Tenses :

Simple present:
Delhi is the capital of India.
He plays cricket every evening

Simple past:
We arrived in the morning.
She slept in the afternoon.

Simple future:
We will meet in the evening.
The movie will release next Friday.

Progressive present:
I am enjoying the weather.
She is playing with her cousins.

Please keep in mind that Progressive or Continuous is used

with action words (verbs which define physical actions or
activities like running, thinking, playing etc and not with
static verbs like being, knowing and seeming ).

Progressive past:
I was studying when my mother called.
My sister was washing the dishes.

Progressive future:
I will be meeting him tomorrow.
I will not be eating out today.

Perfect present:
She has suffered a lot in the past week.
We have completed the crossword successfully.

Perfect past:
I had eaten a big lunch before she arrived.
They both had taken the vaccine before the second wave
happened.

Subject Verb Agreement :

The subject is the Noun that performs the action.
Subject and verb must make logical and grammatical sense
together and must agree in number. Eg: 1.The dog runs out of
the house.
2.The dogs run out of the house.

Either or, neither nor

Find the noun nearest to the verb, and make sure that the verb
agrees in number with this noun. Eg: 1. Neither the coach nor
the players ARE going to the beach.
2. Neither the players nor the coach IS going to the
beach.
In the first example, the plural subject players is nearest to the
verb, so the verb takes the plural form are. In the second
example, the singular subject coach is nearest to the verb, so
the verb takes the singular form is.

Collective nouns are almost always singular : agency, army,

audience, class, committee, crowd, orchestra, team, baggage,
equipment, fleet,

Indefinite pronouns are usually singular: Anyone, anybody,

anything No one, nobody, nothing Each, every, Someone,
somebody, something, everyone, everybody, everything
Whatever, whoever.
Either, neither (may require a plural verb if paired with or/nor)

Can be both singular or plural depending on the context:

Some, Any, None, All, More/Most
Each and Every is almost always singular.
Singular subjects dominate the chart. Thus, if you cannot
remember a particular rule for determining the number of a
subject, place your bet that the subject is singular!

Idioms:
Idioms are expressions that have unique forms. There is no
hard and fast rule for determining the form of an idiom. In
fact, it is this very uniqueness that makes an expression an
idiom.

Word Collocations:

• He had intended to take a holiday in New York.

• He wanted to see if he could get a job with us.

• I might take a lesson from you.

• My goals were to go back to school and get a degree.

• I’ll take a look at the website and let you know what

I think.
• He was beginning to get angry.

• Couldn’t you do a favour and leave me alone?

• She should make a right choice.

 • Could you do a report for me?
• We are to make a contract for a supply of raw silk
with the company.
• I like to do homework.

• We need to make a deal for this project.

• The company is about to go bankrupt.

• He’s brilliant at football.

• They are excellent at planning fun parties.

• The teacher was surprised at the student’s question.

• She has lost her belief in God.

• There was no change in the patient’s condition

overnight.
• I need some lessons in how to set up a website.

• I congratulate you on your new job!

• I insist on Peter’s studying every day for two hours.

• Can we rely on this old car to get us there?

• I feel very proud to be a part of the team.

• People are scared to use the buses late at night.

• It’s nice to know you.

• You are blessed with many talents.

• Don’t be careless with your ATM card.

• The fall in retail sales is directly connected with the

decline in employment.

One word Substitutes :

When someone kills their own father Patricide
The killing of a person by another Homicide
A person who eats too much Glutton
A place for storage of arms and ammunition Arsenal
One who is much concerned about accuracy and hard to please Fastidious
Believer of fate Fatalist
A person who is unsure about God’s existence Agnostic
A government that has a monarch as the head Monarchy
Someone trained to travel and operate a spacecraft Astronaut
The one who makes maps or charts Cartographer
Someone who is reserved and shy Introvert
A person who doesn’t like humankind or society Misanthrope

Someone who cares about mankind Humanitarian

The one who is present everywhere Omnipresent
The one who knows everything Omniscient
The one who is all powerful Omnipotent
Someone who regards the world as their country Cosmopolitan
The one who looks at the brighter side of everything Optimist

The one who loves to help humankind, needy and underprivileged Philanthropist

Commonly confused\misused words :

ACCEPT-to receive
ex: He accepts defeat well.
EXCEPT-to take or leave out
ex: Please take all the books off the shelf except for the red
one.
AFFECT-to influence
ex: Lack of sleep affects the quality of your work.
EFFECT-n., result, v., to accomplish
ex: The subtle effect of the lighting made the room look
ominous.
ex: Can the university effect such a change without disrupting
classes?
A LOT (two words)-many.
ALOT (one word)-Not the correct form.
ALLUSION-an indirect reference
ex: The professor made an allusion to Virginia Woolf's work.
ILLUSION-a false perception of reality
ex: They saw a mirage: that is a type of illusion one sees in the
desert.

·
ALL READY-prepared
ex: Dinner was all ready when the guests arrived.
ALREADY-by this time
ex: The turkey was already burned when the guests arrived.
ALTOGETHER-entirely
ex: Altogether, I thought that the student's presentation was
well planned.
ALL TOGETHER-gathered, with everything in one place
ex: We were all together at the family reunion last spring.
APART-to be separated
ex: The chain-link fence kept the angry dogs apart. OR My
old car fell apart before we reached California.
A PART-to be joined with
ex: The new course was a part of the new field of study at the
university. OR A part of this plan involves getting started at
dawn.
ASCENT- climb
ex: The plane's ascent made my ears pop.
ASSENT-agreement
ex: The Martian assented to undergo experiments.
BREATH-noun, air inhaled or exhaled
ex: You could see his breath in the cold air.
BREATHE-verb, to inhale or exhale
ex: If you don't breathe, then you are dead.
CAPITAL-seat of government. Also financial resources.
ex: The capital of Virginia is Richmond.
ex: The firm had enough capital to build the new plant.
CAPITOL-the actual building in which the legislative body
meets
ex: The governor announced his resignation in a speech given
at the capitol today.
CITE-to quote or document
-

ex: I cited ten quotes from the same author in my paper.

SIGHT-vision
ex: The sight of the American flag arouses different emotions
in different parts of the world.
SITE-position or place
ex: The new office building was built on the site of a
cemetery.
COMPLEMENT-noun, something that completes; verb, to -

complete
ex: A nice dry white wine complements a seafood entree.
COMPLIMENT-noun, praise; verb, to praise
ex: The professor complimented Betty on her proper use of a
comma.
CONSCIENCE-sense of right and wrong
ex: The student's conscience kept him from cheating on the
exam.
CONSCIOUS-awake
ex: I was conscious when the burglar entered the house.
COUNCIL-a group that consults or advises
ex: The men and women on the council voted in favour of an
outdoor concert in their town.
COUNSEL-to advise
ex: The parole officer counselled the convict before he was
released.
ELICIT-to draw or bring out
ex: The teacher elicited the correct response from the student.
ILLICIT-illegal
ex: The Columbian drug lord was arrested for his illicit
activities.
LEAD-noun, a type of metal
ex: Is that pipe made of lead?
LED-verb, past tense of the verb "to lead"
ex: She led the campers on an over-night hike.
LIE-to lie down (a person or animal. hint: people can tell lies)
ex: I have a headache, so I'm going to lie down for a while.
LAY-to lay an object down.
ex: "Lay down that shotgun, Pappy!" The sheriff demanded of
the crazed moonshiner.
ex: The town lay at the foot of the mountain.
LOSE--verb, to misplace or not win
ex: Mom glared at Mikey. "If you lose that new lunchbox,
don't even think of coming home!"
LOOSE--adjective, to not be tight; verb (rarely used)--to
release
ex: The burglar's pants were so loose that he was sure to lose
the race with the cop chasing him.
ex: While awaiting trial, he was never set loose from jail
because no one would post his bail.
PASSED-verb, past tense of "to pass," to have moved
ex: The tornado passed through the city quickly, but it caused
great damage.
PAST-belonging to a former time or place
ex: Who was the past president of Microsoft Computers?
ex: Go past the fire station and turn right.
PRECEDE-to come before
ex: Pre-writing precedes the rough draft of good papers.
PROCEED-to go forward
ex: He proceeded to pass back the failing grades on the exam/
PRINCIPAL-adjective, most important; noun, a person who
has authority
ex: The principal ingredient in chocolate chip cookies is
chocolate chips.
ex: The principal of the school does the announcements each
morning.
PRINCIPLE-a general or fundamental truth
ex: The study was based on the principle of gravity.
RELUCTANT-to hesitate or feel unwilling
ex: We became reluctant to drive further and eventually turned
back when the road became icy.
RETICENT-to be reluctant to speak; to be reserved in
manner. Note that The American Heritage Dictionary lists
"reluctant" as a synonym for "reticent," as the third definition.
For nuance and variety, we recommend "reticent" for
reluctance when speaking or showing emotion (after all, even
extroverts can become reluctant).
ex: They called him reticent, because he rarely spoke. But he
listened carefully and only spoke when he had something
important to say.
STATIONARY-standing still
I

ex: The accident was my fault because I ran into a stationary

object.
STATIONERY-writing paper
=

ex: My mother bought me stationery that was on recycled

paper.
THAN-use with comparisons
ex: I would rather go out to eat than eat at the dining hall.
THEN-at that time, or next
ex: I studied for my exam for seven hours, and then I went to
bed.
THEIR-possessive form of they
ex: Their house is at the end of the block.
THERE-indicates location (hint: think of "here and there")
ex: There goes my chance of winning the lottery!
THEY'RE-contraction for "they are"
ex: They're in Europe for the summer--again!
THROUGH-by means of; finished; into or out of
ex: He ploughed right through the other team's defensive line.
THREW-past tense of throw
ex: She threw away his love letters.
THOROUGH-careful or complete
ex: John thoroughly cleaned his room; there was not even a
speck of dust when he finished.
THOUGH-however; nevertheless
ex: He's really a sweetheart though he looks tough on the
outside.
TO-toward
ex: I went to the University of Richmond.
TOO-also, or excessively
ex: He drank too many screwdrivers and was unable to drive
home.
TWO-a number
ex: Only two students did not turn in the assignment.
WHO-pronoun, referring to a person or persons
ex: Jane wondered how Jack, who is so smart, could be
having difficulties in Calculus.
WHICH-pronoun, replacing a singular or plural thing(s);not
used to refer to persons
ex: Which section of history did you get into?
THAT-used to refer to things or a group or class of people
ex: I lost the book that I bought last week.
WHO-used as a subject or as a subject complement (see
above)
ex: John is the man who can get the job done.
WHOM-used as an object
ex: Whom did Sarah choose as her replacement?
Editing and Identification of Errors : UNIT-2
- -

Knowing the parts of a sentence and the kinds of sentences

that are a part of good writing will help you proofread, revise,
and edit your work. As you examine your own writing, mark
the places where faulty punctuation has created sentence
fragments or run-on sentences. Revise them by using proper
end marks, semicolons, or conjunctions.

As a writer, you should remember to keep important tools

handy. A dictionary, a grammar handbook, and a thesaurus are
essential. Remember: Write often, proofread carefully, edit
judiciously, and revise until you are satisfied. Edit
unnecessary and redundant words from longer sentences and
use verbal phrases to revise short, choppy sentences.

Varied writing is interesting to read. There are many ways to

vary sentences, such as changing sentence length by
combining shorter sentences and dividing longer sentences.
Also, you can vary the way sentences begin by using different
types of modifiers, such as single-word modifiers, phrase
modifiers, and clause modifiers. Another strategy is to
alternate long and short sentences.

Combine sentences together to form strong, well-shaped

paragraphs. When you revise your own writing, you should be
able to make good decisions about the shape and organization
of your paragraphs.

When revising your writing, examine your transitions between

sentences and between paragraphs. If they do not effectively
move your idea along, or are not smooth, try to rephrase and
avoid summarising and writing general statements. Editing
unnecessary auxiliary verbs can make your writing direct and
concise.

Always try to write in formal language. Unlike informal

language, it uses no slang words, colloquialisms, or
contractions. When you are not sure exactly who your
audience is, it is safest to use formal language. Formal
language will not offend anyone because it is not
disrespectful, and it will not alienate anyone who does not
understand certain slang or colloquialisms. Formal language
tends to use more long and complex sentence structures and
vocabulary that is more accurate and specific.

When you proofread your own writing, try to approach the

piece as if you are reading it for the first time. Look for
ambiguous or unclear pronoun references and sentences in
which nouns and pronouns do not agree. Revise them, and
your writing will be clearer and easier to understand.

Different kinds of sentences use different end punctuation.

The most common is the period. An exclamation point adds
energy, but be careful to use it selectively, so your sentences
do not all have the same high energy. Question marks follow
interrogatory sentences; just remember to form the sentence
logically. Commas separate items and sentence elements, but
they can be overused. When a reader sees a comma, he or she
knows it signifies a brief pause. Revising sentences that have
too many commas prevents your writing from having
unnecessary pauses.
Use hyphens, dashes, and ellipses correctly and sparingly to
add flair and style to your writing. Be equally careful with
quotation marks, Apostrophes, colons and semicolons.
 List of Abbreviations (category-wise):-
I. Everyday-context/Miscellaneous
1. IQ- Intelligence Quotient
2. RSVP- répondez s'il vous plait (French) meaning ‘Please respond’
3. ATM- Automated Teller Machine
4. A.M- ante meridiem (before midday)
5. P.M.- post meridiem (after midday)
6. SUV- Sports Utility Vehicle
7. i.e. – id est (Latin) meaning ‘in other words’
8. e.g.- exempli gratia (Latin) meaning for example
9. P.S.- Post Script
10. SMS- Short Message Service
11. PIN- Personal Identification Number, Postal Index Number

II. Technology
1. URL- Uniform Resource Locator
2. ISP- Internet Service Provider
3. WWW- World Wide web
4. JPEG- Joint Photographic Experts Group
5. PDF- Portable Document Format
6. CAPTCHA- Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell computers and
humans apart
7. GPS- Global Positioning System
8. OTP- One time password
9. CGI- Computer–Generated Imagery
10. HD- High Density

III. Political/ Economic context

1. GST- Goods and Services Tax
2. VAT- Value Added Tax
3. MSP- Minimum Support Price
4. EVM- Electronic Voting Machine
5. GDP- Gross Domestic Product
6. UT- Union Territory
7. USA- United States of America
8. USSR- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
9. EU- European Union
10. NRI- Non-Resident Indian
11. PIO- Person of Indian Origin
IV. Organizations/Institutions
1. CIA- Central Intelligence Agency
2. FBI- Federal Bureau of Investigation
3. UNO- United Nations Organization
4. WHO- World Health Organization
5. UNICEF- United Nations Children’s Fund
6. UNESCO- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
7. WTO- World Trade Organization
8. WWF- World Wide Fund for Nature
9. RBI- Reserve Bank of India
10. BIS- Bureau of Indian Standards

V. Academic space/ Educational degrees

1. CBSE- Central Board of Secondary Education
2. ICSE- Indian Certificate of Secondary Education
3. UGC- University Grants Commission
4. NCERT- National Council of Educational Research and Training
5. ICMR- Indian Council of Medical Research
6. AIIMS- All India Institute of Medical Sciences
7. CGPA- Cumulative Grade Points Average
8. SOP- Standard Operating Procedure
9. Ph.D- Doctor of Philosophy
10. AICTE- All India Council for Technical Education
11. CAT- Common Aptitude Test
12. NET- National Eligibility Test
13. MBA- Master of Business Administration
14. MBBS- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery

VI. Medical terms

1. B.P.- Blood Pressure
2. CBC- Complete Blood Count
3. ICU-Intensive Care Unit
4. PMS- Premenstrual Syndrome
5. AIDS- Acquired Immuno-deficiency syndrome
6. BMI- Body Mass Index
7. HIV- Human Immunodeficiency Virus
8. MRI- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
9. DNA- De-oxyribo nucleic acid
10. CT Scan- Computed Tomography Scan
VII. Social media
1. DM- Direct message
2. GIF- Graphics Interchange Format
3. BRB- Be Right Back
4. BTS- Behind the Scenes
5. BTW- By the way
6. FOMO- Fear of Missing Out
7. FYI- For Your Information
8. OOTD- Outfit of the day
9. ROFL- Rolling on the floor laughing
10. IMO- In my Opinion

VIII. Sports
1. IPL- Indian Premiere League
2. LBW- Leg before Wicket
3. SAI- Sports Authority of India
4. BCCI- Board of Control for Cricket in India
5. IOA- Indian Olympic Association
6. FIH- International Hockey Federation
7. ICC- International Cricket Council
8. NBA- National Basketball Association
9. ODI- One day International

IX. COVID-Related abbreviations

1. COVID- Corona-virus disease

2. SARS-COV- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome- Corona Virus
3. PPE- Personal Protective Equipment
4. WFH- Work from home
5. RT-PCR- Reverse Transcription- Polymerase Chain Reaction
14th September, 2023 (Thursday) | Idioms and phrases

Idioms-
What are idioms: a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from
those of the individual words.

Raining cats and dogs- raining very heavily

We’ll have to cancel the trip since it’s raining cats and dogs here.

So, it has a figurative meaning.

Some idioms and their origins:

1. Turn a blind eye

 Meaning: Pretend not to notice, or to refuse to acknowledge a known truth.
Example: People tend to turn a blind eye to crime against women.

Origin: Origin of this phrase is disputed. But the story goes back to 1801.

British Admiral Horatio Nelson was leading an attack alongside Admiral Sir Hyde Parker in the Battle
of Copenhagen. Admiral Horatio Nelson was blind in one eye.

Parker communicated to Nelson via flags that he needed to retreat and disengage. But Nelson
believed that they could win. Nelson held the telescope to his blind eye- pretending not to see the
signal. It was a sly comment made to that officer.

2. Feel a bit under the weather

Meaning: feeling ill.
Example: My sister was sick yesterday and now I’m feeling a bit under the weather.

Origin: It has a nautical origin. When a sailor was feeling sick, he would go beneath the bow
which is the front part of the ship. This would protect him from adverse weather conditions
and he was literally under the bad weather which would further sicken him so he could be
described as being “under the weather.”

3. Beat around the bush

Meaning: to avoid answering a question/not speaking directly about the issue. To circle
around the point and avoid the point.
Example: Stop beating around the bush and tell me what really happened.

Origin: Originated in response to game hunting or bird hunting in Britain. The participants
would literally beat bushes in order to draw out the birds. Therefore, they were beating
around the bush before getting to the main point of the hunt.

4. To spill the beans

Meaning: To leak a secret
Sentence: I accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party.

Origin: Voting process in Ancient Greece. White and brown beans in a vase- meaning yes
and no. If somebody was to spill the beans, the secret result of the election would be
revealed.
 5. Straight from the horse’s mouth

Meaning: getting information directly from the most reliable source

Example: I don’t believe you so I am going to ask Krishita and get the information straight from the
horse’s mouth.

Origin: This one is said to come from the 1900s, when buyers could determine a horse’s age by
examining its teeth. It’s also why you shouldn’t “look a gift horse in the mouth,” as inspecting a gift is
considered bad etiquette.

6. Let the cat out of the bag

Meaning: to mistakenly reveal a secret

Origin: Up to and including in the 1700s, a common street fraud included replacing valuable pigs
with less valuable cats and selling them in bags. When a cat was let out of a bag, the secret was
revealed.

7. Riding Shotgun

Meaning: riding in the front seat of a vehicle next to the driver

Sentence: Liam got in the back seat, and Emma rode shotgun.

Origin: In the Wild West, the person who sat next to the driver was often equipped with a shotgun
to kill any robbers that might happen upon the coach.

8. Barking up the wrong tree

Meaning: pursuing a misguided course of action

Sentence: If you are expecting her to help you, you are barking up the wrong tree.

If you think you can borrow money from us, you are barking up the wrong tree.

Origin: Likely referring to hunting, this saying explains when a dog would literally bark at the bottom
of the wrong tree after the prey in question moved to the next branch.

9. Cost an arm and a leg.

Meaning: extremely expensive

Sentence: The show was amazing but the tickets cost an arm and a leg.

I want to tour around western Europe but it might cost me an arm and a leg.

Origin: The story goes that this phrase originated from 18th-century paintings, as famous people like
George Washington would have their portraits done without certain limbs showing. Having limbs
showing is said to have cost more.
 10. Don’t throw the baby out of the bathwater

Meaning: Discard something valuable along with something not wanted.

Sentence: Janet quitting her job because her ex started working there is a classic example
of throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

I regret cutting off my siblings after the quarrel with my parents because that means I threw out the
baby with the bathwater.

Origin: This idiom allegedly comes from a time when the household bathed in the same water when
there was a scarcity of water; first, the lord would bathe, then the men, the lady, the women, the
children, and the babies last. The bath water is said to have been so dirty that there was a risk of
throwing the baby out with the water once everyone was done bathing!

 When the cow comes

home- for an indefinitely long time.
Sentence: I could sit here and argue
with you till the cows come home,
but it wouldn't solve anything.

 To sit on the fence- to be

indecisive

Sentence: She did not know whether

to say yes or no to the proposal, she
was sitting on the fence.

Many consumers are sitting on the

fence waiting for the new iPhone
prices to decrease.
  Cat idioms:

More examples:

A penny for your thoughts

Meaning: Way of asking what someone is thinking.

Example: After several minutes of silence, he finally looked at her and said, “A penny for
your thoughts, Lily.”
 2. At the drop of a hat

Meaning: Immediately; without any hesitation

Example: The court was giving the defence counsel adjournments at the drop of a hat.

3. Ball is in your court.

Meaning: It is up to you to take the next step

Example: I’ve made my decision, now the ball is in your court.

5. Bite off more than you chew- to take up task viz too big/difficult for you.

6. Burn the midnight oil- to work very hard.

7. Cross the bridge when you come at it- deal with the problem when the time comes.

8.Cry over spilled milk- worrying abt something which cannot be undone.

9. Devil's advocate- to put counter questions.

Play the devil’s advocate.

11. From the bottom of my heart- very sincerely

When I said you were my best friend, I meant it from the bottom of my heart.

12. Drastic times call for drastic measures- When you are extremely desperate, you have to
take drastic actions.
 13. Every cloud has a silver lining- be optimistic, there is hope.

14. Far cry from- A thing viz v different from something else.

- What you did was a far cry from what you said you were going to do.

15. Hear through the grape wine- you hear it indirectly.

(Hear from gossip)

16. It takes two to tango- both people involved in a bad situation were responsible for it.

17. Jump on the bandwagon- join a popular trend or activity

I wasn’t interested in watching Game of Thrones but since everybody else is watching it, I
thought I might as well jump on the bandwagon.

18. Keep something at bay- keep something away

When you study for exams, keep distractions at bay.

19. Last straw- the final problem in a series of problems.

I have been working on this experiment since a long time and I have failed yet again. This is
the last straw. I’m giving up.

20. Make a long story short- come to the point, leave out the details.
Long story short, I never got my money back.

21. Method in the madness- a purpose in what one is doing, even though it seems crazy.

22. Miss the boat- to miss out on something.

Pay attention Yash, or you’ll miss the boat and never learn grammar.

23. Not on my watch- if you hear of something you

disagree with, and you won't let that happen
while you're around.

24. Old habits die hard: its very difficult to change

your behaviour.
She retired last month but she keeps getting up at
the same time every morning. I guess old habits
die hard.
25. Out of the blue- unexpectedly/suddenly.

26. Over the top- too excessive

His attire was a little over the top for the occasion.

27. Reap the harvest- Benefit or suffer as a result of past actions.

When he cleared IIT-JEE, he reaped the harvest of his hard work.

28. See eye to eye- to be in agreement with

He and his father never saw eye to eye.

29. Roll up one’s sleeve- Get ready for hard work

My sister said she would roll up her sleeve and do whatever it takes to support the family.

30. Strike while the iron is hot- To act at the right time
The price of gold is at a 10-year low, strike while the iron is hot and invest in it right away.

31. Take (something) with a grain of salt/ with a pinch of salt: to doubt the accuracy of the
information
I always take criticism with a grain of salt.
Lots of students claim that they were present in class even though they are marked absent, I
always take such claims with a pinch of salt.

32. Against the grain- contrary to the natural inclination or feeling of someone or something.
Usage- go against the grain
Mary is always honest and it went against the grain to tell lies.

33. Tongue in cheek-

Meaning: (of a remark) Supposed to be taken in funny or ironic sense
Usage- to make a tongue in cheek remark.
Example: Her comment was taken more seriously than intended. It was supposed to be
tongue in cheek.
 34. Want someone’s head on a platter-
Meaning: Want someone to be punished severely.
Example: “I want that murderer’s head on a platter!”, said the Chief of police.

35. Walk on eggshells

Meaning: Be extremely cautious about one's words or actions
Example: Celebrities are scrutinized by the media for all their actions so they’re required to
walk on eggshells.

Phrases-
Phrasal verbs: Usually a verb followed by an adverb or a preposition. It constitute a single
semantic unit (It has one meaning)

 break down- get upset.

The woman broke down when the police told her that her son had died

 Put off- to delay or move an activity to a later time, or to stop or prevent someone from
doing something
They had to put off the wedding due to a financial crisis.

 Pull through- get through an illness or other dangerous or difficult situation.

The doctor was sure he would pull through.
Many of my favorite survivors in fiction show that it may not be the most muscled, macho or
mighty people who pull through.
If it was not for his colleagues, he’d have never pulled through.

 Rope in- If you say that you were roped in to do a particular task, you mean that someone
persuaded you to help them do that task.
I got roped in to help with the timekeeping.
The agent had roped in several customers.

 Cut off
 Run over
 Run into
 Run after
 Run down