Idiomatic American English - Lesson 71+72 - Thấm Tâm Vy

Thẩm Tâm Vy, March 29th, 2020 IDIOMATIC AMERICAN ENGLISH 36

IDIOMATIC AMERICAN ENGLISH 36

Lesson 71 ~ PASSING THE BUCK Dialogue

Dave: Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? Gloria: No. I'm out of sorts because I can't find the nincompoop who botched up the report. Dave: What happened? Gloria: I asked for a rough estimate but it was way off base. Dave: So now you can't pin anyone down because they're all passing the buck. Gloria: Right. Next time I'll put everything in black and white.

Vocabulary

- get up on the wrong side of the bed v.) be in a bad mood - out of'sorts adj.) in a bad mood, irritable - nincompoop n.) a stupid person, a fool - botch up v.) make a big mistake, ruin - rough adj.) approximate - off base adj.) inaccurate - pin someone down v.) make someone tell the truth or agree to something - pass the buck v.) shift responsibility to others [đổ vấy] - in black and white adj.) in writing

PRACTICE

I. Completethe sentences with the correct idiom.

a) get up on the wrong side of the bed b) in black and white

c) out of sorts d) nincompoop e) botchedup f) passing the buck g) pin him down h) off base i) rough 1. Don't believe everything you see ................. 2. You are in a bad mood today. Did you................. 3. He gets annoyed so quickly. I don't understand why he's ................. 4. He made a mistake on the payroll and.................everyone's paycheck. 5. He doesn't know how to act well around people. He's a................. 6 Do you think I only paid $100 for this gold necklace? You're way................. 7. Nobodyis claiming responsibilityfor their actions.They're all................ 8. I know you're not sure when you can have the report ready, but give me a ................. 9. He won't give you a direct answer unless you................. II. Rewrite the phrases in italics, using the proper idiomatic expression. 1. I don't want a verbal agreement. I want to see it written. 2. He's in a bad mood. 3. He made some bad mistakes in his career. 4. Why is he always irritable? 5. When will the project be finished? I need an approximate date. 6. I can't get the information I need. Everyone keeps sending me to another department. 7. When I asked him if I could buy a good fur coat for $500, he told me I was far from

the right cost. 8. I don't want him helping us with the project because he is a fool. 9. She never gets a chance to see him unless she makes him agree to a date ahead of time

Lesson 72 ~ KEEPING IN TOUCH Dialogue

Linda: I've been trying to track down some old friends. Nancy: Haven't you kept in touch with them? Linda: No. We lost track of each other' Nancy: Didn't you ever come across any of them? Linda: A f'ew some have settled down, some are tied down some are living it up and others are in a rut. Nancy: I hope one day you'll all be able to chew the fat together.

Vocabulary

- track down v.) search for - keep in touch v.) communicate, talk or write to each other - lose track of someone v.) lose contact, not know where someone is - come across v.) find or meet by chance - settle down v.) live a quiet, normal life - tied down adj.) restricted by family or job responsibilities - live it up v.) pursue pleasure, have a good time - in a rut adj.) always doing the same thing - chew the fat v.) chat, talk idly

PRACTICE

I. Complete the sentences with the correct idiom

a) track down b) live it up c) settled down d) chew the fat e) tied down

f) come across g) kept in touch h) in a rut i) lost track of them 1. I like to meet old friends and................. 2. My life is always the same. It never changes. I'm................. 3. When you have children and dogs and a house, you are................. 4. It's fun to take a vacation and................. 5. He was a bachelor for many years, but he found the right girl and................. 6. When looking at old photographs, you.................a lot of memories. 7. Whatever happened to my former schoolmates? I................. 8. …