Posts by Ethan

Whether discussing race, gender, or religion, this week’s expression is quite commonly used to describe the actions of politicians. This week’s expression is play that card. Play that Card The most common way this expression is used is by inserting a word describing the ‘card’ being played: Play the ___ card. Often if you are quarreling about something,…

This week’s expression is an interesting one! Why? Because, depending on the context, you might be talking about success in the office or success in the bedroom! This week’s expression is Seal the Deal. Expression Breakdown: Seal the deal’s original meaning is to come to an agreement, to close a deal. The etymology of this would…

One of the biggest concerns of English learners everywhere is how to practice speaking. It’s easy to obtain access to resources to improve our listening, reading, grammar, and writing. However, speaking seems to be the most elusive aspect of learning the language for those of us that can’t afford to work or study in another…

Have you ever been called a geek, a nerd, weird, a freak, too tall, too short…? Then guess what? Someone was putting a label on you! This week’s expression is Put a label on someone. Expression Breakdown: There are several different ways that we can use the world label. A label is a tag or piece of paper…

Have you ever been between a rock and a hard place? Under a lot of pressure, not exactly sure what to do… Like you just couldn’t find a way out? This week’s expression is Between a rock and a hard place. Expression Breakdown: We often use this expression when we have to make a difficult decision,…

Do you ever just not have a great day or week? Maybe it’s just not enough sleep, or being overwhelmed by family, or a big upcoming event like a wedding… and you’re just left feeling out of sorts. This week’s expression is Out of Sorts. Expression Breakdown: Out of sorts means that you don’t quite…

Aww yeah, it’s time for another kick ass episode of RealLife Radio! We have a very special episode this week for you TV lovers out there. We talk about catchphrases from many of our favorite shows, like Friends, the Simpsons, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, and more! This is an episode you can’t miss!…

For the majority of exceptionally fluent English speakers I meet, the most fun, enriching, and effective way to learn English is through watching TV series. In fact, it’s surprisingly common to hear that people learn significantly more English from TV, movies, and videos than all traditional methods combined (For example: English courses, textbooks, and even study…

Do you love animals, but sometimes have problems remembering all their names in English? There are a ton of types of animals, some unique to specific countries, so to help you out in learning all of their names, our friends at Kaplan International have shared this amazing infographic to help you learn and memorize all…

For those of you who do not follow RealLife Radio, you might be unaware that Justin, Chad and I moved to Santiago, Chile in November (learn more about this exciting news here). A little over a year ago, I started learning Catalan while living in Barcelona. I really love this language, and in Barcelona I…