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Free Spirit English / October 1, 2019

31. Cut Corners – Learn English Idioms with Videos

Governments need to monitor the safety of building sites and the quality of the materials being used in construction. It’s not enough to trust companies to enforce safety standards themselves. There are many unfortunate stories of unscrupulous companies that cut corners to save money and put many lives at risk with their dangerous building practices.

Check out Dara’s latest video where he shares more examples of how to use this common idiom.

Learn English - Everyday Idioms #31. Cut Corners

Transcript

Cut corners? Like, chop off the corners at the edge of your pages?

No! This idiom means to do a less-than-good job in order to save time or money.

Shall we look at a few example sentences? Let’s go!

  • The builders did a terrible job on our kitchen. They cut corners at every opportunity.
  • Don’t cut corners when studying vocabulary. Take note of not only the new words but also their collocations.
  • The company cut corners when building the shopping mall. They used cheap stone, and it couldn’t hold the weight, causing the whole building to collapse.

So, there we are. Don’t cut corners, guys! Try to use this phrase in a sentence of your own.

Practice

Now it’s your turn to use this expression. Read the questions below and try to make a answer using today’s idiom.

  • Was there ever an accident in your country because a construction company had used poor quality materials?
  • Did you ever run out of time to complete a project well and have to do a poor job in parts?
  • Were you ever disappointed by a repair job done on your home where you felt the company had ripped you off?

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Filed Under: Everyday Idioms, Videos

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