Easy English Learning Course

PHARASAL IDIOMS:
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⭕Most American idioms consist of phrases. Imagine that Henry Smith (the man we met in Lesson Three) has bought out his no-good partner and is trying to restructure his business. He calls his employees together for a meeting in an effort to get the company back on track (moving in the right direction again).

In the meeting, Mr. Smith speaks off the cuff. He says, "I'm not going to beat around the bush today. I'm going to lay the cards on the table. Our company is on the rocks financially, and if we don't get on the ball, we're going to lose everything. We blew it last year, and now we are facing the music. We're at the end of our rope. But if we put our shoulder to the wheel, I think we can keep this company from biting the dust.

"Here's the plan. Here's what I'm asking you to do: Keep your ear to the ground for new ideas. Pick the brains of people in-the-know. Then clue me in. That won't get under my skin. We're all in this thing together. We're all in the same boat. So, let's keep a stiff upper lip. And above all, let's keep our noses clean.

"If you hear gossip about a fellow-employee, keep it under your hat. If someone causes you a problem, go to him and mend your fences. But if you see someone stealing or doing something illegal, blow the whistle on him. That kind of person will pull the rug out from under all of us.

"When talking to a customer, try not to put your foot in your mouth. If a customer says something you don't like, don't get on your high horse and put him down. Listen to him, and try to be patient and kind.

"We'll be operating on a shoestring, but I think we can pull this thing together. And we can have a ball doing it. So, let's take the bull by the horns, tighten our belts, and turn over a new leaf. We're going to pass this test with flying colors. By this time next year, we'll be singing a different tune. Well, are you with me? Are you ready to get your feet wet?"

As Mr. Smith finished his pep-talk, his employees burst into applause. His speech brought down the house.

🔘Vocabulary Study:
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✔1. OFF THE CUFF (adverb): informally, without advance preparation.
✅2. BEAT AROUND THE BUSH (verb): slang for talking in circles.
✔3. LAY THE CARDS ON THE TABLE (verb): to let people know exactly what you are thinking.
✅4. ON THE ROCKS (adjective): ruined, destroyed, wrecked.
✔5. GET ON THE BALL (verb): slang for being alert and getting to work.
✅6. BLOW IT (verb): slang for making a serious mistake.
✔7. FACE THE MUSIC (verb): to pay the consequences.
✅8. END OF ONE'S ROPE (noun): the end of one's ability and ideas.
✔9. PUT ONE'S SHOULDER TO THE WHEEL (verb): putting one's total energy and effort into a task.
✅10. BITE THE DUST (verb): to fall in defeat.
✔11. PUT ONE'S EAR TO THE GROUND (verb): give attention to what is going on and to what people are saying.
✅12. PICK THE BRAINS OF (verb): To borrow ideas from someone.
✔I13. IN THE KNOW (adjective): expert; someone with knowledge.
✅14. CLUE ONE IN (verb): to inform someone.
✔15. GET UNDER ONE'S SKIN (verb): to irritate and upset someone.
✅16. KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP (verb): to face trouble courageously.
✔17. KEEP ONE'S NOSE CLEAN (verb): slang for staying out of trouble.
✅18. KEEP UNDER ONE'S HAT (verb): to keep something a secret.
✔19. MEND ONE'S FENCES (verb): to make amends and restore friendship.
✅20. BLOW THE WHISTLE ON (verb): slang for informing on someone.
✔21. PULL THE RUG FROM UNDER (verb): to suddenly remove someone's support.
✅22. PUT ONE'S FOOT IN ONE'S MOUTH (verb): to carelessly say things that hurt someone's feelings.
✔23. ON ONE'S HIGH HORSE (adjective): acting superior to others and becoming angry and unfriendly.
✅24. PUT ONE DOWN (verb): to belittle someone with insults.
✔25. ON A SHOESTRING (adverb): on a low budget; with no money to waste.
✅26. HAVE A BALL (verb): slang for enjoying oneself.
✔27. TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS (verb): to act decisively.
✅28. TIGHTEN ONE'S BELT (verb): to spend less money than usual.
✔29. TURN OVER A NEW LEAF (verb): to start agai

VERBAL IDIOMS:⤵
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⭕Most of the idioms in Section I of the TOEFL are verbal idioms consisting of two or three words containing a verb, that has a meaning different from the meaning of any individual word within it.
🔘The following list of two- and three-word verbal idioms should be learned. Because they are idiomatic, you are less likely to find them in the grammar section in any books.

✔BREAK OFF: end. As a result of the recent, unprovoked attach, the two countries broke off their diplomatic relations.

✅BRING UP: raise, initiate. The county commissioner brought up the heated issue of restricting on-street parking.

✔CALL ON: (a) ask. The teacher called on James to write the equation on the blackboard. (b) visit. The new minister called on each of the families of his church in order to become better acquainted with them.

✅CARE FOR: (a) like. Because Marita doesn’t care for dark color, she buys only brightly colored clothes. (b) look after. My neighbours asked me to care for their children after school.

✔CHECK OUT: (a) borrow books, etc. from a library. I went to the library and checked out thirty books last night for my research paper. (b) investigate. This photocopy machine is not working properly. Could you check out the problem? (c) leave. We were told that we had to check out of the hotel before one o’clock, or else we would have to pay for another day.

✅CHECK (UP) ON: investigate. The insurance company decided to check up on his driving record before insuring him.

✔CLOSE IN ON: draw nearer, approach. In his hallucinatory state, the addict felt that the walls were closing in on him.

✅COME ALONG WITH: accompany. June came along with her supervisor to the budget meeting.

✔COME DOWN WITH: become ill with. During the summer, many people come down with intestinal disorders.

✅COUNT ON: depend on, rely on. Maria was counting on the grant money to pay her way through graduate school.

✔DO AWAY WITH. eliminate, get rid of. Because of the increasing number of problems created after the football games, the director has decided to do away with all sports activities.

✅DRAW UP: write, draft (such as plans or contracts). A new advertising contract was drawn up after the terms had been decided.

✔DROP OUT OF: quit, withdraw from. This organization has done a great deal to prevent young people from dropping out of school.

✅FIGURE OUT: solve, decipher, interpret, understand. After failing to figure out his income tax return, Hal decided to see an accountant.

🔘Word Studies
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✔EAT IT UP: like it. "Proud people eat up praise."
✅TURN ON: to arouse interest; to turn around and attack.
✔CALL ON: to ask; to visit. "Call on me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you.
✅CARE FOR: to like; to look after. "God cares for his people."
✔CHECK OUT: to borrow books; investigate the facts.
✅CHECKUP: examination by a doctor. "I think I need a checkup."
✔CLOSE IN ON: to come nearer. "The police are closing in on him."
✅COME DOWN WITH: to become ill. "Helen came down with a cold."
✔COUNT ON: to depend on. "You can count on me."
✅DO AWAY WITH: to get rid of. "I wish we could do away with drugs."
✔DO IN: to kill. "These young people are going to do me in."
✅DROP OUT OF: to withdraw from. "Peter dropped out of the play."
✔FIGURE OUT: to solve. "I can't figure out what he means."
✅FIND OUT: to discover. "I found out I made an "A" in chemistry."
✔GET BY: manage to survive. "They're just getting by."
✅GET ON WITH: to continue. "Let's get on with it."
✔GET THROUGH: to finish; to make someone understand.
✅GO ALONG WITH: to agree. "I can't go along with that."
✔HOLD ON TO: to grasp; to maintain. "Let's hold on to it."
✅GIVE SOMEONE THE RUN AROUND: to avoid someone.
✔HOLD ON: to wait; to endure. "Hold on. What's the hurry?"
✅HOLD UP: to endure under pressure.
✔LOOK AFTER: to take care of. "Would you please look after my sister?"
✅LOOK INTO: to investigate. "They are looking into the problem."
✔MAKE SURE OF: to be certain. "We'd better make sure of that.
✅PASS OUT: to lose consciousness; to distribute.
✔PASS OVER: to overlook. "Nobody likes to be passed over."
✅PICK ON: to mistreat. "Everybody picks on Molly."
✔PICK OUT: to select. "You can pick out a new dress."
✅PICK UP: to give a ride. "The school bus picked up the children."
✔POINT OUT: to call attention to. "Please point her out to me."
✅PUT OFF: to delay. "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today."
✔PUT UP WITH: to tolerate, endure. "Must I put up with that?"
✅SEE TO: to assure. "See to it that you're not late again!"
✔RUN ACROSS: to discover; to meet. "I ran across John yesterday."
✅RUN INTO: to meet accidentally. "I ran into an old friend yesterday."
✔TAKE OFF: to leave the ground in flight. "Our plane took off."
✅TAKE OVER FOR: to substitute for. "Would you take over for me?"
✔TALK OVER: to discuss. "Let's talk this matter over."
✅TRY OUT: to test; to audition for. "He tried out for the play."
✔TURN IN: to submit something; go to bed. "I think I'll turn in."
✅TAKE ON: to accept a responsibility. "Don't take on too much."
✔TURN OUT: to attend; to produce. "Th

AMERICAN IDIOMS CONTINUED:
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⭕Frank and Koni were sweethearts. They were all set to get married when Koni got cold feet and backed out.

Koni discovered some serious shortcomings in Frank. He relished playing dirty tricks on her. And he would constantly butt in while she was talking. Then he would get up tight and bawl her out. Later he would simmer down, apologize, and promise to shape up. But his tirades wore thin.

Worse yet, Frank had sticky fingers. One day, Koni discovered that he had made off with her money. When she confronted him, he shed crocodile tears and promised to go straight.

Frank was always trying to make a fast buck, and he had a pipe dream about getting filthy rich. Koni had the gut feeling that Frank was into drugs. She was an early bird who came alive at the crack of dawn. But Frank was dead tired in the morning and sacked in until noon. He would make a date with Koni for lunch and fail to show up. Koni had a feeling he was spaced out. One day, she caught him smoking a joint of ma*****na. When she threatened to leave him, he got choked up and promised to quit cold turkey.

Then, one night, Koni caught Frank messing around with another girl. He and the girl were making out in the back seat of a car. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Koni was steamed. She threw the engagement ring at him, and walked away.

Koni's friends, standing nearby, applauded. They said, "Good riddance to bad rubbish! It's high time you dumped that jerk."

Koni is still down in the dumps, but she also feels a sense of relief.

🔘Vocabulary Study:
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✔SWEETHEARTS (noun): a boy and a girl who are fond of each other.
✅ALL SET (adjective): ready to begin something. "I'm all set."
✔COLD FEET (noun): a loss of courage and confidence.
✅BACK OUT (verb): to withdraw from an intended activity.
✔SHORTCOMINGS (noun): weaknesses, faults, character flaws.
✅DIRTY TRICKS (noun): a hurtful, unfair action.
✔BUTT IN (verb): slang for an uninvited intrusion into something.
✅UP TIGHT (adjective): slang for irritated, excessively anxious.
✔BAWL OUT (verb): to rebuke or scold in a loud, gruff voice.
✅SIMMER DOWN (verb): to become less excited or angry.
✔SHAPE UP (verb): to begin to behave properly. "You'd better shape up."
✅WEAR THIN (verb): to grow less and less acceptable.
✔STICKY FINGERS (noun): the habit of stealing things.
✅MAKE OFF WITH (verb): to leave with; to take.
✔CROCODILE TEARS (noun): pretended sorrow and grief.
✅GO STRAIGHT (verb): slang for becoming an honest person.
✔FAST BUCK (noun): money earned quickly and often dishonestly.
✅PIPE DREAM (noun): an unrealistic plan. "He is given to pipe dreams."
✔FILTHY RICH (adjective): extremely rich. "Senator Jones is filthy rich."
✅GUT FEELING (noun): an instinctive, intuitive sensation
✔DRUGS (noun): illegal narcotics. "Drugs are a plague to our nation."
✅EARLY BIRD (noun): someone who gets out of bed early each morning.
✔COME ALIVE (verb): to become alert and active. "Okay! Come alive!"
✅CRACK OF DAWN (noun): when light first appears in the morning.
✔DEAD TIRED (adjective): exhausted. "I was dead tired after work."
✅SACK IN (verb): slang for sleeping for a long period of time.
✔MAKE A DATE (verb): make an appointment to do something together.
✅SHOW UP (verb): to appear; to come. "Let's hope he shows up."
✔SPACED OUT (adjective): slang for confused and mentally incoherent.
✅JOINT (noun): slang for a "cigarette" made of ma*****na.
✔CHOKED UP (adjective): emotionally upset; unable to speak.
✅COLD TURKEY (adverb): slang for suddenly and without medical aid.
✔STRAW THAT BREAKS THE CAMEL'S BACK (noun): a problem that, when added to others, becomes unbearable.
✅MESS AROUND (verb): to be morally loose and promiscuous.
✔MAKE OUT (verb): to kiss and hug.
STEAMED (adjective): very angry. "Koni was really steamed."
✅GOOD RIDDANCE (noun): a loss that makes one glad.
✔HIGH TIME (adjective): a time when circumstances

HOMOGRAPS:
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⭕What is a homograph
The word homograph comes from the Greek word homos (=same) and grapho (=write). So, homographs are words that are written/spelled the same but have different meanings and are sometimes pronounced (how we say words) differently. When the words are the same for a noun and a verb, the pronunciation is often just a shift in the stressed syllable, from the first syllable (noun) to the last syllable (verb). For example, record/noun, to record/verb.

🔘List of homographs
Try to read the following words aloud when you look at their meaning. Even though they are spelled the same, some of them sound different.

✔Content (/kənˈtent/)

✅Con-TENT = happy or satisfied (adjective)

✅CON-tent = all that is contained inside something (noun)

✔Desert (/dezət/)

✅DE-sert = a hot, arid region (noun)

✅DEE-sert = to leave (verb)

✔Does (/dʌz/)

✅DOSE = female deer (plural)/present (noun)

✅Does = third person singular form of the verb “do” (verb)

✔Evening (/iːvn̩ɪŋ/)

✅Eav-ning = late afternoon (noun)

✅Ev-en-ing = making more even (verb)

✔Minute (/maɪˈnjuːt/)

✅Min-ut = 60 seconds (noun)

✅My-nute = extremely small (adjective)

✔Read (/riːd/)

✅Red = past tense of reading (verb)

✅Reed = present tense of reading (verb)

✔Present (/prɪˈzent/)

✅PRE-sent = at this moment or right now/a gift (noun)

✅Pre-SENT = to give something to someone (verb)

✔Permit (/pəˈmɪt/)

✅Per-MIT = Give permission (verb)

✅PER-mit = Official document (noun)

⭕Examples of homographs in a sentence
Let’s take a couple of homographs and put them in a sentence. As an exercise, you could try to put the other words from the list above, into a sentence.

🔘I drove down the windy (wine-dy) road on a windy (win-dy) day.

🔘She will read (reed) the book that her older sister read (red) last year.

🔘I’d like to present (pre-SENT) you with a birthday present (PRE-sent).

🔘I wanted to record (re-CORD) the record (REC-ord) on my device.

HOMOPHONES:⤵
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⭕The word homophone comes from the Greek word homos (=same) and phone (=voice). Homonyms can be words that sound the same but have different meanings.

▶List of homophones :
Try to read the following words aloud and then look at their meaning. They should sound identical but have different meanings.

✔ad (advertisement) /
✅add (increase)

✔ate (past tense of eat) /
✅eight (number 8)

✔be (verb) /
✅ bee (the yellow/black flying animal)

✔blew (past tense of blow) /
✅blue (the colour)

✔buy (purchasing) /
✅by (proposition or adverb) /
✅bye (farewell)

✔cell (small room where a prisoner is kept) / ✅sell (hand over in exchange for money)

✔hear (listening to something) /
✅here (in, at, or to this place or position)

✔hour (time) /
✅our (something that belongs to you and others)

✔its (belonging to or associated with a thing) / ✅it’s (contraction of “it is”)

✔know (knowing something) /
✅no (opposite of yes)

✔meet (getting together with someone) / ✅meat (animal product as food)

✔one (number 1) /
✅won (past tense of win)

✔their (belonging to or associated with people) /
✅there (here or nearby) /
✅they’re (contraction of they are)
✅theirs (belonging to or associated with people) /
✅ there’s (contraction of there is)

✔to (motion or direction) /
✅too (as well or in addition) /
✅ two (number 2)

✔who’s (contraction of who is or who has) / ✅whose (belonging to or associated with which person)

✔your (belonging to or associated with which person) /
✅ you’re (contraction of you are)

⭕Some common homophones are as follows:
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✔Hour/our
The appointment at the dentist will take about one hour.

✅Our house was built 20 years ago.

✔Bye/by
“Are you leaving already?” … “Yes, I need to catch the train. Bye!”

✅You need to be in class by 1pm at the latest.

✔To/too/two
I have to go to the dentist.

✅Do you want me to come too?

✅If there are two of us, we should take the car.

✔BEAR (to carry): "My punishment is more than I canbear."
✅BARE (to expose): "Everything is uncovered and laid barebefore the eyes of him to whom we must give account".

✔BORE (to make a hole): "Let's borea hole in the board."
✅BOAR (an uncastrated male pig): "Farmer Brown has a big white boar."

✔BOARD (thin piece of lumber): "The wind blew a board off my fence."
✅BORED (weary, uninterested): "The student became bored in class."

✔BREAK (to damage): "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal".
✅BRAKE (a device for slowing or stopping a vehicle): "Put on the brakes!"

✔BY (near): "My mother is standingby the door."
✅BUY (purchase): "Buy the truth, and do not sell it".

✔COARSE (rough, harsh): "John wore a robe of coarse hair."
✅COURSE (a unit of instruction): "Joe is taking a course in astronomy.

✔CITE (to quote): "Mary can cite numerous passages from Shakespeare.
✅SIGHT (noun: something seen): "Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird".
✅SITE (a place): "Jan lived from one tent site to another."

✔FAIR (just): "God is fair in all his judgments."
✅FARE (fee): "The bus fare was 75 cents."

✔FLOWER (blossom): "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever".
✅FLOUR (fine powder made by grinding grain): "The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry"

✔MALE (masculine): "So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them" .
✅MAIL (noun: letters, or a system of handling letters or packages): "They sent three packages through the mail."
✅MAIL (verb: to send letters or packages): "Would you please mail this letter for me?"

✔MEAT (flesh): "It is better to eat vegetables with those who love you than to eat meatwith those who hate you".
✅MEET (to come upon): "You should meettogether and encourage each other".

✔NEED (verb: require): "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't needyou!'".
✅KNEAD (to work dough): "Today, most bakers knead bread by machine.

✔SEW (to stitch): "There is a time to tear apart and a time tosew together".
✅SO (in a certain way): "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he".
✅SOW (to scatter seed over the ground): "A sower went out to sow, and some seed fell by the path"

✔WAIT (stay): "They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength".
✅WEIGHT (heaviness): "Most people gain weight during the holidays."

✔WHOLE (entire): "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man..
✅HOLE (cavity): "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth over a hole in an old coat. If he does, the patch will shrink and pull away from the coat, making the hole worse".

✔WEAK (without strength): "For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly".
✅WEEK (seven days): "Now when he arose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene".

✔WOOD (fibrous material beneath the bark of a tree or shrub): "Where there is no wood, the fire goes out, and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases".
✅WOULD (an expression of desire, condition, or determination): "For he whowould love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit".

✔WAIST (the part of the body between the ribs and hips): "Taking a towel, he wrapped it around his waist. Then he poured water into a bowl and began to wash the followers' feet".
✅WASTE (to use up without need or benefit): "Every kingdom divided against it.

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