Criticising and Blaming in English

Criticising and Blaming in English

Hello English learners! In everyday conversations, at work, or even in exams like the Cambridge B2 First or C1 Advanced, you’ll often come across situations where people need to criticise or blame others. Whether you’re talking about politics, workplace issues, or even family disagreements, English has plenty of natural expressions for these moments. In this lesson, we’ll explore some useful words and phrases—from blame to face the music—that will help you express criticism and responsibility clearly and naturally. Criticising and Blaming in English

Here is the list:

1. Blame
2. Reprimand
3. Get at someone
4. Put someone down
5. Bad-mouth
6. Come under fire
7. Under siege
8. Find fault with
9. Point the finger at someone
10. Face the music

Blame

Meaning: to say or think that somebody is guilty of doing or saying something bad.

• Whenever he eats too much, Sara’s husband blames her.
• The police blame the accident on the bus driver.

Reprimand

Meaning: to formally inform someone that they’ve done or said something wrong.

• The boy was reprimanded by the teacher for not listening.
• The journalist was reprimanded for insulting a foreign diplomat.

Criticising and Blaming in English

Get at someone

Meaning: to criticise someone repeatedly.

• My senior colleague is getting at me for days, and I have no idea why.
• Drew tried to get at me, but I didn’t let him.

Put someone down

Meaning: to criticise someone, especially when other people are around.

• Abby was sick of her husband putting her down in front of her friends and decided to leave him.
• It was really nasty of you to put me down like that. 

 

Badmouth (bad-mouth)

Meaning: to say something bad about someone to other people.

• Len’s flatmates badmouthed him to the landlord, and now he’s got to find a new flat.
• If you badmouth your colleagues, they might tell your boss a few things about you.

Meaning: to be criticised.

• The minister has come under fire for his approval of the new law of taxes.
• The opposition came under fire from the government.

Criticising and Blaming in English

Under siege

Meaning: to be criticised all the time or by many people.

• The journalist was under siege by lots of people for his article in the Daily Telegraph.
• The businessman remains under siege for money laundering.

Find fault with

Meaning: to complain about someone’s behaviour.

• The couple lived happily until she began to find fault with his behaviour.
• My mother is always finding fault with my manners.

Point the finger at someone

Meaning: to accuse someone of doing something bad.

• When the nuclear disaster happened, the executives pointed the finger at a few engineers.
• When the police asked him about the stolen goods he pointed the finger at his mates.

Face the music

Meaning: to accept criticism or responsibility for something you’ve done wrong.

• When they asked him about the night of the robbery, he decided to face the music and tell them all about it.
• Sooner or later, you’ll have to face the music and tell your mum about the broken window.

If you really want to learn English but don’t know how to do it and where to start, don’t hesitate to contact us. Book an online English lesson with one of our certified and experienced English teachers and take a test and consultation! Tap the banner to learn more!