ESL Blogs

Steamed Fish with Chunks of Tofu

A few days ago, I was able to listen to a podcast from BBC Learning English website about chunks of language.

Chunks of language (as defined by BBC Learning English) are groups of words that naturally go together. They are fixed expressions used by native speakers of English. They can't be usually changed.

Based on my observation, you can find chunks of language through reading news articles and by watching English TV shows or movies. Idioms, sayings, and fixed collocations consist of groups of words so they're considered as chunks. For example, 'I'm a bit under the weather' means not feeling well or in state of being ill. We can't say it when we're excited or enthusiastic. Or change how it's being worded for example 'I'm a bit under the sun' when we mean the same thing. I'm not quite sure if there's such a kind of expression either. But we can say, 'I'm full of beans' when we mean we're happy as in 'I'm full of beans because the customer commended me when I professionally assisted her in her queries'.

Using chunks of language correctly would make our speaking sound more natural and fluent. Moreover, learning them is more interesting than learning them word by word. What an incredible way to increase our vocabulary! English is indeed rich in expressions. Using it is like sky's the limit.

Let's continue learning new words in chunks, shall we?

Here are some more examples:

1. Please wait at the hotel lobby. I'll be back in a jiffy. (It means I'll be back in a minute.)

2. Agent Carter had an exhausting day. She's sleeping like a log when her brother phoned her. (sleeping heavily)

3. Stand Up Paddle Boarding was such a lot of fun!

4. Tom missed his flight due to heavy traffic. It was bumper to bumper! (lots of traffic and vehicles are moving very slowly)

5. I baked a new kind of cake yesterday. I invited my friends to test the water. (to test the idea to see if it'll work, in this case a cake for a taste test)

Now, it's your turn. Can you write some sentences using common chunks in English? I'll check them as soon as possible. Good luck! :)