Александра Егурнова - Idioms and Proverbs on Personal Issues. Учебное пособие

• Название: Idioms and Proverbs on Personal Issues. Учебное пособие
• Автор: Александра Егурнова
• Жанр: Языкознание

Учебное пособие предназначено для студентов высших учебных заведений. Содержит 12 разделов личной тематики, направленных на изучение идиоматических выражений и паремий английского языка.

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Example: Jolly Roger is a pirate’s flag with a white skull and crossbones on a black background.

The 18th century pirates roamed the seas and attacked merchant ships to steal their goods and treasure.

A joyrider is a person who steals cars in order to drive around in them at high speed.

My mother doesn’t want me to be friends with Kevin and says he has a negative influence on me because he’s a joyrider.

2.6 Match the beginning of each sentence with its ending.

2.7 Correct the mistakes in these idioms.

1. Mandy got each conceivable pleasure at the shop retailing women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories created by cutting edge designers.

2. The arts gallery housing all handwork silk embroidery picture and oil painting did my soul good.

3. Chris is always looking for some drawbacks in people as well as in himself. He who is ill to himself will be good to nobody.

4. When my pen ran out of ink, Andrew’s spare one was down a treat.

5. I left my homework at home, didn’t manage to catch the school bus, had to walk in a heavy rain, but, looking on the light side of things, I got an A for my essay.

6. Next month William is going to visit his grandparents he hasn’t seen for ages. The boy is as please as Punch.

2.8 Give appropriate and full answers to the following questions.

1. Do you believe that joy shared is joy doubled? Why?

2. Have you ever been in alt all day long? What was the reason for joy?

3. How do young people get their jollies in your town/ city?

4. Can flattery make you quite out of breath for joy?

5. What should happen to make a poor man’s life a bed of roses?

6. Would you be bursting with joy if you won or lost something?

7. Have you ever forgotten anything in your joy? What?

8. Good company upon the road is the shortest cut, isn’t it?

9. How do celebrities enjoy their lives?

10. Is it possible to get every conceivable pleasure? How?/ Why not?

2.9 Fill in the gaps with the information about you and your environment.

1. Seeing ……………………… does ……………… heart good.

2. My friends usually make good cheer ……………………………

3. ……………… goes down a treat when I …………………………

4. I love ………………………………………… to my heart content.

5. ……………… is as jolly as a sandboy every time s/he …………

6. ………………………… is a fair treat for ………………………

7. I try to look on the bright side of things when …………………

2.10 Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Елена, побывав в столице и посетив почти все достопримечательности, была вне себя от радости.

2. Если человек живет только в свое удовольствие, он черствеет и перестает обращать внимание на окружающих его людей.

3. В последнее время Борис изучает турецкий язык, в прошлом месяце он брал уроки скалолазания, завтра он займется еще чем-нибудь увлекательным. Его жизнь бьет ключом.

4. Андрей постоянно всем недоволен. Из-за этого у него нет друзей. Верно говорят, себе не в сладость, другим не в радость.

5. Иван любит повеселиться всласть.

6. Цирк с клоунами, дрессированными животными и воздушными гимнастами – прекрасное зрелище для детей.

7. Семен работает в компании, которой владеет его отец. Поэтому работа для него – приятное времяпрепровождение.

8. Надеюсь, весь класс пойдет на выпускной. Повеселимся на всю катушку.

9. Родные были очень рады, что приз достался Николаю. А Коля был рад вдвойне.

2.11 Write a letter to your pen-friend of about 150 words describing some jolly event or situation of yours. Find a proper place for at least 3 idioms.

Unit 3 SADNESS

Guess Russian equivalents of the idioms by the pictures given

Other useful idioms and their explanation

A misery guts – a person who complains all the time and is never happy

Smth holds no joy/ pleasure for smb – smth doesn’t make smb happy

Sour grapes – jealous about smth one can’t have

To be black as night – to be joyless and cheerless

To be down in the dumps – to be unhappy

To be in low spirits – to feel sadness and despondency

To be in no mood for/ to do smth – not to feel like doing or experiencing smth

To be in/ get/ have the blues – to be depressed, to have a fit of spleen

To be out of humor – to be sad and unhappy

To be out of sorts – to be slightly unhappy or ill

To have a bad hair day – to have a day when everything seems to go wrong

To just grin and bear it – to accept a situation one doesn’t like

To kick oneself – to be annoyed with oneself for doing smth foolish or missing an opportunity

To knock smb for six – to shock or upset smb very much

To lose heart – to become discouraged

To pull/ make a wry face – to have an expression of disappointment, or annoyance

Proverbs

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy – мешай дело с бездельем, проживешь век с весельем.

Better be envied than pitied – лучше жить в зависти, чем в жалости.

It is more pain to do nothing than something – скучен день до вечера, коли делать нечего.

Joy is always trailed by sorrow – за радостью горе по пятам ходит.

Misery loves company – на людях и горе вполгоря.

EXERCISES

3.1 Combine the words from the box below to make seven idioms. Use each word once only.

3.2 Which idioms do the given pictures make you think of?

3.3 Complete each idiom in the following sentences.

1. As Bruce is peppy, playing chess holds …………… for him.

2. Liz got an F at school. That’s why she’s in no ………….. to do the shopping with friends.

3. It’s clear that nobody wants to stay after classes, but lagging behind is much worse. So, you’d better ………….. bear it.

4. As Ivan was sick, his mother didn’t let him go to the theatre with the rest of the class. That’s why he felt ……… dumps.

5. Family occasions and holidays in general made her ………… heart as she had no relatives and was an orphan.

6. Extracurricular activities were a ………….. bore for Jack because he didn’t like spending extra time at school.

7. The process of studying turned out to be very demanding. And Bob was ………….. himself for having taken up violin classes.

3.4 Replace the underlined part of each sentence with an idiom.

1. By her face Paul understood his present was not to her taste.

2. A piece of bad news upset Rose very much.

3. Ron is depressed because the weather’s changing all the time.

4. I don’t want to invite Boris to my birthday party. He’ll ruin all the fun as he’s always unhappy.

5. Mary didn’t like Michael’s look. He told her he was ill.

6. When Laura was on her way to school, she saw her classmate who was the color of a rain cloud. It crossed her mind that something unfortunate had happened to him.

3.5 Match the beginning of each sentence with its ending.

3.6 Correct the mistakes in these idioms.

1. At breakfast I broke my tooth, at lunch I choked, and in the evening I was late for the meeting. All in all, I had a bad hair do.

2. No wonder Tom was black as cloud yesterday; he crashed his dad’s car.

3. I don’t know why, but, every time I share my troubles with my friend, I feel better – misery likes company.

4. Susan is not in mood to talk because she’s just quarreled with her boyfriend.

5. When Peter is down into the dumps, you’d better not bother him.

6. She’s always out of sots on the eve of her birthday.

3.7 Give appropriate and full answers to the following questions.

1. Can you guess when a person is in low spirits? How?

2. What kind of situation is not the end of this world?

3. Under what circumstances do people lose heart?

4. Are there any people who get the blues because of the weather?

5. Which month of the year can put a damper on skiing and snowboarding?

6. Would a piece of bad advice or a piece of good advice knock you for six?

7. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, doesn’t it? Why?

8. Does playing volleyball or dusting the furniture hold no pleasure for you?

9. Will you make a wry face if you hear a sick joke? Why?

10. It is more pain to do nothing than something, isn’t it? Why/ why not?

3.8 Fill in the gaps with the information about you and your environment.

1. It’s sour grapes when ………… say (s) that something isn’t good, but it really is.

2. ………………………….…………….…… is a real misery guts.

3. ……………. kick (s) ……………. for having …………………………

4. When ……………. am (is/are) out of humor, …………….………..

5. ……………. just grin (s) and bear (s) it if ………………. can’t change anything.

6. It’s a frightful bore to ………………………….… for ………………

7. ……………………………… believes that misery loves company.

3.9 Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Что случилось? Ты мрачнее тучи.

2. Наконец-то, Вова получил пятерку, но потерял дневник. За радостью горе по пятам ходит.

3. Вчера Мария не спала всю ночь, поэтому сегодня она не в настроении идти на дискотеку.

4. Извини, что не написал тебе раньше. Мне нездоровилось.

5. Все сегодня идет не так: утром проспала и опоздала на работу, днем поругалась с начальником.

6. Хотя я живу бедно и одеваюсь не по моде, но я выиграю этот грант на обучение за рубежом. Лучше пусть все завидуют, чем жалеют.

7. Я была в подавленном настроении, потому что моя учительница сказала, что моя контрольная работа – это что-то с чем-то.

8. Когда Диана видит, что Том работает без энтузиазма над их общим проектом, у нее руки опускаются.

9. Андрей хандрит уже вторую неделю подряд.

10. Его неуместные шутки отбили у меня всякую охоту выходить с ним куда бы то ни было.

11. Билли – бездельник и постоянно твердит, что скучен его день до вечера, коли делать нечего.

12. Помогать бездомным животным ему было не в радость.

13. Перестань плакать, у тебя будет еще много предложений работы. Это не конец света.

3.10 Write a letter to your pen-friend of about 150 words describing some sad event or situation of yours. Find a proper place for at least 3 idioms.

Unit 4 POSITIVE ATTITUDE

Guess Russian equivalents of the idioms by the pictures given

Other useful idioms and their explanation

Down-to-earth – with no illusions; practical and realistic

Like gold dust – difficult to find or obtain

Out of this world – extremely enjoyable or impressive

Smth goes with a swing – smth is successful and exciting

To be as good as gold – to be of the highest reliability, exemplary in deportment

To be on good terms with smb – to be friendly with smb

To break the ice – to do or say something to relieve tension or get conversation going in a strained situation

To get on with smb – to like and have a friendly relationship with smb

To give smb credit for smth – to acknowledge or praise smb for smth

To have smth in common with smb/ smth – to share interests or characteristics; to resemble one another in specific ways

To have what it takes – to have the necessary qualities for success

To hit the spot – to be exactly what is required

To make the best of smth – to use smth as well as possible

To pay attention to smb/ smth – to take notice of smb/ smth

Proverbs

A hedge between keeps friendship green – с соседями дружи, а тын городи.

All are not friends that speak us fair – в очи льстит, а за глаза костит.

Civility costs nothing – от учтивых слов язык не отсохнет.