Vocabulary

Vocabulary

a) Idioms

We have already learnt that idiom is an expression in English, with a special meaning of its own.

i) Given below are some idiomatic expressions with their meanings. Understand the meaning.

a) wait for the dust to settle - to wait for a situation to become clear or certain

to wait for a situation to become clear or certain

b) get/have all your ducks in a row - to have made all the preparations needed to do something / to be well organized

to have made all the preparations needed to do something / to be well organized

c) fetch and carry (for somebody) - to do a lot of little jobs for somebody as if you were their servant

to do a lot of little jobs for somebody, as if you were their servant

d) do the math - to think carefully about something before doing it, so that you know all the relevant facts or figures

to think carefully about something before doing it, so that you know all the relevant facts or figures

e) round the corner - very near

very near

ii) Fill in the blanks with the right idioms. Choose from the above given idioms.

a)        The Sherpas are cheerful, gallant men, who wait for the dust to settle tents, oxygen, food etc., for climbers during their ascent of the summit.

b)       The team do the math carefully so as to reach the summit successfully.

c)        When they had to climb through deep new snow the party sometimes had to fetch and carry.

d)       Each member of the team had all their get / have all your ducks in a row.

e)        We could not believe that with a few more whacks of the ice axe in the firm snow we were round the comer to the top to the top. 

iii) Understand the meaning of the given idiomatic expression and choose the right one to complete the sentence.

the icing on the cake – something extra and not essential, but is added to make it even better

break the ice – to make people more relaxed, especially at the beginning of the meeting

a) The conference room was silent though packed. The chairman introduced an interactive session to break the ice.

b) Our headmistress not only promised us to take us for an excursion, but also announced that on return we would get a holiday.  It was like the icing on the cake.

b) Phrasal Verbs

i) Given below are the phrasal verbs with their meanings. Use the given phrasal verbs in sentences of your own.

turn on - to open

I pushed the button to turn on the radio.

took over - take lead

I took over the business from my father.

set off - start a journey

They set off before dawn.

put off - postpone

The match was put off due to rain.

ii) Given below are some Phrasal Verbs which are frequently used in connection with travelling. Guess the meaning and match.

see off - start off / to begin a journey - to go to station or airport to say good bye to someone

stop over - to go to station or airport to say good bye to someone - to stay at a place for a short period of time when travelling to another destination

set off - to stay at a place for a short period of time when travelling to another destination - start off 7 to begin a journey

get in - leave a bus, train etc., - arrive inside train, bus etc.

get off - to go away from home for a vacation - leave a bus, train etc.,

get on - arrive inside train, bus etc. - enter a bus, train, plane.

get away - enter a bus, train, plane. - to go away from home for a vacation 

check in - pay the bill when leaving a hotel - arrive and register at airport or hotel

check out - arrive and register at airport or hotel - pay the bill when leaving a hotel

c) Compound Words

i) Here are some compound words chosen from the text.

Let us learn a few more with their meaning.

ice-berg - an extremely large mass of ice floating in the sea

ice-cap - a layer of ice permanently covering parts of the earth, especially around North and South Poles

ice-floe - a large area of ice floating in the sea

ice-sheet - a layer of ice that covers a large area of land for a long period of time

ice-rink - specially prepared flat surface of ice, where you can ice-skate;

d) Semantic network

Words belonging to different semantic fields.

i) Match the following with their right field, choosing appropriately from the box given.

Machinery, Sports, Transportation, Geography, Weather, Travel

snow-board -- Sports

snow-mobile -- Transportation

snow-chains -- Machinery

snow-storm -- Weather

snow-bird -- Travel

snow-belt -- Geography