Speak English Like an American » Review for Lessons 16-20

Practice The Idioms

Fill in the blank with the appropriate word:

  1. My aunt and uncle are really sitting _____. They made a lot of money in the stock market.
    • a) rich
    • b) poor
    • c) pretty
  2. Lighten _____! You need to stop taking your job so seriously.
    • a) it
    • b) up
    • c) over
  3. After a week, my houseguests really started to get _____ my nerves. They made long-distance phone calls to Singapore, drank all my wine, and slept until noon every day.
    • a) by
    • b) in
    • c) on
  4. Amber likes to stay up past midnight every night. She's what you'd call a _____ owl.
    • a) night
    • b) busy
    • c) day
  5. Mildred thought she'd have trouble remembering to take her pills. But now, after ten months, it's _____ nature.
    • a) first
    • b) second
    • c) third
  6. Susan messed _____ and left the cookies in the oven for 25 minutes too long. They were ruined.
    • a) up
    • b) over
    • c) away
  7. Andrea didn't cheat. She won the election fair and _____.
    • a) easily
    • b) circle
    • c) square
  8. Bob didn't know anything about baking when he and Susan started selling cookies, but he quickly learned the _____.
    • a) chains
    • b) ropes
    • c) strings
  9. Ted and his friends were fooling _____ in the chemistry laboratory when they accidentally started a fire.
    • a) around
    • b) about
    • c) away
  10. Mary's daughter wanted the new Harry Potter book. But by the time they got to the bookstore, it was already sold _____.
    • a) out
    • b) in
    • c) away
Crossword Puzzle

Across

  • 2. Senator Brown's re-election would have been a sure _____ if he hadn't gotten caught stealing candy at Wal-Mart.
  • 3. Chad is sitting _____. He just won the lottery.
  • 6. Nicole had to burn the _____ oil to finish her English paper by the morning.
  • 8. When Ted was caught copying his friend's math homework, his teacher wasn't willing to sweep it under the _____.
  • 10. It takes time to learn the _____ when you start a new job.
  • 11. Once you do it a few times, riding a unicycle is a piece of _____.
  • 12. My friend's dog kept licking my hand. It was getting on my _____.

Down

  • 1. Carly is a real big _____. She runs a large corporation.
  • 4. Some people in restaurants like to _____ and rave when their soup is too cold.
  • 5. I tried to give my friend a _____ this morning, but she wasn't home. I got her answering machine.
  • 7. My _____ goes out to people who live in America, but don't speak any English.
  • 8. Martha Stewart tried to set the _____ straight during her television interview with Barbara Walters.
  • 9. Filling out tax forms is a pain in the _____.
Answer Key
Practice The Idioms
  1. c
  2. b
  3. c
  4. a
  5. b
  6. a
  7. c
  8. b
  9. a
  10. a
Crossword Puzzle

Answer Key
Favorite Books

English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because idioms don't always make sense literally, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare English idioms to the idioms in your own language.

Read more

The purpose of the Illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories series is to introduce English language learners to common idioms through humorous examples and illustrations. The lessons in this book will both entertain and enlighten students while providing exposure to how each idiom can be used in a variety of contexts.

Read more

The purpose of the Illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories series is to introduce English language learners to common idioms through humorous examples and illustrations. The lessons in this book will both entertain and enlighten students while providing exposure to how each idiom can be used in a variety of contexts.

Read more

Do you want your English to sound natural and fluent? Idiomatic expressions are essential to natural sounding English, but they can be challenging to remember, and even harder to use in conversation. This simple and straightforward program can help you master hundreds of useful and common idiomatic expressions. Best of all, you don't need a book, so you can listen anywhere and anytime it's convenient. It's a piece of cake!

Read more

Everyday Conversations is intended for sixth- and seventh-grade students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) or English as a Second Language (ESL). Students can listen to and/or read dialogues in English. Topics of the conversations include introductions and small talk, shopping, asking for directions, hobbies, and giving advice.

Read more

More Speak English Like an American brings you another 300+ idioms and expressions you need to know. Maybe you have already read Speak English Like an American. But this is not a necessary requirement. You can start with this new book, if you like, and work back. This popular ESL book features a new story and new American English idioms and expressions.

Read more