English-Jill-Missed-Situation-and-BITE-and-KEEP
Expressions about Missed Situation, BITE and KEEP.
Ways to talk about a MISSED SITUATION
A MISSED SITUATION means that you were going to do something, but something else happened and it stopped you doing what you wanted to do. In Chinese it means “我本来想 但是”.
There are 5 expressions to describe it:
going to, but
I was going to go shopping, but I got a phone call which lasted nearly an hour, and by the time the call ended the shops were are shut.
all set to, but
I was all set to go on holiday, but then my car broke down , and i had to spend the money on repairs instead.
would have, but
I would have called you yesterday, but my phone wasn’t working.
had every intention of, but
I had every intention of returning the book to the library last week, but I had a friend staying, and she had been reading it.
had it all arranged to, but
I had it all arranged to give my friend a surprise party, but then she found out about my plan, and said she didn’t want one!
The following is a reverse of the missed situation which you should have missed it. That means it would have been better if you had missed it.
If only, then … wouldn’t have . As it is, …
If only I’d listened to your advice, then I wouldn’t have invested with that bank. As it is, I’ve lost a lot of money.
Expressions using BITE
The literal meaning of “bite” is to use your teeth to cut into something or someone. In Chinese it means “咬”. But there are lots of examples in which bite are used in particular ways to express metaphorical meanings, metaphors, idioms.
If you say something to somebody, and they just reply in an aggressive way, unpleasant, like: “What do you mean?” or “Oh, don’t bother me now, I’m busy”. That’s called:
bite sb’s head off 莫名其妙地对…发脾气
I told my girlfreind that I liked that picture, but she said “Ugh, it’s dreadful! How can you possibly like that? Stupid of you to like that picture”. She really bit my head off !
If you bite your tongue, you mean to stop yourself from saying something that you would really like to say.
bite one’s tongue 缄口不语
But I thought she couldn’t get its beauty. Then I had to bit my tongue to avoid an argument.
The next one is “bite the bullet”. It describes the situation where you have to force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave to face it. Breifly, I don’t want to do, but I have to.
bite the bullet 咬紧牙关应付，硬着头皮应对
I hate singing before people, but I’ll just have to bite the bullet.
When you try to do something that is too difficult for you, you are biting off more than you can chew, which is a vivid metaphor as an idiom.
bite off more than you can chew 承担力所不及的事；不自量力
I bit off more than I could chew in my original plan.
If someone’s bark is worse than their bite, they are not as unpleasant or frightening as they seem.
sb’s bark is worse than his/her bite 刀子嘴豆腐心；言语比行动吓人
My bark is definitely worse than my bite. When people get to know me, they’ll tell you I’m just a big softy really.
Ways to use the verb KEEP
Not the same as To HOLD:
to hold is a temporary thing
Can you hold my bag while I put my coat on?(then give it back)
Then its first meaning to have or continue to have in your possession ~ Retain
If you like it，you can keep it. I told the taxi driver to keep the change.
He keeps his car in good condition.
Do you keep a diary?
Can you keep the secret?
Another slightly different meaning ~ continue
It’s a long journey, but we must keep going.
If we keep that tall building in sight, we won’t get lost.
The food will keep if you put it in the freezer
keep off the grass It’s an order, you can not walk on the grass.