Level: Upper Intermediate

Brief description:

This material is designed to raise students’ awareness of the meaning and form of common English collocations and idioms. The expressions featured in this unit are suitable for advanced language learners who want to make their oral skills more interesting and varied through the use of collocations and idioms.

Look at the pictures below (Please magnify your screen to see the pictures clearer). Match them to the right expression and then to their meaning. 

Glossary:

• Glance (noun): a quick or casual look (Liếc nhanh, lướt nhìn)

• Chance (noun): a favorable opportunity (Cơ hội)

• Level (noun): one of many horizontal flat surfaces or space (Tầng (lầu))

• To undertake (verb): to do something you have decided on (Thực hiện)

• To undermine (verb): to weaken or make something weaker (Làm suy yếu)

• Undertaking (noun): an activity or task to do (Hoạt động, nhiệm vụ)

• Corner (noun): the point where lines or edges meet (Góc)

• Split (adj): divided (Bị phân chia, phân cách)

• To make up (verb): to replace something that has been lost, to compensate for something (Bù đắp, đền bù)

ANSWERS:

1. Split level = describing a house or room that has part of the ground floor at a different level from another part.

2. Missing you = having a feeling for someone who is not around or absent.

3. Lucky break = a chance that brings you success.

4. Backward glance = to look back at someone or something.

5. Three degrees below zero = a temperature reading that means freezing or very cold.

6. Neon lights = bright, colorful lighting usually seen in public places.

7. Life after forty = an expression about life becoming more meaningful after one turns forty years old.

8. Just around the corner = about to happen.

9. Making up for lost time = to spend a lot of time doing something you were not able to do before.

10. I understand you undertake to undermine my undertaking = to help someone finish a task.

 This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).