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Question
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
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Solution
- An epidemic of Cholera broke out in the village. - spread
- The thieves broke into the apartment - robbed, committed theft
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Rearrange the following words / phrases to form meaningful sentences:
(a) more than / are child workers / the Indian population / five per cent of /
(b) engaged / in agriculture / tens of thousands / are chiefly /
(c) work / in urban areas / many / of industries / in a variety /
Match the phrases given under Column A with their meanings given under Column B:
| A | B | |
| 1 | Fly a flag | Move quickly/suddenly |
| 2 | Fly into rage | Be successful |
| 3 | Fly along | Display a flag on a long pole |
| 4 | Fly high | Escape from a place |
| 5 | Fly the coop | Become suddenly very angry |
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.)
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Our entire class is quaking in its boots. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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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 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.
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give thee medicine for thy child
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Pray tell me
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Kisa repaired to the Buddha
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there was no house but someone had died in it
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kinsmen
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Mark!
Match, the italicised phrases in Column A with the phrase nearest meaning in Column B.
(Hint: First look for the sentence in the text which the phrase in column A occurs.)
| A | B |
| 1. I was not unmindful of the fact. |
(i) had not forgotten : was aware of the fact (ii) was not careful about the fact (iii) forgot or was not aware of the fact |
| 2. When my comrades and I were pushed to our limits |
(i) pushed by the guards to the wall (ii) took more than our share of beatings (iii) felt that we could not endure the suffering any longer |
| 3. To reassure me and keep me going |
(i) make me go on walking (ii) help me continue to live in hope in this very difficult situation (iii) make me remain without complaining |
| 4. The basic and honourable freedoms of… earning my keep… |
(i) earning enough money to live on (ii) keeping what I earned (iii) getting a good salary |
The writer carefully builds up an atmosphere of loneliness and grief in the story. Working in groups, pick out words/ phrases from the story that build up the atmosphere. Copy the following table in your notebook and complete it.
| Loneliness | Grief |
| • An old man was walking through the town, now and again drawing his tattered clothes tighter to shield his body from the cold and biting wind • his lonely way |
• the whole town was wrapped in deathly silence |
long term / on / reading / impact / has / a / one’s personality
good / is/ for / it / substitute / a / watching TV
There are some phrases where the word crown is used with different shades of meaning. Use the following phrases to complete the sentences meaningfully.
The works of Shakespeare are the __________ of English drama.
There are some phrases where the word crown is used with different shades of meaning. Use the following phrases to complete the sentences meaningfully.
They threw a wonderful party for me with costumes, games and _______ my favourite kind of ice cream.
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.
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.
'One man army'
Insert the appropriate word/phrase given below, in the sentence that follow.
The crime went ______ for 11 years.
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.
Write as many phrases as you can using ‘enough’ and use them in your sentences.
Example: good enough
Use the following idiom/phrase in sentences of your own.
look forward
Use the following idiom/phrase in sentences of your own.
sign off
Fill the gap in choosing the appropriate idioms.
The wealthy landlord made a will __________ before he could die.
Fill the gap in choosing the appropriate idioms.
Those who aspire for success should always ___________ learn more.
Fill the gap in choosing the appropriate idioms.
If you ______________ you will realise that crime ultimately leads to poverty.
Fill the gap in choosing the appropriate idioms.
The siren of the ambulance ____________ all other traffic noise.
Fill the gap in choosing the appropriate idioms.
On reading exactly the same essays in both answer sheets, it _________________ the examiner, that the students had cheated during exams.
Fill in the blank a word or a phrase given in the brackets in their appropriate form.
“I never____________ my stomach”, she said
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 |
Discuss with your partner and find proverbs, idioms, or phrases of similar meaning to the one given and fill them in the stars given below:

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.
- She has to carry out her duty regularly.
- You must carry on trying for success
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
| 1. | A fisherman, enfeebled with age, could no longer go out to sea so he began fishing in the river. Every morning he would go down to the river and sit there fishing the whole day long. In the evening he would sell whatever he had caught, buy food for himself and go home. It was a hard life for an old man. One hot afternoon while he was trying to keep awake and bemoaning his fate, a large bird with silvery feathers alighted on a rock near him. It was Kaha, the heavenly bird. “Have you no one to care for you, grandpa?” asked the bird. “Not a soul.” “You should not be doing such work at your age,” said the bird. “From now on I will bring you a big fish every evening. You can sell it and live in comfort.” True to her word, the bird began to drop a large fish at his doorstep every evening. All that the fisherman had to do was take it to the market and sell it. As big fish were in great demand, he was soon rolling in money. He bought a cottage near the sea, with a garden around it and engaged a servant to cook for him. His wife had died some years earlier. He had decided to marry again and began to look for a suitable woman. |
| 2. | One day he heard the royal courtier make an announcement. Our king has news of a great bird called Kaha,” said the courtier. “Whoever can give information about this bird and help catch it, will be rewarded with half the gold in the royal treasury and half the kingdom!” The fisherman was sorely tempted by the reward. Half the kingdom would make him a prince! |
| 3. | “Why does the king want the bird,” he asked. “He has lost his sight,” explained the courtier. “A wise man has advised him to bathe his eyes with the blood of Kaha. Do you know where she can be found?” “No…I mean …no, no…” Torn between greed and his sense of gratitude to the bird, the fisherman could not give a coherent reply. The courtier, sensing that he knew something about the bird, informed the king. The king had him brought to the palace. |
| 4. | “If you have information about the bird, tell me”, urged the king. “I will reward you handsomely and if you help catch her, I will personally crown you king of half my domain.” “I will get the bird for you,” cried the fisherman, suddenly making up his mind. “But Kaha is strong. I will need help. The king sent a dozen soldiers with him. That evening when the bird came with the fish, the fisherman called out to her to wait. “You drop the fish and go and I never get a chance to thank you for all that you‘ve done for me," he said. “Today I have laid out a feast for you inside. Please alight and come in. Kaha was reluctant to accept the invitation but the fisherman pleaded so earnestly that she finally gave in, and alighted. The moment she was on the ground, the fisherman grabbed one of her legs and shouted to the soldiers hiding in his house to come out. They rushed to his aid but their combined effort could not keep Kaha down. |
| 5. | She rose into the air with the fisherman still clinging to her leg. By the time he realised he was being carried away, the fisherman was too high in the air to let go. He hung on grimly, and neither he nor Kaha was ever seen again. |
Pick out the words/phrases from the passage which are opposite in meaning to the following:
- Take off (Para 1)
- Readily (Para 4)
