IDIOMS

ring a bell = is familiar to you but you can't remember where you heard it = used to say you are almost able to remember something, but you can't = told the secret so other people found out too early = give it a try

on the tip of your tongue

let the cat out of the bag

give it a shot

The more the merrier.

= used to say that the more of sth there is, the better it will be. = a place with only an end

a dead end

from scratch

= from nothing (without any alreadyprepared materials) = using only the ideas you have in your head at that moment = to speak for too long about sth uninteresting = to get angry and begin acting like an angry child = to release anger and frustration

off the top of your head

go on about

have/throw a fit

let off steam

a basket case

= a crazy person; a nut

IDIOMS
Complete the sentences with idioms. 1. Ted plays squash when he needs to _________________________. 2. A: Do you know April ONeil? B: Hmm. Maybe. That name _________________________. 3. Do you like the cake? My aunt made it _________________________. 4. Lets not take this path. It leads to ________________________. 5. His name was _________________________. but I couldnt remember it. 6. He asked me to tell him a joke, but I couldnt think of one ___________________. 7. It was going to be a surprise party, until Todd _________________________. 8. The old man _________________________ his school days for nearly an hour 9. If you think you can make the team, then _________________________. 10. The baby _________________________ when I took his toy away. 11. Darryls ex-wife is a total _________________________. 12. A: Can I invite my brother? B: Sure. _________________________.

Execution:

IDIOMS
1. After teaching your students 8-12 idioms or phrasal verbs (for a print-out of useful idioms, see here), put your students into pairs. 2. Tell them you're going to give them 5 minutes to create a conversation dialogue with their partner using as many of the idioms/phrasal verbs as possible. (You can say "the group who uses the most/all the expressions wins" if you want to motivate them, but this probably won't be necessary). 3. Tell them to try to make their role-play about 2 minutes or longer, if they can. 4. Let them do it. Listen while they plan it and offer help where possible. 5. Have each group present their role-play. This activity is simple but effective. Students enjoy using their creativity. The role-plays my students create are usually pretty entertaining. Give it a shot and be sure to commend your students on their role-plays and review major mistakes after they have finished