Pep Talk India

There are several idiomatic expressions in the English language that use units of measurement to describe different things figuratively or to make an observation. A commonly used word in such idioms is ‘inch’. If you want to be amazed that how many ways can inch be used in idioms, then read on! 8. Every inch a (something) To ‘be every inch a (something)’ or ‘every inch the (something) is to resemble or embody a stereotypical look or trait to nearly an exact match.     E.g. Once he got into his new Armani suit, he looked every inch a Hollywood starlet 7. Within an inch of (one’s) life This means to beat someone so severely that the person comes very close (within an inch, figuratively) to death. E.g. The rioters beat up the man so badly that he within an inch of his life at the hospital. 6. To move by inches/inch by inch This means to move or progress very slowly, either physically or in a task. E.g. Rahul’s project moved inch by inch and his...

Learning English can be a deeply satisfying experience both intellectually and professionally. When you learn English, new avenues open for job opportunities, you becomes more aware of the social and cultural identities of people around the world and how the English language has become the facilitator of communication among people in different countries.  However, there are also some pitfalls of learning the language as you find it increasingly difficult to pronounce the words in the correct manner. There are many factors to this, with mother tongue influence being a leading cause among people in the eastern states of Bihar and U.P., where there is a tendency to utter ‘sh’ as ‘s’. There are different ways through which you can improve your English pronunciation. There is no short cut and you will have to work diligently on these steps for an extended duration of time to witness long-term gains. Here are some recommended ways: 1. Record Yourself Speaking English...

We need to communicate with people almost on a daily basis. There can be different situations- formal or casual, that require us to convey our message to the other person in a sophisticated manner. Using communication idioms can make you sound slick and smooth, while also helping you to get your point across effectively. Here are 10 such idioms (the ones that indicate miscommunication are also included) that you can use in your daily conversations: 1) Get hold/ahold of To get hold of ahold of someone means to get in touch with them or contact them, usually by phone. E.g. I need to get hold of Rohit to tell him that his class has been postponed to tomorrow. 2) Drop me a line When you drop someone a line it mean to contact a person. This can be done through e-mail or phone. E.g. I am looking for new job opportunities. Please drop me a line if there are any good openings in your company. 3) Keep me posted To keep someone posted means to keep that person updat...