[@english books new] Essential Idioms in English (Elementary
i n t i m e t o ( d o s o m e t h i n g ) : before the time necessary to do something
- We entered the theater just in time to see the beginning of the movie.
- The truck was not able to stop in time to prevent an accident.
t o g e t b e t t e r ( w o r s e , e t c . ) : to become better, worse, etc.
- Heather has been sick for a month, but now she is getting better.
- This medicine isn't helping me. Instead of getting better, I'm getting worse.
t o g e t s i c k ( w e l l , t i r e d , b u s y , w e t , etc.) : to become sick, well, tired, busy, wet, etc.
This idiom consists of a combination of get and various adjectives.
- Gerald got sick last week and has been in bed since that time.
- Every afternoon I get very hungry, so I eat a snack.
had better (d o s o m e t h i n g ) : should, ought to, be advisable to
This idiom is most often used in contracted form (I'd better).
- I think you'd better speak to Mr. White right away about this matter.
- The doctor told the patient that he'd better go home and rest.
w o u l d r a t h e r ( d o s o m e t h i n g ) : prefer to (also: w o u l d j u s t a s s o o n ( d o s o m e t h i n g ) a s ( d o s o m e t h i n g e l s e ) ) - Would you rather have the appointment this Friday or next Monday?
- I would just as soon go for a walk as watch TV right now.
t o c a l l i t a d a y / n i g h t : to stop working for the rest of the day/ night
- Herb tried to repair his car engine all morning before he called it a day and went fishing.
- We've been working hard on this project all evening; let's call it a night.
t o f i g u r e o u t : to solve, to find a solution (S); to understand (S)
- How long did it take you to figure out the answer to the math problem?
- I was never able to figure it out.