1.

Keep in the background

In certain situations, it’s wise to keep in the background: when you
don’t want to attract attention to yourself; when you want to give
someone else space and time to express themselves; when you’re feeling
guilty about something and don’t want to be found out (others discover
your controversial actions).
 I had a massive spot on my nose at my friend’s wedding, so I tried
to keep in the background in the photos. (literal)
 My mum finds it impossible to keep in the background in any social
situation. She has to be the focus of attention wherever she is.
 At school, my friend was told off for playing computer games in
technology class. I’d also been playing computer games, so just
kept in the background while my friend was being told off.
 The celebrity had been caught taking drugs at a party so he kept in
the background for a couple of years until it blew over. (was no
longer of public interest)

2. Sympathise with others’ feelings

To sympathise is to care. It is to give validity to someone’s feelings. To
allow them to feel them and to hope they feel better soon. If you
sympathise, you understand their feelings despite not having been in the
same position yourself. You sympathise when someone loses a loved one,
suffers any illness or injury, fails an exam, etc. You say you’re sorry for
them. This isn’t an apology, it’s sympathy.
 I heard you lost your job. I’m so sorry. I hope you find another job
soon.
 I’m very sorry to hear you lost your father. Sending our sympathies
to you and your family.
 His boss showed no sympathy for John’s medical condition. He just
said if he couldn't do the work, he couldn’t keep the job.

3. Make a mess of things

To make a mess of things is to do a bad job of something. You try but you
fail badly. You can make a mess of actions, jobs, situations. If it’s a really
bad fail, you make a real / total mess of things.

 Most people make a mess of handling money.

 Like Getty, she managed to make a mess of her personal
relationships.
  If I make a mess of it that woman is going to be so glad.
 It was only an omelette, but he managed to make a mess of it.
 When we pollute and deforest and make a mess of the ecological
web, we're taking out mortgages on the Earth that we can't pay
back — and those loans will come due.

4. Seldom feel blue

If you seldom feel blue, you’re usually happy. To feel blue is to feel sad.
You can ‘have the blues’. You can ‘sing / play the blues’. BB King was a
blues singer. Seldom means not often. So, if you seldom feel blue, you
don’t often feel sad.
 She’s a really positive person. She seldom feels blue.
 I seldom feel blue as long as I have something interesting to do.
 It’s very worrying to see him so depressed as usually, he seldom
feels blue.

5. Not interested in abstract ideas

Abstract ideas refer to the ideas which are not concerned with worldly
things. They are the things that you cannot touch but you can feel them.
Some examples of abstract ideas are; education, knowledge, happiness,
cowardice, freedom, self-expression, peace of mind, truth, God.
 He doesn’t like talking about religion. He’s not interested in abstract
ideas.
 Some people prefer not to think about abstract ideas as it can make
them feel insecure about their life and who they are.
 Studying sociology really helped me gain a broader perspective and
make better informed decisions due to a focus on more abstract
ideas.
 She’s only interested in what she can see with her own eyes. She’s
not interested in abstract ideas.

6. Not interested in other people’s problems

If you’re not interested in other people’s problems it usually means you’re
selfish. You only care about your own life, problems and success. People
like to seem like they care about other people’s problems even when they
don’t. You will rarely hear someone say ‘I’m not interested in other
people’s problems.’ as this displayed a lack of sympathy.
  My problem is, that I am cold towards other people's problems and
feelings. I am just simply not interested in their problems.
 This happens mostly with my friends. I am insensitive to their
problems, but my family's and mine matter more.
 I personally don't give much of a f**k about other people's
problems or emotions, but I know how to handle them and provide
support if they need it.

7. Get chores done right away

Chores are things you have to do to keep a house clean and organised.
Chores are done by members of the household such as a family or
housemates. Chores aren’t done by employees like cleaners who are paid.
Chores are done by the people who live in the house. To do something
right away is to do it immediately. People generally don’t like doing
chores. People call other work a chore if it’s boring and repetitive such as
having to constantly update a website or repeat instructions to people.

 When I was a child, my chores were to tidy my room and make my

bed every day.
 My mum’s chores are the washing and cleaning and my dad’s
chores are the gardening and cleaning the car and making sure it
has oil, petrol etc. (this is an old-fashioned view of family chores)
 When I was a teacher in a school, we had to attend assembly and
sing the national anthem every morning. It was such a chore!
 All children should be given chores to do in their house. This will
help prepare them for leaving home.
 I like to get my chores done right away so they don’t build up into a
massive amount of work.

8. I am easily disturbed
To be disturbed by someone or something is to be emotionally affected in
a negative way. If you are easily disturbed, maybe you don’t like
watching horror movies or listening to sad music. The opposite of being
easily disturbed is to be thick skinned. If you’re thick skinned, you
maintain calm emotionally and don’t get upset very often. Sensitive
people can be easily disturbed. Thick skinned people aren’t insensitive,
they have more control over their emotions.
 The film about the Polish concentration camps was really disturbing.
  The film about the Polish concentration camps was really
interesting.
 She can work in the refugee camps because she’s not easily
disturbed.
 If you want to be a politician, you need to be thick skinned because
people will constantly criticise you.

9. To have little to say

To have little to say on a subject / matter is to not have a strong
opinion regarding it. The opposite is to have a lot / much to say about
something.
 I have little to say on the subject of Russian farmers in the 1600s,
as I have no experience in that area.
 She had little to say about the movie as she fell asleep half way
through.
 He’s not interested in football, so he had little to say about the
match.

10. To have a soft heart

To have a soft heart is to want people to feel happy more than wanting to
stick to rules.
If you are very strict, you don't have a soft heart. To be soft hearted or
soft at heart is to be very kind and forgiving. If you have a soft heart, you
are called a softy, or a big softy. A big softy is usually used for big, strong
men who love kittens etc.
 I know the monster looks scary but he’s really a big softy. He
always looks after the little animals and lets them sleep on his bed
when it’s raining.
 My teacher gave me an extension (more time) to write my essay
because she heard I’d broken up with my boyfriend. She has a soft
heart.
 I’m so soft hearted when it comes to homeless people. I can't walk
past without giving them money.

11. To have / not have a good imagination

To have a good imagination is to be able to see things in your mind that
aren’t true or real. Creative people have good imaginations. Walt Disney
imagined all the Disney characters. J.K. Rowling imagined all the Harry
Potter stories. The Romans imagined ruling the world and worked toward
making it happen. Imagination is vision. It is to be able to visualise an
idea. If you find it difficult to think of things that haven’t happened or
aren’t true, you probably don’t have a good imagination.
 The man who has no imagination has no wings. – Muhammad Ali
 Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age and dreams are
forever. – Walt Disney
 The world is a canvas for your imagination. You are the painter.
There are NO RULES. Get to work
 Imagination is more important that knowledge. Knowledge is
limited. Imagination encircles the world. – Albert Einstein

12. To like order

To like order is to feel uncomfortable in chaos. If you like order, you like
things to be well-organised and in their correct place at the correct time
in the correct way. If you like order, you don’t like surprises.
 I can’t study at a messy desk. I need order to be able to
concentrate.
 I keep all my books in alphabetical order. I hate it when people
don’t put them back in the right place.
 Without order, there is chaos!

13. I change my mood a lot

Moods are happiness, sadness, calmness, panic, fear, jealousy, anger etc.
Some peoples’ mood doesn’t seem to change much while others can have
mood swings from being happy to sad etc very quickly and for very little
reason.
 I don’t know what’s the matter with Jane. She was fine a minute
ago but now she’s crying. Does she often change her mood like
this?
 Most the time I’m pretty content and calm. I rarely get very upset. I
don’t change my mood a lot.

14. I am quick to understand things

To be quick to understand things is to be a fast learner. We can also say
you pick things up quickly. The opposite is to be slow on the uptake.
This means it takes more time to understand things or to process
information in your brain.
  She's only been having lessons for 2 months and she’s already
fluent in Japanese. She’s not generally quick to understand things
but she picks up languages quickly.
 He’s not slow on the uptake. The legal process was explained to him
once and he remembered everything.

15. Don’t like to draw attention to myself

If you don’t like to draw attention to yourself, you’re either shy or hiding
from someone / something. You can draw attention to anything: to
financial figures in an annual report; to the effect fossil fuels are having
on the environment; to anything. In speech, you say “I’d like to draw
your attention to....”.
 Simon’s quite a shy character. He never speaks in work meetings.
He doesn’t like to draw attention to himself.
 He’s such a show off! Always being outrageous, wearing crazy
clothes and drawing attention to himself.

16. Take time out for others

To take time out for others is to give some of your time to help other
people. This could be having some quality time with the family or
volunteering for a charity. As long as you’ve stopped focusing on your
work to help others in some way, you’re taking time out for others.
 Trisha has a well-paid job in the city but she always takes time out
for others by helping at the food bank.
 If you never take time out for others, how can you enjoy the
benefits of all your hard work?

17. Am always prepared

To be always prepared is to make sure you have what you need for any
event. You need to mentally envision what will happen at the future point
in time and get everything ready for it. This could be preparing what you
will say or what you will wear, or take with you. This could be research or
work that will help you achieve your goal at this particular event. To not
be prepared could cause panic or disaster.
 I love going camping with Stella; she’s always prepared with
everything we might need come rain or shine!
 Scott’s so laid back. He just walks into each lesson having done no
preparation and muddles his way through.
 18. Shirk my duties

Your duties are the jobs you are allocated to do. For instance, if you work
in a café, your duties include making coffee and clearing tables. To shirk
your duties is to not do your duties, usually meaning someone else has to
do them.
 I never shirk my duties at the swimming pool. I’d never just leave
the dirty jobs for someone else to do.
 I’m fed up with working with Ed. He repeatedly leaves me all the
boring jobs even though they’re his duties too! I’m going to ask the
boss to have a word with him about shirking his duties.

19. Spend time reflecting on things

To reflect is the think about things that have already happened. We often
reflect on difficult conversations to check whether we have said the right
thing. It’s good and natural to reflect on things, but to spend too long
reflecting on things can hinder your progress as you’re always thinking
about the past.
 Sometimes I get the old photo albums out and enjoy reflecting on
the past.
 Jonas is struggling with his mental health recently. He’s got into the
habit of spending too much time reflecting on things.
 We were encouraged to spend a bit of time reflecting on our
performance in the teaching exam in order to better understand our
practices.

20. Make people feel at ease

To feel at ease is to be stress free. Some people are good at making

nervous people feel more comfortable by saying what they need to hear
to help them relax.
 I was really worried about the party as I didn’t know the people
very well, but Jayne made me feel at ease by telling me that we
were all in the same boat.
 My sister was nervous about swimming going in the sea with bare
feet, so I lent her my sea shoes and that made her feel at ease.

21. I am exacting in my work

To be exacting in your work is to pay close attention to detail. You check
and double check that what you are doing is correct. You never let
anything go unchecked.
 He’s very exacting in his work. He always sticks precisely to the
recipe when cooking. He doesn’t leave anything to chance.
 Jobs that involve a safety factor require employees who are
exacting in their work so minimise the chances of anyone getting
hurt.