Exercise

1. The expression from the word go means:

a) before something starts

b) from the very beginning

c) at the very end

2. Which pop group did Nina love from the word go?

3. Which words are often used to start a race?

Answers

1. b

2. The Beatles

3. 'ready, steady, go!'

Read

You’re listening to British Council’s English Online and I’m Nina. Today on Language Snacks we take a look at the expression from the word go. Let’s listen to the dialogue.

A: Are you enjoying your new job? You've been there about 3 months now, haven't you?

B: Yes, it's great! I'm doing lots of interesting projects and the other people are very friendly.

A: Oh, that's nice! I bet it was a bit difficult to settle into a new company at first though, wasn't it?

B: Actually, not at all. I loved it on my first day and everyone helped me from the word go.

Some things have an immediate and instant effect. The first time I heard The Beatles, for example, I loved their music from the word go. This expression means 'from the very beginning'.

The part about 'the word go' always reminds me of how you say 'ready, steady, go!' to start a race, but nobody knows exactly where this expression comes from originally. It is, however, a very common and useful idiom in British English today. So, next time you're speaking English, why not try to use this expression from the word go!

And that’s it for now – join us again for some more Language Snacks.

You’ve been listening to English Online – the podcast for English learners in China.