Idioms are a great tool to help you feel more confident in English. Mastering idioms will help you better understand native English speakers, and also help you express yourself more like you would in your native language. In this post, you will learn 8 idioms to include in your professional emails.
What is an idiom?
An idiom is a group of words that is expressed in a fixed order that has a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word on its own.
Fixed order: these expressions don’t leave much room for variablity. For example, the idiom to throw in the towel (to give up), doesn’t work if you say to throw the towel* or to throw in the napkin.
Particular meaning: knowing all the different words in an idiom doesn’t guarantee that you will know the meaning. If we take the same previous example, to throw in the towel, doesn’t necessarily mean that there was a towel that you threw in.
Idioms for business emails
Watch a short clip from our latest webinar (Business Idioms to Boost your Confidence) and see our instructors in action. Then, read all the idioms with their definitions below.
1. Touch base
Definition: Briefly contact someone
Example: I just wanted to touch base and make sure you have everything you need for tomorrow’s event.
2. In a nutshell
Definition: In short, in just a few words
Example: In a nutshell, the owners thought it would be easier to sell.
3. Up in the air
Definition: Unresolved, undecided
Example: The project is going well, but there are a few things still up in the air.
4. On the same page
Meaning: In agreement
Example: Please send us a quick summary after the meeting to make sure we’re all on the same page.
5. It’s a long shot
Meaning: It’s unlikely, it’s very difficult to succeed or happen
Example: It’s a long shot, but you could try phoning him at home.
6. The nuts and bolts
Meaning: The basic, practical details of something
Example: When it came to the nuts and bolts of running a business, he was clearly unable to cope.
7. Drop me a line
Meaning: Send me a quick message
Example: Drop me a line if you have any questions.
8. Keep you in the loop
Meaning: Keep you informed
Example: We haven’t heard from them in a while, but I will keep you in the loop if they get back.
Continue improving your communication skills for professional situations; get in touch with Talaera. We covered these idioms in our free webinar Boost Your Confidence With Business Idioms. You can sign up for a free webinar here or learn more idioms on our podcast Talaera Talks.
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