Page 162 - English Vocabulary In Use upper intermediet and advance

Exercises

78.1 Try to complete these idioms from memory if possible.
1 She does a lot of voluntary work; she has a heart ...
2 Don't expect any sympathy from the boss; she's as hard ...
3 I'm sure Gerry will help you; he's as good ...
4 I was too late to get on that course; I was a bit slow ...
5 You won't find him very friendly; he's rather a cold ...
6 Tell him to hurry up! He's such a...

What do we call ...
1 an irritating person who knows everything?
2 the person who is the teacher's favourite?
3 someone who thinks they are the best and says so?
4 the one who gets the best marks?
5 a person who is very lazy?

78.3 You can also learn idioms by associating them with a key word or words. For example, two
idioms on the left-hand page had gold in them and two had mark. Which were they? Here is
a work-fork based on to have + head. Use the expressions to finish the sentences below.
one's head screwed on [be sensible]
a head for heights [not suffer from vertigo]
to have a head like a sieve [bad memory; see Unit 761
a good head for figures [be good at maths]
one's head in the clouds
i [unaware of reality]
1 I'd better write it in my notebook. I have ...
2 Ask Martha to check those sums. She has ...
3 Don't ask me to go up that tower. I'm afraid I don't ...
4 She's very sensible and knows what she's doing. She ...
5 He's quite out of touch with reality. He really ...
Look out for other sets of idioms based on key words.

78.4 Mini-quiz. Which parts of your body might a difficult person (a) get on (b) be a pain in?

Which idioms do you think these drawings represent?

78.6 Try guessing from the context what the underlined idioms mean.
1 Don't get angry with him. His heart's in the right place.
2 Joe's a bit of a sauare peg in a round hole here. I think he should get a job which suits his
character better.
3 A: Hey! I'm talking to you! B: Sorry, I was miles away.

English Vocabulary in Use 157