Bob's Short English Lessons

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases A TWO-WAY STREET and THE WORD ON THE STREET In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase a two-way street. Now, the street behind me is a two-way street. You can drive that way on that street or you can drive the other way. But this phrase also has a different meaning. It's used to describe a relatio...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases AN OPEN MIND and IN THE OPEN In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase an open mind. When you have an open mind, it means that you're willing to listen to other points of view. It means that even if you've decided you think something is a certain way, you're willing to listen to other pe...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases TO JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS and TO JUMP THE GUN In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase to jump to conclusions. When you jump to conclusions, it means you think something is true before you actually have all the facts or know for sure that it is true. Let me think of an example. Let's say you came to...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases TO FREEZE TO DEATH and TO BE FROZEN IN TIME Hey, I'm going to start this lesson by showing you how Canadians put gloves on with one hand. You have to use your mouth. Anyways, in this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase to freeze the death. To freeze to death. Sorry, I'm having trouble talking b...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases THAT'S COLD! and TO STOP COLD In this English lesson, I wanted to teach you the English phrase that's cold. This is a phrase we use to describe when someone does something that's kind of mean, something that's not very nice. Here's a good example. Let's say your cousin is dating someone and he decide...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases AT A SNAIL'S PACE and TO PACE YOURSELF In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase at a snail's pace. Now, I'm not going to tell you what this means right away. I'm going to give you a few seconds to think about this. If you know what a snail is, there's a good chance you know wh...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases TO DOUBLE DOWN and TO DOUBLE DIP In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase to double down. When you double down on something, it means you work harder at it. This week at school, even though the semester is almost over, I need to double down on some of my work. I'm a little behind in my grading. I...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases THERE'S NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT and TO BE PRESENT In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase there's no time like the present. This is a phrase that we say to people when they're talking about starting something new or they're starting about maybe restarting something. You might say...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases TO PULL YOUR SOCKS UP and TO BEAT THE SOCKS OFF In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase to pull your socks up. Or you could also say to pull up your socks. Both work. It simply means to work harder and work better. I think I did teach this phrase in a lesson on my bigger channel at one point. But whe...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases IN A JIFFY and BEFORE YOU KNOW IT In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase in a jiffy. This simply means that something happens very, very quickly. It's an older phrase. I don't actually use it that often anymore. But I did hear my mom use it the other day. She said she was going to be back...

In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase "to shake things up". When you shake things up, it means that you change things. Sorry, Walter just came running here. There he is. That scared me a little bit. I don't know if I jumped or not, but anyways, when you shake things up, it means you change things, hopefully so things get better. Here's a good exa...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases TO BE IN THE KNOW and FOR ALL I KNOW... In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase "to be in the know". When you are in the know, it means that you know something is going to happen. Here's an example. If I was planning a surprise birthday party for my mom and if someone said, who all kno...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases THE GREAT OUTDOORS and TO GO TO GREAT LENGTHS In this English lesson. I wanted to help you learn the English phrase "the great outdoors". Well we're in it. We're in the great outdoors. This is simply a fun way to refer to being outside in nature. When I made my video on my other channel the other day, I was in...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases TO TAKE FOR GRANTED and TO BE TAKEN ABACK In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn the English phrase “to take for granted”. Now you can take something for granted, or you can take someone for granted and it means you don't recognize or notice them. Here's a great example, and it's coming up in the comment...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases TO DILLY-DALLY AROUND and TO ASK AROUND In this English lesson, I wanted to help you learn the English phrase "to dilly-dally around." Now, this is an older phrase, and you won't hear it very much anymore, but my mom said it the other day. My mom said that when she goes down for lunch, she lives in an old age home,...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases TO BE ALL OVER SOMETHING and ALL OVER THE PLACE In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn the English phrase “to be all over something”. Now, in English, when you say that you're all over something, it means you know a lot about it. Or it means at work that you're doing the job you're supposed to be doing....

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases SPREAD THE WORD and SPREAD OUT In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn the English phrase. “Spread the word!” Now, this is something we tell people when we want them to tell other people about something. Every year the farmer's market opens at the beginning of June and we tell people, Spread the word. The first day...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases TO BETTER YOURSELF and BETTER OFF In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn the English phrase “to better yourself”. When you better yourself, it means you do something that makes you a better person. Sorry, I'm defining the phrase by using a word in the phrase. That's not a good way to do it. Let's say you...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases TO RACK YOUR BRAIN and TO PICK SOMEONE'S BRAIN In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn the English phrase “to rack your brain”. When you rack your brain, it means you're trying to remember something. Sometimes, when summer ends and school starts again, I run into students on the first day or during the first w...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases TO FLY OFF THE SHELVES and TO SELL LIKE HOTCAKES In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn the English phrase “to fly off the shelves”. If you are in a store and they are selling something, maybe it's on sale and people are just grabbing it and buying it as fast as they can, we would say that that product is flying o...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases TO TAKE A LOAD OFF and TO TAKE A BREATHER In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn the English phrase “to take a load off”. When you tell someone to take a load off or when you decide to take a load off. It means you're going to relax usually after working. The last few days, I've come home and I just need to t...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases A LITTLE SOMETHING and A LITTLE OFF In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn the English phrase “a little something”. This is a phrase we use to describe something when we don't quite know how to describe it. If you watch this English lesson to the end, I added a little bit of music. I thought that my videos needed...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases COULD BE WORSE and TO GO FROM BAD TO WORSE In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn the English phrase “could be worse”. Now, this is a phrase that we use in two different situations. If you said to me, Hey, Bob, how's it going? I might answer. Could be worse. This is a response to that greeting that means nothing&a...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases IN HINDSIGHT and HINDSIGHT IS 20/20 In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn the English phrase “with hindsight”, or sometimes we say “in hindsight”. And this simply means when looking back in time. So I could say this, “With hindsight we know that dumping garbage into the ocean is a bad idea.” If we look back 50 or 100...

Read along to practice your English and to learn the English phrases A CLEAN SLATE and CLEAN AS A WHISTLE In this English lesson I wanted to help you learn the English phrase “a clean slate”. When you start something with a clean slate, it means it's brand new and no one's aware of you or the mistakes you've made in the past. Let's say you have a job and you quit. When you star...