82 Verb Combinations N
to ra mblan to: to look like
[Note: (i) to bear a strong/striking
resemblance to: to be very similar
to (ii) to bear little resemblance to:
to be quite different from (iii) to
bear no resemblance to: to be
completely different from]
He bears a striking resemblance ;
to his grandfather.
to b r th brunt of 8th: to receive
the main force or impact of sth
The town nearest the epicentre
bore the brunt of the earthquake.
to carry I ht: if a person's
opinions or views carry (a lot of)
weight, then other people respect
and pay a lot of attention to them
probably because the person i~
respected and influential
Try to get Mr Harris to support
your idea . His opinion carries a lot
of weight in this company.
to cle r your throat: to cough in
order to speak more clearly
He stood up, cleared his throat
and began his lecture .
to clear your d bt : to get rid of all
your debts by paying back all the
money you owe
Once we have cleared all our
debts, we 'll take a holiday.
to deliver a speech: to make a
speech in front of a lot of people
He was the only minister at the
conference not to deliver a speech.
to drlv b crazy: to really annoy sb
The noise they are making next
door is driving me crazy.
to drtv a hard bargain: to argue
aggressively and be unwilling to
make concessions so that you
get the best price for sth
As a businessman, he has a
reputation for driving a hard
bargain.
to grab b' attention: to make sb
notice you
Can you grab the waiter's attention?
I want to order.
o hit the r d: (informal) often used
when you are about to leave a
place and make your way home
John looked at Jill. "It's time we
hit the road, ..he said.
to hit roof: to lose your temper
and become very angry
She'll hit the roof if she finds out
what you 've done.
to I y th foundations for 8th: to
provide the conditions to make
sth successful in the future
The treaty, considered insignificant
at the time, laid the foundations for
the unification of the country.
to lay one elf open to criticism: to
do/say sth which makes it easy
for sb to criticise one
By being careless with your work,
you are laying yourself open to
critic ism.
to leave tip: to leave sb (generally
a waiter in a restaurant) a small
amount of money, after you have
paid your bill
We don 't have to leave a tip. It says
on the bill that service is included.
to I ve a deposit to pay part of the
price of a product in order to
reserve it
Would it be all right if I left a deposit
of £30 on it now and you put it
aside for me?
to pay sb a compliment: to say nice
things to sb
She blushes whenever somebody
pays her a compliment.
to pay b a visit: to visit sb
1'1/ pay him a visit next time I'm
passing through.
to pick ab' brains: to ask sb
questions in order to get some
information/help
You know a lot about computers.
Do you mind if I pick your brains
about one or two things?
to pick a fight: to deliberately try to
start a fight with sb by acting
aggressively towards them
He sometimes gets very aggressive
and starts trying to pick fights with
people.
to p Y d I' : to pretend
that you disagree with sth so as to
make a more interesting discussion
1'1/ play devil's advocate and
disagree with the proposal.
to play fool: to behave in a
stupid way
James has realised that by playing
the fool he gains acceptance from
his classmates.
to roach decl Ion/verdict: to
decide sth important, especially
after careful consideration
It took us a long time to reach a
decision, but in the end we gave
first prize to Laura Jansen.
to fit to do 8th: to decide to do
sth because you think it is the
right thing to do [Note: You must
do as you see fit]
If you see fit to do it then you must
do it, but I think it is a bad idea.
"You must do as you see fit. But
you might find that the law is on
their side ,..she said.
to settl an argument: to do sth
which will end an argument by
showing which side is right
Look, the only way to settle this
argument is to check the spelling
in a dictionary.
to steer (well) clear of sb/sth: to
avoid a place or a person because
it is/they are dangerous
The cafes in this city are generally
friendly places, but I would steer
well clear of those near the bus
station.
 3 Look, why don't you just ask her how old she is and
settle the ?
4 Can I pick your for a moment? I have to
1. .Hatch the verbs in Section A with their appropriate teach the third conditional next class and I need an
combinations in Section B. Then, complete thesentences activity to practise it. Have you got any ideas?
in Section C with(an) appropriate word(s) from Section 5 Is that the time? We ought to hit the .
B. An example hasbeen done for you. We've got a long journey home.
6 I couldn 't put up with it, living right next to a main
Section A
road. All that noise would drive me .
o to steer 7 He was pushing me and insulting me. He was
1 to play
obviously trying to pick a .
2 to see
8 If Dad finds out you have been driving his car, he'll hit
3 to pay
the .
4 to pick
9 I've been asked to deliver a to the
5 to settle
Women's Guild on Thursday. I've never spoken in
6 to deliver
public before and I'm terrified.
7 to leave
10 It is hoped that these talks will lay the for
8 to reach
long-lasting peace in the region.
9 to grab
11 He wanted £500 for it but I told him £200 was my last
10 to carry
offer. "You drive a ." he said and sold the
11 to lay
chair to me for £200.
12 to drive
12 We're going to Scotland for our holidays. My sister lives
13 to hit
in Edinburgh, so we are going to pay her a .
14 to clear
13 We all agree that fox-hunting is wrong. However, this is
15 to bear
a debate, so half the class will have to play .
14 We should get Jones to support us. He's an influential
Section B .
man and his opinions carry a lot of around
a an argument
here.
b someone's brains, a fight
15 I've been trying to grab the waiter's for the
c the foundations for, yourself open to criticism
last ten minutes. Surely he must have seen me waving!
d devil's advocate, the fool
16 My students paid me a really nice today.
e someone crazy, a hard bargain
They said I was the best teacher they had ever had.
f the brunt of, little resemblance to
17 I didn't have enough money with me to pay for it, so I
g the road , the roof
left a of £25 and went back the next day
h fit
to pay the remainder.
a deposit, (someone) a tip
18 We can only buy a new car once we have cleared all
j your throat, your debts
our .
k weight
19 I know they are twins but they bear very .
I (well) clear of someone/something
to one another.
m someone a visit, someone a compliment
20 He said he had no intention of interfering in the day­
n someone's attention
to-day management of the team. That was my job
o a speech
and I should do things as I saw .
p a decision
21 It took the jury six hours to reach a and in the
end they all agreed - Gandolfo was guilty as charged.
Section C
o The guide says that the neighbourhoods around the : g~ ~ iH ~ ~ ~Ei; :: : : : : :~: :: : : . :::
docks are pretty dangerous and it advises travellers ; ~: : . : ...
to steer well clear of them - especially at night. t
1 The waiter had been rude and inattentive all night. No
way was I going to leave a .
2 He stood up, shuffled his papers, cleared his
................... and started to speak.