illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories 2 » Lesson 26 - At the office

Word List
  • drop someone a line
    write a letter to someone
    →
    He decided to drop her a line.
    When you get to Raine, drop me a line.
    She dropped him a line explaining why she hadn't called him.
    A: Drop me a line sometime.
    B: Yes. Let's keep in touch.
  • how come
    why
    →
    How come you don't eat chicken?
    How come this report is late?
    You're not coming to the party? How come?
    A: I heard you weren't coming to the game. How come?
    B: I hurt my knee making toast this morning.
  • in brief
    in short; in summary
    →
    Dogs are happy, loyal, and friendly. In brief, they make great pets.
    In brief, this is the singer's best album.
    In brief, you must find my client not guilty.
    A: What was the result of the meeting?
    B: In brief, we are going to move to Mexico.
  • keep off
    not go on; stay off
    →
    Keep off the glass.
    Please keep off the carpet with your dirty shoes.
    We have to keep off the bench until the paint is dry.
    A: Please tell your kids to keep off the furniture.
    B: I will. Sorry, Mr. President.
  • let go of
    release
    →
    Let go of me!
    He slowly let go of her hand, and she walked away.
    Don't let go of the rope! I'll fall!
    A: Let go of my purse!
    B: Sorry! I thought it was mine.
  • lie down
    lie; recline
    →
    He decided to lie down for a few minutes.
    I am just going to lie down and rest for a few minutes.
    The doctor told him to lie down on the examining table.
    A: Where's Bill?
    B: He's lying down on the couch.
  • on behalf of
    for; in someone's place (instead of)
    →
    On behalf of flies everywhere. I want to thank you!
    She is collecting money on behalf of children in Africa.
    I am calling on behalf of Congressman Jones to ask for your support.
    A: Why are you going to New York?
    B: I'm going there on behalf of the manager. He's too sick to go.
  • owing to
    because of
    →
    Owing to the bad weather, the picnic was cancelled.
    Owing to the rough water today, we can't go sailing.
    He had to go home early owing to a severe headache.
    A: Why aren't you in Atlanta?
    B: My plane can't leave, owing to bad weather.
  • rule out
    decide that something is not possible
    →
    He ruled out cooking spaghetti because he didn't have enough pasta.
    I can rule out that the gift is a stereo because the box is too small.
    She ruled out going to Alaska because she didn't like cold weather.
    A: Who left the door unlocked last night?
    B: Well, we can rule out Mike. He's out of town.
  • yield to
    allow something to happen
    →
    She yielded to his demands for a cookie.
    I yielded to my girlfriend's demands for a ring.
    The president yielded to pressure from the people to cut taxes.
    A: How were the negotiations?
    B: Great! They yielded to our demand for a lower price!
Practice

Choose the best answer.

  1. He asked her ________ she couldn't meet him on Friday.
    • a. in brief
    • b. owing to
    • c. how come
  2. Please ________ when you have time. I'd like to hear from you.
    • a. drop me a line
    • b. keep me off
    • c. let go of me
  3. The conclusion, ________, is that more research needs to be done in this area.
    • a how come
    • b. in brief
    • c. on behalf of
  4. He is filling out the form ________ his sister because she can't read English very well.
    • a. owing to
    • b. how come
    • c. on behalf of
  5. I think I should ________. I feel a little dizzy.
    • a. lie down
    • b. keep off
    • c. yield to
  6. My father ________ my mother's request for a new car.
    • a. let go of
    • b. yielded to
    • c. dropped a line
  7. Once you ________ her friend as a suspect, the only remaining suspect is her brother!
    • a. yield to
    • b. drop a line
    • c. rule out
  8. The traffic is heavy at this time ________ the baseball game that just finished.
    • a. on behalf of
    • b. in brief
    • c. owing to
  9. My dog was chewing my shoe and would not ________.
    • a. rule it out
    • b. let go of it
    • c. lie down
  10. You can look around the house, but ________ the stairs because they are being repaired.
    • a. keep off
    • b. lie down
    • c. rule out
Answer Key
Choose the best answer.
  1. c
  2. a
  3. b
  4. c
  5. a
  6. b
  7. c
  8. c
  9. b
  10. a
Answer Key
Dialog

Fill in the blanks.

  • drop her a line
  • on behalf of
  • how come
  • owing to
  • let go of
  • rule it out

At the office:

Tina: Alice's desk is empty?

Laura: Didn't you hear? They Alice a week ago. Of course they made some excuse like, "The company had to cut expenses." But everyone knows they really fired her her recent pregnancy.

Tina: What! They can't do that!

Laura: Everyone thinks things like that don't happen anymore, but I wouldn't in this case. She told them she was pregnant on Monday, and on Friday they fired her.

Tina: I won't stand for this. I'm going to and see if I can help.

Laura: What can you do?

Tina: At least I can put her in touch with a friend of mine who is a lawyer. Then the lawyer can talk to the company Alice and try to get her job back.

Read the following story

One day when I was out working in my yard, a dog came up to me. I ruled out the idea that it was a wild dog because it looked well fed and was wearing a collar. The dog sat by my door and watched me. I ignored the dog and finished my work. Then, when I went into the house, the dog wanted to follow me inside! I finally yielded to him and let him in the door.

The dog walked slowly around my living room looking around. It was a very good dog. I didn't even have to tell it to keep off the furniture. Finally the dog went to the corner to lie down. Then it fell asleep.

When the dog woke up, it wanted to go out so I opened the door and it walked away. The next day, the same thing happened. Over the next week, the dog kept coming back to sleep in the corner of my living room!

Finally, I decided to drop the owner a line. I wrote a note that asked, "How come your dog comes over to my house to sleep every afternoon?" Then I put the note under the dog's collar. I let go of the dog and it walked away as usual.

The next day, the dog returned with another note. This note said, "On behalf of my dog, thanks for letting him sleep there. Owing to the fact that we have six young children, he can't get much rest at our house." In brief, the dog just needed to get away for a little while. Six kids! No wonder the dog was tired!

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