illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories 2 » Lesson 5 - At the office

Word List
  • as of yet
    until this time; so far
    As of yet, she's never had a boyfriend.
    As of yet, he has not been paid by the company.
    The date for the final test has not been announced as of yet.
    A: Are the new computers in?
    B: I'm sorry, sir. They have not arrived as of yet.
  • at one's fingertips
    easily available; at hand
    He has the information at his fingertips.
    I don't have that information at my fingertips right now. Can you wait a minute?
    Keep all of your important papers at your fingertips at all times.
    A: Wow! Your Palm Pilot is really great!
    B: Yeah. It keeps important information right at my fingertips.
  • brand-new
    never used; totally new
    It's my brand new refrigerator!
    Their brand-new car was stolen yesterday.
    I bought a brand-new stereo to go with my television and DVD player.
    A: Your shoes look very clean.
    B: Actually, they're brand-new.
  • cut in
    go in front of someone unfairly; interrupt someone talking
    I hate when people cut in line!
    I hate it when people cut in line at the movies.
    She was telling a joke but her brother cut in and told the rest of it.
    A: That man just cut in front of us!
    B: How rude!
  • dwell on
    worry about or consider for a long time
    I know you got a bad grade, but try not to dwell on it.
    She could not help dwelling on the fact that her mother was sick.
    I know you lost your wallet, but try not to dwell on it.
    A: I can't stop thinking about my old girlfriend.
    B: Don't dwell on her. I'm sure you will find love again.
  • get a hold of
    contact; reach
    Hello. Jimmy? You'll never believe who I got a hold of!
    He couldn't get hold of his friend to tell him the plans were changed.
    Please write down a phone number where we can get a hold of you.
    A: Did you get a hold of Mike?
    B: No. His line was busy.
  • learn (something) by heart
    memorize; study to know without thinking
    He's my favorite! I've learned all his songs by heart!
    She can't read music, so she learns all the songs by heart.
    I had to learn the whole book by heart in elementary school.
    A: How did remember all those math equations?
    B: I learned them by heart.
  • mix up
    confuse
    I often mix up my friends' phone numbers.
    I mixed up your names. Could you say that again?
    The office mixed up the addresses and sent the wrong forms to the two customers.
    A: You are supposed to come tomorrow, not today.
    B: Sorry! I mixed up the dates.
  • take by surprise
    surprise; come without warning
    The phone call took him by surprise.
    His friend's visit took him by surprise.
    When he asked her to marry him, he took her completely by surprise.
    A: I can't believe that your mother joined the army!
    B: Yes. She took us all by surprise.
  • take time off
    miss work for some time with permission
    She took time off to enjoy a vacation in the sun.
    I have to take time off next week to go to the doctor.
    Our company is very strict about taking time off.
    A: Why don't we go to Paris next weekend?
    B: I'm not sure if! can take time off work.
Practice

Choose the best answer.

  1. She has not come home ________ I don't know where she is.
    • a. as of yet
    • b. brand-new
    • c. at her fingertips
  2. He bought a ________ television because the screen on his old one was too small.
    • a. at his fingertips
    • b. as of yet
    • c. brand-new
  3. People often ________ the words "their," "there," and "they're" when writing.
    • a take time off
    • b. mix up
    • c. dwell on
  4. I couldn't ________ anyone at the main office. No one would answer the phone.
    • a take by surprise
    • b. learn by heart
    • c. get a hold of
  5. The boys tried to ________ line for the roller coaster.
    • a. mix up
    • b. cut in
    • c. dwell on
  6. I admire actors because of all the lines they have to ________!
    • a. learn by heart
    • b. take time off
    • c. mix up
  7. She was ________ by all of the people who came to her birthday party.
    • a. got hold of
    • b. taken by surprise
    • c. cut in
  8. His filing system is excellent. All of the important information he needs is ________.
    • a. brand-new
    • b. at his fingertips
    • c. as of yet
  9. Some husbands ________ from work after their wives have a baby.
    • a. take time off
    • b. mix up
    • c. learn by heart
  10. It does not do any good to ________ your mistakes. Forget them and go on.
    • a. dwell on
    • b. take by surprise
    • c. get hold of
Answer Key
Choose the best answer.
  1. a
  2. c
  3. b
  4. c
  5. b
  6. a
  7. b
  8. b
  9. a
  10. a
Answer Key
Dialog

Fill in the blanks.

  • get a hold of
  • mixed up
  • at my fingertips
  • take time off
  • learn by heart
  • as of yet

At the office:

Tom: Carol, has Bob come in to work yet?

Carol: Not . Would you like me to call him?

Tom: Yes, please. Do you know his phone number?

Carol: Yes, I keep all of the sales representatives' contact numbers here on my desk.
There are just too many to !

Tom: See if he is at home. I think we the vacation schedule. Both Bob and Sam asked to the same week. Sam was given the vacation, but Bob wasn't. But I don't know if Bob was told the right information.

Carol: I'll call him as soon as I get a chance.

Tom: Thanks, Carol. Let me know if you him.

Read the following story

My boyfriend took time off from work one Friday to move to a new apartment. It was a lot of hard work. When I got home later that evening, I was exhausted. I wanted to give my boyfriend a call and cancel our plans for the next day.

My boyfriend also got a brand-new phone number for his new apartment, but as of yet I had not learned it by heart. I usually keep all the phone numbers I need at my fingertips in my day planner. Unfortunately, I had not written his number down. The only way I could think of to get a hold of my boyfriend was to call the operator and ask for Mike William's phone number.

I called the number that the operator gave me, but I was taken by surprise when a woman answered the phone. "Hello," she said.

I asked, "Can I speak to Mike?"

The woman said, "He is taking a shower right now."

I was shocked. At first, I didn't say anything.

"Is there anything that...?" she started to ask, but I cut in.

"Tell him to call his girlfriend when he gets out of the shower." I hung up the phone quickly without waiting for the woman's answer. I was a bit upset. However, I tried not to dwell on the fact that a woman was in my boyfriend's apartment while he was in the shower. I knew Mike made friends with the neighbors when he moved in, so I assumed the woman was his neighbor. She was probably just helping him clean the place up.

An hour passed and Mike had not called me back. I called again, and a man answered the phone. "Hello," he said. The voice was strange.

All of a sudden I realized that it was the wrong number. The operator had mixed up my boyfriend's number with another man named Mike Williams. I said, "You're not Mike!"

The man said, "And you're not my girlfriend. I've been trying to explain that to my wife for over an hour."

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