quite big as when people contribute to buy a rather expensive present for someone in their family.

The sentence structures could be:

i. chip in

We decided to get a gift for Mr Davidson who was to retire at the end of the month. All the people in the accounts department chipped in.

ii. chip in on something

All the people in the accounts department chipped in on a gift. It was for Mr Davidson who was to retire at the end of the month.

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iii. chip something in

Mr Davidson was retiring at the end of the month and we decided to get a gift for him. Everybody chipped a hundred bucks in.

iv. chip something in on something

Mr Davidson was retiring at the end of the month. Everybody chipped a hundred bucks in on a gift for him.

v. chip in on something for someone

We all chipped in on a gift for Mr Davidson who was retiring at the end of the month.

vi. chip in for someone

We all chipped in for Mr Davidson who was retiring at the end of the month.

vii. chip in with something

We all chipped in with a hundred bucks each.

viii. chip in with something on something

We all chipped in with a hundred bucks on a gift.

ix. chip in with something on something for somebody

We all chipped in with a hundred bucks on a gift for Mr Davidson.

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x. chip in with something for someone

We all chipped in with a hundred bucks for Mr Davidson.

xi. chip in to buy something

We all chipped in to buy a gift for Mr Davidson who was retiring at the end of the month.

                           OR

We all chipped in and bought a gift for Mr Davidson who was retiring at the end of the month.

2. to contribute some money to pay a bill

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We five friends went to a nice restaurant on Saturday and had a real good lunch. When the bill came, we all chipped in.

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My father was in hospital last month for his prostate. My brothers and I chipped in to pay the bill.

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I share a flat with three other students. We chip in to pay the electricity bill.

                                                           
         

3. to contribute help or advice to somebody or some organisation

A local women’s group in our neighbourhood wanted to organise a health check camp so all the doctors in our area chipped in to make it a success.

My friend’s daughter was in need of a job so all of us friends chipped in and guided her.

There had been an earthquake in a part of the country and local organisations were trying to help. We all chipped in with whatever we could- money, old clothes, utensils, shoes, anything that could be of some use to the survivors.

Folks back home in our village need a small hospital. Have a heart guys! All of us are from there and are doing well in this city.Let's all chip in to help them build the hospital.

                                                                                

4. to contribute or add a few words or sentences to a conversation or a discussion

We were discussing market development when Robert chipped in, ‘How about a small survey?’

Mr Williams and I will read out the programme for the seminar as we have planned it but all of you are welcome to chip in with your suggestions.

Learn more idioms and improve your English.

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IDIOM:AT THE DROP OF A HAT-English Lesson To Develop Spoken English–Learn Grammar & Words

Posted by Nash Biani 

Learn To Speak Fluent English

 In This Spoken English Lesson

at the drop of a hat  

 

 

IDIOMS HELP TO MAKE YOUR SPOKEN ENGLISH BETTER. YOU SOUND MORE NATURAL AND FLUENT WHEN YOU SPEAK ENGLISH USING IDIOMS TO EXPRESS YOURSELF.

What is the meaning of this idiom?

at the drop of a hat:

When someone does something at the drop of a hat, it means that she or he does not need too much convincing or urging to do it. We don't have to tell them again and again to do it.

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They don’t need to prepare themselves to do it.They do it readily and easily. They do it immediately. It is something that is in their nature. This could even relate to a non-human entity like a company, an academy, a school, the municipality, the government etc. in which case, the idiom ‘at the drop of a hat’ would relate to the way they function, their administrative or business policies.

Examples:

1. 'Ruby could make a meal for ten persons at the drop of a hat.'

This means Ruby could prepare a meal for as many as ten people without advance notice or preparation.

2. 'Whenever I needed Henry, he came at the drop of a hat.'

Henry came immediately when I called him. He came readily

3. 'He sings at the drop of a hat.'

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He doesn’t need to be asked again and again, he doesn’t need to be urged by people to sing. He sings readily.

4. 'She starts crying at a drop of a hat.'

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She is very sentimental.She cries for any small reason, for any small thing.

5. 'The company sacks its employees at the drop of a hat.'

The company dismisses its 
employees for the slightest reason, for any small matter.

6. 'The academy conducts tests at the drop of a hat.'

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 &
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The academy has a lot of tests or exams for its students.

7. 'The municipality starts digging up the roads at the drop of a hat.

The municipality is always digging up the roads for some reason or the other.'

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8. 'Artibo Corporation enters into joint ventures at the drop of a hat.'

9. 'My wife goes off shopping at the drop of a hat. Very often our plans to do something together go for a toss and I have to twiddle my thumbs till she gets back.'

Be Careful Using This Idiom While Speaking English

Here, we need to be careful that we don’t use it for saying ‘immediately’ in the sense of urgency. 

Immediately here means readily rather than urgently.

These examples show wrong use of this idiom:

1. 'I want the files ready at the drop of a hat.' Not Correct

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You can say:

‘Bob is ready to work on any file at the drop of a hat.’ Correct

2. 'When I ring the bell, you have to come at the drop of a hat.' Not Correct

This is what you could say:

‘Stop ringing the bell and calling people to help you at the drop of a hat.’ Correct

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3. I placed the order for the pizza this morning and they sent it at the drop of a hat. Not Correct

Consider this:

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‘He orders pizza for everyone at the drop of a hat.’ Correct

Wow! Who’s this guy? He sure has a heart! 

Learn some more idioms for natural sounding English. 

You can also learn refresh your ideas about pronouns.

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IDIOM:HAVE A HEART-How Can I Learn To Speak Fluent English Confidently? Grammar Lesson

Posted by Nash Biani 

How Can I Learn To Speak English Fluently And Confidently ?

have a heart

What is the meaning of this idiom?

How will it help us speak better English?

Speaking Idiomatic English For Better Fluency And Confidence

have a heart :

To be helpful, to think of others, to be generous, considerate and compassionate. To be kind to others. To show sympathy to others. To be forgiving.

Examples:

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1.’Have a heart, Harry. Give your small brother a cookie.’

Someone, probably Harry’s mother, is telling Harry to be kind to his younger brother and give him a cookie.

2. ‘Our boss is a bit of a slave driver but I must say he has a heart. When the chips are down, he is always ready to lend a helping hand to the employees of the company. He helped Barry with his daughter’s hospital bill which Barry couldn't have managed to pay.’

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The boss is very strict with his employees and makes them work hard. But he also has a generous nature and is willing to help people in trouble. He went out of his way to help one of his employees Barry who wasn't able to pay the bills when his daughter was in hospital. 

3. ‘Have a heart, folks! People have been left homeless by the floods. Let's all give whatever we can to help them.’

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There have been floods in some parts of the country and organisations working to help the survivors are asking for donations.  The speaker is asking people to be kind, generous and compassionate and to contribute whatever they can to help those who have lost their homes to the floods.

4. ‘Hey guys, have a heart! Let’s all chip in and buy these boys from the orphanage some stuff for their cricket.’

These are poor boys who are in an orphanage. They are fond of cricket so let’s be kind and generous to them and chip in to buy some cricket gear for them.

5. ‘I didn't have the heart to tell Myra she looked terrible in that fancy hairdo.’

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I didn't want to be rude or unkind to Myra. I didn't want to hurt her feelings.

When You Speak English: Some Things To Avoid When Using This Idiom

1. ‘Susan, don’t have a heart to tell Myra she looks terrible in that fancy hairdo.’ NOT CORRECT

Instead, say:

‘Have a heart, Susan. Don’t tell Myra she looks terrible in that fancy hairdo. CORRECT

You can’t tell someone not to ‘have a heart’.  Although you can say about someone that they didn't have the heart to do something rude or hurtful or to deny someone else something they wanted.

'Susan didn't have the heart to tell Myra she looked terrible in that fancy hairdo.' CORRECT

'Susan doesn't have the heart to tell Myra she looks terrible in that fancy hairdo.' CORRECT

2. ‘Our gardener is very old and can hardly work but my dad doesn't have the heart to ask him to leave.’ CORRECT

We can’t suggest to him:

‘Don’t have a heart, dad. Let the old man go.’ NOT CORRECT

English Grammar And Idioms Lesson

3. ‘Although my mom had told her not to give us too many cookies, my grandma didn't have the heart to refuse us whenever we asked her for some.’ CORRECT

But my mom shouldn't tell her: ‘Mother don’t have a heart. Don’t give them cookies all the time.’  NOT CORRECT

4. ‘Don't have a heart. Don't give them any money. They're trying to pull a fast one. They don't really run any charity for cancer patients.’  NOT CORRECT

‘Don't be taken in by these people. Don't give them any money. They're trying to pull a fast one. They don't really run any charity for cancer patients.’ CORRECT 

Idioms are fun to learn and can add sparkle to your language. Try some more idioms.

IDIOM:TWIDDLE ONE'S THUMBS-How To Speak English Fluently-Easy Grammar Lesson-Improve Speaking Skills

Posted by Nash Biani 

Speak English Fluently With The Help Of Idioms

twiddle one’s thumbs

What is the meaning of this idiom?

How do we use it while speaking English?

Use of 'twiddle one's thumbs' in spoken English

twiddle one’s thumbs: to be idle for a while, to do nothing  for some time, usually while waiting for someone to arrive or for something to happen.

This idiom has negative overtones in the sense that it is used either as a complaint by the speaker or to say that someone had a bad time waiting for somebody or for something to happen.

Exmples:

1. 'The train was late so I sat on the platform twiddling my thumbs for almost an hour.'

This means it was frustrating to wait for the train but I had no option. I was forced to wait for the train to arrive.

2. 'Ramesh had to twiddle his thumbs for quite a long time because his wife was getting dressed to go to the party.'

Ramesh did not like waiting for his wife to get dressed but they couldn’t leave for the party until she got dressed.

3. 'Have a heart, John. Don't do this to Beth. You go off with your friends all the time and the poor thing is left twiddling her thumbs.'

John treats Beth badly. He goes out with his friends and Beth has a bad time waiting for him.

Wrong use of this idiom while speaking English

We should be careful  that we don’t try to use this in a positive sense when we speak English. 

The examples given below show wrong use of this idiom.

1. ‘You go ahead and complete your work. I’ll sit here and twiddle my thumbs.'  Not correct

Saying this would make it sound sarcastic. The listener may misunderstand what you are trying to say.

Instead, say this:

‘You go ahead and complete your work. I'll wait here till you finish it.’

2. ‘I don’t mind twiddling my thumbs while my girlfriend gets dressed to go out with me.’ Not correct

This would be wrong. Here again, the listener would think that you don’t really like waiting for your girlfriend to get dressed and that you are being sarcastic about it.

Instead, say this:

‘I don’t mind waiting while my girlfriend gets dressed to go out with me.’

How to learn grammar & improve spoken English and vocabulary

Idioms help you get confidence while speaking English.
Check out some more idioms.