[B] Following Rules And Law

LET'S UNLOCK WORDS AND PHRASES 🔐

micromanage

[ 'mahy-kroh-man-ij ]

verb

- to control every part of a situation, even small details

It was their intent to micromanage the issues, to become part of the process.

assertive

[ uh-'sur-tiv ]

adjective

- behaving confidently and able to say in a direct way what you want or believe

If you really want the promotion, you'll have to be more assertive.

lenient

[ 'lee-nee-uhnt ]

adjective

- not as severe or strong in punishment or judgment as would be expected

His parents are too lenient with him.

reckless

[ 'rek-lis ]

adjective

- doing something dangerous and not worrying about the risks and the possible results

Don't be reckless or your plans may fall apart.

deviate

[ 'dee-vee-eyt ]

verb

- to do something that is different from the usual or common way of behaving

We never deviate from our principles.

LET'S UNDERSTAND! 📚

A. breathing down one's neck

watching or supervising someone too closely

SUPERVISING SOMEONE CLOSELY

Dialogue

Icon_Sally

Sally

I feel like our boss is always breathing down my neck.

Icon_Cindy

Cindy

Yeah. I know what you mean. She's been micromanaging a lot lately.

Icon_Sally

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

LET SOMEONE OFF THE HOOK

Dialogue

Icon_Alex

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.

Icon_Take

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.

Icon_Alex

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

TALKING

Dialogue

Icon_Mike

Mike

I'm so tired of waiting for my boss to give me a promotion. I've been working hard for months!

Icon_Sakura

Alexa

Why don't you take matters into your own hands and ask for a raise or a promotion?

Icon_Mike

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

SLAP ON THE WRIST

Dialogue

Icon_Anna Happy

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.

Icon_Cindy

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.

Icon_Anna Happy

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

BEND THE RULES

Dialogue

Melly_Happy Icon

Melly

I heard that John got away with submitting his expense report a day late.

Icon_Cindy

Cindy

Yeah, he has a way of bend the rules and getting away with it.

Melly_Happy Icon

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

TOE THE LINE

Dialogue

Icon_Michael

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.

Icon_Ken

Ken

I know what you mean. They should be penalized for their reckless behavior.

Icon_Michael

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

CROSSED THE LINE COMEDIAN

Dialogue

Icon_Ken

Ken

Did you see that stand-up comedian's new special on Netflix? I heard it's really controversial.

John_Happy Icon

John

Yeah, I watched it. Some of the jokes were really funny, but others definitely crossed the line.

Icon_Ken

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

He is the type of person who doesn't and never deviates from his values and responsibilities.
The strict supervisor constantly , monitoring their every move and making them feel stressed.
Even though the company knew about the unethical behavior, they only gave the employee instead of firing him.
The police officer decided to the speeding driver with a warning instead of issuing a ticket.
After waiting for a response from customer support for weeks, I decided to and resolve the issue myself.
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.

I can't concentrate when someone is constantly breathing down my neck and watching what I'm doing.
.
Instead of waiting for assistance, he took matters into his own hands and fixed the broken appliance.
.