Idiom: All ears

in Idioms

The full version of this idiom is ‘being all ears‘ and it is often used in conversation. Have you come across it before?

See if you can guess the meaning from the following dialogue…

all-ears

Tim: Mike, I’ve got some good news to tell you.
Mike: Go on. I’m all ears.
Tim: I just heard that we’ll have a holiday tomorrow.
Mike: That’s great news!

In this situation, Mike is telling Tim that he’s ready to listen to what Tim is going to tell him. In other words, you can use it to express the idea that you have now started to pay attention to what the other person is going to say.

Photo Credit: Agastecheg

We’ll now look at some examples for using the ‘all ears’ idiom.

1. Children, I want you to be all ears to what I’m about to say, because it’s really important.
2. When it comes to money, Jerry is all ears.

Conversation example
Sandy: Toni, I’ve got some news about Mary.
Toni: About Mary? Tell me, I’m all ears.
Sandy: When Mary came running yesterday with a big grin on her face, I was all ears. You know, I could tell she was about to tell us something big.  Then she surprised us all by saying that she’s getting married!
Toni: Wow! It’s fantastic news, but I still can’t believe it. Is she getting married soon?
Sandy: Yes.  Next month in Hawaii!
Toni: Oh, I’m so happy for her.

Now it’s your turn to think of some examples for this idiom…good luck!

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‘The case for using small, old words in conversation’

in Vocabulary

small-wordsStudents of spoken English often wish for a more complex vocabulary, believing that by using long words in their conversation, others might consider them as being ‘well educated’, and perhaps even a little ‘intelligent’.

Maybe this is true with certain people, but we would like you to consider the argument for striving for ‘simplicity’ and ‘ease of understanding’.

Getting others to understand your ideas, thoughts and feelings is not an easy thing to do; even for native speakers.  By keeping things simple, clear and precise, we encourage greater understanding.

Here’s a quote from the chapter ‘The Case for Short Words’ from Richard Lederer’s book ‘The Miracle of Language’ (page 34).  It gives us some good advice:
“Here is a sound rule: Use small, old words where you can.  If a long word says just what you want to say, do not fear to use it.  But know that our tongue (spoken English) is rich in crisp, brisk, swift, short words.  Make them the spine and the heart of what you speak and write.  Short words are like fast friends.  They will not let you down.”

When considering ‘keywords’ that best express your ideas, thoughts and feelings, try giving preference to ‘small, old words (well known and commonly used words)’, and strive for better understanding.

Photo Credit:  Sebastian Fissore

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It’s possible that you’ve heard this idiom in the news in recent times… Have you heard it before? If you have heard it before, do you know what it means?

Photo Credit: Sanja Gjenero
We’ll give you an example… see if you can work out the meaning.
“The President elect, Mr. Obama and his new administration team, would [...]

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Out of the blue is a commonly used idiom. Do you know it?
It’s used to describe an event that happened (or is happening) unexpectedly, without warning or preparation.
Photo Credit: Christian Sherratt
Here are some examples:
“Out of the blue, my parents decided to buy me a brand new car for my birthday.  I’m so happy.”
“I hate it [...]

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