Prefix

PREFIX

MEANING

EXAMPLES

de-

from, down, away

reverse, opposite

decode, decrease

dis-

not, opposite, reverse, disagree, disappear

away

ex-

out of, away from,

lacking, former

exhale, explosion

il-

not

illegal, illogical

im-

not, without

impossible,
improper

in-

not, without

inaction, invisible

mis-

bad, wrong

mislead, misplace

non-

not

nonfiction, nonsense

pre-

before

prefix, prehistory

pro-

for, forward, before

re-

again, back

un-

against, not, opposite

profess, program
react, reappear

undo, unequal,
unusual
A prefix is a group of letters placed before the root of a
word. For example, the word "unhappy" consists of the
prefix "un-" [which means "not"] combined with the root
(stem) word "happy"; the word "unhappy" means "not
happy."

Suffix
A suffix is a group of letters placed after the root of a

word. For example, the word flavorless consists of the

root word "flavor" combined with the suffix "-less" [which
means "without"]; the word "flavorless" means "having no
flavor."

A Short List of Suffixes:

SUF
FIX

MEANING

EXAMPLES

-able

able to, having the quality of

comfortable,
portable

-al

relating to

annual, comical

-er

comparative

bigger, stronger

-est

superlative

strongest, tiniest

-ful

full of

beautiful,
grateful

-ible

forming an adjective

reversible,
terrible

-ily

forming an adverb

happily, lazily

-ing denoting an action, a material, or acting, showing

a gerund
-less

without, not affected by

friendless,
tireless

-ly

forming an adjective

clearly, hourly

-ness

denoting a state or condition

kindness,
wilderness

-y

full of, denoting a condition, or a

diminutive

glory, messy,
victory,

Put the words in brackets in the appropriate form (use a

prefixes or a suffixes):
1. He was acting in a very

2. She looked

unhappy

childish

way. (child)

.She started to cry. (happy)

3. He passed his exam. He was

successfu

for the

second time. (succeed)

4. The team that he supported were able to win
the
. (champion)
championship

5. I couldn't find any

w eakness

6. He wants to be a

mathematician

in his theory. (weak)

when he grows up.

(mathematics)
7. There were only a

handful

of people at the match.

(hand)
8. The road was too narrow, so they had to
it. (wide)

w iden

Vocabulary
Word is the basis of language and indispensable to
understand it. Therefore all competitive entrance
examinations give an extra emphasis on word related
problems.
The main types of word problems in the examinations are
1. Synonym
2. Antonym

Finding Synonym in Context

Directions Choose the synonym from the four optionsfor
the underlined word in the sentence.
Example 1. Cacophony: Quarrelling people created a
lot of cacophony and so nobody was able to hear us.
(a) fighting
(b) hearing
(c) noise
(d)
bitterness
Explanation: What quarrelling or fighting or arguing
peopleproduce or create that makes hearing impossible?
Theycreated what?The correct answer is (c) noise.
Example 2. Fallacy: Dont live under the fallacy that
luck will do everything for you.
(a) right belief
(b) weakness
(c) pleasure
(d) wrong belief
Explanation: Is depending on luck for everything right
or good?You can re-read the sentences as Dont live
under thewrong or bad idea that .The correct answer is
(d) wrong belief.

Example 3. Desiccate: The washed and wet wheat

wasspread under the sun to desiccate.
(a) to dry
(b) to shine
(c) to pack
(d)
to break
Explanation: Why do we spread washed clothes and
grainsunder the sun?The correct answer is (a) to dry.
Example
4.
Exacerbate:
Drinking
more
and
moreexacerbated his already poor health.
(a) improved
(b) worsened
(c) killed
(d)
checked
Explanation:Is it advisable to drink when somebodys
health isalready poor? What will it do to his health
improve ormake it further bad?You can read it as
Drinking more and more deteriorated the correct
answer is (b) worsened.
Example 5. Ambiguous: He changed his statement so
manytimes that entire his message became ambiguous.
(a) clear
(b) impressive
(c) unimpressive
(d)
unclear
Explanation: Will not change statements again and
againconfuse the listeners and make it unclear to them?
You can re-read the sentence as that entire his message
became confusing.
The correct answer is (d) unclear.
Important Note :At times you may not be able to guess
the meaning in the context because of (a) unfamiliar idea
or language (b) unusual usage of the word In such cases,
you are advised to take help of the root of the word,
prefix-suffix or other such devices that we are going to
discuss further.

Finding Antonym in Context

By now we are clear on how to locate a correct answer. In
case of antonyms, we have to first replace the underlined
word with an easier word and then make negative of the
word by adding no or not to it. Read the sentence
again with the negative word. Then, look for the word in
the choices that can fit in the sentence without changing
its meaning in the negative sense. Follow the procedure
explained below in finding antonyms to a word in a given
context. Directions Guess the meaning of the underlined
words in the context and choose the antonym for the
same.
Example 1. Diligent: The students constant and
diligent efforts brought him great success.
(a) lucky
(b) constant
(c) lazy
(d) slow
Explanation: Constant and diligent can be read as
constant and laborious and converted into negative as
constantbut not laborious. Another word for not
laborious is lazy. The correct answer is (c) lazy.
Example 2.Bellicose: The bellicose countries finally
stopped fighting.
(a) friendly
(b) fighting
(c) peaceful
(d)
hateful
Explanation: Finally stopped fighting suggests that the
countries were fighting. Bellicose means fighting.
Therefore, you need not fighting as opposite and
another word for the same is peaceful. The correct
answer is (c) peaceful.
Example 3. Audacity: Encouraged by success, the
soldier moved with audacity and killed the enemy.
(a) courage
(b) boldness
(c) timidity
(d)
strength

Explanation:Obviously,
the
soldier
moves
with
confidence or courage or boldness as he was
encouraged. Therefore, for without courage there is only
one option. The correct answer is (c) timidity.
Example 4. Garrulous: She had to listen to her
garrulous guest for hours in courtesy.
(a) taciturn
(b) talkative
(c) funny
(d)
interesting
Explanation:If the host is forced to listen for hours, it
means the guest is talkative. With not talkative no
option matched but one. The correct answer is (a)
taciturn. Taciturn is a person who prefers to remain quiet.
Example 5. Stingy : The stingy old man, despite being
rich, never spent a penny on his own well being.
(a) miser
(b) generous
(c) careful
(d)
narrow-minded
Explanation: If one does not spend money even on
urgent needs despite having enough, such a person is
called miser and opposite to miser is generous. The
correct answer is (b) generous.
S. c.
1. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
The verb in a sentence must agree with its subject.
(i) They both should be either singular or plural.

Example
A boy is reading a novel (sing.).
The boys are reading a novel (plural)

(ii)In case, the subject is a collective noun, then the verb

will take a singular form.
Example:
The class is making a noise.
Note:There are four collective nouns viz.- cattle, poultry,
police and gentry; with these nouns, we use a plural verb.
There are exceptions to the rule.

(iii)In case, the subjects are connected by AND; they

require a plural verb.
Example:
Gold and Silver are precious metals.
If the subjects are connected by OR, the verb used will be
singular
Example:
The dog or the pup is sick.
In case there are two different subjects; the verb is put
matching the closure subject.
Example:
Sachin or I am going for a party.
Sachin or Rahul is going for the party.

(iv)All the sentences that begin with EACH, EVERYONE

and ANYONE will have a singular verb.
Example:
Every one of the boys loves to ride.
Anyone has a pen, please.

(v) I, ME: While deciding between the nominative form

(i.e. I ) and the objective form (i.e., me); earlier the
nominative form was preferred.
Example:
Atul and I are going for a walk.
But lately its use is considered formal and over correct
.We usually use the objective form, i.e. there is no
difference between you and me.
Example:
Please, let Jack and me go to the theatre.
But whenever a comparison is made with THAN or AS; the
objective form is used.
Example:
He is taller than I am.
He writes as fast I am.
I swim better than him.
I am as tall as her.

(vi) In the constructions of NEITHER-NOR and EITHER-OR;

if both the subjects are singular , the verb will also be

singular example Either the mother or the daughter has

cooked the meal.
But when one of the subjects are joined by OR or NOR is
plural, the verb must be plural and the subject should be
placed near the verb.
Example:
Neither the teacher nor the students were present.
Top
2. PARALLELISM
While forming a sentence, the structure of the sentence
should be kept parallel. If an infinitive is used, then all the
phrases should have an infinitive. If a verb is used after it,
then we use the objective cases.
Example:
She likes to cook, dance and play.
Similar rule is used for a gerund.
Example:
She likes cooking, dancing and playing.
Top
3. TAUTOLOGICAL ERROR
Sometimes also referred a redundancy, this is the error
of writing the same thing twice.
Example:
He returned back from Delhi.

I hardly have any money to give you.

The correct constructions should be;
He came back from Delhi.
I have no money to give you.
Top
4. MISPLACED MODIFIER
A common blunder is to leave a participle dangling
without a subject.
Example:
Sitting on the g ate, a scorpion stung him.
Here, sitting cannot be used for scorpion as it is
grammatically incorrect.. The correct should be:Sitting on the gate, he was stung by a scorpion or
While he was sitting on the gate, a scorpion stung him.
Example:
He visited the place where Napoleon died during his
holidays.
It seems as the participle during his holidays is used for
Napoleon while it is meant for the person visiting .So the
correct sentence should be:During his holidays, he visited the place where Napoleon
died. This way, it is correctly understood.
Top
5. USE OF FEW AND LESS
Few is used before countable nouns while less is used
before uncountable nouns.

Example:
There are few children in the class today.
There is less juice left in the jar.
Few and A few have different meanings
Few is equivalent to something negligible, hardly any
while. A few is equivalent to some
Example:
Few persons can keep a secret.
A few persons are convinced about the new manager.
Similarly little and a little are used for quantity in the
same manner. There is little hope of his recovery (almost
nil). A little tact would have saved the situation (some
tact).
Top
6. COMPARISONS
The comparisons made should be between two similar
things. If we say:- The population of London is greater
than any other city in India. We are comparing:(a) The population of London
(b) Any other city in India.
While comparison had to be made between the
populations of both. So, the correct expression should
be:The population of London is greater than that of any other
city in India.

(a) When comparative degree is used with than, make

sure that we exclude the thing compared from the rest of
class of things by using the
Example:
He is stronger than any man living.(incorrect).
He is stronger than any other man living.(correct).
Similarly, Solomon was wiser than all other men.
In superlative degree, we must include the thing
compared.
Solomon was the wisest of all men.
He is the strongest of all men.
Top
7. LAY AND LIE
We need to distinguish between these two words as they
are used very differently.
(a) Lay, laid, laid
Lay the table ordered the mistress
He laid the guitar by his side.
The hen had laid an egg.
(b) Lie, Lay, Lain
Let me lie down here.
He lay under the Banyan tree.
He had lain in the sun for three hours yesterday.
Top
8. TRUST YOUR EARS
If you become stuck, 'say' the choices in your head and

then select the passage that sounds best to your ears.

Most test takers, particularly native English speakers,
have internalized many more grammar rules than they
can explicitly identify.
Top
9. KNOW THE TIME
Use time cues (ex. before, during, as, in 1960) to
eliminate options that contain verb tense errors.
Remember, events that occur during the same time
period must be in the same tense!
Top
10. RUN THE NUMBERS
If a sentence is about some sort of numerical quantity
(ex. the percentage of homeowners in Minneapolis or the
number of women studying French) check for idiomatic
errors. Remember: "fewer" describes a countable
quantity, like people; "less" describes an uncountable
quantity, like sugar. Also check for redundancy (ex.
"went up by a 20% increase").

1. The people of the ancient Assyrian Empire were

renowned warriors, although they also
crafted some of the best-preserved ancient art.
A. were renowned warriors, although they also
crafted

B. had been renowned warriors, although they

also crafted
C. were renowned warriors, and also crafted
D. was renowned warriors, although they also
crafted
E. were renowned warriors, but also crafting
Correct-A

2. The administration discussed whether the number

of students studying European languages was
likely to decline when the senior lecturer retired.
A. whether the number of students studying
European languages was likely
B. whether the number of students studying
European languages were likely
C. if the students studying European languages
were likely
D. if the number of European language students
were likely
E. whether the number of students studying
European languages was liable
A
3. With the advent of YouTube, Facebook, and Flickr,
many savvy political consultants undertook
revolutionary micro-targeting and get-out-the-vote
techniques that enabled political candidates
with cash-strapped budgets to be able to reach
numerous likely voters and succeed in raising

large numbers of money from enthusiastic and

committed supporters in a short period of time.
A. cash-strapped budgets to be able to reach
numerous likely voters and succeed in raising
large numbers of money
B. cash-strapped budgets to reach numerous
likely voters and be successful in raising large
amounts of money
C. cash-strapped budgets to reach numerous
likely voters, succeeding in raising large
amounts of money
D. cash-strapped budgets to reach numerous
likely voters and succeed in raising large
amounts of money
E. cash-strapped budgets to be able to reach
numerous likely voters and succeed in raising
large amounts of money
Correct -D
It is highly desirable that you furnish evidence of
your expenses before you submit your final accounts.
A. It is highly desirable that you furnish evidence
of your expenses
B. It is highly desirable that you should furnish
evidence of your expenses
C. It is highly to be desired that you furnish
evidences of your expenses
D. You must furnish evidence of your expenses
E. You should have to supply evidence of your

expenses
D
WHAT ARE PARAJUMBLES?
Parajumbles are jumbled paragraphs. Basically, you are
given a paragraph but the sentences are not in the right
order. Its up to you to untie this knot and rearrange the
sentences so that they logically make sense. Normally
instructions for this type of questions will read "Choose
the most logical order of sentences from among the given
choices to construct a coherent paragraph". Given below
would be 4 or 5 perplexing sentences which he would
need to sort and arrange like a jigsaw puzzle. Sounds fun?
It is. If one knows how to go about it, that is. Solving
jumbled paragraphs is a science. It is so much of a
science that you can obtain an accuracy of 100% even if
you are not a good read
ESTABLISH LINK BETWEEN TWO SENTENCES AND THEN
EXAMINE THE OPTIONS
TRANSITION WORDS
also, again, as well as, besides, furthermore, in addition,
likewise, moreover, similarly, consequently, hence,
otherwise, subsequently, therefore, thus, as a rule,
generally, for instance, for example.
A. But in the industrial era destroying the enemy's
productive capacity means bombing the factories which
are located in the cities.

B. So in the agrarian era, if you need to destroy the

enemy's productive capacity, what you want to do is bum
his fields, or if you're really vicious, salt them.
C. Now in the information era, destroying the enemy's
productive capacity means destroying the information
infrastructure.
D. How do you do battle with your enemy?
E. The idea is to destroy the enemy's productive capacity,
and depending upon the economic foundation, that
productive capacity is different in each case
F. With regard to defence, the purpose of the military is
to defend the nation and be prepared to do battle with its
enemy.
1. DEBACF
2. FCABED
C

3.

FDEBAC

4. DFEBA

Answer:
Correct is C
PERSONAL PRONOUNS
Personal pronouns are he, she, it, him, her, they, you,
your etc. Remember that personal pronouns always refer
to a person, place or thing etc. Therefore, if a
sentence contains a personal pronoun without
mentioning the person, place or object it is

referring to, the person, place or object must have

come in the previous sentence. Often, this is a good
lead to identify a link.

A. Although there are large regional variations, it is not

infrequent to find a large number of people sitting here
and there and doing nothing.
B. Once in office, they receive friends and relatives who
feel free to call any time without prior appointment.
C. While working, one is struck by the slow and clumsy
actions and reactions, indifferent attitudes, procedure
rather than outcome orientation, and the lack of
consideration for others.
D. Even those who are employed often come late to the
office and leave early unless they are forced to be
punctual.
E. Work is not intrinsically valued in India.
F. Quite often people visit ailing friends and relatives or
go out of their way to help them in their personal matters
even during office hours.
1. ECADBF
4. ABFCBE

2. EADCFB

3. EADBFC

option 3 is correct.
A. Michael Hofman, a poet and translator, accepts this
sorry fact without approval or complaint.

B. But thanklessness and impossibility do not daunt him.

C. He acknowledges too "in fact he returns to the point
often " that best translators of poetry always fail at
some level.
D. Hofman feels passionately about his work, and this is
clear from his writings.
E. In terms of the gap between worth and rewards,
translators come somewhere near nurses and streetcleaners.
1. EACDB
DCEAB

2. ADEBC

3. EACBD

4.

link DB is incorrect and the correct answer is option 3.

A. The situations in which violence occurs and the

nature of that violence tends to be clearly defined at least
in theory, as in the proverbial Irishman's question: "Is this
a private fight or can anyone join in?"
B. So the actual risk to outsiders, though no doubt
higher than our societies, is calculable.
C. Probably the only uncontrolled applications of force
are those of social superiors to social inferiors and
even here there are probably some rules.
D. However binding the obligation to kill, members of
feuding families engaged in mutual massacre will be
genuinely appalled if by some mischance a bystander or
outsider is killed.

1. DABC
4. DBAC

2. ACDB

3. CBAD

Option A

1. If you are used to having your stimulation come in from

outside, your mind never develops its own habits of
thinking and reflecting
2. Marx thought that religion was the opiate, because it
soothed people's pain and suffering and prevented them
from rising in rebellion
3. If Karl Marx was alive today, he would say that
television is the opiate of the people.
4. Television and similar entertainments are even more of
an opiate because of their addictive tendencies.
A. 2134

B. 1423

C. 2431

D. 3241

Answer:
Sentence 2 has Marx (short Form) and sentence 3 has
Karl Marx (Full form). So 3 will come before 2. Now look at
the options. In A, B and C, 2 is placed before C3-hence
rejected. D is the right answer.

TIME SEQUENCE APPROACH (TSA)

Either dates or time sequence indicating words: Be
aware of the time indication either by giving years - or by
using time indicating words. Arrange the sentences using
their proper time sequence. Here are a few time
sequence indicating words -Before after later when
Example 1:
1. Then two astronomersthe German, Johannes Kepler,
and the Italian, Galileo Galilei-started publicly to support
the Copernican theory, despite the fact that the orbits it
predicted did not quite match the ones observed.
2. His idea was that the sun was stationary at the centre
and that the earth and the planets move in circular orbits
around the sun.
3. A simple model was proposed in 1514 by a Polish
priest, Nicholas Copernicus.
4. Nearly a century passed before this idea was taken
seriously.
A. 3421

B. 3241

C. 2314

D. 3142

Solution:
The 3rd sentence talks about the time event and other
time vents follow it in a chronological order. So option
A is Best choice

The Idiom List

(note: sth = something, sb = somebody)
ring a bell A: Do you know
April ONeil?
B: Hmm. Maybe.
That name rings a
bell.

on the one
hand / on
the other
hand

Definition
= is familiar to you
but you cant
remember where
you heard it

On the one hand,

Definition
Peters roommate is
kind. On the other
= (expression used
hand, hes quite
to when considering
messy.
the advantages and
disadvantages of
sth)

have/keep I tried to keep an

Definition
an open
open mind about
mind
Allan even though
= be openminded
Id heard some bad
things about him.
on the tip
of your
tongue

His name was on

Definition
the tip of my
tongue but I
= used to say you
couldnt remember
are almost able to
it.
remember

something, but you

cant
a
hangover
(noun) /
hung-over
(adj)

Tyler was too hung- Definition

over from last
nights party to go
= unwell from
to work.
drinking too much
alcohol on the
previous day

~ish

Lets meet around

4ish.

Definition
= used to make sth
more vague and
less exact

fed up

Im fed up with my
neighbours dog.

Definition
= so angry that you
can no longer
tolerate any more
of sth

Big deal!

It takes you 15
minutes to walk to
school? Big deal!

Definition
= a sarcastic
expression meaning
that sth is actually

NOT a big deal.

Give sb a
hand

My dad gave me a
hand with my
homework.

Definition
= helped you

let the cat It was going to be a Definition

out of the surprise party, until
bag
Todd let the cat out
= told the secret so
of the bag.
other people found
out too early
give it a
shot

If you think you can Definition

make the team,
then give it a shot.
= give it a try

No way!

A: George, Im
pregnant.

Definition

B: No way!

= similar to that
cant be possible! /
I dont believe
you!

A: Can I invite my
brother?

Definition

B: Sure. The more

the merrier.

= used to say that

the more of sth
there is, the better

The more
the
merrier.

it will be.
give it
your all

first-hand

Even though I lost

the race, I gave it
my all.

Definition
= tried your hardest

I saw the accident Definition

happen, first-hand.
= you experienced
it personally

a dead
end

time flies

Lets not take this

path. It leads to a
dead end.

Definition

Time flies when

youre having fun.

Definition

= a place with only

an end

= time passes
quickly
pull sbs
leg

have sth
on your

You have 6
brothers? Youre
pulling my leg!

Definition

When Dana has

something on her

Definition

= same as Youre
joking!

mind

mind, she likes to

go for a long walk
by herself.

keep track I use my watch to

keep track of time.

= to have a certain
topic in your
thoughts
Definition
= to monitor the
time

from
scratch

My aunt made the

cake from scratch.

Definition
= from nothing
(without any
already-prepared
materials)

off the top He asked me to tell Definition

of your
him a joke, but I
head
couldnt think of
= using only the
one off the top of
ideas you have in
my head.
your head at that
moment
learn your The boy learned his Definition
lesson
lesson. Hell never
play with fire again.
= to learn sth
important about life
from making a

mistake/doing
something wrong
keep/bear The professor told
in mind
his students to
keep in mind that
they only have 50
minutes to
complete the test.

Definition

speak
Timmy was afraid
your mind to speak his mind
in front of his
schoolmates.

Definition

Just my
luck!

Definition

It rained on my
only day off. Just
my luck!

Theres
Why dont you
nothing to make a simple
it.
website for your
business? Theres

= not forget;
remember

= say what you

honestly feel

= expression used
when sth unlucky
happens to you. It
implies that unlucky
things happen to
you, thus your
luck is bad luck
Definition
= its very easy; its

nothing to it.

a piece of cake

The house party

got out of hand, so
we had to call the
police.

Definition

cut a long
story
short

To cut a long story

short, Lisa and I
have had some
interesting
experiences
together.

Definition

a piece of
cake

The test was a

piece of cake. I
finished it in 20
minutes.

Definition

get out of
hand

break the
ice

= got out of control

= to make a long
story shorter so it
takes less time to
say

= very easy

At the start of the

Definition
meeting, Mike tried
to break the ice by
= to initiate social
telling a joke.
interaction/convers
ation. (Note: the
ice is that cold
feeling when no one
is talking or people
dont know each
other. You break the

ice by beginning to
speak or starting an
activity (e.g. telling
a joke, or doing a
warm-up activity))
go out of
your way
to do sth

I went out of my
Definition
way to help Jenny
find an apartment,
= to take extra time
and she didnt even
to make an
say thanks!
additional effort to
do sth

cross your The thought never

mind
even crossed my
mind.

Definition
= to think about
sth; to consider sth

road rage

I dont like being in Definition

the car with Gary.
He has difficulty
= extreme anger
controlling his road
when driving
rage.

go on
about

The old man went

Definition
on about his school
days for nearly an
= to speak for too
hour.
long about sth

uninteresting
slip your
mind

I was going to
Definition
return the library
books today after
work, but the
thought slipped my
mind.

have/thro
w a fit

The baby threw a

fit when I took his
toy away.

Definition

The ball is The ball is in their

in your
court now. Lets
court
wait for their
decision.

Definition

= to get angry and

begin acting like an
angry child

= used to say that

YOU now have
control of the
situation

make your Finding a fifty-dollar Definition

day
bill on the ground
made my day.
= used to say that
sth made your day
special (and great).
a rip off /

Six dollars for a cup Definition

to rip sb
off

of coffee?! What a
rip off!

get a kick
out of sth

I get a kick out of

reading science
fiction novels.

catch sbs The bright

eye
advertisement
caught my eye.

jump the
gun

= sth very overpriced

Definition
= to get enjoyment
from sth
Definition
= to grab sbs
attention and make
them look at sth

I jumped the gun

Definition
and asked Gail to
marry me. She said
= to do sth too
she wasnt sure
soon.
what to say.

give sb a
The angry worker
piece of
gave his boss a
your mind piece of his mind.

Definition

cross your Kate crossed her

fingers
fingers and hoped

Definition

= to speak angrily
to sb about sth bad
they have done

it wouldnt rain on
her wedding day.

= (Westerners cross
their fingers when
they want good
luck)

cost (sb)
an arm
and a leg

The designer
handbag cost her
an arm and a leg.

Definition

be in hot
water

Ken was in hot

water about
forgetting his
wedding
anniversary.

Definition

Susan is really in a
bind. She has two
essays due
tomorrow and she
hasnt started
either of them.

Definition

in a bind

an eyeopener

= to cost a LOT of
money

= to be in trouble

= in a difficult
situation; stuck in a
difficult situation

The film on global

Definition
warming was a real
eye-opener for
= sth that makes
Tom.
you see or think
about sth differently

from then on
let off
steam

Ted plays squash

when he needs to
let off steam.

Definition

read
between
the lines

You can figure out

the authors
opinion by reading
between the lines.

Definition

go all out

We went all out and Definition

booked a five-star
hotel for our trip.
= to use all of your
energy or resources
(e.g. money in the
above example) to
do sth

= to release anger
and frustration

= to find the hidden

meaning in sth that
is written or said

out of line Marks comment

Definition
was out of line. He
shouldnt have said
= inappropriate; not
that to a client.
in accordance with
how sb is supposed
to behave
be on sbs My manager is on

Definition

back

my back about
being at work on
time.

= to persistently
urge sb to do (or
not to do) sth

would not I wouldnt be seen Definition

be
dead wearing an
seen/caug ugly dress like that.
= used to say that
ht dead
you would NEVER
do sth
have
mixed
feelings

Larry has mixed

feelings about his
new job.

draw a
blank

When asked for her Definition

postal code, Amy
drew a blank.
= to be unable to
remember anything

You name
it.

A: Daddy, can I
have anything on
the menu?
B: Sure. You name
it, you got it.

know your Jim has been a

Definition
= to be unsure
about sth

Definition
= synonym of
whatever you
want'; anything
Definition

stuff

mechanic for 20
years. He really
knows his stuff.

= to know sth well

left, right Businesses were

Definition
and centre closing in town left,
right and centre.
= everywhere
a change
of heart

After seeing a
Definition
mouse on the floor,
I had a change of
= a change of
heart about eating
feeling; used to say
at the restaurant.
you changed your
mind about sth

a long
haul

Peter told his boss

that he wouldnt
quit. Hes in it for
the long haul.

be man
enough

George was the

Definition
only one man
enough to admit he
= strong enough in
had made a
character, or strong
mistake.
enough as a man

be second The apple pie at

to none
this restaurant is
second to none.

Definition

Definition

= the best
know/lear
n the
ropes

It took me a month Definition

to learn the ropes
at my new job.
= the process of
learning about sth
so you are
comfortable with it

a breath
of fresh
air

The new employee, Definition

Gail, is a breath of
fresh air in the
= sth new that adds
office.
life and energy to a
situation

get your
act
together

The coach told me Definition

that if I didnt get
my act together, Id
= start behaving
be kicked off the
properly
team.

set your
heart on
sth

Eric has his heart

Definition
set on participating
in the Olympics.
= to be firmly
resolved to do sth

take
sb/sth for
granted

Keith took it for

granted that his
girlfriend would

Definition
= to assume too

always stay with

confidently that
him. Then, one day, youll have sth in
she was gone.
the future or
forever
play it by
ear

A: How long will

you stay in
Australia?

Definition

put all
your eggs
in one
basket

Greg invested his

money in a few
different areas. He
didnt want to put
all his eggs in one
basket.

Definition

Birds of a
feather
(flock
together)

A: Its funny that all Definition

of Kates friends
are attractive.
= similar people
B: So is she. I guess tend to spend time
birds of a feather
with each other.
flock together.

have
second

Im starting to have Definition

second thoughts

= to improvise; to
B: Im not sure. Im not make a plan but
just going to play it decide what to do
by ear.
as you do it

= to put all of sth

you have in the
same area (note:
generally viewed as
a bad thing to do)

thoughts

about my new
apartment.

= to have doubts

pay the
price for
sth

Dont touch my
Definition
stuff. If you do,
youll pay the price.
= to suffer as a
consequence of
doing sth

a basket
case

Darryls ex-wife is a Definition

total basket case.
= a crazy person; a
nut

on the dot We arrived at 8

oclock on the dot.

Definition
= exactly

not have a I dont have a clue

clue
where Nunavut is.

Definition
= to have no idea
or absolutely no
knowledge (about
sth)

have a
shot at

Our team has a

Definition
shot at winning the
championship.
= has a chance

the word
spread

It took only an hour Definition

for word to spread
around the office
= for some news to
that John had been
spread (the word
fired.
= some news)

safe and
sound

I arrived home from Definition

my trip safe and
sound.
= safe

be a pain
(in the
neck)

My brother is a real Definition

pain in the neck
sometimes.
= to be
annoying/irritating

be in the
The governments
Definition
same boat of Portugal and
Greece are in the
= to be in the same
same boat. They
situation
both need financial
assistance.
be/feel at
home

After two years,

James felt at home
in Prague.

Definition
= to feel
comfortable, as if
you were in your
home or hometown

be in sbs
good
books

Ryan is not in his

Definition
fathers good books
right now because
= to be on
he scratched his
someones good
car.
side; to be thought
of as someones
friend or ally

get out of
bed on the
wrong
side

Id avoid talking
with Bob today. He
mustve got out of
bed on the wrong
side.

up-andcoming

Roger is an up-and- Definition

coming hockey
player from
= young and rising
Toronto.
to the top; new and
becoming
successful

get into
gear

Youd better get

into gear or youll
be late.

out of the
blue

Definition
= to wake up in a
bad mood

Definition
= hurry up; start
moving at a faster
speed

One day, out of the Definition

blue, I received a

letter from my
former schoolmate. = unscheduled;
without previous
warning
set the
record
straight

In a TV interview,
the politician set
the record straight
about his
experiences in the
military.

Definition

keep an
eye on

The security guard

kept an eye on the
suspicious man.

Definition

Because of a grey
area in his job
description, Peter
was not exactly
sure what all of his
responsibilities
were.

Definition

a grey
area

get/let sb
off the
hook

= to clarify what is
true/factual about a
story or thing

= watch closely;
monitor

= a vague area; an
unclear area; an
area that is neither
black nor white

Luckily for her, the Definition

policeman let Jane
off the hook for
= to let someone
parking her car in a
go free instead of
no-parking zone.

holding them
responsible for sth
bad
out of
sight, out
of mind.

Jim was happy

when his exgirlfriend moved
out of his
apartment out of
sight, out of mind.

Definition

give sb
the cold
shoulder

Ted gave his exgirlfriend the cold

shoulder when he
saw her at the
party.

Definition

The ins
and outs

It took Alan a year Definition

to learn all the ins
and outs of his job.
= to know all
aspects of sth; to
know completely
how sth works

line of
work

The fireman said

that injuries were
common in his line

= this means that if

you do not see
someone regularly,
you will stop
thinking about
them.

= to ignore sb

Definition
= job field; type of

of work.
make do

work

I forgot to buy
Definition
groceries so I had
to make do with
= to survive/get by
what was left in the
with what you have
fridge.
at that moment

get sth off A: Keith, theres

Definition
your chest something I need to
get off my chest.
= to say something
B: Whats bothering serious or difficult
you? Tell me.
that you have been
thinking about for a
while.
know sth
like the
back of
your hand

Takeshi knows the Definition

streets of Kyoto like
the back of his
= to be very
hand.
familiar with sth

in the bag After scoring their

fourth goal, the
victory was in the
bag.

Definition

be on the
ball

Definition

Greg isnt on the

ball today. He
keeps making silly

= certain to be
secured/obtained;

mistakes.

off and
on / on
and off

= to be thinking
well and reacting
quickly

Tara and Mike have Definition

been seeing each
other off and on for
= intermittently
a year now.

for the
I plan to move into Definition
time being my own apartment
in September. For
= just for the
the time being, Im
present moment
staying with friend
Doug.
burn your
bridges

Jack tried to be kind Definition

to his boss when he
quit in job because
= ruin a
he didnt want to
relationship,
burn his bridges.
resulting in you
being unable to
return somewhere

get/be
given the
sack / sack
(verb)

Alan got the sack

for repeatedly
coming into work
late.

on the

The project was put Definition

Definition
= to be fired

back
burner

on the back burner

while the company = set as a lower
focused on a more priority
immediate
problem.

get cold
feet

Its normal to get

cold feet before
your wedding day.

Definition
= to become
nervous/frightened
right before sth you
had planned to do

hit rock
bottom

After being fired

Definition
and then kicked out
of his apartment,
= to be in the
Jake really hit rock
lowest situation,
bottom.
e.g. without money
or friends. to be in
the unhappiest
situation of your life

talk shop

Everyone agreed
not to talk shop at
the staff party.

Definition

Its time we start

the ball rolling on

Definition

start/get
the ball

= to talk about
work-related things

rolling

the new project.

= to take the first
step to begin a
process

get your
Janice took a
foot in the position as an
door
administrative
assistant to get her
foot in the door at
the famous fashion
company.

Definition
= to complete the
first step towards
achieving an
opportunity

well-off /
Lloyd comes from a Definition
well-to-do well-to-do family.
His friends often
= rich; wealthy
ask to borrow
money from him.
pull your
weight

Lisa had to work

Definition
extra hard because
a few members of
= to do your share
the team werent
of the work; to
pulling their weight.
contribute your
share of effort

a gut
feeling

I have a gut feeling Definition

that something bad
is going to happen
= an intuitive
today.

feeling
if need be If need be, we can
take a taxi home.

Definition
= If necessary,..

in the
middle of
nowhere

Their car broke

Definition
down in the middle
of nowhere.
= in a place far
away from
anywhere known to
you

go with
the flow

Jake didnt want to

go to another bar,
but everyone else
did, so he went
with the flow.

Definition

play your
cards
right

If Linda plays her

cards right, she
could be the
department
manager by next
year.

Definition

follow in
sbs
footsteps

Bill chose to follow

in his fathers
footsteps and

Definition

= to let yourself to
be guided by the
choices of others

= make the
appropriate
moves/choices

= follow someone

become a dentist.

elses path

have your Alan has his heart

Definition
heart set set on participating
on sth
in the 2020
= to be firmly
Olympics.
resolved to do sth
You can
say that
again!

A: I met your boss

today. Hes a real
jerk.

Definition

Im all
ears

A: Doug, Ive
discovered the
meaning of life.

Definition

= expression that
B: You can say that means that you
again!
definitely agree
with what was just
said.

B: Really? Im all
ears.
small talk

After some small

talk, the interview
began.

= Im listening
intently.

Definition
= discussion about
light topics such as
the weather

put sth on Greg had to put his Definition

hold
weekend plans on

hold and go into

the office on
Saturday for a few
hours.
common
ground

The two boys had

some common
ground: they both
loved football.

= to postpone sth

Definition
= something held in
common; a
common interest or
trait

politically Marcel told a

(in)correct politically incorrect
joke at the
company party. No
one laughed.

Definition

have had
it up to
here

Definition

Ive had it up to
here with this
mess! Clean your
room now!

= politically correct
= worded in a
sensitive way that
will not harm the
audience

= Im fed up; Ive

had enough;
something said
when you cannot
handle anymore of
something that is

aggravating you
have your If we want to finish Definition
work cut
this by Friday, then
out
weve really got our
= expression that
work cut out for us.
means you have a
lot of work to do in
little time
get the
picture

A: The fight was

horrible. One man
kept punching the
other again and
again and again
B: OK. Thats
enough. I get the
picture.

Definition
= to understand
what is being
illustrated or
explained

see eye to Mike and his father Definition

eye
dont see eye to
eye on the issue of
= to agree on sth;
abortion.
to have the same
views on sth
call it a
day

Its already 6 pm.

Lets call it a day.

Definition
= expression said
near the end of a

day which means

Thats enough for
today. Lets end and
go home.
twist sbs
arm

I really had to twist Definition

my sisters arm to
get her to pick me
= to make a great
up from the airport.
effort to convince
sb to do sth for you

bring sth
to light

The report brought

some previously
unknown facts to
light about the
causes of cancer.

Definition

be in the
dark /
keep sb in
the dark

Most of the
employees were
kept in the dark
about the merger
until the last
minute.

Definition

go up in
smoke

After breaking his

Definition
leg, Darryls dream
to play professional
= to be wasted; to
hockey went up in
become impossible;

= to make
something
previously unknown
become known

= to be uninformed;
to not be told know
whats happening

go
downhill

smoke.

when the chances

of sth happening
burn away

After his wife

divorced him,
Victors life really
went downhill.

Definition
= decline; become
worse

at your
fingertips

With the World

Definition
Wide Web, people
have a vast amount
= directly
of information at
accessible
their fingertips.

poke fun
at

The kids poked fun Definition

at George because
he was wearing his
= to make fun of sb
t-shirt backwards.

Easier
said than
done.

A: You should get a Definition

girlfriend whos
beautiful AND kind.
= expression that
B: Easier said than
means that sth is
done.
much easier to SAY
than actually
accomplish.

the
bottom

A: Doctor, whats
the bottom line?

Definition

line

B: If you dont quit

smoking, youll die
within a year.

= the final result

call the
shots

The boss told Janet Definition

to call the shots
while he was away.
= to make the
decisions

know/lear
n sth by
heart

Hank knows every Definition

Elvis song by heart.

get a
move on

If we dont get a
Definition
move on, well miss
the bus.
= to start moving;
to start going

miss the
point

You missed the

point. The book
was about the
problems of
capitalism, not how
to make money.

= to memorize sth

Definition
= to fail to grasp
the most important
part of sth

hold/stand Although their

Definition
your
enemy
ground
outnumbered them,
= to stay in your
the soldiers stood
position without

their ground.

running away.

be childs
play

The tennis match

Definition
was childs play for
Ben.
= a piece of cake;
something so easy
a child could do it

be only a
matter of
time

The scientist said

Definition
its only a matter of
time before a big
= used to say that
earthquake hits
sth will inevitably
California.
happen (sooner or
later)

push your A: Dad, can I have

luck
another ice cream
cone?
B: Dont push your
luck, kid.
raise (a
few)
eyebrows

Francines short
skirt raised a few
eyebrows.

Definition
= to expect
continued good
fortune
Definition
= to make people
slightly shocked or
surprised

a matter
The best restaurant Definition
of opinion in Europe is, of

course, a matter of
opinion.
= sth that is
subjective
be that as A: Tyler is such a
it may
selfish guy.

Definition

B: Be that as it
= expression that
may, hes your
means even
brother. You have to though that is true
love him.
/ even so, ..
if/when
push
comes to
shove

If push comes to
shove, Ill be here
to support you.

Definition

against
your
better
judgement

Against his better

judgement, Jim let
his friend drive
home drunk.

Definition

= if/when the
situation becomes
difficult/intense

= sth you did even

though, at that
time, you thought it
was wrong thing to
do

add insult To add insult to

Definition
to injury
injury, Gregs wife
left him for his best
= to make an
friend.

insulting situation
even worse
the last
straw

When the boss told Definition

me to come in to
work on Saturday,
= the final thing
that was the last
that causes sth to
straw.
collapse or sb to
lose their
temper/get angry

be up in
the air

Jims vacation plans Definition

were still up in the
air.
= for sth to be
undecided;
undetermined