Idioms
What do the following idioms mean?
1. She thinks you started that rumour about her that's why she's been giving you the cold shoulder.
2. All of my friends have tied the knot and started having kids.
3. Spilled soup is not a big deal, get a grip!
Read the following examples and explain the meaning of the words or phrase in italics:
A: For an initial outlay of $2,000 to buy the equipment, you can earn up to $500 a month if the product sells well.
B: Jemma's miniskirt raised a few eyebrows at the board meeting.
A: an amount of money spent for a particular purpose, especially as the first investment in something.
B: to cause surprise or shock
Find the mistakes in the following sentences:
1. His boss forced him shave his beard off.
2. My brother is really used to type without looking at the keyboard. He appears to be a pro typist.
3. You are no longer expected to wearing a suit and a tie to work in an office.
1. forced him to shave
2. used to typing
3. expected to wear
What can one catch that is not thrown?
A COLD
Complete the sentences with these phrases:
come to terms with / come in for / come up with the goods
1. It's been difficult for Jack to ____ the fact that he was fired after spending a lifetime in that company.
2. You can depend on him to ____. If he says he says he'll do something, he always does it.
3. His last book ____ some heavy criticism. Not many people found it enjoyable.
1. come to terms with
2. come up with the goods
3. came in for
What do the following mean:
Houseboat
Boathouse
Horse race
Racehorse
A houseboat is a floating house.
A Boathouse is a building that holds boats; by the shore of a lake or river.
A horse race is an event where horses and their riders compete to get to the finish line.
A racehorse is a horse that competes.
Spot the mistakes and correct them:
1. I'd rather my girlfriend live in the city than in the outskirts of the city.
2. In all seriousness, I wish my boss saw how much effort we're doing and praised us for that.
3. If only I had known how to cook, I would prepare the dinner.
1. I'd rather she LIVED....
2. I wish my boss WOULD SEE [...] PRAISE...
3. If only I KNEW...
What do the phrases in bold mean?
1. She was choking back the tears while hearing the bad news.
2. Don't bottle up your emotions. If you feel like crying, do so.
3. Gina is always blurting out what comes to her mind first. She needs to think in advance before speaking.
1. to force yourself not to show how angry or upset you are
2. to refuse to talk about things that make them angry or worried
3. to say without thinking
Say an example for each of the following idioms:
- to turn red as a beetroot
- not to turn a hair
- a turn-up for the books
To turn red a beetroot means you get blushed or ashamed.
Not to turn a hair means you have no reaction for something that has happened.
A turn-up for the books is something that takes you by surprise.
Match these suffixes to their appropriate verb or noun so as to create an adjective:
-SOME / -OUS / -IVE / -ICAL
hypocrisy, loathe, repel, tenacity
HYPOCRITICAL, LOATHSOME, REPULSIVE, TENACIOUS
Divide these adverbs into the ones that we can use with Gradable and Ungradable adjectives:
deeply / fairly / absolutely / very / utterly / entirely
Gradable adjectives: deeply, fairly, very
Ungradable adjectives: absolutely, entirely
Transform the sentence using this word at the beginning.
(CONFIRMATION)
They will only confirm a place on the course upon full payment.
Confirmation of a place on the course will only be issued upon full payment.
Mention the idioms with 'SET' that mean the following:
- when something infuriates you
- to become popular and do exciting things
- when you clarify things
SET MY TEETH ON EDGE
SET THE WORLD ON FIRE
SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT
How do you say these words in English:
clavo
tornillo
pinzas
fusible
NAIL
BOLT
TWEEZERS
FUSE
(GIFT!) Complete the following sentences with the correct word from the list above:
SPUR / PERFORM / LIE / PECKING
1. There's a clearly established ____ order in this office; some receive a better treat than others.
2. People consider the only solution to the plummeting in Mexico's economy ____ in changing the administration, but the problem is way more complex.
3. On the ___ of the moment, my family decided to go to the beach; it was awesome!
4. You've ___ a miracle in this house; I've never seen it this spotless!
1. PECKING
2. LIES
3. SPUR
4. PERFORMED (or WORKED)
Transform the sentence using this word at the beginning.
(BRINK)
Advances in science should soon yield a cure for cancer.
Scientists are thought ___________ finding a cure for cancer.
TO BE ON THE BRINK OF
Which idioms with 'set', 'pull' and 'run', would you use in these situations?
A: You don't believe what a friend has just told you. He/she went too far.
B: What you and your family are going to do has not been decided yet.
C: Someone is doing better than you.
A: PULL THE OTHER ONE!
B: SET IN STONE
C: RUN RINGS ROUND
Which prepositions collocate with these phrases:
cause ___ concern
___ the cusp of
extremes reservations ___
cause FOR concern
ON the cusp of
extreme reservations ABOUT
What is the difference between a pidgin language and a creole language?
Go over the page 85, ex. 7