Classes · Study
put someone on the spot
force an answer
To put someone on the spot means to make them answer or act immediately when they are not prepared.
This vs that
The teacher put me on the spot.
The teacher called on me.
Hear it in real life
Why didn't you answer her question?
She put me on the spot, and I couldn't think of anything useful to say.
The tutor put me on the spot by asking me to explain the whole experiment.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
The idiom clearly conveys the uncomfortable pressure of the situation.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: The teacher put me in the spot with a difficult question.
Say: The teacher put me on the spot with a difficult question.
The fixed preposition is 'on'.
Say it together
Whole chunks natives use with it.
put someone on the spot
Please don't put me on the spot in front of the whole class.
The interviewer's question put me on the spot.
Phrases to borrow
More for talking about classes.
in the same class as ___
I'm in the same class as Minh this term.
Classes words
Study · Classes: the words around “put someone on the spot”.
More connectionsEasy to mix up · More classes words6
Easy to mix up
More classes words
Your turn: say it out loud
The teacher put me on the spot.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
put someone on the spot
force an answer
“The tutor put me on the spot by asking me to explain the whole experiment.”
heytardy