STATEMENTS Flashcards
Before you know it, he’ll be all grown up.
You are seeing your friend’s son, who you haven’t seen in several years. He is a lot bigger now than the last time you saw him. You are amazed at how quickly he seems to have grown. You say this to your friend.
Before you know it, he’ll be all grown up.
before you know it
This phrase means “quickly”. You can think of something happening so quickly that it finishes before you notice that it’s happening. It’s usually used to describe time lengths of months or years that pass by quickly:
Before you know it, you’ll be finished with school and ready to find a job.
Summer will be over before you know it.
In the example above, the speaker is saying that the child is growing up quickly and his parents will be surprised at how quickly he becomes an adult.
(be) all grown up
“Grown up” means “adult”. But the phrase “grown up” is usually used when you’re talking to, or talking about, kids. For example, one of the most common questions to ask children is:
What do you want to be when you grow up?
This means “What kind of job do you want to have when you become an adult?”
The phrase “all grown up” sounds even more cute and child-like than “grown up”. So if you said to a 19-year-old who you haven’t seen in several years:
Look at you! You’re all grown up!
it would probably be meant as a joke, because you’re talking to him as if he were a child. The 19-year-old probably wouldn’t think it was that funny.
Not to mention, there are always new devices coming out
You work at a company that’s starting to build applications for tablet computers and phones. You and a group of colleagues are discussing whether to design one layout for all different devices, or separate layouts for each. You just gave one reason why it’s better to just use one layout. Now you give another.
Not to mention, there are always new devices coming out.
(a product) comes out
When a product starts to be sold, you say that it “came out”. Use this to talk about electronics, books, movies, and so on.
I remember when the Playstation first came out, it was the most awesome video game system I had ever seen.
The Lost Season 6 DVD is coming out in a couple weeks.
After something “comes out”, you can then say that it is out:
Is the new Will Ferrell movie out yet?
It’s been out for a few weeks.
not to mention (something)
Use “not to mention ___” when you’re listing reasons or excuses. It marks things that are kind of “extra” items on the list.
For example, in this sentence:
Smoking is a nasty habit – bad for your health, expensive, not to mention the odor.
…the speaker gave two good reasons why smoking is a bad habit: it’s bad for your health and expensive. The bad odor that cigarette smoke leaves is another reason, but it’s not as strong of a reason as the first two. So the speaker adds that to the list with “not to mention”.
The costs, not to mention the risks, of transporting the telescope to and from space would have been excessive.
You can follow “not to mention” with a noun like in the examples above. You can also follow it with a sentence or clause:
It’s so much easier to order something than to spend all that time going to the grocery store, cooking, washing dishes. Not to mention I’m not that good of a cook to begin with.
(electronic) devices
“Electronic devices” are machines that use batteries such as laptop computers, phones, tablets, portable video games, and so on.
You can also use the word “device” by itself to talk about any machine:
I saw this device on TV that chops tomatoes perfectly in just a few seconds.
But more and more, “device” by itself specifically means a mobile phone or tablet computer:
I heard that they’re releasing a new device at the end of this month.
She’d never even held a gun before, much less shot one.
You went hunting with your girlfriend. It was her first experience with hunting. Now you’re telling some of your friends the story of your trip, and you describe your girlfriend’s lack of experience.
She’d never even held a gun before, much less shot one.
(someone) had never (done something)
You’re telling a story about something that happened in the past. You want to talk about someone’s experiences before that time. In that case, you use “had ___” or “had never ___”:
We went to a Korean restaurant downtown. I think he’d been there before, but I’d never even heard of it.
Remember that these phrases mean that something happened before a certain point in the past that you’ve mentioned. If you just want to talk about someone’s past experiences, use “have ___” or “haven’t ___”:
We’re going to a Korean restaurant downtown. I think he’s been there before, but I’ve never even heard of it.
not (something), much less (something else)
This is an expression that you use to emphasize how little of something that there is. For example:
I’m not even supposed to be talking to you, much less helping you.
This means that the speaker shouldn’t talk to the listener. Helping the listener is even less acceptable than talking to her.
Another example:
The town I grew up in doesn’t even have a grocery store, much less a shopping mall.
If the town is so small that it doesn’t have a grocery store, it’s certainly not possible for it to have a shopping mall.
shoot (a gun)
You can “shoot” something, like a target, an animal, an enemy, etc:
Oh my God! Someone shot him!
But you can also “shoot” a gun:
I’ve shot rifles and shotguns, but I’ve never shot a pistol.
Another word to use in this situation is “fire”:
No, I’ve never fired a gun in my life!
Sure, take your time
You’re out clothes shopping with your girlfriend. You are waiting while she tries on clothes. She asks if it’s OK to try on a few more things. This is how you answer her.
Sure, take your time.
Sure
“Sure” means “yes”.
A: Hey, can you help me with this?
B: Sure.
But “sure” is more casual than “yes”.
If you just answer “yes” to a question, it can sound as if you are angry:
A: Hey, can you help me with this?
B: Yes.
A: Uh… Are you annoyed or something?
“Sure” is similar to “of course”. Both suggest that it’s obvious and expected for the answer to be “yes”.
A: Will you come to my graduation?
B: Of course!
“Of course” is a stronger response and more positive response than “sure”.
take (someone’s) time
To “take your time” means to do something slowly and carefully. You tell someone “Take your time” when you don’t want them to feel rushed:
A: I’ll be done in just a minute.
B: No rush. Take your time.
“Take your time” is OK to use in almost any situation.
I can’t control myself when it comes to chocolate
You’re supposed to be on a diet. Someone offers you a chocolate brownie, and you take it. This is how you explain your lack of will power.
I can’t control myself when it comes to chocolate.
(someone) can’t control (themselves)
When you “can’t control yourself”, it means that you act based on your feelings instead of your thoughts. You can use this phrase to talk about doing something that you shouldn’t do:
When he said that, I couldn’t control myself. I jumped forward and punched him right in his face.
But you can also talk about something positive:
When I hear that kind of music, I can’t control myself. I have to dance!
when it comes to (something)
Saying “when it comes to ___” is a way to limit the topic of your sentence. For example:
James is a genius when it comes to computers.
This means that James is very smart, but specifically on the topic of computers. On other topics, James might be smart or maybe not.
“When it comes to ___” can go at the beginning of a sentence or at the end:
When it comes to eating, nobody beats Mako!
I’m pretty much worthless when it comes to computers
I can’t believe someone would do such a thing.
Someone stole some money from your coworker’s purse when she left it on the desk in her office. She tells you about this. In disbelief, you say this.
I can’t believe someone would do such a thing.
I can’t believe (someone) would (do something)!
When someone who you like and respect does something bad that surprises you, you use this phrase. For example, if your husband yells and says something mean to your sister, you would tell him:
I can’t believe you would say that to her!
In that situation, you can also say:
I can’t believe you said that!
But there is a small difference between the two. “I can’t believe you would ___” sounds more surprised and hurt.
You can also use “I can’t believe you (did something)” for a surprising positive action. For example, if your wife bought you a really amazing and expensive birthday gift, you could say:
I can’t believe you got me a motorcycle!
If you said “I can’t believe you would get me a motorcycle”, it would definitely sound like you were angry at her.
such a thing
“Such a thing” means “a thing like that”. It’s mostly used in two totally different situations. One is in sentences like the one at top. Another example:
How could you do such a thing?
This is a sentence that you say when someone does something horrible to you.
The other situation where “such a thing” is used is in the expression “There is such a thing as ___”:
Is there such a thing as love at first sight?
This means “Does love at first sight exist?” or “Is it real?”
The negative version of this is “there’s no such thing”. Notice that it doesn’t include “a” before “thing”:
I remember being really disappointed when I found out there was no such thing as Santa Claus.
It’s nice to have you back
You took off work for 6 weeks for maternity leave. You returned to work this week. You’re making small talk with a coworker, and she tells you “It’s nice to have you back.” You want to respond politely, so you say this.
It’s nice to be back.
It’s nice to be back.
“It’s nice to be back” is a set expression that people use when they return to somewhere.
In the sentence above, the speaker stresses the word “be”. That’s because “It’s nice to have you back” is almost the same sentence. The only word that’s different in the response is “be”. In English, when you repeat a phrase or sentence, you usually stress the words that are different. Another example:
A: “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”
B: “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
In this example, you emphasize “you” in the second sentence. Even though the word is the same in both sentences, they’re referring to different people. When Person A say “you”, he means Person B. When Person B says “you”, he means Person A. So “you” is stressed in the second sentence.
Well, it’s nice to have you back.”
Your coworker took off work for 6 weeks for maternity leave. She returned to work this week, and you just saw her and talked to her for the first time. You say this, finishing your small talk.
Well, it’s nice to have you back.
Well
There are several uses for the word “well”. One important use is to show that you are ready to finish a conversation. The end of a conversation might go something like this:
A: Well, I look forward to working with you.
B: Yeah, me too.
A: See you around.
B: Bye.
Some other examples of “well” used to end a conversation are:
Well, it’s nice to have you back.
OK. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you.
It’s nice to have you back.
This is a set expression that people say when someone returns to work from a vacation, sickness, etc.
People also use “good” and “great” instead of “nice”:
It’s great to have you back!
If someone doesn’t usually work with you, but they are with you now, you can say a similar phrase:
It’s nice to have you here.
WHATEVER
Use the word “whatever” when you’re annoyed by what someone has said but don’t want to continue arguing with them. It sort of means “I don’t agree with you, but I’m not going to talk about it any more.” For example:
A: You were so rude to me.
B: No I wasn’t!
A: Yes you were. How can you possibly deny it?
B: Whatever.
This phrase can be pretty rude depending on your tone of voice and who you’re saying it to.
All right, whatever. Suit yourself.
You invited your close friend to go out to a bar with you. He said that he didn’t want to go because he’s depressed about breaking up with his girlfriend. You’re annoyed that he won’t go, so you say this.
All right, whatever. Suit yourself.
All right
This is a casual phrase that means “OK”.
whatever
Use the word “whatever” when you’re annoyed by what someone has said but don’t want to continue arguing with them. It sort of means “I don’t agree with you, but I’m not going to talk about it any more.” For example:
A: You were so rude to me.
B: No I wasn’t!
A: Yes you were. How can you possibly deny it?
B: Whatever.
This phrase can be pretty rude depending on your tone of voice and who you’re saying it to.
Suit yourself.
Tell someone “Suit yourself” when:
you’ve tried to offer them something but they won’t accept it
you’ve tried to convince them of something, but they don’t agree
“Suit yourself” means “I think you’re making a bad choice, but do whatever you want.” Here’s an example:
A: Why don’t you let me carry some of those bags for you?
B: No, I’ve got it.
A: OK, suit yourself.
“Suit yourself” sounds a little annoyed, but not too rude
Yeah, whatever.
A: You’re really talented.
B: Yeah, whatever.
A: No, I really mean it!
You look great. I mean it; you really do.
Dear Aaron,
what does “Yeah, whatever.” mean in the example above?
Aaron @ PhraseMix Mod Mohsen • 3 days ago
It really means “I don’t believe you.”
