Idioms about Parts of the Head

Изучающие иностранный язык прекрасно знают о необходимости заучивания новых слов не изолированно, а в сочетании с другими словами. Заучивание отдельно взятого слова, и особенно многозначного слова, не обеспечивает правильного употребления этого слова в речи.

Говоря на родном языке, мы активно пользуемся характерными для нашего языка выражениями и речевыми оборотами, т. е. наша речь идиоматична, и настоящее владение иностранным языком подразумевает овладение речевыми оборотами и выражениями, фразеологическими единицами и идиомами, которые характерны для данного иностранного языка.

Фразеология является одним из важнейших источников обогащения языка. Английская фразеология очень богата и разнообразна. И в то же время английская фразеология представляет большую трудность для изучающих язык.

Следующие упражнения помогут запомнить идиомы и их значения, научат правильному употреблению их в речи.

1. Match the following English idioms (1, 2, 3…) to their definitions (a, b, c…).

1. to have a good ear for music (the pronunciation of foreign languages)

2. to open somebody’s eyes (to)

3. to lose face

4. to have something on the brain

5. to make someone’s hair stand on end

6. to keep one’s head

7. to pay through the nose

8. to have lost one’s tongue

9. to have a sweet tooth

10. to be a pain in the neck

a. to enjoy eating sweet things

b. to be able to discriminate sounds and tones accurately

c. to be thinking about something or someone all the time

d. to greatly frighten someone

e. to remain calm, not panic

f. to pay more money for something than it is worth

g. to be too shy to speak

h. to let someone realize some surprising, unexpected facts which reveal the truth about something

i. to be an irritating, tiresome person

j. to be humiliated, to lose one’s good reputation or the respect of others

2. How many idioms have you learned? There is a wrong word in each of the following sentences. Find this word, cross it out and write the right word.

1. to lose head

2. to make someone’s brain stand on end

3. to have a good tongue for music (the pronunciation of foreign languages)

4. to pay through the ear

5. to have lost one’s tooth

6. to have a sweet nose

7. to open somebody’s face (to)

8. to keep one’s hair

9. to be a pain in the eyes

10. to have something on the neck

3. The following sentences all contain an idiom. Choose one of the idioms below to complete each sentence.

1. Mary _______________ for the pronunciation of foreign languages and she speaks French, English, and Italian very well.

2. She ______________ and nobody in the class likes her.

3. She ______________, she can eat a dozen cakes at a time.

4. She needs a ride home but she cannot ask anyone because she _______________.

5. Whatever happens he always _______________.

6. If you do not stop being rude with your colleagues, you will ______________.

7. His words __________ Alice’s __________ the fact that he was only interested in her inheritance.

8. Some of the more thrilling scenes _______________.

9. I _________ the song which I heard on the radio in the morning ____________ all day.

10. When we moved into a new house we realized that we ______________ for it.

a. keeps his head

b. had paid through the nose

c. has a good ear for

d. has lost her tongue

e. is a pain in the neck

f. has a sweet tooth

g. opened…eyes to

h. have got…on the brain

i. lose face

j. made our hair stand on end

Answers:

1. 1. b; 2. h; 3. j; 4. c; 5. d; 6. e; 7. f; 8. g; 9. a; 10. i

2. 1. head/face; 2. brain/hair; 3. tongue/ear; 4. ear/nose; 5. tooth/tongue; 6. nose/tooth; 7. face/eyes; 8. hair/head; 9. eyes/neck; 10. neck/brain

3. 1. c; 2. e; 3. f; 4. d; 5. a; 6. i; 7. g; 8. j; 9. h; 10. b