LET'S UNLOCK WORDS AND PHRASES 🔐
micromanage
[ 'mahy-kroh-man-ij ]
verb
It was their intent to micromanage the issues, to become part of the process.
assertive
[ uh-'sur-tiv ]
adjective
If you really want the promotion, you'll have to be more assertive.
lenient
[ 'lee-nee-uhnt ]
adjective
His parents are too lenient with him.
reckless
[ 'rek-lis ]
adjective
Don't be reckless or your plans may fall apart.
deviate
[ 'dee-vee-eyt ]
verb
We never deviate from our principles.
LET'S UNDERSTAND! 📚
A. breathing down one's neck
- watching or supervising someone too closely
Dialogue
Sally
Cindy
Yeah. I know what you mean. She's been micromanaging a lot lately.
Sally
It's really hard to work when you feel like someone is watching your every move.
B. let someone off the hook
- to allow someone escape or released from a tough situation or an illegal act
Dialogue
Alex
I was meant to spend the weekend cleaning out the garage, but my wife let me off the hook so I could go on the big fishing trip with my son. You're welcome to join us if you'd like.
Take
Sounds like you caught a break! I had to cancel my golf appointment because I had to babysit since my wife was scheduled for her monthly check-up.
Alex
Sorry to hear that. We can plan another fishing trip when it works better for you.
C. take matters into one's own hands
- to do something oneself instead of waiting for other people to do something
Dialogue
Mike
I'm so tired of waiting for my boss to give me a promotion. I've been working hard for months!
Alexa
Why don't you take matters into your own hands and ask for a raise or a promotion?
Mike
You're right. I need to be more assertive and go talk to my boss about it.
D. a slap on the wrist
- a punishment that is not very severe
Dialogue
Anna
Why do students think they can always break the law and be let off with just a reprimand or slap on the wrist? One of my students was caught driving his father's car without a license.
Cindy
Well, technically, he's still a minor and is protected by the Child Protection Act. However, I agree that it's frustrating when they don't learn from their mistakes.
Anna
I understand that, but it seems like we're not doing enough to discourage this kind of behavior. A slap on the wrist doesn't seem like enough of a consequence.
E. bend the rules
- to break the rules in a way that you consider unimportant or not harmful
Dialogue
Melly
I heard that John got away with submitting his expense report a day late.
Cindy
Yeah, he has a way of bend the rules and getting away with it.
Melly
I don't think that's fair to the rest of us who follow the rules. We should all be held to the same standard.
F. toe the line
- to do what you are expected to do without causing trouble for anyone
Dialogue
Michael
It's so frustrating to see drivers who always violate traffic laws. They never seem to care about their own safety or others on the road.
Ken
I know what you mean. They should be penalized for their reckless behavior.
Michael
Exactly, they need to learn to toe the line and follow the rules to prevent accidents and keep everyone safe.
G. cross the line
- behave in a very inappropriate way
Dialogue
Ken
Did you see that stand-up comedian's new special on Netflix? I heard it's really controversial.
John
Yeah, I watched it. Some of the jokes were really funny, but others definitely crossed the line.
Ken
That's too bad. I hate when comedians go too far and end up offending people.
LET'S PRACTICE! 📝
Part I
Direction: Fill in the blanks with the correct idiomatic expression.
breathe down one's neck | let someone off the hook |
cross the line | bend the rules |
take matters into one's own hands | a slap on the wrist |
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He is the type of person who doesn't and never deviates from his values and responsibilities.
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The strict supervisor constantly , monitoring their every move and making them feel stressed.
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Even though the company knew about the unethical behavior, they only gave the employee instead of firing him.
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The police officer decided to the speeding driver with a warning instead of issuing a ticket.
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After waiting for a response from customer support for weeks, I decided to and resolve the issue myself.
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His offensive comments during the meeting -, causing discomfort and anger among the participants.
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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I can't concentrate when someone is constantly breathing down my neck and watching what I'm doing.
.
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Instead of waiting for assistance, he took matters into his own hands and fixed the broken appliance.
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I feel like our boss is always breathing down my neck.