In this English lesson, you’re going to learn how to use the idiom: bite off more than you can chew.
Watch the video explanation and then see the examples below:
Meaning and Examples: Bite off more than you can chew
This means to do something that is too difficult or to make a commitment that you can’t keep.
To help you understand this, think about a time when you took a huge bite out of something. Like a burger. And there was too much food in your mouth that you couldn’t chew it.
That’s where this idiom comes from. It’s when you try to do more than you’re able to do.
For example, if I took on 17 new projects this week, I could say:
- I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.
I’ve committed to these projects but I don’t have the time to do them.
This can happen too when it comes to learning English. If you say:
“Okay, I am going to have speaking practice in the morning, then I’m going to have two hours of intensive classes in the afternoon and then try to work at the same time, and look after my family and then play sport.”
You’ve bitten off more than you can chew. You are trying to do too much and you can’t do all of these things.
Bite off More than You Can Chew in Different Tenses
Present: I bite off more than I can chew
Past: I bit off more than I can chew
Present Perfect: I’ve bitten off more than I can chew
Going to: I’m going to bite off more than I can chew
What to Do Now?
Check out my lessons on YouTube and Instagram.
And then, learn more English idioms here.
