Idioms and Phrases
intermediate22 min read
How idiom questions are set, a method for reading an idiom from the sentence around it rather than from memory, a themed set of common idioms with plain glosses, and the traps of literal reading and near-miss meanings.
What you will be able to do
- Recognise the three ways an idiom question is framed.
- Infer an idiom's meaning from the situation the sentence describes.
- Recall common office and money idioms with their plain-English sense.
- Avoid the literal reading and the near-miss distractor.
What is inside this lesson
- 1How the question is built
- 2Reading an idiom from context
- 3Money and cost
- 4Effort and work
- 5Time, communication and risk
- 6Worked example: two items
- 7Common mistakes
- 8Quick revision
- 9Practice
Get Pro for full access. This is section 1 of 9; the rest of the lesson opens with Pro at onelystop.in/upgrade.
How the question is built
Idiom items come in three shapes:
- Give the meaning. An idiom is printed, sometimes inside a sentence, and you pick the option closest to its sense.
- Fill the idiom in. A sentence has a blank; you choose the idiom that fits the situation.
- Spot the misused idiom. Four sentences each use an idiom; one uses it in the wrong sense.
In every shape the sentence around the idiom is the evidence. An idiom means one fixed thing, but the situation described tells you which fixed thing it is.
The lesson itself is for members
Reading the 9 sections above is free. A free account opens the first 2 topics of every subject in full, along with flashcards and private notes.