Hemza ZEGHAR
#OCE
Lesson #1 (People - character and behaviour)
Positive characteristics and behaviour.
Read the following conversation.
In this conversation, Lucy uses an idiom to repeat and sum up what Beth says.
Lucy: I'm trying to organise a quiz team. Who do you think I should ask?
Beth: Why not ask Jim? He knows a lot about all sorts of different things.
Lucy: You're right. He's a mine of information.
Beth: He can do all sorts of different things too. He's good at sport and he's set up his own
software business, which is doing very well, I believe.
Lucy: That's right. He's a man of many parts.
Beth: Why don't you ask Matt as well? He's young, but he's so clever and really successful.
Lucy: Yes, he's a whizz kid, if ever there was one! Good idea!
Beth: His sister Sue is nice too, isn't she? Full of energy and enthusiasm.
Lucy: That's right. She's got plenty of getup and go.
Beth: She'd be great in a quiz too. She's a trained chef; she's a qualified singing teacher, so
she knows about music; and she's studying film at college.
Lucy: Yes, she has plenty of strings to her bow. Thanks, Beth. I'll ask them all!
By the way:
- You can also say "Woman of many parts".
Difficult words include types of "context clues", which are pieces of information that often
appear near a word or a phrase and offer direct or indirect suggestions about what the word
means.
Example:
Beth: Why don't you ask Matt as well? He's young, but he's so "clever and really
successful".
Lucy: Yes, he's a "whizz kid", if ever there was one! Good idea!
**You will complete this exercise for homework**
Exercise:
- Complete each idiom.
1 Let's hire Dan. He has a lot of get…………….. and go, and will really inspire the team.
2 He's a person with many skills and talents, a true man of many ………… .
3 The restaurant is popular with banking whizz………… , all talking loudly about the
financial deals they're doing.
4 Schools often encourage their students to collect as many……………… to their bow as
possible.
5 Ask Aunt Fran to help with your geography project she's a…………… of information
about different places.
2. Negative characteristics and behaviour
Idiom :
a glutton for punishment
Example : She's certainly a glutton for punishment. She's started doing a second degree, even
though she's got a fulltime job and two small children.
Meaning : Someone who likes working hard or doing things other people would find
unpleasant (humorous).
Idiom :
highly strung
Example : She's so highly strung that even a loud noise can make her jump.
Meaning : very nervous and easily upset.
Idiom :
act / ρlay the fool
Example : He'd be a nicer person if he didn't play the fool so much.
Meaning : behave in a silly way, often to make people laugh.
Idiom :
look out for number one
Example : Trust Fred to take the last piece of cake. He always looks out for number one.
Meaning : puts himself first, as he thinks he s the most important person (informal)
Idiom :
eat somebody for breakfast
Example : The lawyers are going to eat the accused man for breakfast.
Meaning : speak angrily or critically to easily control or defeat someone.
Idiom :
a wet blanket
Example : Stop complaining about the weather. It's not that cold. Enjoy the picnic and stop
being such a wet blanket.
Meaning : someone who says or does something that stops others from enjoying themselves
(informal).
Idiom :
a loose cannon
Example : Our sales rmnager is a loose cannon. You never know what he'll say or do next.
Meaning : someone who cannot be trusted because they act in an unpredictable way.
Exercises:
Correct the mistakes in these idioms.
1. Concentrate on your homework and stop playing a fool!
2. I hope Joe doesn't come to the party he's such a cold blanket.
3. I suppose that everyone ultimately has to look out for figure one.
4. Kate volunteers for all the jobs that no one else will do she's a real glutton for work.
5. I always said she was a loose gun, so I'm not surprised she's causing trouble.
6. Be extra kind and calm with Jarek he's very tightly strung.
7. Everyone admires the young entrepreneur for his getup and buy.
Replace the underlined part of each sentence with an idiom.
1 I'm really scared about meeting them. I'm sure they'll be angry and criticise me.
2 I don't want to be miserable and spoil your fun, but please can you turn the music down? It's
too loud.
3 Some people say that to succeed in business, you need to put your own interests first.
4 There always seems to be a child in every class who acts in a silly way to make the other
pupils laugh.
5 Martina would be easier to live with if she weren't so nervous and easily upset.
6 Some see him as an unpredictable and untrustworty person, but this is unfair.