Welcome to English in a Minute from Home!
Things like this peanut butter lid screw on to the right and off to the left. To remember this, we have a little expression. Let’s listen.
Speaker A: Anna, how’s the repair going?
Speaker B: I’m trying to loosen this screw but it’s stuck.
Speaker A: Remember lefty loosey, righty tighty.
Speaker B: I know, Jonathan.
Speaker A: No, your other left.
Speaker B: Thanks, Jonathan.
Speaker A: There you go. That’s right.
Speaker B: Be quiet, Jonathan!
“Lefty loosey, righty tighty” reminds us how to loosen a screw. Turning to the left loosens it, and turning in to the right makes it tighter. You just have to know your right from your left, Anna.
And that’s English in a Minute!
*This article has been edited and reprinted from VOA Learning English with permission from Voice of America (VOA) for use in English language materials.