Collocations/Expressions

A Com plete the b lanks w ith the verbs go, come, reach or get.

better to sleep revenge on sb’s nerves

a decision rid of red off sb's back
to terms with ready an agreement down to business
into trouble the sack lost over the top
dark in handy the job even with

B Com plete the sentences w ith the co llocatio n s / expressions in the box below. Use each one o n ly once.

in somebody's shoes on top of in search of on the safe side in charge of in trouble with

1 Mr Johnson is the company’s marketing department.

2 People who systematically cheat the tax system will one day be the Tax Department.
3 The doctor insisted that I should be given a thorough check-up just to b e __
4 The children wandered around the neighbourhood_______________________ their lost dog.
5 Nobody would want to b e ___________________________ , not with all those debts he has to pay off.
6 After weeks of hard work, Kevin was confident he was finally the situation.

C Com plete the collocation s below w ith the w ords in the box. You m ay use some of the words m ore than
once. In some cases m ore than one w ord m ay be correct.

bar bunch can clap flash flock pair pint set sheet swarm tube

.of pyjamas .of paper .of scissors

.of lightning .of soap of sheep
.of beer . of sunglasses .of rules
of traffic lights .of birds .of thunder
. of flowers .of toothpaste of bees

Phrasal Verbs
Read the sentences on the left and m atch the phrasal verbs w ith th eir definition s on the right by w riting the
correct num ber in the box next to each definition.

A COME
1 While cleaning the basement, I came across something I thought I had lost stop by, visit
years ago. inherit
2 Joe came into a lot of money, which changed his life completely.
find by chance
3 Why doesn’t Julie come round to our place anymore?
regain consciousness
4 The scientists took months to come up with a solution to their problem.
be taken ill with
5 Richard came down with a bad cold the day before his exams.
think of and suggest
6 It took the woman a few minutes to come round / to after she had fainted.
 unit 0 1
B GO
move / travel around, visit
1 They decided to go ahead with their trip despite the bad weather conditions.
match
2 Once you have finished cleaning, you can goon with your job.
explode
3 The doctor wanted to go over the test results with his patient.
4 That tie goes with your suit nicely. start sth

5 Luckily no one was injured when the bomb went off. continue doing

6 While visiting Rome, we went round all the major archaeological sites. turn sour, start to decay
7 The child went through a lot before recovering completely. examine / discuss in detail
8 The milk went off after only an hour in the scorching heat. suffer
9 What’s going on in there? Open the door! happen

C BE
1 What's on this weekend at the theatre? leave
2 We were promised that the hard times would be over soon. support, in favour of
3 I was about to leave home when some unexpected visitors arrived. end
4 I'm for the mayor's plan to relocate the town hall. be ready to
5 What are the boys up to? Don’t tell me they’re ruining the garden again! be shown / performed
6 I must be off now. My parents are expecting me for dinner.
do (usually sth wrong)

Words with Prepositions

A Com plete the blanks w ith prepositions.

Adjectives Nouns Verbs

excellent an answer associate oraise sb sth

experienced an expert concentrate sth provide sb sth

haDDV sb (take) pride conaratulate sb sth provide sth sb

haDDV sth a reply cooDerate sb succeed

proud a report deal sudd Iv sb sth

respected an opportunity include sudd Iv sth sb

responsible

B Read the fo llow in g sentences and com plete them w ith prepositions.

1 Congratulations Rodney! I'm so happy___________ you and your wife.

2 I would be more than happy to provide you___________ our company's catalogue.

3 We supply all major companies___________ our products.

4 She takes great pride___________ her work. That’s why she's the best in her field.

5 The government will provide housing___________ the homeless.

6 You shouldn't be proud___________ yourself. What you did was wrong!

7 The government supplied food and medicine___________ the victims of the hurricane.

8 The journalist was praised___________ his report____________ the starving children of Africa.
unit0 1

Grammar Revision (Tenses)

See G ram m ar R e v ie w page 147 ^

Read the text below and com plete each blank w ith one word. A ll m issing
w ords are a u x ilia ry verbs (is, was, have, has, had, do, does, did etc.).

My life (1)________________________ improved a lot since last year. You see, before
:
that I (2 )________________________ been working in the same job for five years and -4 fesh
.w.

I (3 )________________________ beginning to feel rather bored. I ( 4 ) ________________

getting ready to apply for another job when one day my boss called me into her office. "Our company

(5 ) _____________________ planning to expand overseas," she said. "We ( 6 ) _________________________ thinking of starting

with Spain, therefore we will ( 7 ) ________________________ needing some of our best employees to support our new

branch there. ( 8 ) ___________________ you think you would be interested in a transfer?" Naturally I accepted, although at

the time I ( 9 ) ________________________ not know that they (1 0 )_________________________ also going to promote me

to assistant manager.

By the end of this month, I will have (11)________________________ living in Madrid for a year. You can't imagine how
exciting my life (12)________________________ become.

B Pu t the verbs in brackets into the Past Sim ple, Past Progressive, Presen t Perfect Sim ple or Presen t Perfect
Progressive and com plete the boxes w ith the tim e w ords below. Use each tim e w ord o n ly once.

for while yet still when ago already since

1 M a ry________________________ (have) a bath yesterday evening, I was in the kitchen.

I ________________________ (cook) her favourite dish because I _________________________ (want) to surprise her.

s h e ________________________ (come) into the kitchen, she couldn't believe her eyes!

2 Jim: Mum, I ________________________ (look) for my black belt the past hour and

I ________________________ (not find) it._________________________ you

________________________ (see) it anywhere?

Mother: No, but I think you________________________ (lend) it to your brother about a week

Jim: Oh, you're right. He________________________ (not give) it back to me. I bet he_________________________ (wear)
it all week. Where is he now, Mum?

Mother: I'm afraid Mark________________________ ________________________ (leave).

He________________________ (get) up about an hour before you_________________________ (do).

3 I ________________________ (work) on this project this morning but

I ________________________ (not finish) it . What am I going to tell my boss?

unit 0 1

Examination Practice

A Read the text below and th in k of the w ord w hich best fits each space. Use o n ly one w ord in each space.

MONGY
There is no doubt that money, in the form that we know it today, (1)_ what
keeps modern economic life functioning. Yet, throughout history, money, in whatever form, has provided

people (2)________________________ the ability to buy (3)_________________________ sell goods.

Thousands of years (4 )________________________ , civilisations (5)_________________________ to rely on

the barter system as a way of exchanging goods. Within this system a person had to exchange one thing

for another. This meant that the two parties involved had to (6 )________________________ an agreement

as to what they thought their products were worth. Items such (7)________________________ wheat,

tobacco and livestock have all been used as money at one time or another. It was not until much later

that humans came up (8 )________________________ the idea of money in the form of metal coins. So why

(9 )________________________ the barter system come to an end? The answer is simple. Coins were much
easier to handle and carry around. Since then, the use of coins has become widespread. It has made

commerce simpler and has given countries an opportunity (10)________________________ development

by doing business with other countries further afield, which they (11)________________________ never
done business with before.

In recent years, paper money has become more common all over the world, as it is easier to use. It

(12)________________________ not be long, however, before plastic cards take over completely, replacing
coins and paper money.

6 Com plete the second sentence so that it has a sim ilar m eaning to the first sentence, using the w ord given
unchanged. You m ust use betw een tw o and five w ords, in clu d in g the w ord given.

1 We last went abroad a long time ago.

not W e______________________ .a long time.
2 When did they start living in the suburbs?
have How in the suburbs?
3 It's the first time she has ever had problems with the authorities,
trouble She________________________________________________ with the authorities before.
4 When Carl was young, he went to a holiday camp every summer,
used When Carl was young, he____________________________ . a holiday camp every summer.
5 After the earthquake, the government supplied food and medicine to the homeless,
provided After the earthquake, the government______________________________________ .food and medicine.
6 Lucy hasn't visited me since February.
was The last__________________________________________________________ in February.
7 How long has he had this car?
bought How long__________________________________________________________ this car?
8 I haven't caught a cold for ages,
down I last_________ .ages ago.
 unit 0 1

Words easily confused

Use the correct form of the w ords in the boxes to com plete the sentences in each group A-H below. You
m ay use some of the words m ore than once. In som e cases, m ore than one w ord m ay be correct.

job occupation work employment profession

1 People in the medical work long hours.

2 In order to get a (n )__ as a computer analyst, you need a degree in computer science.

3 Betty has been out o f _____________________ __since January.

4 agencies help people find work in their field.

5 I was asked to write my present________________________ on the application form.

B task course duty

1 They were set the of cleaning the room after the meeting.

2 It is a nurse's____ to make the patients feel comfortable.

3 Her marks are quite high, so she can choose between a medical or a law at university.

employer employee colleague assistant clerk officer attendant

1 The shop helped me choose a jumper that suited me.

2 The car park __ is responsible for parking customers’ cars.

3 A ll_________ are expected to be at work by 8.30. Our insists on it.

4 Jill worked as a(n) for a law firm before entering politics.

5 All m y __________ at the office are friendly.

6 Bob is a senior _______ in the armed forces.

D party crew staff

1 A member of a political gave a speech in the town centre last night.

2 The teaching_________ at our school have formed a basketball team.

3 The search___________ _ had no luck in finding the missing child,

4 The ship's____________ served drinks as the ship set sail.

aim goal intention challenge success ambition

1 The Maths problem was a (n )________________________ and took me over an hour to solve.

2 T h e ________________________ of environmental organisations is to stop environmental destruction.

unit 01

3 People with will always try to achieve their

4 Their first album was a great and sold two million copies worldwide.

5 I have n o __________________ of changing my plans for tonight.

achieve fulfil cope deal face succeed

1 John in convincing his boss to give him the day off.

2 He doesn’t _____with crisis situations very well.

3 Despite his health problems, Joe his ambition to play in the local football team.

4 The Johnstons a r e _____________ financial difficulties after Mrs Johnston lost her job.

5 Kim put a lot of work into her project and _____________________ excellent results.

6 During his career as a teacher, he h a s ___ with students from different backgrounds.

manage run operate undertake

1 You have to read the instructions carefully before you the photocopying machine.

2 Brett couldn't find experienced staff so h e ___________ his business on his own for a few months.

3 Kate was supposed to the training of the new staff.

4 The company is _____ by two people who share the responsibilities.

H skills qualities qualifications experience

1 To get the job you must have three years’ in telecommunications and the necessary

_________________________ one of which is a university degree.

2 Leadership_______________________are required by a Prime Minister, as well as communication

3 Learning to windsurf was a fantastic________________________ !

A Look at the sentences below. W h at p art of speech (verb, noun, ad jective or adverb) is each of the w ords
in bold typ e?
unit01
5 The (Part o f speech:_____________________ ) _______________________ held up the bank and ROB

stole £200 0 00 .

6 Nobody could find the (Part of speech:_____________________ ) _______________________ to the SOLVE

d iffic u lt Maths problem.

7 Even though they had financial difficulties, they were (Part of speech:_____________________ ) HAPPY

______________________ married.

8 I feel very (Part of speech:_____________________ ) _______________________ today. I th in k I’ll have SLEEP

some coffee.

Examination Practice

A R ead th e tex t b e lo w and d e c id e w h ich an sw er A, B, C o r D b est fits each space.

F I N D I N G E M P L O Y M E N T

My firs t (1)_ was as a sales (2)_ at a large d epartm ent store.

I w anted to w ork part-tim e, because I was still studying (3). ___university and I was only

( 4 )________________________to w ork a few nights a week.

I came (5)_ the advertisem ent in the local

newspaper. I rem em ber the intervie w as though

(6 ) were yesterday. The personnel

m anager sat behind a large desk. He asked me various questions

w hich surprised me because all I w anted was to w ork in sales. An hour

later, I was to ld th a t I had g ot the jo b and was given a co ntract to go

(7 ) . I was to be trained fo r ten days before I

to ok m y post. Also, as a m em ber of ( 8 ) _________________ ;______

I was entitled to some benefits, including discounts.

When I eventually started, I was responsible (9 ). the to y section. I really enjoyed it there

and I loved dem onstrating the differen t toys. I was surprised at how frien dly my ( 10) ___

were, too. They made w orking there fun even when we had to (11)____________________ custom ers who

(12)____________________ on our nerves. On the whole, w orking there was a great experience which I will never

forget.
 1 A occupation B job C work D employment

2 A employee B attendant C officer D assistant

3 A in B on C at D for

4 A excellent B able C proud D experienced

5 A across B into C on D round

6 A it B I C that D there

7 A on B over C ahead D with

8 A staff B crew C team D party

9 A of B at C with D for

10 A assistants B staff C colleagues D employees

11 A control B deal with C manage D cooperate

12 A came B went C got D were

Complete the text below with the correct form of the words in capitals.

AN UNUSUAL OUTING
Last week I made a (1)_____ to my cousin Alex, offering to SUGGEST

take him to an (2 )____________________ park. He was very excited because it AMUSE

was his (3) _________ place. However, from the moment I picked FAVOUR

him up, he was very (4) ____________which surprised me since NOISE

his behaviour was (5)______________________ very different. At one point, NORMAL

while waiting to get on a ride, he disappeared. (6 )______________________ , LUCK

the manager, who was very (7)______________________ .found him an hour HELP
later amongst a crowd. Apparently, Alex had seen a famous basketball player and

wanted his autograph. He (8 )______________________ to me immediately but I APOLOGY

was so (9 )______________________ at him that we left. It was then that I made ANGER
the (10)______________________ never to take Alex out again. DECIDE
1 I can understand idioms
Idioms are fixed or semi -fixed phrases, and many of them are difficult to understand.
The situation is improving, but we're not out of not out of the woods INF not yet free from
the woods yet. difficulties or problems.
I'll probably take a back seat and let Marco do take a back seat deliberately become less actively
most of the work. involved in sth, and stop trying to control things.
My heart sank when I saw the hotel room my heart sank used to tell sb that you suddenly felt
they'd given us. sad or worried about sth.
Idioms are particularly common in spoken English. Some are easier to understand, but you will need to
learn many of them as fixed phrases.
'Its an expensive restaurant. Having said that, the food is very good:

'... and then the next thing I knew, the cat had jumped out of the window .. .'
'Pete and Sue have split up. ~ Mmm. I thought as much:

Glossary
having said that used to say that sth is true despite what you have just said.
the next thing I knew used to say that sth happened very quickly and unexpectedly.
I thought as much used to say you are not surprised that sth is true.

The glossaries and tables in this book will also show you that some idioms have a choice of words or a
particular style. (See Units 49-54 for more on style.)

Idiom Meaning Special feature

Will they lose? - More than likely. very likely. a choice of words with different meanings:
She can't do the gardening. -I'd more than likely/ happy/ ready, etc.
be more than happy to help her. very happy.
I'd be hard pressed to name all find it very difficult a choice of synonyms:
the countries in Europe. to do sth. be hard pressed/ pushed/ put to do sth.
I think Ann got out of bed on the used to say that sb the style is HUMOROUS.
wrong side this morning. is in a bad mood.
Most of all, you need to be aware that idioms come in all shapes and sizes (= are of many different
types), and they are not always obvious. When you read a text, look for possible idioms and check in a
good dictionary to see if you are right.

I asked Sue about her essay and she just ignored me.
1
~ Yes, I think its a bit of a sore point because she got a very low mark for it.
Oh dear. I put my foot in it, then.
~ No, it serves her right. She didn't do a stroke of work, so don't
take it personally. She'll just have to work harder next time.

Glossary
a sore point sth that makes you upset, angry, or embarrassed when sb mentions it.
put your foot in it INF accidentally say sth that embarrasses, upsets, or annoys sb.
it serves sb right (for doing sth ) used to say that you think sb deserves sth unpleasant that happens to them.
not do a stroke of work INF not do any work at all.
take it/sth personally feel that a failure is your fault, or feel offended by sth/sb.

8 Introduction to Idioms and phrasal verbs

1 Which idioms are suggested by these pictures?

1 2

3 4
..
Complete the sentences with words from the box. Then underline the full idioms.

having pushed serves stroke foot more sore thing much personally woods .t
~ There's been a slight improvement in his health, but he's not out of the wooru; yet.
1 Is Karen still upset about you taking her dress? ~ Yes, I'm afraid it's a point.
2 My brother hasn't done a of work all day; he's so lazy.
3 The seat collapsed under me, and the next I knew, I was on the floor.
4 You didn't say that I was upset with her, did you? ~ Yes, I'm afraid I put my in it.
S New York is incredibly exciting. said that, it's very expensive these days.
6 I was than happy to help, but she wanted to do it on her own.
7 We'll be hard to finish this work by the end of the day.
8 Sam lost the race. ~ I thought as . He looked very dejected.
9 They made Mandy repeat the test. ~ Good. It her right for trying to cheat.
10 Donna wasn't very nice to me. ~ Don't take it . She's just in a bad mood.

3 Look at the idioms in bold in these sentences, then use a good dictionary to find out what special
features they have (choice of words, grammar, or style). Write at the end, or in your notebook.
~ He landed on his feet with that job at the bank. CouLct ClLs.o be 'fClLL oV\,tj0uY" feet'.
1 It won't be easy; you've just got to hang on in there.
2 If my memory serves me correctly, the first moon landing was in 1969.
3 My sister's just bought a new car. Basically, it's just keeping up with the Joneses.
4 He's unreliable at the best of times, but forgetting my birthday was the last straw.
S You may rest assured that we will do everything we can to help.

4 Read the text then answer the questions.

On the first morning we met our instructor, Kevin, and he made it clear we were going to hit the ground running. We
had to build a raft and then sail it down a river; he said it would sort out the sheep from the goats. That made me feel
very uneasy, but I put a brave face on it. The next day was even worse - abseiling down a cliff - but I was determined
not to throw in the towel. By the third day I was beginning to realize we were all in the same boat, and probably all
feeling equally vulnerable. lhat made me feel much better, and by the end of the week IQ also realized that Kevin's
bark was worse than his bite. I survived.

1 The text contains six idiomatic phrases that are being used figuratively. Underline them.
2 Match the phrases with these explanations:
a admit you've been defeated and stop trying.
b distinguish the able people from the less able people.
c he is not as aggressive as he sounds.
d start doing something and proceed quickly and successfully.
e be in the same difficult situation.
f pretend you feel confident and happy when you do not.

Introduction to idioms and phrasal verbs 9

2 Idiom and metaphor
Many idioms begin as phrases with a literal meaning, which then develop a figurative/metaphorical
meaning. For example, somebody can be in the driving seat (of a vehicle), which means they are literally
in control of the vehicle. When we use the phrase metaphorically, we mean the person is in control of a
situation. Other examples are:
They've decided to wait for Literal meaning: 'wait to be able to see more clearli
the dust to settle. Metaphorical meaning: 'wait for an unsettled situation to become calm:
I'm sure we're on the right Literal meaning: 'on the right road, path, or track:
track. Metaphorical meaning: 'acting in a way that will bring a desired result:
opp on the wrong track.

Metaphors from particular areas of activity can sometimes describe particular thoughts, ideas, etc.
For example, boxing expressions often describe people in difficult situations:

The minister is on the ropes now. The boss found himself in a tight corner.
INF = having serious problems and likely to fail. INF = in a difficult situation. SYN in a tight spot INF.

Idioms derived from card games are sometimes connected to keeping plans and ideas hidden.

She plays her cards close to her chest. I think he's got something up his sleeve.
= keeps her plans or ideas secret. = has a plan or idea he will keep secret until
needed.
With some idioms, the literal meaning has be~ome lost over time, and we
only use the metaphorical meaning. For example, in the past a blacksmith
was a person who made things out of iron. He had to strike (= hit) the iron
while it was still hot in order to bend it into the shape he wanted. From this
we get the idiom strike while the iron is hot = make use of an opportunity
immediately because now is the best time to do it.
The idiom have a chip on your shoulder (= be sensitive about or feel
offended by sth, as a result of sth that happened in your past) comes from a
19th -century American custom. If a boy wanted to fight, he would put a piece
of wood on his shoulder; he fought against the first person who knocked the
piece of wood off.
~ You can find the histories behind some of the idioms in this book on page 162
_ (look on the website www.oup.com/elt/wordskills for more).

10 Introduction to Idioms and phrasal verbs

1 Complete the sentences.
1 It'll take a while to finalize the plans, but I think we're on the right now.
2 Katrina hasn't told us everything. I think she's still got something up her
3 That boy has a on his shoulder about his height. I don't know why it bothers him.
4 I think we should wait for the to settle before we decide what to do.
S After the recent criticism, I think she's in quite a tight
6 I don't understand why he always plays his cards so close to his

2 Rephrase these situations using a suitable idiom.

~ She's got a secret plan. sVle's got soV\,t.etVl~~ l.-<:p Vle..- sLeeve.
1 She's in control of the situation.
2 I'm sure we're doing the right things.
3 Now is the time to do it; don't wait.
4 Wait until the situation is much clearer.
S The company is doing badly and is likely to fail.
6 She's in a difficult situation right now.
7 He always seems to think the world has treated him unfairly.
8 She always keeps her ideas secret.

3 What is the common idea linking the idioms with 'head' and the common idea linking the idioms
with 'heart'? And what is the meaning of the final idiom?
have your head screwed on }
lose your head
use your head

break sb's heart }

take sth to heart
not have the heart to do sth
I let my heart rule my head. =

4 Where do you think these idioms come from? Put them in the correct column below.
be on the same wavelength be in the saddle
bite the bullet get your wires crossed
beat a hasty retreat learn the ropes
take the wind out of sb's sails keep a tight rein on sth/sb

Ships and sailing Radio and Horse riding Weapons and war
telecommunications

5 Thinking about the literal meaning of the idioms in Exercise 4, can you now match the idioms with
their metaphorical meanings?
~ b~te tVle buLLet force yourself to do sth unpleasant or difficult that you have
been avoiding.
1 be in a position of control or responsibility.
2 learn how to do a particular job.
3 think in a similar way.
4 go away quickly from an unpleasant place or situation.
S make sb less confident by saying or doing sth unexpected.
6 control sth/sb carefully or strictly.
7 become confused by what sb is saying because you think they
are talking about sth else.

Introduction to idioms and phrasa l verbs 11