The Text, Idiom Adventure » (1st Edition)

From once in a blue moon to go with the flow, idioms bring English to life. The Idiom Adventure: Fluency in Speaking and Listening, by Dana Watkins, uses the language of authentic advertisements to engage students while helping them master the often confusing task of decoding American idioms.

High-interest thematic units feature authentic newspaper and magazine ads and contain a broad mix of controlled listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities to help increase fluency while providing a glimpse into American culture, humor, and values.

Each unit provides an effective mix of exercises to address varied learning styles:

• Warming Up includes games, problem-solving activities, and questions for pair or group discussion.
• Getting to Know the Idioms includes three interrelated activities emphasizing listening, reading, and definitions.
• Practicing the Idioms provides a variety of listening, reading, and practice exercises to help students begin using idioms appropriately in different contexts.
• Finding the Idioms in Ads presents authentic, often humorous ads.
• Using the Idioms uses games, story-telling, role-playing, and other creative activities to provide opportunities for spoken and written practice.

The book is accompanied by an Audio Program for classroom or individual use. Audioscripts and complete glossaries appear at the back of each book.

1 Career

a breeze / couch potato / count on someone or something / do something for a living / have a green thumb / leave well enough alone / make something from scratch / run-of-the-mill

2 Debate

a piece of cake / kick the habit / lighten up / out of step / see red / to each his own / up in arms / work oneself into a lather

3 Love

come out of one’s shell / go out of one’s way / hang out / knock one’s socks off / not one’s cup of tea / pick up the tab / turn down / what makes someone tick

Review I: Chapters 1-3

4 Resolutions

get the lead out / go with the flow / have time on one’s hands / on a roll / run late / stay on track / take something lightly / up to someone

5 Crime

beg to differ / get something / get to the bottom of something / hand it to someone / on Easy Street / pay the price / pull the wool over someone’s eyes / see right through someone or something

6 Strange Stories

create a stir / eat one’s words / in a jam / make fun of someone or something / out of the blue / play with fire / take someone or something seriously / throw caution to the wind

Review II: Chapters 4-6

7 Advice

chicken / get over something / go against the grain / make no bones about it / right up one’s alley / smart cookie / way to go / word of mouth

8 Last Wishes

catch on / cut the mustard / earn one’s stripes / get carried away / one’s ship has come in / out of the question / upper crust / window-shopping

9 Predictions

in one’s blood / look forward to something / measure up / nothing to sneeze at / on the other hand / put something on hold / run in the family / short on something

Review III: Chapters 7-9

10 Small Town, Big City

down-to-earth / for the birds / get one’s kicks / go bananas / grow on someone / have a ball / let something out of the bag / tickle one’s fancy

11 Fame

cream of the crop / give someone a shot / go to great pains / have something down cold / judge a book by its cover / on the ball / once in a blue moon / one in a million

12 Law and Marriage

be at the end of one’s rope / breathe easier / face-to-face / hold something over someone’s head / play second fiddle / rock solid / run like clockwork / tightwad

Review IV: Chapters 10-12

Appendixes

Appendix A: Glossary

Appendix B: Audioscript and Answer Key