KRT (F4) Extra!!! Worksheet 6

WORKSHEET 6

Underline the idioms and explain their meanings.

e.g.

1.    The CEO was very particular about the details of the agreement; he split hairs over every issue.

To thoroughly study

2.    Her mother turned her back on her once she decided to marry the man that her mother hated.

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3.    She raised her eyebrows at the suggestion of the merger; everyone was surprised.

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4.    He really put his foot in it when he mentioned the bad deal in front of the boss who had organized the deal.

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5.    She really risked her neck when she made that suggestion. Everyone was against her but she managed to change their minds.

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6.    I never know what is going to happen in my job; I always have to think on my feet.

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7.    When John asked me for a drink I said no but he really twisted my arm. I gave in.

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8.    The CEO gave the thumbs up to the new project; we started it the following day.

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9.    Initially we had no ideas for the new project but then we put our heads together and came up with some possibilities.

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10. John asked me what my plans were for the weekend. I wasn't sure so I told him that I was going to play it by ear.

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KRT (F4) 5 of 5

WORKSHEET 5

Phrasal Verbs

“Over the weekend, things really got me down. I have so much work to do now that Bruce has left. I am finding it hard to get on top of things. I tried to get down to business on Friday and sort things out but there was so much. I need to talk this over with my boss. I expect that she will just tell me to face up to it and get on with it!
I miss Bruce; I really looked up to him and now I feel as though I have a lot to live up to. I should just go along with things for now and not worry so much. However, if I don't manage things, a lot of people will criticize and possibly really put me down. It's hard.”

Now, match the phrasal verbs from the text to their meanings:

1. To agree with/to accept -
2. To discourage and criticize -
3. To work and not hesitate -
4. Respected -
5. To fulfil someone’s high opinions -
6. Depressed me -
7. Got ahead of something -
8. To discuss -
9. To deal with -
10. To organize  -
11. To start -

KRT (F4) 4 of 5

WORKSHEET 4 Idioms – A (Don't) add fuel to the fire (Don't) add insult to injury (Don't) kick a man when he's down - Don't make a bad situation even worse. Absence makes the heart grow fonder - Being far away from a person you love makes your love even stronger. A penny saved is a penny earned - It's good to save money, rather than spending and wasting it. A picture is worth a thousand words - Pictures can give more information than words alone. Actions speak louder than words - What you actually do is more important than what you say you will do. (It's) all in your head - imagined, not real Around the clock - all the time; 24 hours Asleep at the wheel - not paying attention; not doing his/her responsibilities (Shout or yell) at the top of your lungs - (to shout or yell) as loud as you can Idiom Advice Using the idioms listed above, give advice to these people: Tom: I really want to go see a movie tonight, but I'm trying to save my money to buy a new watch. Advice:_____________________________________________ Julie: I just saw my brother's girlfriend with another boy, but he's in a really bad mood because he got fired this morning. Do you think I should tell him? Advice:_____________________________________________ Iris: Did you hear that? I think I heard something in the kitchen! Wait. . . . I'm not sure. There it is again! I think I heard something. Do you hear it? Maybe it's a ghost! Maybe it's a thief! Advice:_____________________________________________ William: My grandfather is so old that he's almost deaf. When I talk to him, he doesn't even notice that I'm talking. Advice:_____________________________________________ Rita: My sister always steals my money! I yelled at her, and she apologized and promised that she would stop, but I don't know if I should believe her. Advice:_____________________________________________ David: My girlfriend got a really good job offer in Taipei, but I’m afraid that if she moves away, she’ll forget about me and we might break up. Advice:_____________________________________________

KRT (F4) 3 of 5

WORKSHEET 3

The idioms are underlined. Use the context to explain their meanings

e.g.

1.    When Martin first moved to New York, he was very green. He hadn’t been outside of his own country before and he didn’t know much about the world.

Green – innocent, naïve, inexperienced

2. I tried to run for my train last night but tripped and fell. I am now black and blue all over and I hurt!

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3. I caught the red eye to get here this morning. I left Los Angeles at 10 last night and got into New York at 5 this morning. I’m exhausted!

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4. She ate chicken last night but it doesn’t look as though it was cooked properly; she looks as white as a sheet / ghost.

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5. I got my bank statement this morning; it wasn’t good news, I am in the red. I will have to cut down on my spending in the future.

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6. My husband came home drunk last night after being out with his friends. I was really angry because he had promised that he would go out with me. As soon as I saw him, I saw red!

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7. When John fell over in front of his boss, he went as red as a beetroot. He was so embarrassed!

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8. I’m not sure that I’ll get invited to my friend’s party. I argued with her and now I think I am on her black list. I don’t think I am her favorite person right now.

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9. The rules are not very clear; I am not sure whether I have to pass all of my exams in order to finish school or whether I can fail one exam. It’s a grey area.

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10. I felt very sick when we hit rough water on the boat. I went green!

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11. My uncle never gets invited to family gatherings; he is the black sheep of the family. Nobody likes him because he is so different. He is argumentative and thinks he is better than us or at least that’s what my mother says.

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12. The rain was really sudden, nobody expected it. It came right out of the blue.

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13. The thief was caught red-handed. He was in the middle of stealing from the bank when the police turned up.

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14. My dad sees everything as black or white, either something is right or wrong. There is never ‘a may be situation’, for example when he saw a woman stealing he said she should be punished; he wouldn’t even consider the fact that she had five children, was homeless and starving. He said she is wrong and that was that!

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15. Once in a blue moon my husband tells me he loves me. He hardly ever tells me, possibly once a year!

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16. I think the new job is a golden opportunity to get more experience and to obtain more training. I can’t wait! I would never have got the chance in my old job.

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KRT (F4) 2 of 5

WORKSHEET 2

Study the idioms in bold.

The teacher walked into the room and knew immediately something was wrong. All of the students were very quiet. She asked them: “Has the cat got your tongues?” Normally the students could all talk the hind legs off donkeys. The question fell onto deaf ears, no one answered and all acted as though they had not heard her. She concluded that they had done something wrong. She wondered who would let the cat out of the bag and tell her what had happened. She thought that she may be wrong and have got the wrong end of the stick or barking up the wrong tree i.e. they hadn’t done anything wrong at all. She asked them again what had happened but it was like talking to a brick wall; nobody answered her. She told them that if they did not tell her what was wrong soon, she would be very angry. Luckily this hit home, one of the students told her what had happened. One of them had found out that it was her birthday; actually, another teacher had put his foot in it by telling them how old she was and when her birthday was. She had asked him not to but clearly that had gone in one ear and out of the other. Eventually, she smiled though, when the students began to sing happy birthday to her!

Based on the context of the story, explain the meaning of each of the idioms.

1.    the cat got your tongues

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2.    talk the hind legs off donkeys

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3.    fell onto deaf ears

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4.    let the cat out of the bag

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5.    have got the wrong end of the stick

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6.    barking up the wrong tree

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7.    talking to a brick wall

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8.    hit home

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9.    put his foot in it

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10. gone in one ear and out of the other

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