LET'S UNLOCK WORDS AND PHRASES 🔐
conspicuous
[ kuhn-'spik-yoo-uhs ]
adjective
He tried not to look conspicuous and moved slowly along the back of the room.
binge-watch
[ 'binj-woch ]
verb
We binge-watched an entire season of "Breaking Bad" on Sunday.
gruesome
[ 'groo-suhm ]
adjective
The newspaper article included a gruesome description of the murder.
embezzle
[ em-'bez-uhl ]
verb
Two managers were charged with embezzling $400,000.
strenuous
[ 'stren-yoo-uhs ]
adjective
His doctor advised him not to do any strenuous exercise.
LET'S UNDERSTAND! 📚
Direction: Read and understand the different personalities below.
A. a lump in one's throat
- a tight feeling in your throat because of a strong emotion, esp. sadness, feeling like you're about to cry.
Dialogue
John
Melly
She was a bit hesitant as she's not quite familiar with the English language. I had a huge lump in my throat as I watched her get on the plane yesterday.
John
I understand how you feel, but our daughter is a strong woman. Two years won't be too long.
B. make somebody's blood boil
- to make someone extremely angry
Dialogue
Alex
The non-smoking warning sign is placed in a conspicuous area to easily get smoker's attention.
Cindy
You bet! It makes my blood boil seeing those stubborn smokers carelessly smoking close to babies in public areas.
Alex
I agree, it's very frustrating. But do you think increasing the price of cigarettes will help?
Cindy
It's worth a try. Maybe it will discourage some smokers from continuing their habit. But ultimately, it's up to them to make the decision to quit.
C. make (one's) blood run cold
- to cause one to feel frightened or unnerved
Dialogue
Anna
My three-day holiday wasn't so boring. I killed my time binge-watching horror movies.
Alexa
The same goes for me! That gruesome scene in the new horror movie "The Final Destination 2" made my blood run cold.
Anna
Really? That's my favorite part! It's so intense it makes my heart race.
Alexa
Oh, it's not my cup of tea. It just gives me nightmares. But sure, let's watch together next time. I'll bring stovetop caramel flavored popcorn.
D. die of shame
- to feel extremely ashamed
Dialogue
Mike
I almost died of shame when my girlfriend found me singing out of tune in front of the mirror.
John
That's embarrassing! But wait until you hear what happened to me. I accidentally sent a love letter meant for my girlfriend to my boss. I thought I'd die of shame.
Mike
Oh no, that's really awkward! But I'm sure your boss understood.
E. grin from ear to ear
- to look extremely happy
Dialogue
Sally
My husband grinned from ear to ear when I showed him my pregnancy test result.
Cindy
Congratulations! He must have been eagerly waiting for that day to finally come.
Sally
Yeah, we've been married for six years and it has been our ultimate dream to have kids. I know raising children is a strenuous task but we are just so excited to start a family.
LET'S PRACTICE! 📝
Part I
Direction: Fill in the blanks with the correct idiomatic expression.
make one's blood run cold | grin from ear to ear |
die of shame | make one's blood boil |
lump in his throat |
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When he received the unexpected award, he felt a and struggled to express his gratitude.
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I knew that that was probably how things were with slavery, but it did .
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The sight of the abandoned house with broken windows and eerie silence .
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When he tripped and spilled coffee all over himself in front of his colleagues, he felt like he could .
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Seeing her little sister's face light up when she gave her the surprise gift made her .
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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The fact that he embezzled money from the company for years just makes my blood boil.
.
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I like your graduation photo, with you grinning from ear to ear and your parents looking so proud.
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I was relieved that Mika has finally decided to accept the offer to be transferred to their U.S branch office.