Have you been learning English for a while

INCH 1

www.5minuteenglish.uk.com

5 minute practice in English Language

Use the word ‘inch’ in conversation

(inch, inches, inched, inching, inchworm)

I love your new office.

Glad you like it.

You look every inch the new Director of Creative Activity. Congratulations.

I came within inches of failing the interview.

You think you nearly failed it?

Nearly. But I made the right effect. I asked to have the interview in my own office.

So you seemed unusual?

The secretaries argued every inch of the way. They thought the boss would be offended. He usually holds interviews in his own office.

I would not give an inch. I would not go back from my ideas. I knew the effect I wanted.

Did you buy this new desk specially?
I especially did not want a new one, but one that would show the sort of work that I always do.

Those secretaries are hard to control. They did not agree with you.

Give them an inch and they will take a mile.

Yes. Give them one small chance and they will take several others.

We took hours designing this office.

But you all did it inch by inch, little by little.

I did want to seem smart in my personal appearance, however.

Yes, I see you have lost weight. How many inches off your waist?
Four inches, ten centimetres.

So you no longer can pinch an inch of fat at your waist.

I exercised in the gym.

I noticed you seemed tired when you left the gym. I noticed that you inched your way out, went out little by little, inching along.

I crept home like an inchworm, like a caterpillar crawling. I moved a little distance at a time.

Well done.

At home I had every inch of my walls covered with charts and exercise routines.

When is the Managing Director coming to this reception?

Soon!

Why are you holding papers that are inches thick?

I need to study this index. I have learned every inch of these indices, these indexes.

Too late! Give them to me. The Managing Director is here.

ENDS

The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary has a book and a CD. There are other good dictionaries.

Did you find this useful?

Can you add more ways of using ‘inch’?

Try another word from www.5minuteenglish.uk.com

This conversation continues with the word

‘inch2’. The office is also mentioned in ‘fruit’, ‘hide’, ‘hook’ and ‘issue’.

Copyright belongs to Margaret Dunn.