Vocabulary II: Idioms, Phrasal Verbs, Proverbs, Word Formation and More

What to remember

• An idiom is a fixed group of words whose meaning is different from the meaning of the separate words ("break the ice" = start a friendly talk). A phrasal verb is a verb plus a particle ("give up" = stop trying).
• Collocations are words that naturally go together ("make a decision", "heavy rain"). Proverbs are short sayings that give advice.
• Word formation uses prefixes, suffixes, compounding, conversion and blending. Abbreviations and foreign phrases (mostly Latin and French) are used in formal English.

Idioms and phrases

Use an idiom as one unit. Do not change its words.

• A phrase is a group of words without a subject and verb. Types: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, prepositional phrase. An idiomatic phrase adds a special meaning.

Phrasal verbs

A phrasal verb has a verb and an adverb or preposition. The meaning is often not clear from the parts.

• Some are separable ("turn the offer down" or "turn down the offer"); some are inseparable ("look after the child", not "look the child after").
• A pronoun object goes between the verb and the particle in separable phrasal verbs: "turn it down".

Proverbs

Collocations

A collocation is a natural pair or group. Wrong pairs sound odd even if the meaning is clear.

• Other pairs: "deep sleep", "bitter truth", "break a promise", "keep a promise", "tell a lie", "tell the truth", "draw a conclusion", "run a business".

Word formation

• Prefixes with meaning: anti- (against), co- (together), ex- (former), inter- (between), sub- (under), trans- (across), semi- (half), multi- (many), mal- (bad).
• Suffixes by class: noun (-tion, -ness, -ment, -ity, -hood), adjective (-ful, -less, -ous, -able, -ive), verb (-ify, -ise/-ize, -en), adverb (-ly).
• Root words from Latin and Greek: aqua (water), bio (life), geo (earth), graph (write), port (carry), spect (see), tele (far).

Abbreviations

Foreign phrases

Exam traps

• "Cost an arm and a leg" is about price, not injury.
• "Call off" means cancel; "call on" means visit. "Look up to" respects; "look down on" despises.
• "Put up with" means tolerate; "put off" means postpone.
• "i.e." means "that is" (explains); "e.g." means "for example" (gives an instance).
• "Make a mistake", not "do a mistake". "Do homework", not "make homework".
• "Heavy rain", "strong tea", "high wind" are fixed collocations.
• "Per annum" is by the year; "per capita" is by the head.
• A prefix changes meaning; a suffix often changes the word class.

One-liners

• 1. "A blessing in disguise" is a hidden good.
• 2. "Once in a blue moon" means very rarely.
• 3. "Give up" means stop trying.
• 4. "Look after" means take care of.
• 5. "Break the ice" means start a talk among strangers.
• 6. "A stitch in time saves nine" advises early action.
• 7. "Make a decision" is the standard collocation.
• 8. Brunch is a blend of breakfast and lunch.
• 9. "e.g." comes from the Latin "exempli gratia".
• 10. "Bona fide" means genuine.
• 11. "Vice versa" means the other way round.
• 12. UNESCO has its work in education, science and culture.

Practice questions

1. The idiom 'a blessing in disguise' means

   1. a costume party
   2. a hidden enemy
   3. a religious gift
   4. something good that seemed bad at first
   Answer

   D. something good that seemed bad at first

   It describes a good result that came from an unpleasant event.

2. 'A piece of cake' means

   1. a costly thing
   2. a small share
   3. something very easy
   4. a sweet dish
   Answer

   C. something very easy

   The idiom is about ease.

3. 'To spill the beans' means to

   1. reveal a secret
   2. cook in a hurry
   3. make a mess
   4. waste food
   Answer

   A. reveal a secret

   Spilling the beans is telling a secret.

4. 'Once in a blue moon' means

   1. very rarely
   2. every month
   3. at night only
   4. very often
   Answer

   A. very rarely

   A blue moon is rare.

5. 'To burn the midnight oil' means to

   1. waste fuel
   2. light a lamp for a festival
   3. work or study late at night
   4. sleep early
   Answer

   C. work or study late at night

   The idiom refers to working late.

6. 'To cry over spilt milk' means to

   1. waste food
   2. feel sad about what cannot be undone
   3. cry for a child
   4. complain about prices
   Answer

   B. feel sad about what cannot be undone

   It is useless to regret a thing that is past.

7. 'A white elephant' is

   1. a sign of luck always
   2. a very large gift of value
   3. a rare animal
   4. a costly thing that is of no use
   Answer

   D. a costly thing that is of no use

   The upkeep costs more than the benefit.

8. 'At sixes and sevens' means

   1. very early
   2. very rich
   3. in great joy
   4. in a state of confusion
   Answer

   D. in a state of confusion

   The idiom describes disorder.

9. 'To add fuel to the fire' means to

   1. end a quarrel
   2. make a bad situation worse
   3. cook a meal
   4. give warmth to a friend
   Answer

   B. make a bad situation worse

   It increases the trouble.

10. 'To turn a deaf ear' means to

    1. become deaf
    2. hear a sound
    3. refuse to listen
    4. speak softly
    Answer

    C. refuse to listen

    The person ignores what is said.

11. 'To leave no stone unturned' means to

    1. try every possible means
    2. clear a field of stones
    3. give up easily
    4. avoid hard work
    Answer

    A. try every possible means

    It means to make every effort.

12. 'To eat humble pie' means to

    1. eat a poor meal
    2. refuse food
    3. become proud
    4. admit a mistake and apologise
    Answer

    D. admit a mistake and apologise

    It is a humble admission of error.

13. 'To take the bull by the horns' means to

    1. get angry
    2. hurt an animal
    3. face a problem boldly
    4. run away from danger
    Answer

    C. face a problem boldly

    The idiom stands for courage in difficulty.

14. The phrasal verb 'call off' means

    1. telephone
    2. cancel
    3. shout
    4. visit
    Answer

    B. cancel

    The match was called off due to rain.

15. The phrasal verb 'put up with' means

    1. postpone
    2. tolerate
    3. build
    4. offer shelter only
    Answer

    B. tolerate

    Put up with = bear without complaint.

16. The phrasal verb 'look up to' means

    1. respect
    2. search
    3. despise
    4. visit
    Answer

    A. respect

    Look up to = admire.

17. Statements: 1. 'Look after' means to take care of. 2. 'Look into' means to respect. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    'Look into' means to investigate; 'look up to' means to respect.

18. Choose the meaning of 'come across'.

    1. argue
    2. arrive late
    3. cross a road
    4. find by chance
    Answer

    D. find by chance

    I came across an old photo.

19. 'She takes after her mother' means she

    1. follows her mother's order
    2. hates her mother
    3. resembles her mother
    4. looks for her mother
    Answer

    C. resembles her mother

    Take after = look or behave like an older relative.

20. Choose the correct phrasal verb: 'The car ____ on the way, so we were late.'

    1. broke in
    2. broke down
    3. broke out
    4. broke up
    Answer

    B. broke down

    Broke down means stopped working.

21. Choose the correct phrasal verb: 'We ran ____ sugar this morning.'

    1. out of
    2. away
    3. up
    4. off
    Answer

    A. out of

    Run out of = have no more.

22. The proverb 'A stitch in time saves nine' teaches us to

    1. waste no cloth
    2. learn sewing
    3. count numbers
    4. act early to avoid bigger trouble
    Answer

    D. act early to avoid bigger trouble

    A small repair early prevents a bigger one later.

23. The proverb 'A rolling stone gathers no moss' suggests that

    1. moving is always good
    2. moss is a nuisance
    3. a person who keeps changing gains little
    4. stones are costly
    Answer

    C. a person who keeps changing gains little

    Constant change prevents building something lasting.

24. 'All that glitters is not gold' warns that

    1. everything bright is costly
    2. jewels are false
    3. gold is rare
    4. appearances can be deceptive
    Answer

    D. appearances can be deceptive

    Things that look valuable may not be.

25. 'Too many cooks spoil the broth' means

    1. too many people on a job spoil it
    2. cooks are lazy
    3. soup needs salt
    4. only one cook is paid
    Answer

    A. too many people on a job spoil it

    Excess workers cause confusion.

26. 'Prevention is better than cure' means

    1. cure is not possible
    2. avoiding trouble is better than fixing it
    3. medicine is costly
    4. doctors must work more
    Answer

    B. avoiding trouble is better than fixing it

    Taking care in advance saves effort.

27. Choose the correct collocation: 'He ____ a mistake in the exam.'

    1. did
    2. took
    3. made
    4. gave
    Answer

    C. made

    We 'make a mistake'.

28. Choose the correct collocation: 'Please ____ your homework.'

    1. take
    2. do
    3. make
    4. put
    Answer

    B. do

    We 'do homework'.

29. Choose the correct collocation: 'There was ____ rain last night.'

    1. big
    2. thick
    3. heavy
    4. strong
    Answer

    C. heavy

    'Heavy rain' is the fixed collocation.

30. Choose the correct collocation: 'You must ____ attention in class.'

    1. pay
    2. give
    3. make
    4. do
    Answer

    A. pay

    The fixed collocation is 'pay attention'.

31. Choose the correct collocation: 'I ____ a cold last week.'

    1. took
    2. got a catch of
    3. made
    4. caught
    Answer

    D. caught

    'Catch a cold' is standard.

32. In the word 'unhappiness', the prefix and suffix are

    1. un- and -ness
    2. un- and -happy
    3. -ness and un-
    4. happi- and -ness
    Answer

    A. un- and -ness

    The root is 'happy'; un- is the prefix and -ness the suffix.

33. The word 'brunch' is formed by

    1. back formation
    2. compounding
    3. clipping
    4. blending
    Answer

    D. blending

    Brunch = breakfast + lunch.

34. The word 'exam' from 'examination' is an example of

    1. affixation
    2. blending
    3. clipping
    4. conversion
    Answer

    C. clipping

    Part of the word is cut off.

35. Statements: 1. 'Bon voyage' is a French phrase. 2. 'Status quo' means the existing state of affairs. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are correct.

36. The abbreviation 'i.e.' stands for

    1. et cetera
    2. id est (that is)
    3. exempli gratia
    4. nota bene
    Answer

    B. id est (that is)

    i.e. explains; e.g. gives an example.

37. The abbreviation 'e.g.' means

    1. and so on
    2. note well
    3. that is
    4. for example
    Answer

    D. for example

    From the Latin exempli gratia.

38. 'RSVP' on an invitation means

    1. please reply
    2. pay for the seat
    3. reserved seat only
    4. receive soon
    Answer

    A. please reply

    From the French for 'please reply'.

39. 'P.S.' in a letter means

    1. public service
    2. written after the main letter
    3. personal secretary
    4. please send
    Answer

    B. written after the main letter

    Post scriptum = written after.

40. The foreign phrase 'bona fide' means

    1. secret
    2. false
    3. hidden
    4. genuine
    Answer

    D. genuine

    Bona fide = in good faith, real.

41. The Latin phrase 'vice versa' means

    1. the other way round
    2. word for word
    3. in place of
    4. against the law
    Answer

    A. the other way round

    If A affects B, then vice versa.

42. 'Per capita' means

    1. for each day
    2. for each place
    3. for each person
    4. for each year
    Answer

    C. for each person

    'Per capita income' is the income per person.

43. 'En route' means

    1. in a hurry
    2. on the way
    3. in the end
    4. at the front
    Answer

    B. on the way

    The phrase is from French.

44. Statements: 1. 'Give up' means to stop trying. 2. 'Put off' means to postpone. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both meanings are correct.

45. Statements: 1. 'Do a mistake' is the correct collocation. 2. 'Pay attention' is the correct collocation. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    B. 2 only

    The correct form is 'make a mistake'.