TEST
IDIOMS
1. IDIOMS WITH “IN”
Fill in the missing words in the sentences below. Choose from the following:
in a rut |
in season |
in the nick of |
01. I can’t think why they ever got married. They have absolutely
nothing ___.
02. The inexperienced teacher tried ___ to control the unruly class. In the end she had to
call for the headmaster.
03. “Two tins of baked beans, please.” “I’m afraid we haven’t got any ___ at the
moment. But we should getting some more on Thursday.”
04. Last year was the third year ___ that they had come top of the football league.
05. The staff took it ___ to make afternoon coffee.
06. No one’s been told what’s going to happen at the conference yet. We’re all being
kept ___ for some reason.
07. We got to the station ___. A second later and we’d have missed our connection.
08. It must be difficult being famous. Just imagine being ___ all the time; never being
able to go out without being recognised.
09. This is Mrs Brightwell. She’s ___ marketing.
10. Although I’ve been trying hard to pay back my bank loan, I’m still ___. In fact,
I’ve got to go and see my bank manager about it tomorrow.
11. Strawberries cost a lot at the moment because they’re not ___.
12. Thank you for attending the interview, Mr Blake. You’ll be hearing from us ___ –
probably at the end of next week.
13. Although I like teaching, I sometimes feel that I’m ___. I seem to be doing the same
thing all the time – the job is no longer challenging enough.
14. Are you sure your piano’s ___? It sounds terrible to me.
15. My Frank is tall, dark, handsome, has a marvellous job and is incredibly rich. ___
he’s the perfect husband!
16. Hands up all those ___ capital punishment. Thank you. Now hands up all those against.
17. It costs $300 if you pay by credit card or $250 if you pay ___.
18. The law may be unpopular now, but I’m sure people will soon see how good it is for
the country and themselves ___.
19. It’s no use talking to Jane. She never listens. It’s a case of ___.
20. His idea sounded wonderful ___, but they never seemed to work out in practice.
2. IDIOMS WITH “ON”
Fill in the missing words in the sentences below. Choose from the following:
on account of |
on principle |
on the contrary |
on the run |
01. When I was growing up in Wales, a girl was considered to be ___ if
she wasn’t married by the time she was twenty-five.
02. “The drinks are ___!” said the smiling landlord to his customers on Christmas
morning.
03. My mother, being an ardent socialist, disagrees with everything the Conservative Party
does ___.
04. We mustn’t be late tomorrow, so I expect you all to be here at 9 o’clock ___ .
05. The football match had to be postponed ___ the bad weather.
06. James and I hadn’t really planned to get married; we just did it ___ one day.
07. “How much do teachers earn in your country?” “It varies, but ___ about Ј1,000 a
month.”
08. Sales have really fallen off this year. If this goes on much longer, the company will
soon be ___ .
09. His work is quite good ___ , but there are still one or two things I’m not really
happy with.
10. Arnold has been learning Russian ___ for three years.
11. Selling computers is very competitive. You really have to be ___ to keep your job.
12. You’ll be ___ if the boss ever finds out that you forgot to deliver those parcels on
time last week.
13. She didn’t know whether to take the job or not. On the one hand the salary was much
better, but ___ it meant a lot more travelling every day.
14. I hate travelling by boat. As soon as I get ___ I start to feel seasick.
15. After ten days of being ___ he finally gave himself up to the police.
16. One of the disadvantages of being a doctor is that you are frequently ___ at weekends.
17. The students were all ___ as they awaited the results of the examination.
18. It isn’t true that I hate pop music; ___ I like it very much.
19. It’s ___ that the Foreign Secretary will be forced to resign because of that
business in the East.
20. It was no accident! You did it ___!
3. IDIOMS WITH “AT”
Fill in the missing words in the sentences below. Choose from the following:
at loose ends |
at death’s door |
at one’s wits’ end*at randomat short noticeat sixes and sevensat the crack of dawn at will |
(* change possessive pronouns as appropriate)
01. We must ___ catch the 7. 30 train. Otherwise we won’t get to the meeting in time.
02. It is difficult to know who’s ___ in the matter. Perhaps we’re all to blame.
03. It’s late. I think you’d better go to bed now, darling. Remember, you’ve got to
get up___ tomorrow.
04. Since it’s his first offence he’ll probably get off with a warning – ___ a small
fine.
05. If you’re ___ this weekend, Joan, why not come over for a meal? It’ll give us a
chance to catch up on some gossip.
06. I may be getting on a bit, but I’m certainly not ___ yet! I hope to live for at
least another ten to fifteen years!
07. When her daughter didn’t come home on the last bus with the other girls, Mrs Jenkins
was ___, terrified that something dreadful had happened to her.
08. Like you, I’m ___ to explain the sudden fall in share prices. I’ve absolutely no
idea what can have caused it.
09. When Richard Burton saw Elizabeth Taylor it was a classic case of love ___.
10. Traffic was ___ this morning because of an accident on the A21.
11. I’m afraid everything’s ___ this week. Both the secretaries are ill and no one
knows where anything is.
12. The hotel wasn’t that modern, but ___ it was cheap and reasonably clean.
13. I’ve got room in the car for three – four people ___.
14. Mrs Smith’s daughter is terrible, isn’t she? Out about town ___ and never a kind
word to anyone.
15. You should be able to sell your stereo equipment for $300 – ___ $350.
16. If you don’t get out ___ then I shall have you thrown out.
17. Pamela and David are always ___. I really can’t imagine why they got married in the
first place. They are absolutely nothing in common.
18. A chameleon is a remarkable creature – it is able to change the colour of its skin
___.
19. You can’t expect me to work overtime ___ such ___! I need to be told at least two
days in advance.
20. I was in a hurry for my train, so I chose a book ___.
Compiled by Elena Kisunko, Moscow, School No. 651
to be continued
KEYS:
1.
01. (nothing) in common (They do not share e.g. hobbies, interests,
taste in music etc.)
02. in vain (Without success)
03. in stock (Available for sale)
04. in succession (Three consecutive years without a break e.g. 1988, 1989, 1990)
05. in turns (They shared the coffee making equally, each person doing it on a particular
day)
06. in the dark ( We are not being told; it is being kept secret)
07. in the nick of time (At the last possible moment)
08. in the limelight (The focus of attention)
09. in charge of (Responsible for)
10. in the red (I still owe the bank money)
11. in season (The time when plants and fruit are normally ripe)
12. in due course (At some future date)
13. in a rut (In a job or way of life which is boring and which has no prospects of
change)
14. in tune (Sounds at the correct pitch; sounding well together)
15. in short (Briefly; in a few words)
16. in favour of (Who support capital punishment)
17. in cash (Ready money as opposed to a cheque or a credit card)
18. in the long run (In the end; over a long period of time)
19. in one ear and out the other (She never listens to anything you say to her)
20. in theory (The opposite of “in practice”; an idea which seems fine on paper may
not necessary work out in practice)
2.
01. on the shelf (Unmarried, and with no prospects of getting married)
02. on the house (Free)
03. on principle (As a matter of principle because of her fixed beliefs in socialism)
04. on the dot (At 9 o’clock exactly)
05. on account of (Because of; due to)
06. on the spur of the moment (Without planning beforehand; impulsively)
07. on average (He earns about $ 2000 a month)
08. on the rocks (The company will soon be bankrupt)
09. on the whole (Overall, generally)
10. on and off (Irregularly; from time to time)
11. on your toes (Alert; ready to act)
12. on the carpet (Told off; reprimanded by one‘s boss)
13. on the other hand (“On the one hand ___ on the other”. Used to emphasise the
contrast between two opposite statements)
14. on board (As soon as I step onto the boat)
15. on the run (Fleeing from the police)
16. on call (Available for duty)
17. on tenterhooks (Very nervous; be in a state of a nervous suspense)
18. on the contrary (Used to contradict what has been said. The truth is the opposite of
what he said)
19. on the cards (Possible; likely)
20. on purpose (You did it deliberately)
3.
01. at all costs (Without fail)
02. at fault (It is difficult to know who is to blame)
03. at the crack of dawn (Very early)
04. at most (The worst or most severe punishment will be a small fine)
05. at loose ends (If you have nothing to do this weekend)
06. at death’s door (Seriously ill; about to die)
07. at wits’ end (She was in such a state of anxiety that she didn’t know what to do)
08. at a loss (Unable to explain the sudden fall in share prices)
09. at fist sight (It was love from the first moment they saw each other)
10. at a standstill (The traffic was not moving)
11. at sixes and sevens (Everything is very confused and muddled)
12. at least (If nothing else)
13. at a pinch (Four if necessary, but with some difficulty)
14. at all hours (She is out all the time)
15. at best ($350 would be the best price the person could get)
16. at once (Immediately)
17. at loggerheads (They are always quarrelling)
18. at will (It can change the colour of its skin whenever it wants to)
19. at (such) short notice (With such little advance warning)
20. at random (Without choosing carefully or deliberately)