LET'S UNLOCK WORDS AND PHRASES 🔐
tenured
[ 'ten-yerd ]
adjective
He is a tenured faculty member of a prominent school in the city.
intervene
[ in-ter-'veen ]
verb
The chairman intervened in the disagreement between two of his committee members.
accountability
[ uh-koun-tuh-'bil-i-tee ]
noun
The organization suffers from a lack of accountability.
take a breather
phrase
She did a few laps, and then at one end of the pool, stopped to take a breather and relax.
uncalled for
adjective
That comment was totally uncalled for.
LET'S UNDERSTAND! 📚
A. in line for
- likely to get (used for something good)
Dialogue
Anna
Cindy
No, but if anyone in our department is in line for promotion, I believe it should be Hannah. She has been performing exceptionally well lately and has shown great potential for leadership.
Anna
I think so too. I have never met anyone as dedicated as her who is more deserving of the promotion.
B. out of line
- not suitable, that should not have been said (or sometimes done)
Dialogue
Cindy
You look so upset. What's the matter?
Anna
I don't know if I was being too sensitive, but I got really upset when Ben pointed out my failed marriage in front of our friends and colleagues. I know he had too much to drink but I felt like that was really out of line.
Cindy
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that, Anna. You have every right to be upset. Ben's behavior was inappropriate and uncalled for.
C. read between the lines
- you understand what someone really means, or what is really happening in a situation, even though it is not said openly
Dialogue
Sally
My mother says she's happy that I finally found a decent man, but she never agrees to meet him.
Cindy
Sometimes people don't say exactly what they feel. You have to read between the lines.
Sally
What's not to like about Kevin? He is such a gentleman and everybody likes him.
Cindy
Perhaps your mom is just sad about the idea of you getting married and leaving her alone. You should talk to her about it.
D. draw the line
- think of or treat one thing as different from another
Dialogue
Anna
Come on, Melly. You've been working non-stop for weeks now. I'm starting to get worried about you. Why don't you take a holiday to take a breather.
Melly
You're right. I guess I need to learn to draw the line between work and personal life.
Anna
I'm actually going on a trip to Hokkaido this weekend. Would you like to join me? It could be a nice change of scenery for you.
E. draw the line at something
- not to do something because you think it is wrong or too extreme
Dialogue
Melly
It's very crucial to supervise what our kids watch at the early stage in life, so I always see to it to monitor what my kids watch. I never let them view anything that shows violence.
Martha
That's true but some parents feel that cartoon violence is acceptable, while others draw the line at shows depicting murder.
Melly
For me, I draw the line at any content that promotes violence. I believe that exposing our children to such content can have a negative impact on their behavior and development.
LET'S PRACTICE! 📝
Part I
Direction: Fill in the blanks with the correct collocation.
in line for | out of line |
draw the line | draw the line at something |
read between the lines |
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Where to in comedy and how to differentiate between fair comment and causing offence is always tricky.
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Her email seemed polite, but if you , you could sense her disappointment.
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I don't care about what you wear, but I how you greet people at the office.
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The customer's behavior was , and the manager had to intervene.
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Among all tenured employees in the company, Helen is the strongest candidate the position as General Manager.
Part II
Direction: Listen as your mentor reads the statements twice. Then, repeat after your mentor.
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Part III
Direction: Paraphrase the following sentences. Make sure to paraphrase the underlined idiomatic expressions.
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Reading between the lines , I would say he is happy with the decision.
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I am sick of being too scared to say what I think, or to tell people when they are out of line.
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Have you heard about the promotion that will be granted to someone in your department?