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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KERJA RUMAH TERANCANG (FORM 4) - Print, compile and do. There are five worksheets. Do all!

WORKSHEET 1

Identify and underline the idioms in these sentences. Then, rewrite the sentences by replacing the idioms with the words in the brackets. You may add some words where necessary.

e.g.

1. He pulled strings in the company to get his friend a job. (Influence)

He used his influence in the company to get his friend a job.

2. The thief was caught red handed stealing money from the bank. (In the act)

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3. My sister and I are like chalk and cheese; we don’t even look alike. (Different)

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4. My brother loves to pull my leg; he loves to play around. (Joke)

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5. I don’t see eye to eye with my dad at the moment regarding where I should study. (Agree)

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6. My brother gets on my nerves all of the time. (Irritates)

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7. My sister tried to pull the wool over my dad’s eyes about where she was going out. (Fool)

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8. My brother and I are like two peas in a pod; we like the same things. (Similar)

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9. My husband and my brother get on like a house on fire; they liked each other from the minute they met. (get along)

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10. I am head over heels in love with my husband; I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. (Deeply in love)

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feast on this!

English for ESL learners

English for ESL learners

form5 (idioms)

What are idioms?

Definition

An idiom (also called idiomatic expression) is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning conventionally understood by native speakers. This meaning is different from the literal meaning of the idiom's individual elements. In other words, idioms don't mean exactly what the words say. They have, however, hidden meaning.

Examples

• "Kick the bucket"
• "Spill the beans"

The meaning of these expressions is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which they are made. Their meaning are however used figuratively. They mean respectively:

• "to die "
• "to tell people secret information"

Here are some idioms embedded in these news excerpts. Underline them. 

1. The top seeds, who have yet to triumph since bagging the Malaysia Open Super Series title in January last year, blew hot and cold en route to defeating Endo-Hayakawa in 51 minutes.
2. Chong Wei admitted that Sasaki had improved by leaps and bounds since they last met at the Japan and Singapore Opens in 2008, which Chong Wei won.
3. Then, Australia delivered the killer blow just a minute before the end through a Jason Wilson penalty corner goal.

 Now, surf the internet or use your reference books to find the meanings of these idioms.

1. Beat around the bush
2. Butterflies in the stomach
3. Can of worms
4. Cream of the crop
5. Duck the issue
6. Give somebody a cold shoulder
7. Give somebody the axe
8. Have a bone to pick with someone
9. His bark is worse than his bite
10. In cold blood
11. In the hot seat
12. Put your money where your mouth isSpill the beans

Match the sentences below to the correct idioms from the list.

• e.g. My mother didn't reply to my questions as she was still angry with me. ( 6   )
• The murderer killed his victim without mercy. (   )
• I chose to reveal the secrets as I could not hold it up anymore. (   )
• He was rated as one of the best hockey players of all time. (   )
• Being the boss is not an easy feat as there might be other people who think that they deserve to be in the critical position instead of you. (   )
• The manager had no other options but to fire him off the job. (   )

and now, write a sentence for each of the rest of the idioms in your reading and speaking exercise book.

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4 Funny Attempts at Speaking English

English is tough to learn, as these attempts from classes in English as a second language prove:

"Do you like this food? I made it from scratching."

"I never liked mushrooms, but now they are beginning to grow in me."

"Do you like your coffee cremated?"

"I usually worm up my food before I eat it."