PhraseMix Articles

English for talking about makeup and cosmetics

By Emily Hitz, PhraseMix.com contributor

For many people, talking about makeup is like speaking another language. If you're a fan of makeup, or perhaps an expert, you might use some of these phrases to describe the science and art of cosmetics (another word for makeup).

Things you do with...

25 ways to say "sorry" in English

By Emily Hitz, PhraseMix.com contributor

Knowing how to apologize is an important part of being polite. You probably already know "sorry", but there are many other ways to apologize in English.

Apologizing for small mistakes

Simply saying "sorry" is most common with small mistakes, like bumping...

English phrases for car owners

If you own an automobile, there are lots of things that you have to do to keep it running and in good shape. This article will teach you how to talk about those responsibilities in English.

Financial responsibilities

Most car owners have car payments that they have to make. You make car payments...

The 11 best American English phrases to describe being drunk

For whatever reason, English speakers like to come up with creative ways to talk about being drunk. This is a review of some of the most common phrases.

Talk about someone who's a little drunk:

These are phrases to use for someone who's had a few drinks and has started to feel the effects:

I'm...

How can I improve my TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC, EIKEN, or other English test scores?

I get a lot of questions about how to prepare for standardized English tests like the TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, and so on.

In the past, I've avoided answering these questions for a few reasons:

1. I don't like standardized tests very much. I don't think that they do a good job of measuring someone'...

How to talk about farm animals in English

The English language has a lot of words for talking about farm animals. You probably already know the names of the most common Western farm animals – horses, cows, chickens, pigs, sheep, and so on. But we also have specic words for male animals, female animals, the young ones, groups...

What to say in English when someone dies

Knowing what to say when someone dies is difficult, for native English speakers as well as for learners. You may have strong emotions when someone has died, but you also have to think about how other people feel about it. So there are lots of things to take into consideration.

What to say when...

What's the difference between 'vacation' and 'holiday'?

"Vacation" and "holiday" are words with similar meanings. They both describe days when you don't go to work or school. There are differences between them, but they can be a little difficult to discover on your own.

Holidays are for everyone

One big difference between "vacation" and...

Talk about your place in society, Part 2: Professions

This is the second article in our series on describing your place in society. In the last article, we presented ways to talk about wealth. This time, we'll be talking about a person's occupation.

We use different phrases to describe different kinds of jobs.

Blue collar and service jobs

A "blue...

Talk about your place in society, Part 1: Wealth

How would you describe your place in society?

Your "place in society" includes a few different aspectes:

• how much money you have
• your level of education
• the kind of job you have
• your ethnic background

It can be tricky to talk about these issues politely, but it's something that people...