Idioms for IELTS Vocabulary: Speak Like a NativeIdiomatic expressions add flair to your language and convey cultural fluency. Here are some idioms to enrich your IELTS vocabulary:
| Idiom | Meaning | Example Sentence |
| Out of the blue | Something that happened unexpectedly | Yesterday, out of the blue, he asked me to marry him! |
| In the red | To owe money, to not have money | Sorry, I can’t afford it, I’m in the red. |
| Day and night | Continually working without stopping | I was studying day and night for my IELTS test. |
| Drop out | To leave without finishing | She dropped out of the course because it was too hard. |
| Learn by heart | To memorise | I learned all my idioms by heart. |
| Bookworm | Someone who reads a lot | When I was younger, I was a bookworm, I just loved reading. |
| A piece of cake | Very easy | The math exam was a piece of cake for him. |
| Break a leg | Good luck | Break a leg in your performance tomorrow! |
| Piece of advice | A helpful suggestion | Can I give you a piece of advice? |
| Don’t cry over spilled milk | Don’t worry about something that has happened | Yes, I made a mistake, but let’s not cry over spilled milk. |
| In the blink of an eye | Very quickly | The thief disappeared in the blink of an eye. |
| A penny for your thoughts | Asking someone what they are thinking | You seem lost in thought – a penny for your thoughts? |
| Catch someone red-handed | Catch someone in the act of doing something wrong | The police caught the thief red-handed. |
| Cross your fingers | Hope for good luck | I’m crossing my fingers for a positive outcome. |
| Bury the hatchet | Make peace with someone | After their argument, they decided to bury the hatchet and move on. |
| Go the extra mile | Make additional effort | She always goes the extra mile to help her colleagues. |
| Kill two birds with one stone | Accomplish two things with a single action | By visiting my friend in the city, I can kill two birds with one stone – see the sights and catch up with her. |
| To show promise | To indicate possible success | The new vaccine is showing promise. |
| Under the weather | Feeling unwell | I’m feeling a bit under the weather. I hope I don’t have COVID. |
Phrasal Verbs: Unraveling Language Complexity
A phrasal verb is a type of verb that consists of two or more words: a main verb combined with one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs). The combination of these words creates a new meaning that is different from the individual meanings of the verb and the particles.
Below is a list of commonly used phrasal verbs:
| PHRASAL VERB | Meaning | EXAMPLE SENTENCE |
| Carry out | To complete or perform a task | The researchers will carry out the experiment. |
| Get along | To have a good relationship with someone | I get along well with my colleagues at work. |
| Look after | To take care of or be responsible for something | Can you look after my dog while I’m away? |
| Take off | To remove or become airborne | The plane will take off in an hour. |
| Give up | To stop doing something, to quit | He decided to give up smoking for his health. |
| Turn on | To activate or start something | Can you turn on the lights, please? |
| Put off | To postpone or delay something | They put off the meeting until next week. |
| Get over | To recover from an illness or emotional setback | It took her some time to get over the breakup. |
| Bring in | To introduce or generate income | The company plans to bring in new technology. |
| Set up | To establish or arrange something | We need to set up a meeting with the client. |
| Call off | To cancel or terminate something | They had to call off the event due to bad weather. |
| Run into | To encounter someone unexpectedly | I ran into an old classmate at the supermarket. |
| Get in | To enter or arrive at a place | What time does your flight get in? |
| Bring about | To cause or make something happen | The new policy will bring about significant changes. |
| Take on | To accept a responsibility or challenge | He decided to take on the project despite its complexity. |
| Put up with | To tolerate or endure something | I can’t put up with the noise from the construction site. |
| Find out | To discover or learn something | I need to find out the time of the meeting. |
| Give back | To return something that was borrowed or taken | Can you give back my pen when you’re done using it? |
| Look into | To investigate or examine something | The authorities will look into the matter. |
| Get out | To leave or exit from a place | Let’s get out of here before it starts raining. |
| Show up | To arrive or appear at a place or event | She didn’t show up for the meeting. |
| Carry on | To continue doing something | Despite the difficulties, they decided to carry on. |
| Make out | To understand or perceive something | It’s hard to make out what he’s saying from a distance. |
| Stand for | To represent or symbolize something | The initials NASA stand for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. |
| Break up | To end a relationship or disperse | The initials NASA stand for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. |
