ESL Blogs

The boy built the castle bit by bit using just sand, water and a plastic bucket.

Have you ever heard the word ‘binomials’? Most of you would probably refer it as a mathematical expression. But since we’re learning English, let’s tackle this topic as part of vocabulary.

BBC Learning English defined binomials as short English phrases made up of two words together. The two words are joined by ‘and’ such as ‘cheap and cheerful’ or with ‘by’ like ‘bit by bit’ and ‘piece by piece’. Here is another definition of binomials.

Binomials are always fixed. We can’t use the words interchangeably. So we can’t say cheerful and cheap. Using them correctly would make our spoken (and written) English sound more natural. You might have noticed they are common in everyday speech. English TV shows and movies have plenty of binomials.

Now, let’s learn some common binomials. I included my own example sentences. You can make your own sentences too!

cheap and cheerful – it means that something doesn’t cost much, but it’s effective and useful. This is a positive phrase.

• Our kitchen has full of cheap and cheerful products that are useful not only for cooking, but for cleaning the sink. Vinegar is best for removing stubborn stains because it has an acidic content.

cheap and nasty – is the opposite of cheap and cheerful. It is something that has a poor quality. Cheap and nasty stuff are usually fake products such as gadgets and jewelries.

• Some people preferred using cheap and nasty things to save money, only ended up spending more.

sick and tired- means fed up, bored and angry

• I’m sick and tired of your whining. Stop being such a drama queen!

short and sweet - means simple, quick and useful

• President Duterte delivered his short and sweet speech about the war on drugs.

bit by bit – use to describe slow change

• The boy built the castle bit by bit using just sand, water and a plastic bucket.

• Jarvis assembled the gigantic puzzle bit by bit.

slowly but surely – happening or doing something in a slow and gradual way but achieving define results

• The thieves unlocked the vault slowly but surely and seized all the gold bars.

There you have it!

Do you have any other binomials that you’d like to share? It would be a brilliant idea to write them on the comments below for the benefit of all members. You could also challenge yourselves using the binomials I’ve mentioned above by writing your own sentences.

Thank you for learning with me!

Sources:

BBC Learning English

Macmillan Dictionary