Lesson 186--a cold: catching and having

 

I caught a cold last week, and as I write this, I still have a cold.  Despite how terrible I feel, I realize that this is a good opportunity for an English lesson.

We use catch a cold to talk about the moment we received the virus. 

I caught a cold yesterday.

I caught a cold from my students.

If you hang out with sick people, you might catch a cold.

We use have a cold to describe how we feel at this moment, or some specific time.

I don't feel well because I have a cold.

I had a cold last weekend and stayed in bed the whole time.

Lesson 116--Three Expressions with catch

 

Catch a cold

This is used to explain the moment of getting a cold.  Once you catch a cold, they you have a cold.

I caught a cold last week.

Be careful or you will catch a cold.

This is more often used in past or future tenses.

catch my breath

This is used to explain the feeling of being out of breath.  These situations include exercising, or running, or just needing a short break.

Just give me a minute to catch my breath.

It took me a long time to catch my breath after the marathon.

catch a break

This is used to explain being lucky or fortunate.

When the policeman stopped me for speeding, I caught a break.  He was my neighbour and he didn't give me a ticket.

If we are going to win this match, we will need to catch a break.