Heating and lights · Home and routines
power cut
loss of electricity
A period when the electricity supply stops working.
This vs that
There was a power cut in our house.
There was a blackout across the city.
Hear it in real life
Why isn't the Wi-Fi working?
There's been a power cut in the whole street.
We had a power cut during the storm, so we ate dinner by candlelight.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
'Power cut' is the natural British English phrase for this everyday problem.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: We had a power cutted last night.
Say: We had a power cut last night.
In British English, “power cut” is a noun phrase, not a past-tense verb.
Build it
How it fits in a sentence.
a power cut; during a power cut; the power cuts out
Phrases to borrow
More for talking about heating and lights.
put the heating on
It’s freezing, so I’m putting the heating on.
leave the light on
Please don’t leave the light on when you go out.
Heating and lights words
Home and routines · Heating and lights: the words around “power cut”.
More connectionsMore heating and lights words8
More heating and lights words
Your turn: say it out loud
We had a power cut.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
power cut
loss of electricity
“We had a power cut during the storm, so we ate dinner by candlelight.”
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