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Word pairs
In this B1+ Upper-intermediate Vocabulary Lesson about Word Pairs, you will learn essential terms and phrases used to describe books and reading habits. Check the explanation to familiarize yourself with the expressions before doing the exercises.
Exercise 1
Complete the sentences with the most suitable words related to animals.
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Word pairs
Word pairs, also known as irreversible binomials or non-reversible word pairs, are expressions consisting of two words that are always used in a fixed order. While their meanings can be literal, they are often abstract as well.
In this B1+ Upper-intermediate Vocabulary Lesson, you will learn 20 very common word pairs that are frequently used in everyday English. Check the pictures, definitions and examples below to understand these terms better.
1 Your bread and butter is the work or activity that gives you the money you need to live. Bread and butter is also a simple food made by spreading butter on slices of bread.
- Construction is my bread and butter, whereas writing is just a hobby.
- The children were given some bread and butter before they went to bed.
2 When you keep going from one place to another and back again, you go back and forth.
- The novel moves back and forth from the past to the present day.
3 Hustle and bustle is used to talk about a place or activity that is very busy, with a lot of noise and movement.
- Though I sometimes wish for solitude, I love the hustle and bustle of family life.
4 When someone is safe and sound, they are alive and well after being in a dangerous situation.
- The children are now safe and sound and are sleeping in their bedroom.
5 When we talk about the pros and cons of something, we discuss the good and bad aspects of a situation.
- We discussed the pros and cons of accepting the proposal.
6 Wear and tear is the damage that happens to something when it is used a lot or over a long time.
- Some wear and tear to the flat is expected after being occupied for a year.
7 Odds and ends are a mix of different, usually unimportant items.
- I made a quick sandwich using odds and ends, which I’d found in the fridge.
8 When we do something now and then, we do it occasionally and not often.
- Although we’re not as close as we used to be, we still call each other now and then.
9 When an activity is fun and games, it is amusing and not serious.
- Ed thinks visiting his dad is fun and games as he lets him do what he wants.
10 If a situation is black and white, it means there are very clear and simple choices, or you have a strong opinion without doubts.
- For Sarah, the rules are black and white—you either follow them or you don’t, there’s no in-between.
11 Hide and seek is a children’s game in which one person hides while the other player closes their eyes, counts, then tries to find them.
- I used to love playing hide and seek with my brother as a child.
12 A hit-and-run incident is a motor accident in which the vehicle does not stop after hitting the victim.
- Three people were injured in a hit-and-run accident last night.
13 Law and order is a situation in which laws are obeyed and people behave in the correct way.
- As a police officer, it is my duty to maintain law and order in this town.
14 Trial and error is a method of solving a problem by trying a number of different methods and learning from the mistakes that you make.
- After a bit of trial and error, I finally managed to fix the engine.
15 Ups and downs are the good and bad things that happen in a person’s life.
- Although they are happy now, Lou and May have certainly had their ups and downs.
16 When you wine and dine someone, you treat them to a nice meal and drinks.
- As it was our anniversary, I decided to wine and dine Sara in a fancy restaurant.
17 When you are with or support someone through thick and thin, you are there for them in good and bad circumstances.
- I know I can rely on him to support me through thick and thin.
18 When something is a matter of life or death, it is a serious situation.
- Unless it’s a matter of life or death, we can talk about it later.
19 If someone or something is under lock and key, they are locked up in a place from which they are unable to escape.
- The female inmates are kept under lock and key on the first floor of the prison.
20 By and large is a word pair meaning ‘all things considered’ or ‘on the whole’.
- By and large, the event was a success, and we managed to raise quite a bit of money.
After completing the exercises in this lesson on Word Pairs, you can use the unit’s Vocabulary Flascards to revise and help you memorize the terms.
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