5 common idioms to use in your online class

Let’s get the ball rolling on learning these idioms so you will know them by heart

The English language has many different kinds of idioms. What is an idiom? In short, an idiom is a phrase. The difficult part about understanding idioms is that the words in the phrases don’t always mean what is written. For example, if someone says, “Give me a ring,” that doesn’t mean to give them a ring for their finger; it means to call them. Idioms can be tricky and many times, they just don’t make sense, especially when English is not your first language. For this reason, we recommend you become familiar with them to help you better communicate with others.

Here are five common idioms that will help you sound more confident and proficient with your English.
 

When you know something by heart, you practice, so you will remember what you learned and know the topic you studied very well. Then, you will know the information “by heart.”

For example: “At first, finding the Zoom link for class was a challenge, but now, after two days of class, I know it by heart.”
 

When your teacher asks you to “brainstorm,” they want you to work together and find new ideas about a certain topic.

For example: “Let’s go to the breakout room where we can brainstorm and prepare for our group presentation.” 
 

When you “get the ball rolling,” this means you get started on something.

For example, your teacher might say: “We have a test today and it’s getting late, so let’s get the ball rolling.”
 

When someone is good at using computers and technology, they are called “tech-savvy.” Maybe you are tech-savvy and that’s why you are taking an online course. Or, perhaps you would like to learn how to be tech-savvy and your online teacher can help you.
 

If someone says they are “pulling the plug” on something, it means they no longer want it to continue. Pulling the plug means to stop something. For example, your friend in your class may say, “I am going to pull the plug on using art as my topic for my project this session; instead, I will use history as my topic.” 

Now that you are familiar with a few new idioms, you can use them in or out of your class. Remember that learning idioms takes time and practice; keep studying them because they will make your English fluency sound more advanced. They will also help you understand more as you listen to conversations with English speakers. So, let’s get the ball rolling so you can learn new idioms and know them by heart.