English has many word pairs that always come in the same order: salt and pepper, back and forth, safe and sound. Learners often flip the order, because their own language puts the words the other way. "Pepper and salt" is understood, but it sounds strange to American ears. In this episode: • Fixed pairs: the order never changes • How to say them • More pairs with "by," "and" or "over" • Doubled words • Rhyming and echo pairs • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: salt and pepper — the two table spices. "Can you pass the salt and pepper?" safe and sound — safe, with no harm (warm). "The kids got home safe and sound." pros and cons — good points and bad points. "Let's list the pros and cons." now and then — sometimes, not often. "We order pizza now and then." peace and quiet — calm, with no noise. "I just want some peace and quiet." odds and ends — small, mixed things. "The drawer is full of odds and ends." ups and downs — good times and bad times. "Every family has ups and downs." give or take — more or less, about. "It's twenty minutes, give or take." more or less — about, nearly. "I'm more or less ready." here and there — in different places. "Toys were here and there." little by little — slowly, in small steps. "Little by little, the room got clean." step by step — one part at a time. "Follow the recipe step by step." day by day — each day, slowly. "Grandma is getting stronger day by day." over and over — again and again. "He played the same song over and over." on and off — sometimes yes, sometimes no. "It rained on and off all day." Season 2 · Real American English: the complete spoken course for learners worldwide — accent, everyday grammar, prepositions, articles, phrasal verbs, idioms, slang and real conversations at home. Listen, repeat out loud, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair.