Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words. Currently, we’re looking at some common English idioms.
drop someone a line: write a brief note / letter
Example:
Jack promised his grandmother he would drop her a line once he got settled at university.
figure something out: solve a problem, understand something
Example:
Have you figured out how to use that new software yet?
Every year I make resolutions (which I prefer to think of as “setting goals”), with a track record of limited success. This year is no different: I have been thinking about what sort of things I’d like to accomplish this year, and have written them down in a rough draft. What’s new (and hopefully improved) for this year is that insofar as possible, I am appending to each goal specific, actionable steps to help me achieve that goal; e.g., if one of my goals is to complete my writing projects, I have under that goal “Write a minimum of 1000 words a day.”
I think that this approach will be especially helpful for those who are learning another language. So, for example, if you want to improve your English in 2013, don’t just write “Learn more English” as your resolution. Instead, write:
(example 1)
Increase my vocabulary
(example 2)
Improve my grammar
I think this gives you a good idea of setting not only specific goals, but thinking about the specific steps that are necessary for achieving your goals.
What are your goals for English? Think about them, and then think about what steps you can take towards those goals. Make your steps realistic and practical, and you’ll be more likely to achieve them.
For some, this might seem like a no-brainer, and, indeed, I have heard before the advice about being specific in setting goals. But the “a-ha” insight for me lies in not only being specific about the goals themselves, but in getting specific about the steps necessary to achieve those goals. It forces me to think more clearly about the goals – thus, the goals are more realistic, giving me a better chance at success.
To complete this crossword, use the appropriate past tense / past participle of the verb in the parentheses.
Across
1 I (see) John at the store last week. (3)
3 All my socks are (wear) out at the heels. (4)
4 Mr. Smith is a nasty fellow – he (repay) my kindness by lying to the boss and gettting me in trouble. (6)
7 (Strike) with guilt over her young son’s death, the grieving mother slid into deep depression. (8)
9 I said what I (mean), and I (mean) what I said! (5)
10 The five-year-old child (draw) a remarkably lifelike picture of a cat. (4)
11 The moment you (cast) your lot with us, you committed yourself to hardships of all sorts. (4)
15 Wanting to impress his new teacher, James (handwrite) a poem he had composed especially for her. (9)
17 I (put) my keys somewhere – now where on earth did they go? (3)
18 John (undergo) a series of treatments for leukemia. (9)
20 Oh no – I completely (forget) our wedding anniversary! My wife is going to kill me! (6)
22 If I had known this project was going to be so poorly managed, I would not have (underwrite) it. (12)
23 Now my kids are heading off to college – middle age has (creep) up on me, somehow. (5)
24 Fearful of hearing bad news, Joan (sit) down and took a deep breath. (3)
26 We (drive) almost nine hours to get to our vacation cabin. (5)
27 I (do) not see Mrs. Brown at the library this afternoon. (3)
28 The long grass was (tread) down by the herd of cattle. (7)
Down
1 Coming home after curfew, Jack (sneak) in the back door, trying hard not to wake his parents. (5)
2 Father (make) Thomas cut the grass for the whole month. (4)
3 Jonah (wet) his lips as he thought about what to say. (3)
4 Kathy (run) the 100-meter dash faster than all her classmates, setting a new school record. (3)
5 Why are you angry with me? I haven’t (do) anything. (4)
6 Our catering company was able to get the job for the convention, because we (undercut) the competition’s estimate by fifteen percent. (8)
7 Grandmother’s wedding dress was (sew) entirely by hand. (4)
8 Martha could not wait to be (rid) of her unwanted house guest. (3)
9 You must have (mishear) me – I never said that Miss Williams was getting married! (8)
12 I would not have (bet) that Mr. Johnson wore a toupee! (3)
13 Eventually the two tribes entered into a pact and (interbreed). (9)
14 Grandmother (hide) her wedding ring to protect it from soldiers during the war. (3)
16 Mother (withstand) the twins’ constant request for chocolate candy. (9)
17 I have (proofread) your paper several times, and could find only three mistakes. (9)
19 Why on earth did you give me a worm-(eat) apple? (5)
20 Who could have (foresee) the economic crisis? (8)
21 Peter (beat) his brother in the 100-yard dash. (4)
22 Father went to bed early because he had an (upset) stomach. (5)
23 Have you (come) to a decision yet? (4)
25 The chef (wed) the flavors of ginger and garlic to create his signature dish. (3)
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words. Currently, we’re looking at some common English idioms.
Cut it out!: Stop bothering me! Quit doing what you are doing!
Example:
Hey, you kids! Cut it out! Keep off my lawn!
drive someone up a wall // drive someone crazy: greatly irritate someone
Example:
This cast makes my arm itch. It’s driving me crazy!
Exercises. Complete the following sentences using “to / on / for” as appropriate.
Example:
I’m going ______ vacation next week. ==> I’m going on vacation next week.
1. John goes to school only three days a week.
2. I’m too tired to go for a run today – maybe tomorrow I’ll have enough energy.
3. We can’t afford to go on a trip for Christmas break.
4. The travel agent recommended that Bob go on a cruise in February during the off-season.
5. I wouldn’t go on a date with Sam even if you paid me!
6. I don’t think we have time to go to the store today.
7. Mrs. Smith went to the doctor for her arthritis.
8. Since it gets so hot in the desert, Hal goes for a bike ride while it’s still dark out.
9. Mother refuses to let Uncle John come in the house when he’s gone on a drinking binge.
10. Our band will go on a tour in February.
11. Few people like to go to the dentist.
12. Do you want to go to the pancake house for breakfast?
13. Peter is going to the bank and to deposit the week’s receipts.
14. Tom and Mary usually go to the library and study together.
15. What time do you go to work on Tuesdays?
16. What a time for the baggage handlers to go on strike, right in the middle of the tourist season!
17. The Millers are going on vacation with their in-laws.
18. Uncle Billy likes to go to the train station and watch the trains come and go.
19. Why don’t you go to bed early if you think you’re coming down with a cold?
20. We went on an excursion in the woods for our weekly Scout meeting.
21. Aunt Agnes went on a shopping spree with the money she won in the lottery.
22. Let’s go for a swim before the kids wake up.
23. Mike was a serious student, and never went on a bender with his roommates.
24. Would you like to go to Europe someday?
25. Mr. Maxwell isn’t here – he went for a walk about an hour ago.
Exercises. Use the picture to complete the sentences. Use go/goes/going/went + –ing.
Example:
Father and Uncle Jack / last weekend / and caught a nice trout
Father and Uncle Jack / last weekend / and caught a nice trout. ==> Father and Uncle Jack went fishing last weekend and caught a nice trout.
Bob / often / for exercise
Bob / often / for exercise
Bob often goes biking for exercise.
Jack and Jill / usually / Friday nights
Jack and Jill / usually / Friday nights
Jack and Jill usually go bowling on Friday nights.
Grandmother and Grandfather / every day
Grandmother and Grandfather / every day
Grandmother and Grandfather go golfing every day.
Mr. Brown / yesterday
Mr. Brown / yesterday
Mr. Brown went hunting yesterday.
Every morning / Peter
Every morning / Peter
Every morning Peter goes running.
Paul / on weekends
Paul / on weekends
Paul goes sailing on weekends.
The young lady / every day / for the past month
The young lady / every day / for the past month
The young lady went skating every day for the past month.
Grandmother / often / when she was young
Grandmother / often / when she was young
Grandmother often went skiing when she was young.
The children / every day / after school
The children / every day / after school
The children go sledding every day after school.
Last month / Luke / in Hawaii
Last month / Luke / in Hawaii
Last month Luke went surfing in Hawaii.
Eddie and Frank / usually / before breakfast
Eddie and Frank / usually / before breakfast
Eddie and Frank usually go swimming before breakfast.
If we are moving towards something (often a place), we use the phrase “go to …”:
go to N
Examples:
go to work: Tom went to work today.
go to school: Jack didn’t go to school yesterday because he was sick.
go to the doctor: Grandfather goes to the doctor every month for blood work.
go to the store: Can you go to the store and get some bananas?
go to Europe: I went to Europe when I was 12.
go to bed: It’s time for the children to go to bed.
Certain phrases use “go on N” (where the noun is a trip or something similar):
Examples:
go on a trip: This summer we’re going on a trip to Alaska.
go on vacation: Tom always goes on vacation in July.
go on a tour: The best way to see the sights of Rome is to go on a guided tour.
go on an excursion: Last summer we went on an excursion to Devil’s Lake State Park.
go on a cruise: Ted and Alice went on a Caribbean cruise for their second honeymoon.
go on strike: The firemen are prohibited from going on strike.
Expressions:
go on a (drinking, eating) binge: overindulge, drink/eat to excess.
After the death of her mother, Sally went on an eating binge.
Every payday, Max goes on a drinking binge.
In particular: go on a bender: drink alcohol to excess.
Every time the team lost, Coach Smith went on a bender.
go on a (shopping / shooting / killing / spending) spree: unlimited shopping / shooting / killing / spending.
Uncle Felix doesn’t like it whenever Aunt Polly goes on a shopping spree.
The murderer went on a shooting spree, killing a dozen and severely wounding two.
The people will revolt in Congress continues to ignore the will of the people by going on spending sprees every time they turn around.
Certain phrases use “go for (a) N,” where the noun is an activity.
Examples:
go for a walk: It’s a nice, sunny day – let’s go for a walk.
go for a run: Every morning John goes for a run before work.
go for a swim: After a hard day’s work, Steve likes to relax by going for a swim.
go for a ride: Our dog Bowser loves to go for a ride in the pickup truck.
go (somewhere) for breakfast / lunch / dinner / a snack / a drink: After work on Fridays the entire department usually goes out for a drink.
Note: go on a date (not go for a date):
Jim is too shy to ask Debbie to go on a date with him.
For many sports, we use the phrase “go –ing…”:
go + V ( –ing)…
Examples:
I like to go skiing.
Grandmother didn’t like to go skating when she was a girl.
The children want to go swimming after lunch.
Have you ever gone bowling?
Rip Van Winkle went hunting in the mountains with his dog, and never came back.
Rusty goes sailing every weekend.
The boys went fishing early this morning.
Also: go shopping (not a sport, although some people may view it as a competitive activity 🙂 )
Mother went Christmas shopping this afternoon.
Exercises. Complete the following sentences using “to / on / for” as appropriate.
Example:
I’m going ______ vacation next week. ==> I’m going on vacation next week.
1. John goes ______ school only three days a week.
2. I’m too tired to go ______ a run today – maybe tomorrow I’ll have enough energy.
3. We can’t afford to go ______ a trip for Christmas break.
4. The travel agent recommended that Bob go ______ a cruise in February during the off-season.
5. I wouldn’t go ______ a date with Sam even if you paid me!
6. I don’t think we have time to go ______ the store today.
7. Mrs. Smith went ______ the doctor for her arthritis.
8. Since it gets so hot in the desert, Hal goes ______ a bike ride while it’s still dark out.
9. Mother refuses to let Uncle John come in the house when he’s gone ______ a drinking binge.
10. Our band will go ______ a tour in February.
11. Few people like to go ______ the dentist.
12. Do you want to go ______ the pancake house for breakfast?
13. Peter is going ______ the bank and to deposit the week’s receipts.
14. Tom and Mary usually go ______ the library and study together.
15. What time do you go ______ work on Tuesdays?
16. What a time for the baggage handlers to go ______ strike, right in the middle of the tourist season!
17. The Millers are going ______ vacation with their in-laws.
18. Uncle Billy likes to go ______ the train station and watch the trains come and go.
19. Why don’t you go ______ bed early if you think you’re coming down with a cold?
20. We went ______ an excursion in the woods for our weekly Scout meeting.
21. Aunt Agnes went ______ a shopping spree with the money she won in the lottery.
22. Let’s go ______ a swim before the kids wake up.
23. Mike was a serious student, and never went ______ a bender with his roommates.
24. Would you like to go ______ Europe someday?
25. Mr. Maxwell isn’t here – he went ______ a walk about an hour ago.
Exercises. Use the picture to complete the sentences. Use go/goes/going/went + –ing.
Example:
Father and Uncle Jack / last weekend / and caught a nice trout
Father and Uncle Jack / last weekend / and caught a nice trout. ==> Father and Uncle Jack went fishing last weekend and caught a nice trout.
Bob / often / for exercise
Bob / often / for exercise
Jack and Jill / usually / Friday nights
Jack and Jill / usually / Friday nights
Grandmother and Grandfather / every day
Grandmother and Grandfather / every day
Mr. Brown / yesterday
Mr. Brown / yesterday
Every morning / Peter
Every morning / Peter
Paul / on weekends
Paul / on weekends
The young lady / every day / for the past month
The young lady / every day / for the past month
Grandmother / often / when she was young
Grandmother / often / when she was young
The children / every day / after school
The children / every day / after school
Last month / Luke / in Hawaii
Last month / Luke / in Hawaii
Eddie and Frank / usually / before breakfast
Eddie and Frank / usually / before breakfast
Across
2. an object that adds beauty to something; a decoration
6. the name of Christ, the central figure of Christianity (believed by Christians to be the Son of God)
8. a vertical pipe in a house that allows smoke and gases to escape from a fireplace (Father Christmas traditionally enters a house through its chimney)
10. the husband of Mary (the mother of Jesus)
12. an imaginary being who brings presents for children on the night before Christmas Day (also known as Santa Claus) – traditionally an old man with a red suit and white beard
15. a gift or present given at Christmas
17. a spiritual being acting as a messenger of God (usually shown as a human being with wings)
18. a person who believes in Christianity
20. a yellow precious metal, one of the gifts that the three wise men gave to Jesus
21. a traditional Christmas drink made of alcohol with beaten eggs and milk
22. a bright point in the night sky which is a large, distant incandescent body like the sun
23. a religious song or popular hymn that people sing at Christmas
Down
1. a sledge or light cart on runners pulled by horses or reindeer over snow and ice
3. a gum used for perfume or incense, one of the gifts that the three wise men gave to Jesus
4. a trough for food for horses or cattle (used by Mary as a cradle or bed for Jesus)
5. a parasitic plant with white berries, traditionally used as a Christmas decoration
7. water vapor from the sky that falls as white flakes and covers the ground
9. something that adds beauty; ornament
11. the wise men from the East who brought gifts for the baby Jesus
13. a bird like a large chicken, traditionally eaten at Christmas
14. an imaginary being who brings presents for children on the night before Christmas Day (also known as Father Christmas) – traditionally an old man with a red suit and white beard
15. a cylinder of wax with a central wick (like string) which burns to produce light
16. a deer with large antlers found in some cold climates (believed to pull the sleigh for Santa Claus or Father Christmas)
19. a decoration consisting of thin strips of shiny metal foil, traditionally used at Christmas
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words. Currently, we’re looking at some common English idioms.
change one’s mind: to alter your plans, to change your original decision
Example:
I was going to order steak, but I’ve changed my mind. I’d like the grilled salmon instead.
cost an arm and a leg: be very expensive
Example:
I like my new video game. It cost an arm and a leg, but I think it’s worth it.
