Learn Word Pairs for Everyday Conversation

Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer. Every now and then I get a really good question from a viewer, and then I have a topic for a future video. I actually have stacks and stacks of sticky notes with ideas. I just don't have the time to make all the lessons I want to. Little by little, I share what I can. A few years ago, I created a lesson on word pairs, and we practiced some of those combinations by reading a text that I wrote for you. In this lesson, we'll practice another set of word pairs that will serve you well in everyday conversation. Okay? First, if you're not a subscriber, please click the subscribe button and be sure to get notifications when I upload new videos. Let's begin. What's a word pair? It's when we have two words joined together by a conjunction and or or possibly a preposition. The two words are equal grammatically. Now and then. Adverb plus adverb. Stacks and stacks. Noun plus noun. Some grammar sources use the term binomials, binomial phrases, or binomial expressions. By means two, so something is being named with two connected words. I like the term word pairs. I think it's easier to say and easier to remember. Word pairs might repeat the same word, like little by little, but often they're two different words, and we can't always switch the word order. So there are word pairs that are reversible, and there are word pairs that are irreversible. Day and night can also be said as night and day. Here are some word pairs we don't reverse. Now and then. Salt and pepper. I bet you know some word pairs already. You tell me the missing word. Back and forth. Up and down. Left and right. Bread and butter. North and south. East and west. Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. Sooner or later. Notice that most word pairs use AND. When we say this conjunction, we usually reduce the vowel sound. It sounds like N. Bread and butter. Up and down. There are a number of word pairs with nice in American English, and nice functions more like an intensifier for the second adjective or adverb. Take it nice and easy, meaning be very careful or gentle. Go nice and slow, meaning go really slow. We also like combinations with go. You've probably heard these pairs of verbs. Go and see. Go and look. Go and get. Let's go and see that new movie. My brother told me to go and look out the window. I have to go and get some things from the pharmacy. And that last set of word pairs, we sometimes drop AND in conversation, and it still makes sense. Let's go see Aunt Sue and Uncle Frank this weekend. I need to get home. I have to go do laundry before tomorrow. Here's a grammar point you need to understand. A lot of word pairs use nouns, and we can use the entire word pair as the subject of a sentence. If you perceive that subject as a collective group, a unit, you can use a singular verb. Macaroni and cheese is a favorite dish among American children. We also call it mac and cheese. It's a dish. One dish. Singular verb. Compare that to this example. Pizza and soda were available. Now I have a compound subject. Two things, so I use a plural verb. Now do we say, law and order is...or law and order are? The dictionary defines law and order as a state or a situation. It's when people obey the law and authorities make sure there's order. I could ask, Is law and order essential? But honestly, I think listeners are ready to hear either the singular or the plural verb in that question. Family and friends are welcome to visit campus. And that's reversible. I could say friends and family are welcome to visit. A similar word pair, by the way, is friends and relatives, but I think that's a little less common. Let me share a list of 12 word pairs you should know for everyday English. You may know some of them already. If there are any that are new, practice using them. Write some example sentences. Read the comments and learn from each other. All in all. This is like overall or in general. It's conversational. All in all, I had a really good time in Paris. Step by step. This is similar to little by little. Something happens gradually. Step by step, we make progress as language learners. More or less. This means almost. It's kind of vague. You can tell someone, I'm more or less done. And this implies that you just have a little bit more to do. Give or take. This word pair is useful when you want to give an estimated number or amount. You can't be exact. There were about 20 people at the meeting. Give or take a few. Old and gray. Sometimes we talk humorously about aging. Old and gray refers to those advanced years. When I'm old and gray, I think I'll still be teaching in some way. Life and death or life or death. This word pair describes a serious urgent matter. Often we use it in the negative. This isn't a matter of life and death. Relax. We can also turn this word pair into a compound modifier, and then we hyphenate it. Come on. This isn't a life-or-death decision. Do you want to eat out or stay home? Do's and don'ts. This word pair refers to rules that tell us what we can and can't do. Every workplace has their do's and don'ts, so try to learn them when you join a company. Ins and outs. This refers to all the details and complexities of something. If you want to know the ins and outs of investing, I recommend this book. Live and learn. This is often said by itself. It sounds like a proverb because it contains wisdom. We learn through life experience, right? Sometimes we say it as a whole sentence. You live and learn. That was a tough lesson for me, but you know, live and learn. I didn't repeat that mistake again. Safe and sound. This emphasizes that someone is out of danger and unharmed. Every parent wants to know their teenager is safe and sound no matter where they are. Peace and quiet. This is another word pair that sounds redundant, but we use it for emphasis. I love the peace and quiet of nature. I don't like city noise. Off and on or on and off. This word pair means occasionally or not regularly. Actors might get work off and on. Not all are lucky enough to work year-round. Can you think of other professions where people work on and off? Sometimes you'll hear word pairs, and you'll have to make sense of them, just like you do with other vocabulary. See if you understand these word pairs. Identify the correct meaning. 1. Financial stability is certainly more desirable than living hand-to-mouth. 2. Your fight is mine. I'll stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you. 3. I listen to him complain day after day. 4. Day by day we make progress. That's all for now. Please remember to like and share the video if you found the lesson useful. Also, please consider joining as a YouTube member if you'd like to support my channel and participate in the next live stream. I'm sure we'll study together again sooner or later. As always, thanks for watching and happy studies! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Patreon. And don't forget to subscribe here on YouTube. Turn on those notifications.