COCKNEY: This term refers to working-class inhabitants of London, particularly from

East London, and it refers to the slang used by these people too.
ESTATUARY ENGLISH is the name given to the dialect of English widely spoken in
South East England.
GCSE Is a general Certificate of Secondary Education. It is an academic qualification
awarded in a specified subject.
GUY FAWKES DAY is an annual celebration on the evening of 5th November. It
celebrates the downfall of the gunpowder plot of 5th November in 1605.
LANDSLIDE (VICTORY) is when in an election one person or party gets very many
more votes than other parties.
LIMERICK is a five-line poem written with one couplet and one triplet. It has a abba
rhyme pattern with lines 1, 2, 5 containing 3 beats and rhyming and with lines 3,4
containing 2 beats and rhyming. The limerick was invented by soldiers returning from
France to the Irish town of Limerick in the 1700s. The limericks are meant to be funny.
They contain some puns and figurative devices. The last line of a good limerick
contains the PUNCH LINE or heart of the joke.
NATIONAL TRUST is a conservation organization in England, Wales and Northern
Ireland. The Trust does not operate in Scotland, where there is an independent National
Trust for Scotland.
NHS (NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE) The National Health Service (NHS) is the
name commonly used to refer to the three publicly funded healthcare systems in Great
Britain, collectively or individually.
PLAID CYMRU It is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an
independent Welsh state within the European Union.
PROXY VOTE is the action to delegate another member of a voting body of that
members power to vote in his absence.
RECEIVED PRONUNCIATION: It is an English language form which has been long
perceived as uniquely prestigious among British accents. Sometimes its called Queens
English or BBC English. RP is not a dialect, is an accent.
STIFF UPPER LIP When someone gets upset, his lips usually tremble. Keeping a stiff
upper lip is supposed to hide your emotions. This expression dates back to the 1800s,
but is still used today.
TERRACED HOUSE is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Europe
in the late 17th century. Originally was associated with the working class.
GAPPED SENTENCES

1. Task
2. Break
3. Summit
4. Drained
5. Pool
6. Do
7. Enlisted
8. Fell
9. Stuck
10. Abandoned
11. Raised
12. Preserve
13. Vacant
14. Wipe
15. Mass
16. Access
17. Steps
18. Aid

19. Pick
20. Steady
21. Deal
22. Brand
23. Gear
24. Ruined
25. Lights
26. Danger
27. Put
28. Due
29. Nasty
30. Raise
31. Rich
32. Stings
33. Grew
34. Stop
35. Finger
36. Spread

Expression with come

1. Our neighbours wife died last year and he still cannot come to terms with her death.
2. The new law comes down heavily on those driving with no proper tax and insurance.
3. My cousin comes out something strange expressions. Goodness knows where she
hears them.
4. Although hes an entertaining speaker, it takes him ages to come to the point.
5. After deliberating for several hours, we finally came up with a possible solution to the
problem.
6. Soon after their arrival at the holiday resort they all come down with gastric flue.
7. When he came round after the operation, he had absolutely no idea where he was.
8. Im afraid the government has come in for a lot of criticism over its policy on health.
9. My grandmother doesnt want to move in with my parents, but shell come round to
it.

Expressions with time

1. We were afraid we might miss our flight, but we got to the airport with only seconds to
spare. (Just in the nick of time. )
2. Im afraid I cant talk to you at the moment. Im in a bit of a hurry. ( Im in a bit pressed
for time.)
3. Hes fairly rude and aggressive in favorable circumstances (At the best of times), but
now that hes under so much stress, hes quite unbearable.
4. This is a very inconvenient moment (Now is not a fine time) to decide that you dont
want to get married your husband-to be is waiting in the church.
5. The plane was not due to leave for another six hours, so she decided to pass the
time(kill time ) by wandering around all the duty-free shops.
6. I often get work late because the trains never seem to arrive punctually. (on time.)
7. I doubt very much whether the cheque really is in the post; I should think theyre just
trying to delay things. (buy time.)
8. Your office wont be ready until next week, so could you use Room 1 as a temporary
measure? (for the time being?)
9. I really dont know whats the matter with him Ive told him repeatedly (time and
time again) not to leave his car unlocked.
10. They dont know if the treatment will cure her we will only know that in the future.
(Time will tell.)

Book expressions
1. If the police catch you driving without a license and with no insurance, they will punish
you severely. (throw me the book.)
2. I think you ought to behave in the same way as her (do it by the book) and let a lawyer
deal with the problem.
3. He decided that it was time to change (over a new leaf) and that in future he would
try and be much kinder and more sympathetic to people less fortunate than himself.
4. I think the fact that she hasnt had good grace to apologize is very indicative of her
character. (To speak volumes about someone.)

Mrs Lawson is very pleased with me (Mrs Lawson is in my good books) at the moment
because I helped her clear the garden.
5. Our accountant is a little slow, but he is absolutely reliable and follows all the correct
procedures in everything. (Takes a leaf out of my books.)

Expressions with do
1. Im fed up with being responsible for all the hard work (doing the donkey work)in the
barracks.
2. The caf was in a mess. We had to redecorate it.(Do it up)
3. Running smooth operation is not difficult. Its second nature to me now. (I do it with
my eyes closed)
4. I think too much army-type discipline is counter-productive. (do more harm than
good)
5. Could you help me? (do me a favour)
6. Some people say that military service is very good (do a lot of harm) for character
building.
7. He spent several years (do time) in prison for being a conscientious objector.
8. Youll gain no benefit (do wonders for) from a life of hardship.

Expressions with run

1.
2.
3.
4.

Run a business manage a company

Run out ofhave no more left
Run short ofhave an insufficient supply of
Run for it flee from

Expressions with look

1.
2.
3.
4.

Look on the bright sidebe cheerful/ optimistic

Look down your nose feel superior to
Look like drowned ratbe completely soaked
Look a gift horse in the mouth be ungrateful for what you are given

Expressions with catch

1. Catch somebody red-handed apprehend somebody in the act of doing something
2. Catch someones eye attract someones attention

Vocabulary
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

A musty smell
Weary logic to me
Invariably perverse with
Unattractive-looking
Certainly not sordid
Cockroach-infested kitchen

Collocations
1.
2.
3.
4.

Bitterly hurt
Perfectly simple
Fully mistaken
Deeply cold

7. Obsessed travelers
8. The arid place

5.
6.
7.
8.

Highly generous
Seriously wounded
Most conscious
Greatly qualified

Expressions with light and dark

1. Gail is a bit of a dark horse. She never talks about her family, and no one knows much
about her past.
2. The police appealed to the public for witnesses, and as a result a number of interesting
new pieces of information have come to light.
3. He is always immensely sympathetic to others, but he always lights at the end of the
tunnel his own troubles.
4. She was absolutely exhausted; when she finally got to bed, she goes out like a light.
5. No one had considered offering mail order before, so setting it up was a bit of making
light of it.
6. He never communicates with his parents. He even keeps them in dark about his own
wedding until afterwards.
7. After months of unemployment, the actor had been offered a small part in a tv film,
and felt he could at last see a leap in the dark.
8. Despite everyones warnings, I trusted them completely, and it was only when they
failed to pay me that I began to saw the light.
9. My sister would never be happy in the country. She loves the bright lights and all her
friends are in London, too.

Animal expressions
1. After forgetting his wifes birthday, Gerald was in the dog-house for weeks.
2. Our last holiday was great. We had a whale of a time.
3. Betty could tell they were only crocodile tears, because a few minutes later he was
laughing.
4. They were very poor but Sarahs small salary was enough to keep wolf from the door.
5. Im so nervous before I give an important speech, that I often get a frog in my throat.
6. I quite enjoy walking the hills, but rock-climbing is a whole different kettle of fish.
7. Phil tried hard to promote his plan, but he was flogging a dead horse.
8. Even after the repairs, the train continued to move at a snails pace.

Vocabulary
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Childlike fascination
Crafty move
Struck me as quite witty
Gained a reputation for being extremely determined
He was charming.

Expressions connected with reading and speaking

1. My interview with the policeman took longer than I had though because he wanted to
copy down my statement word for word. (repeated exactly as in the original)

2. My answer, in a word, is no. (briefly)

3. Im extremely angry with you and Im not going to mince words. ( speak freely or
directly)
4. Reading between lines, I sensed that she was trying to tell me that she was having
problems at home. (understand what is implied but not necessarily said).
5. He read the speech again and again until he was absolutely sure that he was word
perfect. (to know the lines of a speech by heart).
6. When she was told she had won the prize she was lost for words. (not know what to
say)
7. I dont think we need to put Informal on the invitations. Most people will take it as
read. (regard something as being known).

More vocabulary
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Implausiblenot credible
Incoherentcannot be understood
Ungratefulnot appreciative
Disagreeablenot pleasant
Illogicalnot logical
Non-violentpeaceful
Irreverentshowing no respect
Misrepresentednot correctly reported
Relentlessnever stopping
Immortalnever dying

Vocabulary
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Financially destitute
To the observant eye
In times of austerity
At his bequest
Something more lucrative
Eventually deposed
Excellent performance captivated the audience
Exaggerated reports
In a state of complete dilapidation
As a compensation prize

Expressions with gold and silver

1. The chief executive was asked to leave the company before the end of his contract and
was given a golden handshake to ease his departure. (gratificacin por fin de servicio)
2. The golden age of the railways was in the mid-twentieth century (poca dorada)
3. I know its awful for you now, but wait and see: every cloud has a silver lining. (no hay
mal que por bien no venga).
4. Ever since the episode with the postman, the dogs been as good as gold.(buenisimo)
5. And when you get to this point, the golden rule is to add the beaten egg very slowly
otherwise it will go lumpy.

6. Shes always had everything provided for her in life by her rich family. She was born
with a silver spoon in her mouth.(nacer en cuna de oro)
7. Jeans really got a heart of gold. Ever since my accident shes been round everyday to
see if she can help.
8. It was a great party. We danced all evening. They played one golden oldie after
another. (Viejo exito)
9. Dont be taken in by his sales patter, hes silver tongue and will have you singing away
your salary in no time.

Expression with fall

1. My parents are worried about my sister: she seems to have fallen in with a bad crowd.
( juntarse con, aceptar)
2. It was after Jake changed jobs and worked even longer hours every day that their
marriage fell apart. ( deshacerse, fracasar)
3. The children played in the park all morning, got home exhausted and felt on the
sandwiches as if they hadnt been fed for days. (caer sobre)
4. It states very clearly in the small print that if you fall behind with the payments the
house might be repossessed. (rezagarse)
5. You should always pursue your ideas, but if they dont work have something to fall
back on. (echar mano de)
6. The sales team worked very hard, but their results still fall short of the target.
(carecer)
7. Its great. After all this time planning and preparing, everythings finally fallen into
place. (encajar)
8. Ive been such a fool, kim sighed. I really fall for his hard-luck story, and now Ive lost
100. (enamorarse, quedarse prendado de)
9. The directors were close to signing the deal when the scandal broke and it all fall
through.(fracasar, quedar en nada)
10. Most of the livestock on the farms in this area have fallen victim to the outbreak of a
dangerous disease. (ser victima de)

Expressions connected with trade and money

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Tradermerchant
Something in great demand but short supplyrare commodities
Places where shares are bought and sold the stock market
Those prepared to take a high risk with investment Speculators
Those dealing in shares Stock-jobbers
Astute buying and selling judicious
Those unable to honour their debts defaulters
Extreme povertypenury
Buyerpurchaser
Seller vender

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

One tulip bulb spread

Stock markets go for leaving
Panic dabble through the stock market
The price fluctuate
The company makes with organizations abroad
Occasionally trade
Profits were crash
Financially ruin when her business collapsed

Expressions with pick

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Rick was picked out (elegir)

Stop picking on me (meterse con)
I soon picked up the language (aprender)
Can you pick up the flowers (reecoger)
I think I must have picked up a bug (coger algo)
Gails sister sits and picks at her food. (picotear, juguetear)
They more to pick and choose from (ser exigente)
Small children like to pick a fight with each other (buscar pelea)
They picked their way carefully (andarse con cuidado)
So Ill just have to pick up the pieces and make the best of a bad job. (recoger los
pedazos)

1. Learning how to drive a car properly is not something you can pick up overnight.
(aprender)
2. That boys such a bully. Always pick out anyone smaller than himself.(elegir)
3. After the floods wrecked their home they just had to pick up the pieces and start their
lives all over again. (recoger los restos, pedazos)
4. Im working late tonight, so can you pick up the car from the garage? (recoger)
5. They pick their way through the snow and ice and managed to reach the village by
nightfall. (andarse con cuidado)
6. Even when he was at school, the heavyweight champion was always trying to pick a
fight with other boys. (buscar pelea)
7. Stop picking at your vegetables. (picotear, juguetear)
8. Kelly was pick and chose as being one of the most promising newcomers on the stage
for years. (ser exigente)