Fingers Vocabulary Clinic

DR FINGERS’ VOCABULARY CLINIC: USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

Here are some more useful expressions for you to learn. Learning lots of expressions will improve your level of English, and help you with exams such as First Certif icate, Advanced and Prof iciency, which test your knowledge of these things. The images will help you associate the expression with its meaning. Look at the def initions, then try the exercise. (Answers on page 44.)

Not to be on the agenda

To understand what someone is trying to say, even though they are saying it indirectly.

Have an ace up your sleeve

To have an advantage that other people don’t know about.

Catch somebody in the act

To discover someone doing something bad.

Get your act together

To organise your activities so you do things in an effective way.

Be out of action

Not to be working.

Add insult to injury

To make a bad situation even worse for someone by doing another bad thing.

Be after somebody’s blood

To want to catch someone in order to hurt them or punish them.

Be up against it

To be in a very difficult situation.

Exercise

Complete each sentence with the correct expression. You may have to change some of the forms, or par ts of the words. Remember, af ter a preposition, the verb is in the gerund (verb,-ing).

1. I’m sorr y but you can’t pr int from here because the computer is ________ again.

2. We’ve got three weeks to repay the money or else they’ll take the house away from us. We’re really __________.

3. Simon was transferring company money into his own personal bank account when Gordon walked in and _____ (him) ___________.

4. First of all she arrived late to the cinema, then, just to __________, she complained about the choice of film.

5. I don’t understand it: he lost everything but he’s still smiling. Maybe he’s got _____________.

6. If you don’t want to see him any more, just stop answering his calls.

That way he’ll soon ___________.

7. He testified against them in court, and now they’re ___________.

8. You’ve been sitting around doing nothing for the past 6 months.

You need to _________ and start looking for a job.

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