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Idioms & Phrasal Verbs Masterclass
The secret to scoring Band 7.0+ in Lexical Resource for the Speaking test.
Essential Idioms by Topic
Work & Enterprise
Perfect for discussing HR, administration, and business operations.
1. Get the ball rolling
To start a process or project.
“We need to get the ball rolling on the new outdoor billboard campaign in Chattogram before the rainy season starts.”
2. Learn the ropes
To learn the basics of a new job or task.
“When I first transitioned from human resources into tech, it took me a few months to truly learn the ropes of web development.”
3. Cut corners
To do something quickly and poorly to save time or money.
“In business, if you cut corners on your advertising strategy, it will ultimately hurt your brand’s reputation.”
4. Call it a day
To stop working on something for the rest of the day.
“Once I finish debugging the JavaScript code for the dashboard, I think I’ll call it a day and relax.”
Academia & Technology
Ideal for discussing your MPhil thesis, coding, and SaaS development.
1. Burn the midnight oil
To work late into the night.
“I’ve been burning the midnight oil lately trying to finalize the first three chapters of my thesis.”
2. Start from scratch
To begin completely from the beginning with no prior advantage.
“The WordPress template completely broke, so I had to write the HTML and CSS and start from scratch.”
3. Wrap my head around (it)
To succeed in understanding something complex.
“Some of the theoretical frameworks regarding low-wage employment were difficult to wrap my head around at first.”
4. Ahead of the curve
To be more advanced or innovative than competitors.
“By building a dedicated Research OS, we are trying to stay ahead of the curve in academic technology.”
Communication & Collaboration
Crucial for questions about teamwork, co-founders, and daily life.
1. On the same page
To have the same understanding or agreement.
“It’s vital that Zar Chi Hlaing and I are on the same page regarding the timeline for the app launch.”
2. Keep (someone) in the loop
To keep someone informed about a developing situation.
“As an administrator, I always made sure to keep my team in the loop whenever corporate policies changed.”
3. Beat around the bush
To avoid talking about the main topic directly.
“When discussing marketing budgets for the billboard sites, I prefer clients not to beat around the bush and just state their limits.”
Life & Challenges
Great for answering personal questions or talking about sports and hobbies.
1. A blessing in disguise
A good thing that initially seemed bad.
“Losing that initial advertising contract was actually a blessing in disguise, as it gave me time to focus on my MPhil.”
2. Under the weather
Feeling slightly ill.
“I had to skip playing sports this weekend because I was feeling a bit under the weather.”
3. Bite the bullet
To force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult.
“Writing the literature review is tedious, but I just have to bite the bullet and get it done.”
High-Frequency Phrasal Verbs
Native speakers use phrasal verbs constantly instead of formal verbs (e.g., saying “set up” instead of “establish”). You must master these.
Managing Projects & Tasks
1. Carry out
To perform or complete a task (Academic substitute for ‘do’).
“I need to carry out extensive research on HR management strategies for my thesis.”
2. Set up
To arrange, organize, or establish something.
“We recently set up a new outdoor billboard in the commercial district of Chattogram.”
3. Follow up
To take further action on something already started.
“After meeting with a potential client, I always make sure to follow up with an email the next day.”
4. Figure out
To understand or solve something.
“It took me a while to figure out how to integrate the JavaScript functionalities into the app.”
Problems & Career Progress
1. Sort out
To resolve a problem or organize something messy.
“There are a few bugs in the WordPress code that I need to sort out before the site goes live.”
2. Branch out
To expand into new areas or interests.
“After years of working in administration, I decided to branch out into web and app development.”
3. Run into
To experience an unexpected problem OR meet someone by chance.
“We ran into a few unexpected technical issues while designing the Research OS.”
4. Knuckle down
To apply oneself seriously to a task.
“With my academic deadlines approaching, I really need to knuckle down and focus on writing.”
Advanced Idioms: Band 8 & 9 Targets
Use these sophisticated idioms to discuss abstract concepts, success, finances, and mental effort.
Success & Achievement
Discussing goals, exams, and career milestones.
1. With flying colors
To pass an exam or complete a task with overwhelming success.
“Thanks to rigorous preparation, I managed to pass my MBA exams with flying colors.”
2. Make a name for oneself
To become famous or respected for doing something well.
“Our enterprise is really trying to make a name for itself in the local outdoor advertising market.”
3. Go the extra mile
To do more than is expected or required.
“When I worked in human resources, I always tried to go the extra mile to ensure employee grievances were truly heard.”
4. A piece of cake
Something that is very easy to do.
“Because I’ve always enjoyed mathematics, calculating the statistical data for my research was a piece of cake.”
Money & Finance
Essential for discussing the economy, shopping, and business.
1. Make ends meet
To have just enough money to pay for basic living expenses.
“My MPhil research investigates how individuals in low-wage employment struggle to make ends meet and how that impacts their mental health.”
2. Cost an arm and a leg
To be extremely expensive.
“Securing prime billboard real estate in a major city center can often cost an arm and a leg.”
3. Break the bank
To use up all one’s money / to be too expensive.
“Building an app doesn’t have to break the bank if you know how to write the code yourself.”
4. Foot the bill
To pay for something, especially something expensive.
“When we travel to meet clients, the enterprise usually foots the bill for the accommodation.”
Time & Deadlines
Perfect for discussing schedules, urgency, and academic pressure.
1. At the eleventh hour
At the very last possible moment.
“I managed to submit the first chapter of my thesis right at the eleventh hour.”
2. Against the clock
Rushed and with very little time remaining.
“My co-founder and I are working against the clock to get the Research OS ready for beta testing.”
3. In the nick of time
Just in time to prevent something bad from happening.
“I noticed a critical bug in the website’s JavaScript in the nick of time, just before we launched.”
4. Once in a blue moon
Very rarely.
“Because I take my sports and fitness seriously, I only eat fast food once in a blue moon.”
Thoughts & Mental Effort
Use these when evaluating opinions or solving complex problems.
1. Bear in mind
To remember or consider a specific fact.
“When designing the user interface, we must bear in mind that academic researchers prefer clean, minimalist layouts.”
2. Food for thought
Something worth thinking seriously about.
“The examiner’s question regarding the future of AI really gave me some food for thought.”
3. Draw a blank
To fail to remember something or to have no ideas.
“I tried to remember the exact CSS styling code, but I completely drew a blank.”
4. Cross my mind
To briefly think of something.
“It did cross my mind to pursue a PhD immediately after my Master’s, but I decided to focus on entrepreneurship first.”
More Phrasal Verbs for Fluent Speech
Communication & Meetings
1. Bring up
To introduce a topic into a conversation.
“During our strategy meeting, I made sure to bring up the new IELTS content we need to publish.”
2. Point out
To draw attention to a specific fact or detail.
“My co-founder Zar Chi Hlaing pointed out a minor flaw in our marketing plan.”
3. Spell out
To explain something very clearly and in detail.
“I had to write a comprehensive guide to spell out exactly how the new WordPress plugin works.”
4. Talk over
To discuss a problem or plan thoroughly.
“Before signing the advertising contract, we sat down to talk over the terms and conditions.”
Research & Information
1. Look into
To investigate or research a subject.
“For my thesis, I am currently looking into the psychological effects of systemic poverty.”
2. Read up on
To gather information by reading about a subject.
“Whenever I want to update my website, I spend hours reading up on the latest SEO strategies.”
3. Jot down
To write something down quickly.
“I always keep a notebook nearby so I can jot down sudden ideas for app features.”
4. Go over
To review or check something carefully.
“Before publishing an article on learndaily.xyz, I always go over it to check for grammatical errors.”
