Colloquialisms are essentially informal words, phrases or sayings that are used in casual conversation.
14 Versatile Colloquialisms for IELTS Speaking
1. Head – Go somewhere. E.g. I’m heading to the library to study.
2. Loads of/ Piles of/ Tons of/ Heaps of – Many or much of something. E.g. There are loads of cafes in my city.
3. Mate – Close friend. E.g. I went to the cinema with my mate yesterday.
4. Ages – A very long time. E.g. I haven’t seen my cousin in ages.
5. Mad/ Mental/ Wild/ Nuts – Wild, crazy, or intense. E.g. The party last night was absolutely mad!
6. Fingers crossed – Hopefully. E.g. Fingers crossed, I’ll pass my driving test tomorrow.
7. Dead/ Knackered/ Shattered – Extremely tired. E.g. I’m dead after studying all night.
8. Chuffed – Very happy or proud. E.g. I was chuffed to get a high score on my test.
9. Gutted – Very upset or disappointed. E.g. I was gutted when I missed the concert.
10. Skint/Broke – Having no money. E.g. I’m skint, so I can’t afford new shoes.
11. A nightmare/ brutal– terrible or very difficult situation. E.g. Our holiday was a nightmare! Everything that could go wrong did!
12. Handy– I live 5 minutes from the metro, which is really handy!
13. Rip-off– overpriced or bad value. E.g. The popcorn at the cinema is an absolute rip-off.
14. Grab a bite/ drink– go to eat/drink something. E.g. I’m gonna meet up with a mate later, maybe grab a bite or something, I dunno, we’ll see.
