Learn
Watch & LearnLearning Paths
Daily EnglishSocial EnglishProfessional EnglishVOA English
Words and Their StoriesLearning Expressions with VOA
Processed with VS1Learn expressions for feeling welcome, finding comfort away from home, and nearing the end of a long task.
VOA source audio
Source: VOA Learning English · Words and Their Stories
View original article & transcriptThe article uses “home” for a physical place and for a feeling of comfort or belonging. “Make yourself at home” welcomes a visitor, and a “home away from home” is a familiar, comfortable place while traveling. “Home stretch” comes from racing and describes nearing the end of a long task. The lesson omits “home is where the heart is,” already covered in an earlier lesson.
Cultural note: “Make yourself at home” is an invitation to feel comfortable, not permission to ignore a host’s boundaries. “Home away from home” is often promotional language, so whether a place truly feels familiar is personal. The source includes quoted poetry and song lyrics; none are reproduced here.
Keep exploringEnglish uses “home” for a place, a welcome, a sense of comfort, and even the last part of a race.
Phrase guide · 5 expressions
Original explanations and examples, created for learners. Save a card for later or hear the phrase spoken by your browser.
Use phrases for inviting someone to relax and feel at ease.
Meaning
Invite a guest to relax and feel comfortable in your space.
Tone & use
A friendly invitation; guests should still respect the host’s stated limits and household routines.
Example
“The host showed us where to put our coats and said, “Make yourselves at home.””
Meaning
Eat so much at someone’s home that the food supplies seem to disappear.
Tone & use
Humorous exaggeration, often said about a frequent guest or a growing child; it can sound unwelcoming if the relationship is not close.
Example
“Our cousins joked that the teenagers would eat them out of house and home during the school break.”
Describe familiar surroundings away from your usual home.
Meaning
A place away from your usual home that feels comfortable and familiar.
Tone & use
Common in travel and hospitality. It expresses a personal impression, not a guarantee about a place.
Example
“The small library became a home away from home while she studied in a new city.”
Meaning
Someone who prefers staying at home rather than going out often.
Tone & use
Usually neutral or affectionate, but do not use it to assume why a person stays in.
Example
“He is a homebody on weeknights and likes cooking or reading after work.”
Borrow a racing image for the final part of a long task.
Meaning
The final part of a long task, journey, or process.
Tone & use
Informal and encouraging; it means near the end, not finished already.
Example
“We are in the home stretch of the renovation, but the final inspection is still ahead.”
Knowledge check
Choose the expression that best fits each situation.
Try it · Choose the best expression
1 of 3