From Beginner to FLUENT: 10 English Phrases You NEED TO KNOW! 🤓 💬🗣️

Hi there. This is Harry and welcome back  to advanced English lessons with Harry,  

where we try to help you to get a better  understanding of the English language,  

whether you're preparing for all important job  interviews or indeed some proficiency exams,  

whatever it is, we're here to help you.  And today's Advanced English Lessons,  

looking at expressions of idioms with  the verb get so idioms with the verb get.

So I've got ten of them as usual. I'll go  through them. I'll give you some examples.

And as always, at the end, if you need to contact  me, I'll give the address for contact purposes.

Okay, let's get on. So the first one is  get real. Okay. And so this is quite a  

modern interpretation of the idiom. Get real. So  somebody uses that when they're telling somebody  

to wise up or to to get into the real world or  not to be living in a fantasy. So you might be  

talking to your friend. He says, you know,  it would be a great idea if I won the lotto.

You know, I'd retire, I'd stop working and I'd  buy that car. I always wanted luxury holidays,  

whatever. And these. Francis Ah, come  on, get real. You don't even buy a  

lotto ticket. So to get real means come  back to reality. Wake up and smell the  

coffee. Somebody say says so to get real,  think and be and live in the real world.

Get real. Second one is get a  life. Now we use this expression  

when somebody perhaps is a workaholic or  they spend all of that time doing things

Others of us might think are a little  bit unusual or a little bit strange. So  

he really needs to get a life. He gets up in  the morning really early. He starts working,  

he goes to the office, he comes home at eight or  nine at night and then quick bite to eat. I need  

to do some other work or he's always on  the phone to somebody connected with work.

He really needs to get a life, meaning  he has to get some balance in his life.

So if somebody is always complaining  about something, no matter what happens,  

whatever the government says, they  complain. Whatever the neighbours do,  

they complain. Whatever is happening in the local  district. It's not good enough. Somebody says,  

Ah, just get a life. Stop complaining. Just get  on with it like the rest of us. So to get life,  

meaning you do what everybody else does.

We just put up with whatever has  to happen. We can't change it.  

So we try to live and have a good,  happy, balanced life. Get a life.

Okay, Now get your act together as the next one.  Okay. So when somebody is perhaps going off the  

rails a little bit, which means that they're  not really focusing on what they should do,  

perhaps they are not focusing on their studies,  They're not focusing on their family. They're not  

focusing on anything really. So somebody said,  look, you really need to get your act together.

If you don't do something, somebody  else will do something. So, for example,  

if you're late continuously for work or you're  leaving the office early and you think nobody  

notices or you know your work isn't up to  scratch, one of your colleagues might pull  

you aside in the coffee break and say, Look, I  think you really need to get your act together.

I've heard rumours from the manager  that he's noticed what you're doing,  

your part-time keeping. So if you don't do  something, they'll sack you or something will  

happen. So you need to get your act together or a  son or daughter who's not really studying so hard,  

spending a lot of time out at nightclubs, as we  say in English, burning the candle at both ends.

They really need to get their act together because  in the last year or two years of university,  

that's when it really counts. And  that's going to make the difference  

between a really good degree and  an average degree, and that might

impact on their ability to get a job. So you tell  them kindly and nicely as a parent would like,  

get your act together and pull your socks  up and make sure that you work hard.

Okay? Get your act together

Next is to get on someone's nerves.  Well, this happens to all of us from  

time to time. Somebody does something  that just really annoys us. It might  

not deny us all the time, but a day when  we're not feeling so good or we're not, as

you're up

bright and early and we're not  really feeling the best and some  

little habit somebody has gets on  our nerves, it really annoys you.

So somebody sitting beside you in the  office who's continuously tapping his  

fingers on the table, that will get on  your nerves. Somebody who continuously  

coughs all the time that would get on your nerves,  

somebody who has just little irritating habits.  They tend to get on your nerves. So, you know,  

you might actually turn around and say,  Look, that's really getting on my nerves.

Could you please stop? So you use the  expression or you go home or that guy is  

really getting on my nerves. I really wish  he would move to another office. You know,  

he's constantly, constantly at  talking out loud, constantly

chatting on his mobile phone. It's  really getting on my nerves. So to get  

on somebody's nerves is to irritate them,  to annoy them with some regular habit.

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Next to get on like a house on fire.  When I explain this to students,  

it's always quite amusing because your  house on fire is not a good thing. You know,  

a house on fire is very dangerous,  particularly if there's anybody in  

at the time. But when people  get on like a house and fire,  

it means they get together and they find a good  connection with each other very, very quickly.

So when a house goes on fire, it usually  goes up, as they say, very quickly. So

start with a small flame. And  then because wood and other

material in the house. The house will

go ablaze very, very quickly. So if you  meet somebody for the first time and you  

really have a good relationship with  them in a very short period of time,  

you will say to your friends, Yeah, we get  on like a house on fire. He's really funny,  

he's smart, he's intelligent. We  have the same sense of humour.

We support the same football team. We like the  same things. Yeah, we get it. We get on like a  

house on fire. Meaning we get on very, very  well. Really, from the very start. Or using  

another English expression from the get-go  from the very beginning. No, no problems, no

sort of awkward moments. We  just get on like a house on fire

Next to get the message. Okay. Well, literally,  to get the message is to receive something,  

an email or in the old-fashioned way, a  letter. Okay. But when we get the message,  

what it means is we understand what somebody is  trying to tell you. So your boss is trying to  

tell you in a subtle way that he really  wants you to work a little bit harder.

He really wants you to get that finger  out. He really wants this contract to  

be won. He really wants the documents to  be finished by a certain date. You say,  

Okay, okay, I get the message. I understand.  Yeah, I'll have it done. It'll be on your  

desk. No problems. I know exactly what's  needed. It'll be all prepared. Ready?

There won't be any problem. So you finally  get the message. Okay. Or with a son or  

daughter who have been causing some problems  by not being so attentive at school. A couple  

of notes from the teachers. Homework not done.  So after a couple of really serious situations  

and you've talked to him or her and you've told  them what's necessary, you notice an improvement  

and you can say to your partner, Well, I  think he or she finally got the message.

They finally understand that this  is serious and life is serious,  

and they have to stop all this  messing about to get the message.

Get your own way. Well, we all like  to feel that we get our own way from  

time to time. Unfortunately, it doesn't  always happen. To get your own way means  

that things are done the way you want  them done. that little fella. He's so  

spoiled. His parents give him anything he  wants. He just has to mourn a little bit.

And he gets that new mobile phone more than  a little bit more. He gets the new bike. He  

always gets his own way. Meaning he gets  what he wants so he knows exactly which  

strings to pull with the parents that  will really get their attention. He's  

an only child and as a result, they  pour everything they have into him.

So he gets his own way, or the brother  or sister who are a little bit annoyed  

that their other brother and  sister always seem to do better

from the parents than they do. Why is  it that Michael always gets his own way?  

When he wanted his own bedroom, he got it.  When he wanted a mobile phone, he got it.

I have to work a bit harder. I  have to promise to do this. I have  

to promise to do that. So all of these petty  jealousies that exist between siblings. Okay,  

so but he always gets his own way. Why is  that the case? So and the answer from the  

parents are usually you're older, you should  understand better. You know, what happens.

So the oldest child always suffers and the  second or the youngest child is the one that  

usually gets all the benefits, the softer  treatment. So to get his or her own way,

get a grip. Well, when we literally get  a grip, we grab something. But when we  

use the expression get a grip means to take control. Okay, Don't lose it.

Okay. So somebody could be ranting and raving.  I don't know about this. This is terrible. And

they go on and on and  on. And somebody says, Listen, come on,  

get a grip. You lose in a choke. You're going  to have a breakdown. Okay. Things have gone a  

little bit badly recently. Something's happened.  Is not quite the way you want it, but get a grip.

Yeah. There's no nobody dying. Yeah,  it's just you need just to take things  

easy. You need to take a little bit  of control. So when you take control,  

you get a grip of the situation. You  get everything back under control,  

and everything can be plain sailing going forward.  Okay, So get a grip is the expression we use when  

we feel somebody is losing control, when we  feel somebody doesn't really know what is  

needed or they're just panicking or they get an  overly excited, okay, come on, just get a grip.

Don't be so excited. Okay. So the son comes  

home from school and he's shouting  and screaming because the teacher

told him off in front of the class. He was  really embarrassed. His homework wasn't up  

to scratch. So he's really in a state. You say,  okay, look, calm down, get a grip. Just tell me  

what happened. If you want me to go and talk to  the teacher, I'll go and talk to the teacher.

But just deep breaths. Take it easy and  let me know what happened. So get a grip

To get the hang of something. Well, when we get  the hang of something, we eventually learn how  

to use or how to do something. Okay. So for many,  many years, I was very, very poor with technology.  

I wasn't really certain as to what it was all  about, how I did this. And I was often afraid to  

click on any sort of button in case everything  fell apart or even disappeared or there.

Letters or e-mails that I had  written would just suddenly  

disappear somewhere. So eventually,  eventually, with a little bit of

coaxing and a little bit of reading and  a little bit of practice, I became better  

and better. Now I consider myself quite  adept at using technology. So eventually,  

eventually I got the hang of it. Okay, So when you  get the hang of something, you know what to do.

You know how to use it, You know how to use  it better. Or if you've taken up a new sport,  

you know, might be one of these extreme  sports hang gliding or kayaking action.  

After a couple of sessions, after a couple of  outings, you'll get the hang of it. You know,  

you just have to have some patience.  You have to watch what other people do.

Do a bit of practice. Okay. You might  make a few mistakes, but eventually,  

you'll get the hang of it. So getting the hang  of something means to understand how to use it,  

understand what to do, understand how  something works. And then after that,  

get plain sailing. So to get the  hang of it, understand how it works.

Get something off your chest. This is the last  one. Number ten. Get something off your chest.  

But when you want to get something off your  chest, it's something that's been building up  

for a while. Something that's annoying  you, something that's frustrating you,  

something that you feel needs to be said. So  you might have one of those grumpy faces and  

somebody looks at you who really knows  you well and they say, okay, come on.

I can see from the look on your face you  need to get something off your chest. What  

is it? Let me have it. So you unload all that  frustration. You unload all that annoyance,  

and you tell that person nearest and dearest  to you exactly what it is that's on your mind,  

or in this case, on your chest. So you get  it off your chest and when you finish it.

that was great. I really felt relieved to get that  off my chest. Okay, so when you get something off  

your chest, you pass it on to somebody else, you  discuss it, you find out that perhaps it's not  

really the problem that it was. You built it  up to be something bigger, something greater.  

And in reality, when you discuss it with your  partner, your friend, whoever that might be,  

you realise and they realise with a bit of talking  to you that it's not really as bad as it seems.

Okay, so to get something off  your chest, share a problem

shared is a problem halved. Okay, so  share it. Don't keep it to you yourself  

because it'll just cause frustration and  anxiety. So get something off your chest.

Okay, so this is the advanced English  language with idioms about get the  

written and told I'm going to run  through them very quickly for you.

Get real. Get a life. Get your act together. Get  on someone's nerves. Get on like a house on fire.

Get the message. Get your own way.

Get a grip, get a hang of something. And then  finally, to get something off your chest.

So you've

had them. You've. I've explained them. I've given  you the examples. So you need to practice. You  

know the drill by now. You practice them if you  can introduce them or some of them into your  

speech, well then you'll get to use and understand  them a lot better. If you need other examples,  

you come back to me www.englishlessonviaskype.com  and I try to help you a little bit further.

As always, I really appreciate you watching  and listening and see you again soon.