Scene:
Lyuba, a student from Cuba, Rosa from Colombia, and Barbara spend a Saturday
afternoon at a local county park.
Lyuba: I don't believe how crowded this park is!
Barbara:It's
always this way on weekends. You can't take it
for granted that you'll find a parking spot. People
love to bring their
children here on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. On
the whole, weekdays are a
better time to visit.
But keep in mind, you'll still find
plenty of kids whenever you are here!
Rosa: That man who is lying by the tree...is he sick?
Barbara: Possibly.... More likely, he's meditating. It's a great way to lose track of time.
Lyuba: Was that a train whistle that I heard?
Barbara: Yes, the park department
runs a small miniature railroad. The train runs entirely around the park
and
also around a small
zoo. Come on. Let's get tickets!
Rosa: So Barbara, you have gone back to seeing Bob?
Barbara:
Yes, he's trying to turn over a new leaf and
get
his life together. I felt that I had to
give him a
chance.
Lyuba: You really love him?
Barbara: Yes, but our relationship is a far cry from what I had hoped it would be.
Rosa: I was once engaged. Then I found out that Miguel was seeing another woman.
Barbara: You mean that he was engaged to you, but he was fooling around?
Rosa: That's correct. It was very insulting. You can imagine how upset I was!
Barbara:
Bob seems to be interested in our relationship, but he keeps hanging
out with some bad
company. Some of his friends really rub
me the wrong way!
Lyuba: Look! Here comes the train! It's so cute!
Barbara: It's a real steam locomotive. Let's get on board!
Rosa: Have you told Bob how you feel about his friends?
Barbara:
Until I'm blue in the face! I'm giving
him one more chance to see how he measures up.
If we break
up, so be it. I've
broken up with guys before and managed to
land
on my feet.
Lyuba: I love this train! Look at the blinking red lights at the crossing!
Rosa: Every seat on the train is filled.
Barbara: It's packed with kids! I love this park. It makes me feel like I'm a kid again!
Lyuba: I think that I could ride this train all afternoon!
Barbara:
We'll definitely come back when it's less crowded. What
do you say that after this ride, we get some
ice cream? All this
talk about Bob is getting me depressed.
Rosa: Sounds fine with me! I need a pick-me-up!
EXERCISES:
Exercise 1:Select the meaning of the following idioms most appropriate to the above dialogue. An answer key is at the end of the chapter.
1. Take for granted: (a) seize, (b) assume, (c) take freely
2. On the whole: (a) to go around in a circle, (b) to cover, (c) generally
3. Keep in mind: (a) remember, (b) hold onto, (c) repeat again and again
4. Lose track of time: (a) lose one's schedule, (b) lose a sense of the passing of time, (c) lose one's path
5. Turn over a new leaf: (a) rake the leaves, (b) start over, (c) to seek discoveries
6. Get
one's life together: (a) bring many things together, (b) to
see relationships, (c) to control
one's
activities
7. Give one a chance: (a) give a token, (b) to gamble, (c) to give one another opportunity
8. A far cry: (a) a lone call, (b) speaking across a distance, (c) something completely different
9. Fooling
around (sexual): (a) to be sexually teasing someone, (b) to
be making sexual jokes, (c) to be
sexually
involved with another while committed to someone else
10. Hang out: (a) spend time with, (b) to be suspended, (c) to leave some object hanging
11. Bad company: (a) a bad organization, (b) bad workers, (c) morally bad companions
12. Rub the wrong way: (a) irritate, (b) soothe, (c) scratch
13. On board: (a) to climb on, (b) to be in agreement, (c) to carry lumber
14. Blue in the face: (a) unhealthy, (b) exhausted, (c) in need of facial make-up
15. Measure up: (a) one's height, (b) to judge one's behavior, (c) one's ability to stretch
16. Land on one's
feet: (a) not to get hurt, (b) to brag about one's athletic
ability, (c) to maintain one's life
after
misfortune
17. What do you
say: (a) can you repeat your words? (b) are you in agreement
with....? (c) can you
translate...?
18. A pick-me-up: (a) something that makes
one feel better, (b) to be sexually propositioned, (c) to be carried
away.
Exercise 2: Fill in the correct idiom from the above list. An answer key is at the end of this chapter.
1. ______________________________that after the movie, we go out for some ice cream?
2. Everytime I speak with Stu, he
tells me that he is trying to get ___________________. Perhaps, someday
he will.
3. Never slide an assignment
under an office door. You can't _______________________that the professor
will find
it.
4. The train was ready to depart.
The conductor told the passengers who were standing on the platform to
get
_________________.
5. Terry has a difficult time
waking up in the morning. She needs her coffee as a
_____________.
6. Phyllis knew that the proposal had problems, but, ________________, she was pleased with its contents.
7. Dr. Kellogg seems to possess
good credentials, but we'll have to see how she _____________to her
predecessors.
8. Gina is disgusted with the
way she indulgesin snacks. She's hoping to _________________and to begin
eating
only healthy foods.
9. After having celebrated
his fortieth birthday, Tom said with a smile, "Life is filled with ups
and downs.
Luckily,
I have always been able to _____________________."
10. There are many things to take with
you while visiting a foreign country. __________________, the cultural
behavior
will be very different from what you have been used to.
11. I have been correcting little Bobby
all morning, but he just doesn't listen to me! I've been telling him until
I'm
_________________________not
to touch the stove, but he continues to disobey.
12. Lying next to Mark on the beach, Madeline
totally lost _________________________. She was amazed
when she
realized hours had passed.
13. Take my advice! Be very careful when
you deal with Fred. He has a terrible temper when people
__________________________________.
14. She only has made one mistake. I think it is only right that you give her _____________to prove herself.
15. Elmo's parents have been very upset
with the companions he has been
________________with.
16. I told Elmo that if he's seen in _______________, people will assume that he is just like them.
17. Pam was in tears when she learned that
her husband, the major, had been
_________________with
a college student.
18. When I asked Jennie if she liked motherhood,
she told me that it was a _____________from what she had
expected.
Exercise 3:Use the following idioms in a spoken sentence of your own creation.
1. Take for granted:___________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. On the whole: _____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Keep in mind: _____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Lose track of time: _________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Turn over a new leaf: _______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Get one's life together: _______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
7. Give one a chance: __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
8. A far cry: _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
9. Fooling around: ____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
10. Hanging out: ______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
11. Bad company: _____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
12. Rub someone the wrong way: _________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
13. Get on board: ______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
14. Blue in the face: ____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
15. Measure up: _______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
16. Land on one's feet: __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
17. What do you say: ___________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
18. A pick-me-up: _____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 4:Examine the previous sentences and decide which of them would be more suitable for formal written expression through the use of synonyms. Rewrite those sentences using precise, appropriate synonyms.
Answers to exercise 1: 1 (b), 2 (c), 3 (a), 4 (b), 5 (b), 6 (c), 7 (c), 8 (c), 9 (c), 10 (a), 11 (c), 12 (a), 13 (a), 14 (b), 15 (b), 16 (c), 17 (b), 18 (a).
Answers to exercise 2:
1. What do you say
10. keep in mind
2. his life together
11. blue in the face
3. take it for granted
12. lost track of time
4. on board
13. rub him the wrong way
5. pick-me-up
14. a chance
6. on the whole
15. hanging out
7. measures up
16. bad company
8. turn over a new leaf
17. fooling around
9. land on my feet
18. far cry
© Charles Bordogna 2002