Idiomatic American English - Lesson 33+34 - Thấm Tâm Vy

Thẩm Tâm Vy Dec 09th, 2019 IDIOMATIC AMERICAN ENGLISH 17

IDIOMATIC AMERICAN ENGLISH 17

Lesson 33. Caught Short Dialogue

Karen: At the end of the week, I'm always caught short. Joanne: That's becausemoney burns a hole in your pocket. I don't feel sorry for you. Karen: How can I tighten my belt? Joanne: You're going to have to do without in order to get along. Karen: I know. I'll try brown bagging it. Within a short time I'll be in the chips again

Vocabulary

- caught short: adj.) having an insufficient supply (especiallyof money) when needed - burn a hole in one'spocket: v.) to be spent quickly - feel sorry for: v.) pity - tighten one's belt: v.) economize, spend and use less - do without: v.) live without something - get along: v.) manage - brown bag: v.) bring one's lunch from home - in the chips: adj.) having plenty of money

PRACTICE

l. Completethe sentences with the correct idiom.

a) moneyburns a hole in her pocket b) tighten his belt c) feel sorry for d) caught short e) do without f) in the chips g) brown bag h) to get along 1. Sometimes I don't have enough cake when company comes over. I'm.................. 2. She studied so hard for that exam but she failed.................. it. 3. As soon as she gets sorne money she has to spend it. .................. 4. Arthur lost his job, He's going to have to ................... 5. I can't find a new car in my price range. I think I'll have to..................one. 6. He has a large family to support. It's not easy.................. on his salary. 7. He went to work on the holiday but all the restaurants were closed. He had to ...............it. 8. His family is very prosperous. They're.................. II. Rewritethe phrases in italics, using the proper idiomatic expression. 1. He's trying to save money so he's taking his lunch to work. 2. She's on a diet. She can’t have ice cream. 3. They have a lot of problems. I pity them. 4. The bill came to $25 but I only had $20 with me. I didn't have enough. 5, They have a beautiful home. They're wealthy. 6. My car is being repaired. I have to manage without it for a while. 7. I'm not making enough money. I'm going to have to economize. 8. As soon as he gets some money, he spends it.

Lesson 34. Twiddling One's Thumbs Dialogue

Dawn: I hate to break the news to you but I'm calling it quits. Jeremy: I see you're beside yourself, but don't throw in the towel. Dawn: I have to. Sales have fallen off and I'm sitting around twiddling my thumbs. Business stinks. Jeremy: The bottom line is that stores like yours are a dime a dozen.

Vocabulary

- break the news: v.) tell a surprising fact - call it quits: v.) stop, finish, quit - be beside one's self: v.) be very upset, nervous, frantic - throw in the towel: v.) surrender, give up - fall off (drop off): v.) decrease - twiddle one's thumbs: v.) not busy, not working - stink: v.) to be of extremely bad quality, to be terrible - bottom line: n.) end result, ultimate cause, deciding factor - a dime a dozen: n.) common, easily obtained

PRACTICE

L Completethe sentences with the corcect idiom.

a) besideherself b) fell off c) a dime a dozen d) threw in the towel e) stinks

f) the bottom line g) call it quits h) twiddle her thumbs i) break the news 1. It is difficult to ..................that a loved one has died. 2. After many years of an unhappy marriage, they decided to .................. 3. When the mother could not find her child, she was .................. 4. The salesgirls were not as busy after the holidays because business ............... 5. She won the lottery. Now she can stay home and .................. 6. She never tried hard. She always .................. 7. He never studied in school and ..................is, he can't read well. 8. In Hollywood, pretty girls are .................. 9. That movie is awful. It .................. II. Rewrite the phrases in italics, usingthe proper id.iomatic expression. 1. It's not easyfinding teachers today, but years ago, they were easily obtained. …