ZERO CONDITIONAL

FORM
In zero conditional sentences, the tense in both parts of the sentence is the simple
present.

If clause (condition) Main clause (result)

If + simple present simple present

If this thing happens that thing happens.

As in all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses is not fixed. You may have to
rearrange the pronouns and adjust punctuation when you change the order of the
clauses, but the meaning is identical. In zero conditional sentences, you can replace "if"
with "when", because both express general truths. The meaning will be unchanged.

EXAMPLES

 If you heat ice, it melts.

 Ice melts if you heat it.
 When you heat ice, it melts.
 Ice melts when you heat it.
 If it rains, the grass gets wet.
 The grass gets wet if it rains.
 When it rains, the grass gets wet.
 The grass gets wet when it rains.

FUNCTION
The zero conditional is used to make statements about the real world, and often refers
to general truths, such as scientific facts. In these sentences, the time is now or
always and the situation is real and possible.

EXAMPLES

 If you freeze water, it becomes a solid.

 Plants die if they don't get enough water.
 If my husband has a cold, I usually catch it.
 If public transport is efficient, people stop using their cars.
 If you mix red and blue, you get purple.
 The zero conditional is also often used to give instructions, using the imperative in the
main clause.

EXAMPLES

 If Bill phones, tell him to meet me at the cinema.

 Ask Pete if you're not sure what to do.
 If you want to come, call me before 5:00.
 Meet me here if we get separated.

TONGUE TWISTERS IN ENGLISH

A sentence or series of words that is hard to say correctly is called a tongue twister in
English. Children love tongue twisters and challenge their friends to try to say them fast
several times in row. For English learners, tongue twisters are a fun way to work on one
or two sounds at a time to get the pronunciation just right. Start by saying the tongue
twister slowly, then try to speed up. Once you can say a tongue twister through, try to
say it twice or three times in a row for a bigger challenge.

Tongue twister Sounds/words Difficulty

emphasized (for a
native
speaker)

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could wood & chuck Easy
chuck wood? (means: throw)

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. How many pickled p Easy
peppers did Peter Piper pick?

Can you can a can as a canner can can a can? can Easy

Frivolously fanciful Fannie fried fresh fish furiously f Easy

To begin to toboggan first buy a toboggan, but don't buy too big a b&t Easy
toboggan. Too big a toboggan is too big a toboggan to buy to begin
to toboggan.

She saw Sharif's shoes on the sofa. But was she so sure those s & sh Easy
were Sharif's shoes she saw?
Tongue twister Sounds/words Difficulty
emphasized (for a
native
speaker)

Give papa a cup of proper coffe in a copper coffe cup. c&p Medium

Black background, brown background b Medium

Seventy-seven benevolent elephants l&v Medium

The chic Sikh's sixty-sixth sheep is sick s&k Medium

A loyal warrior will rarely worry why we rule. l&r Medium

A pessemistic pest exists amidst us. s & st Medium

Drew Dodd's dad's dog's dead. d Medium

Which witch switched the Swiss wristwatches? w, s & ch Hard

She sells seashells by the seashore. s & sh Hard

ENGLISH IDIOMS

English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English.
They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because idioms don't
always make sense literally, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and
usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun,
especially when you compare English idioms to the idioms in your own language.

Learning to use common idioms and expressions will make your English sound more
native, so it's a good idea to master some of these expressions. The tables below are
organized by how common the idioms are in American English. You can start by
learning the very common English idioms, since these are the ones you'll encounter
regularly watching American movies or TV, or visiting the United States. When you've
mastered those, move on to rest. None of the idioms on this page are unusual or old
fashioned, so you can be confident using any of them with native English speakers from
all English-speaking countries.

THE MOST COMMON ENGLISH IDIOMS

These English idioms are extremely common in everyday conversation in the United
States. You will hear them in movies and TV shows and can use them to make your
English sound more like that of a native speaker.

Idiom Meaning

A blessing in disguise a good thing that seemed bad at first

A dime a dozen Something common

Beat around the bush Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is
uncomfortable

Better late than never Better to arrive late than not to come at all

Bite the bullet To get something over with because it is inevitable

Break a leg Good luck

Call it a day Stop working on something

Cut somebody some slack Don't be so critical

Cutting corners Doing something poorly in order to save time or money

Idiom Meaning

Easy does it Slow down

Get out of hand Get out of control

Get something out of your system Do the thing you've been wanting to do so you can move on

Get your act together Work better or leave

Give someone the benefit of the doubt Trust what someone says

Go back to the drawing board Start over

Hang in there Don't give up

Hit the sack Go to sleep

It's not rocket science It's not complicated

Let someone off the hook To not hold someone responsible for something

Make a long story short Tell something briefly

Miss the boat It's too late

No pain, no gain You have to work for what you want

Idiom Meaning

On the ball Doing a good job

Pull someone's leg To joke with someone

Pull yourself together Calm down

So far so good Things are going well so far

Speak of the devil The person we were just talking about showed up!

That's the last straw My patience has run out

The best of both worlds An ideal situation

Time flies when you're having fun You don't notice how long something lasts when it's fun

To get bent out of shape To get upset

To make matters worse Make a problem worse

Under the weather Sick

We'll cross that bridge when we come Let's not talk about that problem right now
to it

Wrap your head around something Understand something complicated

 Idiom Meaning

You can say that again That's true, I agree

Your guess is as good as mine I have no idea

COMMON ENGLISH IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS

These English idioms are used quite regularly in the United States. You may not hear
them every day, but they will be very familiar to any native English speaker. You can be
confident using any of them when the context is appropriate.

Idiom Meaning Usage

A bird in the hand is worth two in the What you have is worth more by itself
bush than what you might have later

A penny for your thoughts Tell me what you're thinking by itself

A penny saved is a penny earned Money you save today you can by itself
spend later

A perfect storm the worst possible situation as part of a

sentence

A picture is worth 1000 words Better to show than tell by itself

Actions speak louder than words Believe what people do and not by itself
what they say

Add insult to injury To make a bad situation worse as part of a

sentence

Barking up the wrong tree To be mistaken, to be looking for as part of a

solutions in the wrong place sentence
Idiom Meaning Usage

Birds of a feather flock together People who are alike are often by itself
friends (usually used negatively)

Bite off more than you can chew Take on a project that you cannot as part of a
finish sentence

Break the ice Make people feel more as part of a

comfortable sentence

By the skin of your teeth Just barely as part of a

sentence

Comparing apples to oranges Comparing two things that cannot as part of a

be compared sentence

Costs an arm and a leg Very expensive as part of a

sentence

Do something at the drop of a hat Do something without having as part of a

planned beforehand sentence

Do unto others as you would have Treat people fairly. Also known by itself
them do unto you as "The Golden Rule"

Don't count your chickens before they Don't count on something good by itself
hatch happening until it's happened.

Don't cry over spilt milk There's no reason to complain by itself

about something that can't be
fixed

Don't give up your day job You're not very good at this by itself

Don't put all your eggs in one basket What you're doing is too risky by itself
Idiom Meaning Usage

Every cloud has a silver lining Good things come after bad by itself
things

Get a taste of your own medicine Get treated the way you've been as part of a
treating others (negative) sentence

Give someone the cold shoulder Ignore someone as part of a

sentence

Go on a wild goose chase To do something pointless as part of a

sentence

Good things come to those who wait Be patient by itself

He has bigger fish to fry He has bigger things to take care by itself
of than what we are talking about
now

He's a chip off the old block The son is like the father by itself

Hit the nail on the head Get something exactly right by itself

Ignorance is bliss You're better off not knowing by itself

It ain't over till the fat lady sings This isn't over yet by itself

It takes one to know one You're just as bad as I am by itself

It's a piece of cake It's easy by itself

It's raining cats and dogs It's raining hard by itself

Idiom Meaning Usage

Kill two birds with one stone Get two things done with a single by itself
action

Let the cat out of the bag Give away a secret as part of a
sentence

Live and learn I made a mistake by itself

Look before you leap Take only calculated risks by itself

On thin ice On probation. If you make as part of a

another mistake, there will be sentence
trouble.

Once in a blue moon Rarely as part of a

sentence

Play devil's advocate To argue the opposite, just for the as part of a
sake of argument sentence

Put something on ice Put a projet on hold as part of a

sentence

Rain on someone's parade To spoil something as part of a

sentence

Saving for a rainy day Saving money for later as part of a

sentence

Slow and steady wins the race Reliability is more important than by itself
speed

Spill the beans Give away a secret as part of a

sentence
Idiom Meaning Usage

Take a rain check Postpone a plan as part of a

sentence

Take it with a grain of salt Don’t take it too seriously as part of a

sentence

The ball is in your court It's your decision by itself

The best thing since sliced bread A really good invention as part of a
sentence

The devil is in the details It looks good from a distance, but by itself
when you look closer, there are
problems

The early bird gets the worm The first people who arrive will by itself
get the best stuff

The elephant in the room The big issue, the problem as part of a
people are avoiding sentence

The whole nine yards Everything, all the way. as part of a

sentence

There are other fish in the sea It's ok to miss this opportunity. by itself
Others will arise.

There's a method to his madness He seems crazy but actually he's by itself
clever

There's no such thing as a free lunch Nothing is entirely free by itself

Throw caution to the wind Take a risk as part of a

sentence
 Idiom Meaning Usage

You can't have your cake and eat it too You can't have everything by itself

You can't judge a book by its cover This person or thing may look by itself
bad, but it's good inside

FAMILIAR ENGLISH IDIOMS & PROVERBS

These English idioms and proverbs are familiar and easily understood by native English
speakers, but they are not usually used in everyday conversation. If you haven't
mastered the more frequent idioms yet, they are a better place to start, but if you're
already familiar with those expressions, the idioms below will further spice up your
English.

Idiom Meaning Usage

A little learning is a dangerous thing People who don't understand something fully by itself
are dangerous

A snowball effect Events have momentum and build upon each as part of a
other sentence

A snowball's chance in hell No chance at all as part of a

sentence

A stitch in time saves nine Fix the problem now because it will get worse by itself
later

A storm in a teacup A big fuss about a small problem as part of a

sentence

An apple a day keeps the doctor away Apples are good for you by itself

An ounce of prevention is worth a You can prevent a problem with little effort. by itself
pound of cure Fixing it later is harder.
Idiom Meaning Usage

As right as rain Perfect as part of a

sentence

Bolt from the blue Something that happened without warning as part of a
sentence

Burn bridges Destroy relationships as part of a

sentence

Calm before the storm Something bad is coming, but right now it's as part of a
calm sentence

Come rain or shine No matter what as part of a

sentence

Curiosity killed the cat Stop asking questions by itself

Cut the mustard Do a good job as part of a

sentence

Don't beat a dead horse Move on, this subject is over by itself

Every dog has his day Everyone gets a chance at least once by itself

Familiarity breeds contempt The better you know someone the less you by itself
like him

Fit as a fiddle In good health as part of a

sentence

Fortune favours the bold Take risks by itself

Get a second wind Have more energy after having been tired as part of a
sentence
Idiom Meaning Usage

Get wind of something Hear news of something secret as part of a

sentence

Go down in flames Fail spectacularly as part of a

sentence

Haste makes waste You'll make mistakes if you rush through by itself
something

Have your head in the clouds Not be concentrating as part of a

sentence

He who laughs last laughs loudest I'll get you back for what you did by itself

Hear something straight from the Hear something from the person involved as part of a
horse's mouth sentence

He's not playing with a full deck He's dumb by itself

He's off his rocker He's crazy by itself

He's sitting on the fence He can't make up his mind by itself

It is a poor workman who blames his If you can't do the job, don't blame it on by itself
tools others

It is always darkest before the dawn Things are going to get better by itself

It takes two to tango One person alone isn't responsible. Both by itself
people are involved.

Jump on the bandwagon Follow a trend, do what everyone else is as part of a

doing sentence
Idiom Meaning Usage

Know which way the wind is blowing Understand the situation (usually negative) as part of a
sentence

Leave no stone unturned Look everywhere as part of a

sentence

Let sleeping dogs lie Stop discussing an issue as part of a

sentence

Like riding a bicycle Something you never forget how to do as part of a

sentence

Like two peas in a pod They're always together as part of a

sentence

Make hay while the sun shines Take advantage of a good situation as part of a
sentence

On cloud nine Very happy as part of a

sentence

Once bitten, twice shy You're more cautious when you've been hurt by itself
before

Out of the frying pan and into the fire Things are going from bad to worse by itself

Run like the wind Run fast as part of a

sentence

Shape up or ship out Work better or leave by itself

Snowed under Busy as part of a

sentence
Idiom Meaning Usage

That ship has sailed It's too late by itself

The pot calling the kettle black Someone criticizing someone else he is just as part of a
as bad sentence

There are clouds on the horizon Trouble is coming by itself

Those who live in glass houses People who are morally questionable by itself
shouldn't throw stones shouldn't criticize others

Through thick and thin In good times and in bad times as part of a
sentence

Time is money Work quickly by itself

Waste not, want not Don't waste things and you'll always have by itself
enough

We see eye to eye We agree by itself

Weather the storm Go through something difficult as part of a

sentence

Well begun is half done Getting a good start is important by itself

When it rains it pours Everything is going wrong at once by itself

You can catch more flies with honey You'll get what you want by being nice by itself
than you can with vinegar

You can lead a horse to water, but you You can't force someone to make the right by itself
can't make him drink decision
Idiom Meaning Usage

You can't make an omelet without There's always a cost to doing something by itself
breaking some eggs