摘要:You are burning the candle at both ends when you are working long hours without resting. Example: "Would you like to go to a party tonight?" Reply: "I can't. I'm way too tired. I've been burning[阅读全文]

摘要:You are "burning the midnight oil" when you are working hard late into the night. Example: "I could see the light in your window last night. It looks like you have been burning the midnight oil."[阅读全文]

摘要:When you force your way in, sometimes by breaking something, you are breaking in. Example: "They broke in to my apartment when I was gone, and they took everything!" To break in is also to interrupt[阅读全文]

摘要:To take on a responsibility which is too large for you to manage is biting off more than you can chew. Example: "I thought I could finish this report within a month, but I bit off more than I could c[阅读全文]

摘要:You are "beating around the bush" when you talk about things indirectly, not stating exactly what you mean. Example: "Why don't you just come out and say what you want to say? Stop beating around[阅读全文]

摘要:You are beating a dead horse when you insist on talking about something that cannot be changed. Example: "I'd like to talk with you again about what happened." Reply: "Oh, come on. Let's not beat[阅读全文]

摘要:When you are looking for something that is not where you are looking, you are "barking up the wrong tree." Example: "I know you think I stole your umbrella. But really, I don't have it. You are ba[阅读全文]

摘要:When the project you are working on fails, and you have to start again, you go back to the drawing board. Example: "It looks like my plan to kill the weeds in the garden has failed. Back to the drawi[阅读全文]

摘要:Only 14 of the world's 1,011 billionaires are women who made their own money rather than inherited all or part of it. It is a small but impressive group that includes Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling and[阅读全文]

摘要:A person whose vision is very poor is as blind as a bat. Example: "Without his glasses, my dad is as blind as a bat." Bats are animals whose visions is very poor in the daytime. They use sound to fl[阅读全文]

摘要:Two people next to each other with their arms locked together are arm in arm. Example: "Look at all the happy couples here, walking arm in arm." You slip your arm beneath the arm of the other person[阅读全文]

摘要:You have "an axe to grind" with someone when you are angry with that person and you plan to confront them. Example: "Tell your brother that I have an axe to grind with him!" Saying you have "an a[阅读全文]

摘要:People who are all in the same boat must work as a team because they face the same challenges together. Example: "We can't fight against each other. We need to work together. We're all in the same[阅读全文]

摘要:You go against the grain when you make life more difficult by acting against the wishes of others. Example: "Why can't you just do it the way everyone else does? Why do you always have to go against[阅读全文]

摘要:You are working against the clock when you are trying to finish your work within a limited amount of time. Example: "We worked against the clock all day to get that report done by five." You often c[阅读全文]

摘要:No.1   Priority is given to spoken language. No.2   Focus is on synchronic study of language, rather than on diachronic study of language. No.3   Modern linguistics is descriptive ra[阅读全文]

摘要:Parts of a Business Letter Date The date line is used to indicate the date the letter was written. However, if your letter is completed over a number of days, use the date it was finished in the date[阅读全文]

摘要:In the June 2010 "Inquiring Writer" column, two readers wanted to know if they could use song lyrics or titles, or quotes from famous people in their writing, whether they'd need permission and if[阅读全文]

摘要:Many writers and readers are familiar with romances written with a touch of fantasy, futurism, or a paranormal theme. Writing across genres is becoming more and more popular as writers are branching o[阅读全文]

摘要:memoir sharp vital[阅读全文]