Idiomatic Expressions 6 – Fale tudo em ingles

Idioms are a crucial cog in the wheel of any language and that is the very reason why they are so very often chosen by native speakers over “ordinary language”. Our students may feel comfortable with the meaning of the verb “choose”, but what about the idiomatic “take one´s pick” which they are very likely to hear in colloquial everyday dialogues? Here´s IDIOMS – Episode 6, with practical exercises. In this post we are going to focus on the following 10 idioms:

JUMP TO CONCLUSION – EASY DOES IT – TAKE A RAIN CHECK – ON DUTY – KEEP A LOW PROFILE – LIVE IT UP – TAKE A BREATHER – RIGHT OFF THE BAT – WALK A TIGHTROPE – ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

I – MEANING/EXPLANATION OF THE IDIOMS + EXAMPLE SENTENCES

Jump to conclusions: form an opinion or make a judgment too fast, before checking out all the facts
Ex.: “We´d better talk to everyone first and find out what exactly happened before jumping to conclusions.”, Anthony told Nick.

Easy does it: do something carefully; slow down; be careful; take it easy
Ex.: “Hey, easy does it! There´s no need for you to drive so fast. This is a dangerous road.”, Mike told Jake.

Take a rain check: politely refuse an offer; postpone until a later time
Ex.: “Sorry, guys, I can´t go with you to the pub tonight. I´ll just have to take a rain check on this one.”, said Ross to his friends.

On duty: doing one´s job; at work
Ex.: “There are three security guards on duty tonight.”, George told Norma.

Keep a low profile: avoid drawing attention to yourself
Ex.: “Christopher has always kept a low profile. He hates being in the spotlight.”, said Mick to a friend.

Live it up: enjoy life; have an exciting time
Ex.: The Johnsons went on a two-week vacation and lived it up in the Bahamas.

Take a breather: take a short break to relax
Ex.: “Let´s take a breather before we continue. I think we´re all tired.”, said Ray to his friends.

Right off the bat: immediately; at once; first thing
Ex.: “I could tell right off the bat that the new manager was very hard to please.”, said Gilbert to a coworker.

Walk a tightrope: be in a delicate situation where one must act carefully
Ex.: “Many companies walked a tightrope during those dire economic times. I´m glad business is booming and things are looking up now!”, said Bill at the meeting.

Once in a blue moon: very rarely; almost never
Ex.: “My two siblings live on the west coast so I only see them once in a blue moon.”, said Jeff to a friend.

II – EXERCISE 1: MULTIPLE CHOICE ACTIVITY

“I think they need to take a breather.”, said Jerry.

a. Jerry thinks they need to take a break.
b. Jerry thinks they need a breath of fresh air.
c. Jerry thinks they need to go for a walk.
d. Jerry thinks they need to enjoy life.

“Hey, let´s not jump to conclusions here!”, said Dave to his friends.

a. Dave thinks they should make sure they have a good alibi.
b. Dave thinks they should not overestimate someone´s capacity.
c. Dave thinks they should check out the facts before forming an opinion.
d. Dave thinks they should not trust someone else´s conclusion.

“I feel like I´m walking a tightrope.”, Rick told Terry.

a. Rick feels like he´s out of shape.
b. Rick feels like he´s in a situation where he must be very cautious.
c. Rick feels like he´s on a winning streak.
d. Rick feels like he´s on losing streak.

“We´d better tell them what happened right off the bat.”, said Joe to a friend.

a. Joe thinks they should tell them what happened after the game.
b. Joe thinks they should apologize to them for what happened.
c. Joe thinks they should not keep the story a secret.
d. Joe thinks they should tell them what happened immediately.

If someone takes a rain check, they…

a. accept an offer right off the bat.
b. refuse an invitation politely, implying they may accept it some other time.
c. check if it´s raining.
d. get soaking wet in the rain.

III – EXERCISE 2: MATCH THE IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS WITH THEIR DEFINITION

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON ON DUTY EASY DOES IT KEEP A LOW PROFILE LIVE IT UP

1._________________________ be careful; take it easy.

2._________________________ at work.

3._________________________ very rarely.

4._________________________ enjoy life.

5._________________________ avoid attracting attention to oneself.

IV – KEY TO EXERCISES

Exercise 1