um

English speakers use the sound "um" when they don't know what to say next. Here's an example from a TV talk show:

Well, my daughter in this show is very strongly liberal, and she's a very — she's a — she went to, uh, um, Stanford Law School, and she graduated from Stanford with honors.

But people also use "um" when they're talking about a topic that is uncomfortable. Using "um" shows the listener that you're being careful about a topic that is very sensitive. So you might use "um" when you're talking seriously about:

• money
• sex
• a death in someone's family
• a decision at work that you disagree with

For example:

Listen, um, I know that you're having a hard time financially right now, but I really need your rent check.

By the way, you might hear or read somewhere that you shouldn't use "um". That's a rule that English speakers are taught in school, because some people think that using "um" too much makes you sound unprofessional. But almost everyone uses it from time to time. As an English learner, it actually makes your English sound more natural when you use hesitation sounds like "um".

get back to (someone)

To "get back to" someone means to respond to their question later. For example, if you ask me a question and I don't know the answer, I can say:

I don't know off the top of my head, but I'll get back to you this afternoon.

think (something) over

When you "think ___ over", you think about it carefully and consider all of the possible good and bad points of it.

You use the phrase "think ___ over" when you're talking about an offer or a decision that you have to make. For example:

Take a few days to think it over.

That's a very generous offer. Um, let me think it over for a few days and get back to you.

a few (of something)

"A few" is a number that's not specific, but it usually means somewhere between 3-10. It's a little less formal than "several" and also sounds like a slightly lower number. Here are some examples:

You may want to consider hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions.

That's a very generous offer. Um, let me think it over for a few days and get back to you.

That's a generous offer.

A "generous offer" is when someone offers to give you something really good. For example, if someone wants to give you a job or pay a lot for something that you're selling, that's "a generous offer".

You should say "That's a generous offer" when someone offers to give you something good, but you're not sure if you want to take it. For example:

A: How would you like to come work for me?

B: Oh, really? Wow. That's a very generous offer, but actually I'm pretty happy at my current job.