IDIOMS 4 PRACTICE
Choose the best answer
1. He often _________________ his wife as his best friend.
a. refers to
b. tries out
c. thinks highly of
2. I want to ________________ that new language program for learning English while sleeping.
a. try out
b. take my time
c. get better
3. It has been six years, _________________since I visited my hometown.
a. more or less
b. at hand
c. a steal
4. Keep plenty of coffee _________________ because this is going to be a long meeting.
a. more or less
b. on hand
c. on your own
5. She ___________________ her supervisor , so she does not mind when he offers her suggestions.
a. takes her time
b. thinks highly of
c. is on her own
6. Wherever the president goes, his bodyguards are close ________________________
a. on their own
b. a steal
c. at hand
7. There is no rush, so you can ____________getting ready.
a. get better
b. refer to
c. take your time
8. This computer is ___________________ at this price. You should buy it before the sale finishes.
a. on hand
b. a steal
c. refer to
9. We had to study most of the material __________________ because the professor only wanted to talk about his theory in class.
a. try out
b. more or less
c. on our own
10. You will never ________________ if you don't rest and do as the doctor says.
a. think highly of
b. get better
c. refer to
IDIOMS 4 DIALOG
Fill in the blanks
On the highway:
Bob: How are you feeling, Mark?
Mark: I think I'm __________________. At least I can move my fingers today.
Bob: Great! Everyone ______________the doctor who is treating you. They say he is the best.
Mark: Yeah. He is good. I heard the nurse __________________ Dr. Miracle.
Bob: Well, everyone at work is hoping you can come back soon, but __________________.Do you know
how long you will be in the hospital?
Mark: Actually, I am going home tomorrow.And since my wife has to work, I'll be ______________ there all day.
Bob: Will you be OK?
Mark: I think so. I can manage things with my left hand______________________.
Bob: If you need anything, just call. I'll be close at hand. I'll come over and give you a hand. Just hand over all your problems to me. I can handle them. I'll be on hand.
Mark: OK! OK! I get it. Very funny !! Thanks, Bob!
IDIOMS 4 IN CONTEXT
Fill in the blanks
Read the following story.
My Brazilian friend has only lived in the United States for six months, but his English is great. Before he came
to the US, he studied in a language school, but mostly he learned English _____________________ from
reading English books and waching movies. He had learned basic conversation before he arrived in the US.
Then, after he got here, his vocabulary and listening __________________ very quickly. I would say that he is
now ______________________ fluent in English. However, sometimes he still has trouble with idioms.
One day, he asked me to help him buy some jewelry for his girlfriend back in Brazil. Her birthday was close
___________________ and he wanted to get something nice. He showed me a picture of his girlfriend before
we went shopping. When I saw the picture I said, "Wow ! Your girlfriend is a real spring chicken."
My friend asked me, " Why do you ______________ my girlfriend _________ a chicken??
I explained to my friend, " I just mean your girlfriend is very young and beautiful."
At the jewelry store, they had several very nice necklaces ________________. I suggested that we _________
__________ and look at several stores, but my friend found a diamond necklace that was __________________
He called the saleswoman over to buy it.
As the saleswoman was taking out the necklace, my friend decided to _____________________ the new idiom
learned. He showed the saleswoman the picture of his girlfriend and asked, " Don't you think she is a chicken
noodle ?"
My friend's English may not be perfect, but I satill __________________________.
IDIOMS 5 PRACTICE
Choose the best answer
1. She has not come home _______________. I don't know where she is.
a. as of yet
b. brand - new
c. at her fingertips
2. He bought a _______________ television because the screen on his old one was too small.
a. at his fingertips
b. as of yet
c. brand - new
3. People often _______________ the words "their,""there," and "they're" when writing.
a. take time off
b. mix up
c. dwell on
4. I could't ______________ anyone at the main office. No one would answer the phone.
a. take by surprise
b. learn by heart
c. get a hold of
5. The boys tried to _________________ line for the roller coaster.
a. mix up
b. cut in
c. dwell on
6. I admire actors because of all the lines they have to __________________!
a. learn by heart
b. take time off
c. mix up
7. She was ______________ by all of the people who came to her birthday party.
a. got hold of
b. at his fingertips
c. as of yet
8. His filing system is excellent. All of the important information he needs is ________________.
a. brand - new
b. at his fingertips
c. as of yet
9. Some husband _______________ from work after their wives have a baby.
a. take time off
b. mix up
c. learn by heart
10. It does not do any good to _________________ your mistakes. Forget them and go on.
a. dwell on
b. take by surprise
c. get hold of
IDIOMS 5 DIALOG
Fill in the blanks
At the office:
Tom: Carol, has Bob come in to work yet?
Carol: Not _________________. Would you like me to call him ?
Tom: Yes, please. Do you know his phone number ?
Carol: Yes, I keep all of the sales representatives'contact numbers ________________ here on my desk.
There are just too many to ________________!
Tom: See if he is at home. I think we ________________ the vacation schedule. Both Bob and Sam asked to
________________ the same week. Sam was given the vacation, but Bob wasn't . But I don't Know if
Bob was told the right information..
Carol: I'll call him as soon as I get a chance.
Tom: Thanks, Carol. Let me know if you ________________him.
IDIOMS 5 IN CONTEXT
Fill in the blanks
Read the following story.
My boyfriend _____________________ from work one Friday to move to a new apartment. It was a lot of hard
work.
When I go home later that evening, I was exhausted. I wanted to give my boyfriend a call and cancel our plans
for the next day.
My boyfriend also got a ___________________ phone number for his new apartment, but _______________ I
had not _________________it _________________. I usually keep all the phone numbers I need
__________________ in my day plannner. Unfortunately I had not written his number down. The only way I
could think of to ___________________my boyfriend was to call the operator and ask for mike William's phone
number.
I called the number that the operator gave me, but I was ____________________ when a woman answered rhe
phone. " Hello," she said.
I asked. " Can I speak to Mike?"
The woman said, "He is taking a shower right now."
I was shocked. At first, I didn't say anything.
"Is there anything that...?" she started to ask, but I cut in.
"Tell him to call his girlfriend when he gets out of the shower." I hung up the phone quickly without waiting for
the woman's answer . I was a bit upset. However, I tried not to _____________________ the fact a woman
was in my boyfriend's apartment while he was in the shower. I knew Mike made friends with the neighbors
when he moved in, so I assumed the woman was his neighbor. She was probably just helping him clean the
place up.
An hour passed and Mike had not called me back. I called again, and a man answered the phone. "Hello," he
said. The voice was strange. All of a sudden I realized that it was the wrong number. the operator had
___________________ my boyfriend's number with another man named Mike Williams. I said, " You're not
Mike!"
The man said, "And you're not my girlfriend. I've been trying to explain that to my wife for over an hour."
IDIOMS 6 PRACTICE
Choose the best answer
1. ____________, I never go swimming right after I eat.
a. As a rule
b. In spite of
c. Neither here nor there
2. He was ___________ for words when he won the award
a. at a loss
b. as a rule
c. for short
3. How did you ____________ such a clever idea for a story?
a. be at a loss
b. come up
c. look to
4. She was the prefect choice ___________ finding someone to
organize the conference.
a. ran into
b. when it came to
c. was at a loss
5. There was no need to _____________ the mistake. Everyone could
see it.
a. come up with
b. look to
c. point out
6. He drank ____________because he was driving.
a. neither beer nor wine
b. in spite of
c. for short
7. We ___________ an old friend of ours at the movie theater.
a. came up with
b. ran into
c. were at a loss
8. You could _________ your grandparents for information about your
ancestors.
a. point out
b. look to
c. run into
9. ___________ the terrible weather, we had a nice time on our
vacation.
a. In spite of
b. When it comes to
c. As a rule
10. Although our team name is the Buccaneers, people call us the Bucs
___________.
a. in spite of
b. as a rule
c. for short
IDIOMS 6 DIALOG
Fill in the blanks
At the dinner table :
Alice : Guess who I ______________ today?
Tom : Who?
Alice : Robert Smith !
Tom : Who?
Alice : Robert Smith, the boy who used to cut our lawn.
Tom : I _____________. What does he look like ?
Alice : Remember? He had blonde hair and glasses. He was really short.
Tom : Nope. I'm not ____________any kid like that in my memory.
Alice : Anyway, he's starting college. Now he has _____________ glasses. He has
dark hair and he's much taller. But ____________ the fact that he is grown up,
he still chews bubble gum !
Tom : Now I remeber him ! We used to call him Bob ____________.
Alice: Right ! Bubble Gum Bob !
IDIOMS 6 IN CONTEXT
Fill in the blanks
My husband and I went to a high school reunion party in our old town . Almost one hundred
people were there. ________________ , I enjoy meeting people . but _______________
large, noisy parties, I get very tired. I told my husband that I would prefer not to stay for too
long. My husband ________________ that we should at least say hello to the people that
we knew. We did _______________ several old friends at the party, so ______________
the crowd I still had a good time.
During the party, a young man came up to us. " Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Brown," he said to us.
He looked familiar, but I didn't Know where I had seen the young man before. I knew it was
no use _____________my husband _______ help . He is terrible at _________________
names to match with faces. This time, we ____________ both ____________ to think of
his name. We talked with the young man for a while and then a couple came up to us. It
was Don and Liz Wilson. (Her name is Elizabeth, but everyone calls her Liz
______________). They were friends of ours.
We had kept in touch, but had not seen them for many years.
The young man left after a few minutes to talk with some of his other friends . I told the
Wilsons, " I'm sorry we did not introduce you to that nice young man. _____________ my
husband __________I could figure out his name."
"That's all right," said Mr. Wilson, "He is our son."
IDIOMS 7 PRACTICE
Choose the best answer
1. He ___________ do his homework now because he won´t have time later.
a. day after day
b. has to
c. in short
2. In Russia, I found some interesting stamps to ____________ my collection.
a. add to
b. go through
c. hit upon
3. He hopes the strong economy will _____________more new jobs.
a. go through
b. of its own accord
c. give rise to
4. The movie was, _____________, one of the best films made this year.
a. went through
b. day after day
c. in short
5. She made up her mind, _______________, to quit her job and look for a new one.
a. once and for all
b. have to
c. hit upon
6. The company ______________ a new way to market its clothes.
a. hit upon
b. went through
c. of its own accord
7. He looks sad because he is _______________ a divorce right now.
a. giving rise to
b. adding to
c. going through
8. I want to find a job where I don't have to do exactly the same thing ____________.
a. in short
b. once and for all
c. day after day
9. She ____________ staying in town during the vacation because she didn't have money to travel.
a. had to
b. resigned herself to
c. added to
10. The lamp fell off the table _______________. Nobody bumped it.
a. of its own accord
b. resing itself to
c. give rise to
IDIOMS 7 DIALOG
Fill in the blanks
In the car :
Nancy : Mom ! Jimmy is touching me !
Mother: Enough ! I'm sick of asking you to stop ! Can't you children behave ________?
Jimmy: I didn't do anything. She's bothering me !
Mother: __________ it's the same thing ! " He's touching me !" " She's bothering me !"
Are you going to stop this arguing, or do I __________ stop the car ?
Nancy : He started it , mom.
Jimmy: I did not !
Mother: I want you to stop this nonsense, ______________!
Jimmy: Nancy better stop it before she makes me really mad.
Nancy : You can't make me.
Mother: That's it! The two of you better _____________ a quiet night at home.
You're both grounded ! No television ! No toys ! No friends !
Nothing. And no more talking or I will ____________ your punishment.
