A sentence using the word thing

Synonym: affair, matter. Similar words: nothing, anything, nothing but, clothing, writhing, breathing, something, anything but. Meaning: [θɪŋ]  n. 1. a special situation 2. an action 3. an artifact 4. an event 5. a statement regarded as an object 6. any attribute or quality considered as having its own existence 7. a special abstraction 8. a vaguely specified concern 9. an entity that is not named specifically 10. a special objective 11. a persistent illogical feeling of desire or aversion 12. a separate and self-contained entity. 

Sentence Examples

You see, I played a part in the thing, the part of a juryman. And it was not until the curtain was rung down on the death sentence, that I said to myself…

Well, the last thing I remember was pancaking into a trench and seeing my wings fold up.

For the soft beauty of your daughter I have brought the most beautiful thing that the secret valleys of my realm can offer.

This thing runs counter to every known law of adaptive evolution.

I┬┤m ashamed of it. lt┬┤s the dirtiest thing a man could ever do.

Dirty cat! I was the cleanest thing in the whole place.

Miss Doris… that thing in your hand is for hoeing’, not leaning’.

She’s running around like a meshuggener thing.

That the whole thing is real. All his paranoias proven horribly true.

The way it does its thing, I mean… eww!

She went to the tricentennial thing. Well, I…

The only thing I ever saw through those was a nun coming at me with a yardstick.

Lynette… I’m telling you, the only thing staler than that ad campaign Is this dinner roll.

Say any thing, -Just say nastly..ok

Yeah, I know, I know, I know, restaurants, where you always order the same thing — chicken karahi with chips and tomato sauce.

First thing I did after I buried doc was pack my saddlebags.

And so, a small power unit goes here, on your uh, spiny thing, which sends electrical impulses to your muscles and ligaments and stuff, which I will fuse to a vanadium alloy endoskeleton, replacing your current, um, legbones.

The only thing I love is you.

How can I eat this fragile thing?

-She’ll be fine. It was a good thing to stop her bleeding.

There was a continuity to the way he travelled — it’s not the hop, skip and jump of the world travelling Cartier-Bresson. He got in a car, he saw the whole thing and he shot every place.

In the ’60s, it opened up for photographers around the world to do their city books with that energy. The one thing Klein had more than anything else is energy. He got New York too.

And what I was after is some kind of very democratic view of what this entire thing looks like.

When I accessed the menu and punched up the attach├®’s name, the thing lit up. Diamonds, dates of shipments.

I had to drag one of my best friends downtown to bail me out and then had to explain the whole thing.

Look, we kept bumping into each other, and, well, sicing the cops on you was the fastest thing I could think of to get you off my tail.

The only thing you have is the phone call that Snorri couldn’t have made, right?

Since when do you believe in that sort of thing?

I’m not sure how I can put this but the thing is that my Una, our Una, left last night…

Nice going, but we’re gonna need a lot more juice to take this thing down.

Because I didn’t feel a thing.

Magic up the thing… uh, whatever you call it.

Jeff, I was waiting to see you do your thing again Because I hadn’t seen you since the initial auditions.

Reba: Girls, the thing that I noticed more than anything, You were really nervous, really scared,

She’s a fighter! The battle begins. Lily: dhere’s the thing, we started out friends d dit was cool, but it was all pretend d

A little bit when I sing, So you have a really amazing kind of baritone thing happening

But, being a good musician, he’s doing the right thing:

Him ready to dash me many thing

We’re trying to say things can work in Africa, if our leaders do the right thing.

The thing wey dey pain me pass

Music is the way for us. Music is the thing of the future.

Because I do the right thing, that energy is using me as a medium to express many things through music.

Now that energy is a constant thing, 24 hours a day.

And on getting where I am in life, I found that the only friend I have, the only thing I can trust, is myself.

The only thing I have confidence in, in my life, 100%, is music.

One thing led to another, and soon I would discover

Put that stupid thing down!

It’s been a thing since I was a kid.

The funny thing is, I don’t really remember getting here.

By Robby

If you are new here please read this first.

We foreign English speakers often speak too complicated. Why go the extra mile every time you want to say something and explain the whole situation in the very detail?

Compare the two sentences “So what do you think about our management trying to recoup some of the lost profits by cutting our wages?” and “So what do you think about the whole wage cuts thing?”

The first sentence details the topic you’re discussing; the second one gets straight to the matter without wasting much time on explaining what’s already known to both people involved in the conversation. Also, it sounds more friendly and casual, and you can definitely ease any tension that’s present between you and the person you’re taking to ❗

Say for instance, you find yourself sharing a launch break with someone you haven’t spoken a lot with, so you’re a bit uncomfortable with that person. Then he or she makes a casual comment about something going on in the company, it’s just small talk really. Now, if you respond with “Yes, the whole thing looks pretty bad all right!” it’s going to sound much better than “Yes, I agree, there’s not enough resources available to our management to complete the new building”.

The first phrase is a very common way of confirming the other person’s opinion and sounds friendly enough. You really don’t need to repeat what the other person said to you, so a short phrase “The whole thing about…” is totally OK as a reply.

Of course, if you’re having a formal conversation you wouldn’t risk being taken for a person with bad manners, so you would probably explain everything in more detail. If you’re chatting with a friend of yours, on the other hand, why beat around the bush? It’s so much more convenient to use the amazing English word “THING” to describe nearly everything you want!

Yes, if you just think about it, you can use “THING” in plenty of small talk phrases, and it makes it so much easier for us foreign English speakers to communicate effectively.

English Small Talk Phrases With “THING”

What do you think about the whole … thing? – a handy way to ask for someone’s opinion on something that the other person is already familiar with. Basically you don’t need to explain the problem in detail, you just use one or two words before the word “thing” that would make it clear what the story is about. Moreover, you don’t have to make sure they correspond to the rest of the sentence in terms of grammar, just stick them in – “So what do you think about the whole who gets the best score thing?” “What do you think about the whole promotion thing?”

This whole … thing looks really messed up (pretty bad etc.) – the same as previous phrase – just stick the relevant word or words in between the words “whole” and “thing” – and there you go! You have a perfect way of making a comment about some problem. “This whole bank bailout thing looks really messed up!”

The thing is that … – this is a great way to start explaining your point when someone asks you to explain something. A more formal way of responding to a question would be “The reason for… is the following…” or “Let me explain you why…” or whatever would be the most fitting sentence for a particular occasion. “The thing is that…” is a universal phrase you can use in nearly all situations when you’re asked to explain something!

The funny thing is that… – here’s a variation of the previous small-talk phrase, and pretty much the only difference is the word “funny” attached to the phrase which makes it useful in situations when you’re describing something ironic. For example, you’ve gone to the gym with your friend and just before entering the shower you’re saying: “The funny thing is that I forgot to put the towel into my gym bag… How am I going to towel off now?!”

Here’s the thing … – this English small talk phrase is a brilliant way to start a conversation if you want to make an offer, ask for a favor or advice, or explain a problem. “OK, here’s the thing – I can’t make it to 9:30 tomorrow morning, can you fill in for me?”

How are things? – a typical greeting phrase you can use when addressing people you’re familiar with or if you get to know them in a less formal setting – “Hi Tom, how are things?” You can also say “How’s things?” – and don’t get confused by bad grammar in the phrase. Conversational English is full of grammar “mistakes”! 😉

Things are looking up – means that you’re satisfied with your life and everything seems to be happening for the better.

Things are pretty bad – this is what you’d say if you’re asked “How are you?” or “How are things?” and you have to admit that you’re in a pretty bad situation at the moment. Normally though, unless you’re in really deep trouble, don’t start crying on someone’s shoulder. On 9 occasions out of 10 the average person would say that everything is fine even if they had some issues. It’s a way of programming yourself for success ❗

There’s one more thing – just another way of saying “I have something else to say in this regard”.

The great thing about… is that… – here’s how you start a sentence when describing positive side of something: “The great thing about smartphones is that you can browse the Internet just as if you’re using a tablet!”

English Collocations With the Word “THING”

Do the right thing – this is a typical way of saying that one has to do what’s right and listen to one’s conscience.

Sure thing – this collocation which is also an idiom at the same time (but do we really need to know what exactly it is to be able to use it in real life conversations?) can be used both as an affirmative reply and part of a sentence where you explain that something is very certain. So if your friend invites you round to his house tonight, you can tell him – “Sure thing!” And if you’re asked what type of a beverage you’re going for, your response could be “Come on, don’t you know beer is a sure thing for me?”

The real thing – you can use this collocation to describe something you really like or something whose authenticity can’t be disputed. Let’s say for instance, you’re looking at a very expensive sports car on the street – you can use “the real thing” to say “Yeah, that’s the real thing!”

Sort of thing – is a collocation used in phrases like “I’m not into that sort of thing” or “That’s the sort of thing I like!” It’s a casual way of commenting on something that your chat partner talks or asks you about. “How about we do a parachute jump?” “Sorry pal, but I’m not into that sort of thing!”

Type thing – similar to a collocation “sort of thing”. Most commonly used in phrases beginning with “It’s a type of thing…”

Nicest thing – I’d imagine this collocation is normally used by girls in phrases like “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!”

The next big thing – when you’re describing a breakthrough in science and technology, you can describe it as the next big thing – “Did you know cloud computing is the next big thing?”

In the thick of things – this is a way of describing buzzing activity. “Sorry, I’ll get back to you later on, I’m in the thick of things now!” – is what you’d say if you were very busy at work and a friend of yours rang you to have a chat about something. “I got caught up in the thick of things” – you can use this phrase to explain that you got very busy with something due to certain circumstances.

First thing in the morning – when you promise someone to do something very early in the morning, you can use this collocation. Typically it’s used at work when you make promises to your customers or superiors – “OK, our technician is coming to your house first thing in the morning, so may rest assured you’ll even get to watch the morning news when he’s gone!”

It’s a thing of the past – you can use this phrase to refer to traditions people don’t observe any more, or when talking about outdated things in general. “Analogue phones are the thing of the past, and now it actually would be cool to own one!”

To have a thing for – you can use this English idiomatic expression to refer to someone having a crush on a member of the opposite sex. Typically it’s used when talking about some guy liking a girl – “I think Jesse has a thing for Jessica, but he’s too shy to admit it!”

“THING” Can Substitute Nearly ANY Word You Don’t Know!

It’s not uncommon for native English speakers to use the word “thing” instead of finding the right word – especially if they’re in a hurry. I’m not saying you have to start speaking using super-simple language – my point is that you don’t have to stress out whenever you’re stuck for words.

“Can you pass me that thing, please?” is a typical example of how you would ask your work colleague to give you a hole punch from her table if the name of the item had slipped your mind. It does happen to me every now and then and instead of trying to strain my memory to remember the name of the particular item by all means, I just point at it and use the word “thing”.

Here in Ireland, by the way, we have another word for “thing” which is “yoke”. It’s got nothing to do with the English word “yoke” because its origins are in the Irish language, I guess. Anyway – it’s used quite often in small talk and practical conversations. I recall an Irish work colleague of mine once complained that everything for her son is “yoke” these days – yoke this and yoke that. Well, it goes to show that once even natives go into such “extremes”, it’s totally OK for foreigners like us to use “thing” here and there when having a quick chat with someone! 🙂

Robby

P.S. Would you like to find out why I’m highlighting some of the text in red? Read this article and you’ll learn why it’s so important to learn idiomatic expressions and how it will help you to improve your spoken English!

P.S.S. Are you serious about your spoken English improvement? Check out my English Harmony System HERE!

P.S. Are you serious about your spoken English improvement? Check out the English Harmony System HERE!

Lucija:

This is Everyday Grammar. I’m Lucija.

Это «Грамматика на каждый день». Я Лусия.

Kaveh:

And I’m Kaveh. You know, when we are preparing our shows, the first THING we do is come up with a subject.

А я Каве. Знаете, когда мы готовим наши шоу, первое, что мы делаем, — это придумываем тему.

Lucija:

That’s right! Today’s subject is commonly used nouns.

Точно! Сегодняшняя тема — общеупотребительные существительные.

Kaveh:

The second THING we do is research the subject…

Второе, что мы делаем, — это изучаем тему …

Lucija:

…then write a script.

… затем пишем сценарий.

Kaveh:

And afterwards have a producer review it.

А потом просим продюсера просмотреть его.

Lucija:

The last THING we do is film the show.

Последнее, что мы делаем, — снимаем шоу.

Kaveh:

Yeah, because the last THING we want is to be unprepared…

Да, потому что последнее, чего бы мы хотели, — это быть неподготовленными …

Lucija:

…or not clear. So, let’s talk about the commonly used noun THING.

… или не понятными. Итак, давайте поговорим о широко используемом существительном THING.

Thing

Kaveh:

The noun THING can suggest an object, but THING also has several other meanings.

Существительное thing может указывать на объект, но thing также имеет и некоторые другие значения.

Lucija:

1. THING can mean an activity or event.

   Thing может означать действие или событие.

• When we are preparing our episode, the first thing we do is come up with a subject.
• Когда мы готовим нашу передачу, первое, что мы делаем, — это придумываем тему.

Kaveh:

1. THING can also suggest a statement or some kind of communication.

   Thing также может означать заявление или какое-то сообщение.

• The last thing he said was that the project was delayed.
• Последнее, что он сказал, — это то, что проект был заморожен.
• The last thing I heard was that Mary arrived in Rome.
• Последнее, что я слышала, было то, что Мэри прибыла в Рим.

Lucija:

1. THING can also refer to a general situation. Here, the speaker will give a general opinion about a situation by using an adjective.

   Thing также может иметь отношение к общей ситуации. В этом случае говорящий высказывает распространенное мнение о ситуации, используя прилагательное.

• It’s a good thing you brought that umbrella. It’s supposed to rain today.
• Хорошо, что ты взял зонт. Сегодня ожидается дождь.

Lucija:

All the different meanings of THING can be difficult to learn and use.

Все различные значения thing непросто изучить и использовать.

Lucija:

And that’s Everyday Grammar.

И это была «Грамматика на каждый день».

This is Everyday Grammar. I’m John Russell.

Это «Грамматика на каждый день». Я Джон Рассел.

You know, Americans use many kinds of strange words in everyday speech.

Знаете, американцы используют много разных странных слов в повседневной речи.

One of the most common is the word «thing.» It’s a noun.

Одним из самых распространенных является слово «thing». Это существительное.

I started thinking about it when my sister told me about a rumor that she had heard.

Я начал думать об этом слове, когда моя сестра рассказала мне о слухах, которые она слышала.

«The last thing I heard is that Bob’s girlfriend broke up with him.»

«Последнее, что я слышала, это то, что девушка Боба бросила его».

Poor Bob, I can’t imagine why his girlfriend would do that.

Бедный Боб, я не могу представить, почему это его девушка сделала такое.

You heard my sister say the word thing as in «the last thing I heard.»

Вы слышали, что моя сестра произнесла слово thing, вот здесь: «the last thing I heard — последнее, что я слышала».

Here, she used the noun «thing» to mean a kind of statement or communication.

Здесь она использовала существительное «thing» для обозначения своего рода утверждения или сообщения.

You will often hear Americans use the word this way in everyday speech.

Вы часто будете слышать, как американцы используют это слово в повседневной речи.

You will know they are using it this way by the context of the sentence.

Вы будете знать, что они используют его таким образом в контексте предложения.

Here are a couple examples:

Вот пара примеров:

• «One day, my boss said I did a terrible job… and that was the nicest thing he ever told me.»
• «Однажды мой начальник сказал, что я проделал громадную работу… и это было самое приятное, что он когда-либо говорил мне.»
• «When you get home, the first thing your mom will tell you is to do your homework.»
• «Когда ты приходишь домой, первое, что твоя мама скажет тебе, — это сделать домашнюю работу.»

Notice that the verbs in the sentences suggests the act of communicating.

Обратите внимание, что глаголы в предложениях предполагают акт общения (в первом примере — told me, во втором примере — tell you).

So, if you ever hear an American using the word thing ask yourself if they mean it to suggest a statement or kind of communication or if they mean something else by it.

Поэтому, если вы когда-нибудь услышите, что американцы используют слово thing, спросите себя, означает ли это какое-либо утверждение, или это своего рода сообщение, или они подразумевают что-то другое под этим.

If you want to learn more about «thing», be sure to watch other videos we have on the topic!

Если вы хотите узнать больше о «thing», обязательно посмотрите другие видео по этой теме!

And that’s the last thing I have to say.

И это последнее, что я должен сказать.

And that’s Everyday Grammar.

И это была «Грамматика на каждый день».