i am busy with my homework

Quality Point(s): 281

Answer: 241

• English (US)
• English (UK)

What is the difference between I'm busy with my homework and I'm busy doing my homework ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.

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They mean the same thing!

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Quality Point(s): 236

Answer: 379

They both mean the same. Neither one is more formal than the other. Neither one is more preferred.

• What is the difference between I've just finished my homework and I just finished my homework ?
• What is the difference between I am going to do my homework and I will do my homework ?
• What is the difference between I’m studying my homework and I’m doing my homework ?
• What is the difference between I'm doing my homework. and I'm doing my homework assignment. ?
• What is the difference between I'm doing a little bit of homework and I'm doing a little homewor...
• What is the difference between I have just finished my homework and I just finished my homework ?
• How do you say this in English (US)? 做作业 。做练习。刷题。 除了do homework,do some exercise
• What is the difference between I have to do my homework and I must do my homework ?
• What is the difference between grumble and complain ?
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• What is the difference between Nice try, but I am afraid he won’t fall for the trick and Nice try...
• What is the difference between "drift off" and "be preoccupied" and "zone out" ?
• What is the difference between You should’ve told me earlier and You should’ve told me sooner ?
• What is the difference between light meals and snacks ?
• What is the difference between precious resources like trees or metal and precious resources su...
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• What is the difference between i like play and i like playing ?
• What is the difference between 我喜歡跟朋友一起喝喝茶、聊聊天。 and 我喜歡跟朋友一起一邊喝茶、一邊聊天。 ?
• What is the difference between choose and selection ?
• What is the difference between method and way ?
• How do you say this in Korean? Hice este dibujo, me inspire mucho mientras escuchaba tu canción.
• What is the difference between ぜんぶ and なにも and かも ?

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• English Only

Busy with work or at work?

• Thread starter ilovejapan
• Start date May 9, 2015

Senior Member

• May 9, 2015

Which one is correct? I am busy with work. I am busy at work. I could find both on online dictionaries.  

Florentia52

Modwoman in the attic.

Both are grammatically correct. They mean different things. What is it you are trying to say?  

If I wanted to meet with my friend next week and asked if she was busy, which one would be used in this situation? Are you busy with work next week? Are you busy at work next week? However, I'd like to know the difference between the two.  

• Feb 23, 2023

1. What are you busy with? 2. What are you busy at? What's the difference in meaning between the above two questions? I'm busy <at/with/in doing> work.  

No. 1 sounds fine but No. 2 doesn’t sound idiomatic to me. I’m struggling to think of a situation in which I might use this wording.  

Joetofu said: No. 1 sounds fine but No. 2 doesn’t sound idiomatic to me. I’m struggling to think of a situation in which I might use this wording. Click to expand...

"What are you busy at?" means "What are you busy doing?" "What are you busy with?" also means "What are you busy doing?" Note this is a totally different "at" than "Are you busy at work?" So this is a new thread, starting at post #4, and the thread linked in post #4 is about a different topic.  

3. I'm busy with my homework. 4. I'm busy at my homework. #3 is supposed to be correct. Is #4 also acceptable?  

Glasguensis

Signal modulation.

Not for me  

No, #4 is not acceptable. The actual meaning is: 5. I am busy doing my work. So #3 and #4 are attempts to express #5. #3 works but #4 doesn't work.  

Ashraful Haque

• Jun 17, 2024

1) I'm busy at work. - Doesn't it suggest that you're busy at your workplace/office? Can we use it if we're working from home? 2) I'm busy with work. - It sounds to me like you're just saying that you're busy working. It could be from home or at an office building. Please let me know if this is correct.  

1) Yes, for office/workplace only -- not at home. 2) Yes.  

• Student Login:

#194: 14 Better Ways to Say ‘I’m Busy’ [Advanced English Vocabulary]

Dec 16, 2020 | Advanced Vocabulary

Of course, at any time of year, we can feel busy or overwhelmed. An unexpected deadline at work. A last-minute meeting. A sick family member who needs extra help. A flat tire that holds up everything else in our day.

But as we get toward the end of the year, that feeling of being busy only increases. There are holiday gifts to shop for and meals to prepare. End of year deadlines and projects to finish. Right now, many of my students are using the word ‘busy.’ But there are better ways to say I’m busy in English.

My goal is always to help you express yourself precisely and effortlessly in English.

The best way to do that is to build your vocabulary strategically with powerful adjectives, collocations, idioms, and phrasal verbs in English.

In today’s lesson, you’ll learn 14 better ways to say “I’m busy” in English plus have the opportunity to practice.

14 Better Ways to Say “I’m Busy” in English

Lesson summary, powerful adjectives & collocations to say “i’m busy” in english.

• To be slammed (at work) – extremely busy/overwhelmed
• This week we’re slammed trying to meet the deadline.
• To be swamped/snowed under – extremely busy/overwhelmed
• I’m really swamped at work right now.
• Our office is snowed under with a mountain of paperwork during tax season.
• To keep someone/oneself busy – to keep someone (or yourself) occupied
• If you have some extra time, let me know. I’ve got plenty of tasks to keep you busy

Idioms to Say “I’m Busy” in English

• to burn the candle at both ends – to work extremely or excessively hard; to work too hard for good health or peace of mind
• I’ll be burning the candle at both ends this weekend to get this project finished.
• to have a full plate/to have a lot on one’s plate/to have one’s hands full – too much to do or a lot to deal with right now, which leads to feeling stressed; unable to take on more responsibility
• She’s got her hands full right now with 3 kids under the age of 5 and a sick husband at home.
• I’m at maximum capacity at work. I can’t handle one more to do request.
• Lara’s at full bandwidth right now so why don’t we ask Suzanne to do this.
• to be up to one’s eyeballs/neck in something – to have an excessive amount of work or too much of something
• Accountants are usually up to their eyeballs in paperwork during tax season.
• I said ‘yes’ to too many things this month and now I’m overwhelmed. I think I bit off more than I can chew.
• To have a lot of irons in the fire – to have multiple projects or multiple, unrelated tasks
• We have 3 major projects with deadlines coming soon, so I have a lot of irons in the fire at work right now. I have very little time to concentrate on just one thing.

Phrasal Verbs to Say “I’m Busy” in English

• To be tied up (at the moment) – to be too busy at the moment and unavailable or unable to do something else
• I’m sorry, I’m going to be late coming home because I’m tied up at work.

Related Lessons

If you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, learn how to say no politely in English .

Feeling overwhelmed? Learn how to simplify your life or create better work-from-home strategies .

Consider how to establish Well-Being at Work or How to Request Someone’s Time/Help .

Or try one of these strategies for Time Management .

As always, the best way to learn and remember new vocabulary is to get consistent, repeated practice. And here’s your chance!

Choose 2-3 of your favorite new expressions from today’s lesson.

Then use them in your own example sentences. Think of your life right now. What makes you feel busy? What is making you feel overwhelmed or stressed? 

As always, you can share with me in the comments below. It’s the best way to practice, get feedback, and learn from others in the Confident English Community.

~ Annemarie

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What about just say “I am disorganised” or even “I am poor at time management”.

being busy does not make you poor at time management, LOL

All the lessons you share are really interesting, and very good examples to practice.

It is very useful lessons to make the conversion more fun and interesting. Here are my examples using the expression I learned from this session.

• I have been tied up at this important project lately, which run out of all my capacity.
• She burns the candle at the both end and tries to balance her business and family life taking care of her children and ill husband.
• He has a lot of irons in fire at the work with the deadline tomorrow, and he must have to stay up late in the office tonight.

Nicely done, Chih Yeu! I like the examples you’ve shared!!

One little note, the specific words we use for example 2 are “to burn the candle at both ends.” I removed the word ‘the’ in front of both and includes the -s on the word ends. So your sentence would read, “She burns the candle at both ends and tries…”

Thanks so much for sharing here.

I really love your lessons, thank you:)

Thank you. 😊

Nowadays I have many, many situations to be extremely busy.

Let´s me give you some examples

Last week I was really slammed in the hospital because due to snow, many, many people got injured. If you allow me, we were snowed under the consequences of snow.

During 2020 year, doctors and nurses have been burning the candle at both ends

I could share many many more feelings about how busy I was last year and on the other hand how I going to be tied up in 2021.

Thanks for your help At this time they are useful expressions.

Dear Annemarie,

It would be great if I could have watched this video one week before, but I got my hands full.

I would love, when my brother-in-law and his wife have told us that they are always who are coming to visit us, to reply: I would love to come and visit you but I’am tied up at work;)!

I hope I’ll remember it for next time.

Thank you for useful lessons.

Dear Annemarie, I choose these expressions : Excuse me Claire could you call me later ? I am slammed at work In this period I am snowed under my paper works …lessons , courses …. We are following at work 3 projects at the same time … I have a lot of irons in the fire ,

Well done, Luisa. Thanks for sharing your examples.

Hello Annemarie. Happy New Year! It was a very helpful lesson, like always

• I would like to go to a party, but I am tied up with my little sister tonight.
• I have to cook for 50 people, we invited for our anniversary next Saturday. I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew.
• Due to 3 new projects upcoming next week,I will be slammed at wort.

Thank you a lot

Nicely done, Olga. These are great examples of how to use some of the idioms from this lesson.

Hi Annemarie, happy New Year! Wish you peace, happiness and health in 2021. Thank you for all your lessons!

I’m so sorry. I have got my hands full around the New Year so these video lessons were not completed until today. These lessons are very useful to me. Thank you for your energy and time.

I’m so glad to know that these lessons are helpful to you, Liping!

Hi Annemarie,

Thank you for the lesson. It was really helpful!

• I would love to join you for lunch, but I’m really slammed at work right now.
• I’d love to help you, but I have my hand’s full right now.
• I’m up to my eyeballs with this project.

Regards, Karen

Great examples here, Karen!

1. Last year a day like today we were swamped at work preparing the last presentation of the year.

2. Sorry you can’t count on me today, I have a lot of things on my plate.

Hello, Annemarie

This lesson is very beneficial .

• This week I am snowed under in my sister’s marriage preparation.
• If you have some extra time,let me know here is a lot of work to keep you busy.
• My sister’marriage, my half yearly exams and Happy Christmas–all are in the next week so I have a lot of irons in the fire now.

With Regards Indra

Well done, Indra! You’ve got some great examples with idioms from this lesson.

excellent as usual!

Being a doctor, I was requisitioned to ensure guards at Covid-19 department, I am really feeling swamped. When I am at home, my two kids are keeping me up to my eyeballs. ( please I am not feeling that the noun guards is correct but I didn’t find a better translation from French :/)

Hey Annemarie, Thank’s a lot for your very helpful lesson with many interesting examples 🙂 Here are my sentences:

• I’m sorry, I couldn’t help you with shopping, my hands are full right now.
• I bite off more than I can chew when I say “yes” to too many things. I feel overwhelmed.
• I’m really snowed under with a mountain clothes to be ironed during pre-holiday period.

Have a wonderful weekend 🙂 Best Agnieszka

Love these examples, Agnieszka! Nicely done.

Her Annemarie, I love this lesson, so I ‘m moving to a new city and I ‘m tied up packing. That why I have a lot of iron in the fire 🔥 Thank you for your time

Good luck in your move, Paola! I’m glad you enjoyed the lesson.

Good morning Anne Firstly I would like to thank you for the lesson it was powerful and fruitfull.

Examples: I think I ‘ll be burning the candle at both sides this coming weekend ,we are expecting many guest for this wedding. I was stressed that I couldn’t help my colleague, my hands were full .

I am regretting that I didn’t type my reports for last two days now I have to bite off more than I can chew and today is the submission day.

My helper is off today I m tied up ,I m all by myself.

I loved this lesson! So many alternative way to express the amount of work. Here’s my practice: The last 3 years I used to have a lot of irons in the fire handling several complex projects at the same time. Now, with my new role, my plate has been cleared up. Since we are working from home, the experience have vary from being swapped transforming our services to make them fully digital to have some free capacity, nevertheless we always find ways to keep ourselves at full capacity whether it could be taking some online training or implementing new practices …  Read more »

I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Xeni!

Sounds like a lot of work switching your company’s services to be fully digital!

Hey Annemarie, Happy new year. Thanks for this great lesson. I needed it. I am looking forward to joining your fluency school next year. Here’re my examples I’ve got my hands full with finishing my projects and writing my goals for 2021. I’d love to go shopping in sales but I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. I am going to hang out at Christmas with my family, I hope no one will be tied up at work this time. I am working on myself to be able to say no so that I no longer bite off …  Read more »

Oh, wonderful examples here, Nada! Nicely down.

I hope 2021 is starting the way you had hoped. And we’d certainly love to have you join us for Fluency School!

Good morning Dear Annemarie, thanks again for your excellent and motivated lesson. * By exercising, walking and biking, I burn the candles at both ends to keep myself healthy and let the energy flow into my body.

* Educating myself through Toastmasters club and excellent Speak Confident English lessons, I am at maximum capacity to handle unnecessary promotion and social emails.

* Although I am retired I have a lot of irons in the fire at home with my daily chores, so I barely find time to answer to my friend’s phone calls or to their emails.

You’ve got some great examples here, Nasrin!

One note about the idiom ‘to burn the candle at both ends.’ We use this idiom to say that we work or do other things from early in the morning until late at night and so get very little rest.

For example, if you’re trying to get a project finished on time, you might work 12 hours (from morning to night) to get it finished.

The example provided gives me the picture that you’re exercising nonstop from sun up to sun down. Is that accurate?

Thanks a lot, Annemarie! My favorites: burning the candle at both ends, be at full bandwidth, and as a proverb “Don’t bite more than you can chew” There is a similar idiom in Bulgarian “This is not a spoon fitted yo your mouth”

Thanks for sharing a similar idiom you have in Bulgarian! I love that. Now that you’ve got some new idioms in English, how would you use one of them in your own sentence?

• Sorry dear Annemarie I´ve been away for a while even leaving my muse alone by biting off more than a can chew. But I´m back as I´ll always be if you permit

Thank you for sharing with me.

I can’t come to the party, I’ll be tied up at this moment My coworker is on leave, I’m slammed at awork Sorry ! I can’t call you, I’m swamed doing my homework

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I'm busy doing homework vs I'm busy doing my homework

Last updated: April 06, 2024 • 1006 views

• I'm busy doing homework

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

• I can't go out tonight, I'm busy doing homework.
• She spends most of her evenings busy doing homework.
• He always looks stressed because he's busy doing homework all the time.
• I'm busy doing John's homework .
• Mom, I'm doing homework .
• I'm in the middle of doing homework .
• I'm doing homework with Claire.
• That I'm doing homework on Friday night.
• No, I'm just doing homework and schoolwork and research for school.
• I'm busy doing my job.
• I'm busy doing something else today.
• And I'm sure you're busy doing art or something.
• I'm busy doing genius work.
• Well, don't come to me with that 'cause I'm busy doing things.
• I'm busy doing clean-up work after the Sanno reshuffle.
• I'm sure he's probably busy doing something right now.
• I still might go out and climb, but right now I'm busy doing lots of other things.
• I may not be on, but it doesn't mean I'm not busy doing something.
• Are you going to Ricky's? I'm going to Grace's house to get away from you, and we're not doing homework .
• If you see her, could you say I'm very busy doing my video blog?
• Do you ever stop to think that maybe I'm busy doing something?
• Sat at the grill doing homework .
• Just doing homework , sending some emails.

Alternatives:

• I'm busy with homework
• I'm occupied with homework
• I'm swamped with homework
• I'm tied up with homework
• I'm preoccupied with homework
• I'm busy doing my homework
• I can't talk right now, I'm busy doing my homework.
• She's always busy doing her homework before dinner.
• He's focused and busy doing his homework in his room.
• I was busy doing my job.
• I'm busy doing John's homework.
• I'll be busy doing my insignificant work!
• No, I was too busy doing my taxes.
• I said you were too busy doing jobs that actually pay.
• Just busy doing Crosby stuff, I guess.
• Back at the station, the inspectors were busy doing some inspecting.
• Too busy doing what he does like.
• They were all too busy doing other stuff I guess.
• Too busy doing other stuff I guess.
• I'm busy with my homework
• I'm occupied with my homework
• I'm swamped with my homework
• I'm tied up with my homework
• I'm preoccupied with my homework

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