Expressions are an important way to communicate in English. Simply put, expressions are combinations of words that, together, have a specific meaning.
Having a good English vocabulary means not only knowing a lot of words, but also how to combine words to communicate your ideas. And that's why Expressions are an important part of Plain English.
✅ Ready to go? Explore our full library of Expressions here.
How we teach Expressions
Many English expressions have a simple definition that you can find on the internet in a minute or less.
For example, "get out of hand" means for a situation to be out of control.
But are you comfortable using an English expression just from seeing the definition? If not, you'll want to listen to a Plain English lesson.
When we teach Expressions, we explain the full context of the Expression. We show you exactly how to use it in a sentence. We talk about the many ways the Expression can (and, more importantly, cannot be used).
Instead of simply reading a definition, we tell stories around the Expression, so you can see them in action.
Phrasal verbs
Phrasal verbs are verbs that come paired with a preposition, an adverb, or both. And the combination has a different meaning to the original verb.
For example, "take" means one thing, but "take off" means something completely different.
About half of the Expressions we teach are phrasal verbs.
Where to find them
You can find the Expressions in the Expressions library at PlainEnglish.com.
This includes an alphabetical listing over 700 common English expressions that we have taught:
You can also listen to the free podcast. We discuss an English Expression in the second half of every podcast, after the Story.
What else is included?
Audio & transcripts
We teach Expressions with short audio lessons. Each audio lesson is about 6 to 8 minutes long--just enough for you to thoroughly learn an Expression without getting bored!
The audio is at two speeds: learning speed and full speed. Learning speed goes a little slower, with additional space between each word (perfect for high-beginner and low-intermediate learners). The full speed goes at the speed of a native speaker.
Quiz
Many of our Expressions (and all the new ones we teach) come with a four-question quiz to help you understand.
Writing practice
It's one thing to listen to a lesson. It's another thing to put your learning in practice. Members of our Plus+ membership have the opportunity to write their own sentences using the Expression and get personal feedback to help them improve.