Thematic Classification of Phraseological Units

I. Substitute phraseological units with the noun "heart" for the italicised words. What is
the difference between the two sentences?
1. He is not a man who shows his feelings openly. 2. She may seem cold but she has true,
kind feelings. 3. I learned that piece of poetry by memory. 4. When I think about my examination
tomorrow I feel in despair. 5. When I heard that strange cry in the darkness I was terribly afraid.
6. It was the job I liked very much. 7. I didn't win the prize but I'm not discouraged.

II. Choose the part of the body. Fill in the missing words from the list of words below,
using plural forms where necessary.
arm brain chest hair leg tooth
back breast finger hand mouth blood
cheek foot heart stomach bone
1. Being retired, he suddenly found himself with lots of time on his ... but with little to do to
occupy it. 2. You need to have a strong ... to work in a slaughterhouse. 3, He got up very late
this morning and then had the ... to complain about his breakfast being cold. 4. She had a
sweet ... and couldn't resist buying chocolates and cream cakes. 5. None of the students liked Mr
Baker. In fact, everyone was glad to see the ... of him when he left to teach in Italy. 6.I think I’ll
go and stretch my ... I've been sitting down all morning and I’m feeling a bit stiff. 7. I've got an
essay to write on the history of computing. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about it, so do
you mind if I pick your ...? 8. The viewers were up ... when the television station announced it
was going to change the time of the evening news broadcast from 9 o'clock to 9.30.9. There's
something wrong somewhere. I can't put my ... on what it is exactly, but something just doesn't
feel right. 10. The cruel way some owners treat pets makes my ... boil. 11. "Hurry up, Dorothy!
The taxi is waiting!" "All right! Keep your ... on". 12. Getting a problem off your... is the first
stage to being able to solve it. 13. She decided to make a clean ... of everything and confess that
she was the one who had stolen the money. 14. You'd better be careful what you say to
Samantha. You know how sensitive she is to criticism - she takes everything to ... 15. I think
there's going to be trouble at the meeting tonight, I can feel it in my ... 16. David and the new
boss seem to have got off on the wrong ... Poor David! There go his chances for promotion.

III. Choose an idiom to replace the expression in the brackets: 

1. My mother was (very eager to listen) when I began to talk about my holiday in England. 
(a) wet behind the ears (b) in her mind`s eye (c) turning a deaf ear (d) all ears
2. The policeman warned the boy to (stay out of trouble) in the future. 
(a) bat an eyelash (b) pay through the nose (c) keep his nose clean (d) see eye to eye
3. The girl (pretended not to hear) her brother's calls. 
(a) turned a deaf ear to (b) gave an ear to (c) kept her nose out of (d) set eyes on
4. My father paid (too much) for his new car. 
(a) all ears (b) through the nose (c) deaf and dumb (d) under his nose
5. "It is no (concern of mine) if you go to the movie or not." 
(a) skin off my nose (b) flea in my ear (c) eagle eye (d) bug in my ear
6. The woman has (good taste in) beautiful art. 
(a) eyes in the back of her head for (b) eyes only for (c) an eye for (d) set eyes on
7. I spent the morning (listening to) my friend and his problems. 
(a) making eyes at (b) seeing eye to eye with (c) turning a blind eye to (d) lending an ear to
8. The girl had (a look of great happiness) when she won the music competition. 
(a) the apple of her eye (b) stars in her eyes (c) her ear to the ground (d) a tin ear
9. The boy`s (surprise was great) when he saw the elephant at the circus. 
(a) ear was to the ground (b) eyes were bigger than his stomach (c) nose was in the air (d) eyes
popped out
10. The girl at the restaurant was (trying to attract) the boy at the counter. 
(a) making eyes at (b) thumbing her nose at (c) lending an ear to (d) turning up her nose at
11. My wallet was (in front of me) and just where I had left it. 
(a) under my nose (b) in my mind`s eye (c) out of earshot (d) wet behind the ears
12. I asked my friend to (watch the baby carefully) while I went to the store. 
(a) pull the wool over the baby`s eyes (b) lay eyes on the baby (c) turn a deaf ear to the baby (d)
keep an eye on the baby
13. I told my friend to (not become involved in) other people`s business. 
(a) open his eyes to (b) keep his nose out of (c) turn up his nose at (d) have an eye for
14. The man (refused to obey) the policeman who told him not to walk across the street. 
(a) looked down his nose at (b) feasted his eyes on (c) caught the eye of (d) thumbed his nose at
15. I did not (show any surprise) when I heard that my friend had quit his job again. 
(a) get an earful (b) cry my eyes out (c) bat an eyelash (d) believe my ears

IV. Choose the animal, the bird, the fish... Fill in the missing words in the sentences
below. Choose from the box, using plural forms where necessary.
bird crocodile goat lion
bull dog goose pig
cat donkey horse rat
cow fish kitten stag
1. Turning up half an hour late for the interview really cooked his... 2. We were hoping to
keep the wedding a secret, but my mother soon let the... out of the bag. 3. You're flogging a
dead... trying to get Harry to change his mind! 4. I don't think I'd recognize her now, it's... years
since I last saw her. 5. Harold has really gone to the ... since his wife died. Looking at him now,
it's hard to believe he was once a successful lawyer. 6. It's not that I mind giving her a lift home
every Tuesday, but
what gets my ... is the fact that she's never once offered to pay for the petrol. 7. As I had to go to
Swansea on business, I decided to kill two... with one stone and visit my old school 8. Although
he had only known her for two weeks he decided to take the ... by the horns and ask her to
marry him. 9. She loved tennis and could watch it until the... came home. 10. You're upset now,
I know, but you'll soon forget her... after all, there are plenty more - in the sea. 11. That's 'the
last time I invite Steve for a meal. He really made a ... of himself last night. 12. Don't be fooled.
She's not a bit sad; they're just... tears. 13. When their grandfather died, Robert and his sister got
the ... share of his money. 14. After years of commuting from Brighton to London, he decided to
get out of the ... race and buy a small farm. 15. When I tell my parents that Paul and I have
decided to call off the wedding they're going to have ... 16. We're off to a ... party tonight -
David's getting married on Saturday.

V. Substitute phraseological units incorporating the names of colours for the italicised
words.
1. I'm feeling rather miserable today. 2. He spends all his time on bureaucratic routine. 3. A
thing like that happens very rarely. 4. You can talk till you are tired of it but I shan't believe you.
5. The news was a great shock to me. It came quite unexpectedly. 6. I won't believe it unless I see
it in writing. 7. You can never believe what he says, he will swear anything if it suits his
purpose.