fixed expressions

A fixed expression is a phrase with a specific meaning.  The combination of words doesn’t change = fixed. They are quite literal, so they are different to idiom.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere

Fixed expressions are groups of words that are used together to convey a specific meaning.
“All of a sudden” and “out of nowhere” are fixed expressions that mean something happened very quickly and unexpectedly.
Sometimes, they are used together for added focus. For example:

But all of a sudden, out of nowhere, he just collapsed.
All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a huge storm hit the city.

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CAN (focus)

“As you can see” is used to draw attention to something that is obvious or visible. For example, you might say “As you can see, the cat is sitting on the mat” or “As you can see, the results of the test are not good.”
“I can’t say” is used to express uncertainty or doubt. For example, you might say “I can’t say for sure when I’ll be finished with this project” or “I can’t say that I agree with your decision.”
“I can tell you that” is used to make a statement that is certain or factual. For example, you might say “I can tell you that the meeting will start at 10am” or “I can tell you that I’m not happy with the way things are going.”
“As you can imagine” is used to express something that is easy to understand or picture. For example, you might say “As you can imagine, I was very excited to get the job offer” or “As you can imagine, the traffic was terrible today.”
“I can say that” is used to make a statement that is true or accurate. For example, you might say “I can say that I’m very proud of my children” or “I can say that I’ve learned a lot from this experience.”
“I can assure you that” is used to express confidence or certainty. For example, you might say “I can assure you that I will do my best” or “I can assure you that your information is safe with me.”

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I must admit

The fixed expression ‘I must admit’ is used to express something that you feel guilty or embarrassed about, or to show that someone else impresses you more than you expected. For example:
I must admit, I’m not very good at this sort of thing.
I must admit, you’re quite a singer.

The fixed expression ‘you must admit’ is used to express concession, which means acknowledging a point made by someone else, even if you disagree with them. For example:
You must admit, he has a point.
You must admit, it was a close game.

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If it hadn’t been for / had it not been for + modal

These are fixed expressions that are used to express a counterfactual or hypothetical situation in the past. They mean “if something had not happened, then something else would not have happened”. For example:

If it hadn’t been for your help, I would have failed the exam.
Had it not been for the storm, we would have arrived on time.

You can use different modals after these expressions, such as would, could, might. You can also invert the word order and omit “if”, as in the second example.

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