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Question
Find out the meaning of the following phrase. Use them in your own sentence.
Lower than the angels
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Solution
Lower than the angels: less than perfect
sentence: The employees in Raj’s firm are lower than angels as they are seldom motivated to perform their duties.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Rearrange the following words / phrases to form meaningful sentences:
(a) your destiny / it / right hand / is said / your / that / is in /
(b) problems / determines / how / our personalities / with / in life / we deal /
(c) than others / can cope / some people / better / hardships / with /
Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences:
(a) one of / that of reading / known to / is / greatest / the / pleasures / man /
(b) a rich variety / adventure and wisdom / the / world of books / has / of /
(c) own / you / book / convenience / can enjoy / a / at your /
Use the following phrase in your own sentence.
To look into
Idioms
Here are a few sentences from the text which have idiomatic expressions. Can you say what each means? (You might want to consult a dictionary first.)
-
Our entire class is quaking in its boots. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-
Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-
Mr Keeping was annoyed with me for ages because I talked so much.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-
Mr Keeping was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous subject, but I’d make sure the joke was on him.____________________________.
Here are a few more idiomatic expressions that occur in the text. Try to use them in sentences of your own.
- caught my eye
- laugh ourselves silly
- he’d had enough
- can’t bring myself to
You have read the expression ‘not to lose heart’ in this text. Now find out the meanings of the following expressions using the word ‘heart’. Use each of them in a sentence of your own.
1. break somebody’s heart
2. close/dear to heart
3. from the (bottom of your) heart
4. have a heart
5. have a heart of stone
6. your heart goes out to somebody
Colours are used to describe feelings, moods and emotions. Match the following ‘colour expressions’ with a suggested paraphrase.
| (i) | the Monday morning blues | feel embarrassed / angry / ashamed |
| (ii) | go red in the face | feel very sick, as if about to vomit |
| (iii) | look green | sadness or depression after a weekend of fun |
| (iv) | the red carpet | the sign or permission to begin an action |
| (v) | blue-blooded | a sign of surrender or acceptance of defeat; a wish to stop fighting |
| (vi) | a green belt | in an unlawful act; while doing something wrong |
| (vii) | a blackguard | a photographic print of building plans; a detailed plan or scheme |
| (viii) | a grey area | land around a town or city where construction is prohibited by law |
| (ix) | a white flag | an area of a subject or a situation where matters are not very clear |
| (x) | a blueprint | a dishonest person with no sense of right or wrong |
| (xi) | red-handed | a special welcome |
| (xii | the green light | of noble birth or from a royal family |
Here is sentence with some words in italics. Find phrases from the text that have the same meaning. (Look in the paragraphs indicated)
During monsoons it rains so heavily that tourists do not visit Coorg. (para 2)
Here is sentence with some words in italics. Find phrases from the text that have the same meaning. (Look in the paragraphs indicated)
Even people who normally lead an easy and slow life get smitten by the high-energy adventure sports of Coorg. (para 6)
This text is written in an old-fashioned style, for it reports an incident more than two millennia old. Look for the following words and phrases in the text, and try to rephrase them in more current language, based on how you understand them.
-
give thee medicine for thy child
-
Pray tell me
-
Kisa repaired to the Buddha
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there was no house but someone had died in it
-
kinsmen
-
Mark!
1. This play has been translated into English from the Russian original. Are there any expressions or ways of speaking that strike you as more Russian than English? For example, would an adult man be addressed by an older man as my darling or my treasure in an English play?
Read through the play carefully, and find expressions that you think are not used in contemporary English, and contrast these with idiomatic modern English expressions that also occur in the play.
3. Look up the following phrases in a dictionary to find out their meaning, and then use each in a sentence of your own.
(i) You may take it that
(ii) He seems to be coming round
(iii) My foot’s gone to sleep
Find words or phrases from the passage that mean the same as the following.
(a) to renovate, redo, or revise (paragraph 1)
(b) trying to win the favor, preference, or goodwill of (paragraph 1)
(c) come in small numbers (paragraph 4)
(d) well-off; rich (paragraph 5)
(e) friendly (paragraph 6)
(f) wanting or enjoying expensive pleasures (paragraph 6)
Match the phrases in Column A with their meanings in Column B
| Column A | Column B |
| (a) break out | (i) to try to find somebody or something |
| (b) to look for | (ii) as a rule or in general taking all relevant factors into account |
| (c) to take over | (iii) start suddenly and strongly |
| (d) to go into | (iv) to obtain or assume control of something, or gain control of something from somebody else |
| (e) on the whole | (v) to begin a job or career in a particular area of activity |
Make a meaningful sentence of your own using the following phrase.
"to look into”
long term / on / reading / impact / has / a / one’s personality
is / the / it / hobbies / one / best / of
Make a meaningful sentence by using the following phrase:
to get out of.
There are some phrases where the word crown is used with different shades of meaning. Use the following phrases to complete the sentences meaningfully.
Amitabh has given us awesome movies throughout five decades. But his _______ is his performance in the movie ‘Black’.
There are some phrases where the word crown is used with different shades of meaning. Use the following phrases to complete the sentences meaningfully.
Medical science has great inventions, but organ transplantation is definitely a ______ for human beings.
Find out the meaning of the following phrase. Use them in your own sentence.
give and take
Find out the meaning of the following phrase. Use them in your own sentence.
a black eye
Guess the meaning of the following idioms and phrases and use them in sentences of your own. One is done for you.
One-size-fits-all – suitable for or used in all circumstances
Statement: The wrist watches have adjustable belts, so one- size- fits- all.
'Once in a blue moon'
Guess the meaning of the following idioms and phrases and use them in sentences of your own. One is done for you.
One-size-fits-all – suitable for or used in all circumstances
Statement: The wrist watches have adjustable belts, so one- size- fits- all.
'Once bitten twice shy'
Guess the meaning of the following idioms and phrases and use them in sentences of your own. One is done for you.
One-size-fits-all – suitable for or used in all circumstances
Statement: The wrist watches have adjustable belts, so one- size- fits- all.
'One up on'
Choose appropriate phrases/expressions from the extract given in the options and fill in the blank appropriately.
Raj ran at a _______ to catch the train.
Discuss with your partner about the different idioms/proverbs related to word ‘tomorrow’. One is done for you
- Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
- ________________________
- ________________________
- ________________________
Find out the meaning of the phrase given below and use them in your own sentence.
money for old rope
Find out the meaning of the phrase given below and use them in your own sentence.
put one’s money where one’s mouth is
Insert the appropriate word/phrase given below, in the sentences that follow.
(flattery, appealing, by fits and starts, dashed to, undetected, spirits rose)
I ______ the school gate when I heard the school-bell ring.
Insert the appropriate word/phrase given below, in the sentences that follow.
(flattery, appealing, by fits and starts, dashed to, undetected, spirits rose)
After the death of my pet dog, my ______ when dad got me a new pup.
Insert the appropriate word/phrase given below, in the sentences that follow.
(flattery, appealing, by fits and starts, dashed to, undetected, spirits rose)
Do not stoop to ______ just to gain something from someone.
Insert the appropriate word/phrase given below, in the sentences that follow.
(flattery, appealing, by fits and starts, dashed to, undetected, spirits rose)
The artist completes his paintings ______.
Insert the appropriate word/phrase given below, in the sentences that follow.
(flattery, appealing, by fits and starts, dashed to, undetected, spirits rose)
The crime went ______ for 11 years.
Insert the appropriate word/phrase given below, in the sentences that follow.
(flattery, appealing, by fits and starts, dashed to, undetected, spirits rose)
When the baby saw its mother it gave an ______ smile.
Rewrite the following sentence inserting the appropriate phrases in their proper form.
(to get out of, to come up, to turn on, to give in, to get into, to come down, to work out, to turn off, to give off, to give out, to work in)
To enjoy the music and relax, he ______ the music and ______ the lights.
Rewrite the following sentence inserting the appropriate phrases in their proper form.
(to get out of, to come up, to turn on, to give in, to get into, to come down, to work out, to turn off, to give off, to give out, to work in)
Smita ______ to her desire and ______ her favourite toys to the poor.
Rewrite the following sentence inserting the appropriate phrases in their proper form.
(to get out of, to come up, to turn on, to give in, to get into, to come down, to work out, to turn off, to give off, to give out, to work in)
You should ______ Mathematics so that you can ______ problem.
Replace the underline word/phrase with the appropriate one, to retain the proper meaning.
(be the epitome of, gear up, a brief stint, play a major role, in recognition of, take over reins)
Our class monitor is a perfect symbol of duty and discipline.
Match the phrases in table A with lines of the poem given in table B.
| Phrases | Lines |
| (1) Toil hard | (a) If you want a thing bad enough... |
| (2) Get rid of all | (b) If neither cold nor poverty, famished... |
| (3) Extremely poor condition | (c) To work day and night for it. |
| (4) Need desperately | (d) Lose all your terror of the opposition for it. |
Using a dictionary, find the difference between the following pairs of phrases. Make sentences of your own with each of them.
| Phrases | Meaning | Own Sentences | |
| 1. | cut in | ........................... | ........................... |
| cut out | ........................... | ........................... | |
| 2. | be held by | ........................... | ........................... |
| be held up | ........................... | ........................... | |
| 3. | run away | ........................... | ........................... |
| run for | ........................... | ........................... | |
| 4. | be known as | ........................... | ........................... |
| be known for | ........................... | ........................... | |
| 5. | go with | ........................... | ........................... |
| go after | ........................... | ........................... | |
| 6. | put fire into | ........................... | ........................... |
| put fire out | ........................... | ........................... |
Use the following idiom/phrase in sentences of your own.
look backward
Use the following idiom/phrase in sentences of your own.
let (someone) down
Use the following idiom/phrase in sentences of your own.
sign off
Use the following idiom/phrase in sentences of your own.
begin a new
Fill in the gap choosing the appropriate idiom.
(drown out, hits in the head with a brick, get one’s affairs in order, connect the dots, begin to dawn, stay hungy)
Those who aspire for success should always ______ to learn more.
Fill in the gap choosing the appropriate idiom.
(drown out, hits in the head with a brick, get one’s affairs in order, connect the dots, begin to dawn, stay hungy)
On reading exactly same essays in both answer sheets, it ______ the examiner, that the students had cheated during exams.
Pick out the words and phrases in the story that indicates that the author was not financially well off. One is done for you.
| Words | not afford | |||
| Phrases | beyond my means |
Fill in the blank a word or a phrase given in the brackets in their appropriate form.
“I never____________ my stomach”, she said
Fill in the blank a word or a phrase given in the brackets in their appropriate form.
I was____________ when the menu was brought.
Fill in the blank a word or a phrase given in the brackets in their appropriate form.
The author’s guest was____________ through Paris.
Make a meaningful sentence by using the following phrase in your notebook.
in the pursuit of
Make a meaningful sentence by using the following phrase in your notebook.
be afraid of
Make a meaningful sentence by using the following phrase in your notebook.
give up
Read the text again. You will find that the text contains many phrases. Match the phrases in ‘A’ and their meanings in ‘B’. After matching their meanings, make sentences of your own.
| ‘A’ Phrases | ‘B’ Meanings |
| 1. run of terrible bad luck | a. hit on a topic |
| 2. draws heavily on | b. without being affected by a particular factor |
| 3. struck a chord | c. endure in difficult circumstances |
| 4. in spite of | d. a period of time when bad things happen |
| 5. holding on | e. makes use of |
When different Prepositions are added to the same action verb meaning of the phrase, thus formed changes.
For example,
call out - announce
call at - visit
call for - summon
call up - make a telephone call
Try to guess the meaning of the underlined phrase and write them down.
- He promised me to look into the matter.
- He wanted to look for his lost book.
When different Prepositions are added to the same action verb meaning of the phrase, thus formed changes.
For example,
call out - announce
call at - visit
call for - summon
call up - make a telephone call
Try to guess the meaning of the underlined phrase and write them down.
- An epidemic of Cholera broke out in the village.
- The thieves broke into the apartment
Make a meaningful sentence by using the phrase:
‘in front of’
Make a meaningful sentence by using the following phrase:
'pitched in to help'
Make a meaningful sentence by using the phrase 'to run away'.
