Let’s touch base. 15 English idioms to use at work

Let’s touch base. 15 English idioms to use at work

Sorry, but lessons on The Blue Tree work only on a computer or a tablet.

Bardzo mi przykro, ale lekcje na platformie The Blue Tree działają jedynie na komputerze lub tablecie.

Do zobaczenia na większym ekranie 🙂

Zespół The Blue Tree

back to HOME > Learning EnglishEveryday English > Talking about progress

Learn more words

THE BLUE TREE

Everyday English

CEF B1

CEFR B1

Intermediate

Practise speaking by describing this image
et|icon_chat|

warm up

Answer the questions below.

  • How often do you need to speak English at work?
  • Is it easier for you to talk to native speakers or learners of English?
  • What is the advantage of using idioms?
mt|looks_one|

part one

et|icon_key|

key language

et|arrow_triangle-right_alt|

watch the video

et|icon_question_alt|

Comprehension

Try to answer the questions below on the grounds of the video above.

  • ⌚ 0:11 Where does Emma believe are English idioms used most often?
  • ⌚ 0:21 How important is it to be able to use idiom when we communicate in English?
  • ⌚ 0:33 What are some of the benefits of knowing and using idioms?
mt|looks_two|

part two

et|icon_key|

key language

et|arrow_triangle-right_alt|

watch the video

et|icon_question_alt|

Comprehension

Try to answer the questions below on the grounds of the video above.

  • ⌚ 1:24 What does it mean to ‘get your foot in the door‘?
  • ⌚ 1:54 What are some of the ways we can get our foot in the door of a company we really want to work for?
  • ⌚ 2:26 What does it mean to ‘show someone the ropes‘?
  • ⌚ 2:47 What does the idiom ‘thrown in the deep end‘ mean?
  • ⌚ 3:03 How was Emma thrown in the deep end on her first teaching job?
  • ⌚ 3:49 When do we use the expressions ‘a steep learning curve‘?
mt|looks_3|

part three

et|icon_key|

key language

et|arrow_triangle-right_alt|

watch the video

et|icon_question_alt|

Comprehension

Try to answer the questions below on the grounds of the video above.

  • ⌚ 5:23 What does it mean to do something ‘by the book‘?
  • ⌚ 5:50 How is ‘to cut corners‘ different from ‘by the book‘?
  • ⌚ 6:15 What situation does the idiom ‘have one’s work cut out‘ describe?
  • ⌚ 6:43 What does it mean to ‘make light/short work (of something)’?
  • ⌚ 7:10 Can we use this idiom outside of the work context? How?
mt|looks_4|

part four

et|icon_key|

key language

et|arrow_triangle-right_alt|

watch the video

et|icon_question_alt|

Comprehension

Try to answer the questions below on the grounds of the video above.

  • ⌚ 8:00 What happens when we ‘touch base‘ with someone?
  • ⌚ 8:28 What does it mean to ‘cut to the chase‘?
  • ⌚ 9:02 Why do we need to be careful when we are using this idiom?
  • ⌚ 9:54 What does it mean ‘to bite your tongue‘?
mt|looks_5|

part five

et|icon_key|

key language

et|arrow_triangle-right_alt|

watch the video

et|icon_question_alt|

Comprehension

Try to answer the questions below on the grounds of the video above.

  • ⌚ 10:21 What does it mean to ‘rock the boat‘?
  • ⌚ 11:26 When can we use the idiom ‘to put out fires‘?
  • ⌚ 12:10 What happens when someone ‘is in hot water‘?
  • ⌚ 12:28 When is the right time to use the idiom ‘let’s call it a day‘?
et|icon_check_alt|

PRACTICE

Multidecker Fiszki

Play this Multidecker flashcard game.

et|icon_document|

LESSON GLOSSARY

UPS! Ta sekcja jest dostępna tylko dla moich uczniów. Zapraszam na wyjątkowe lekcje angielskiego online lub na Mokotowie w Warszawie. Napisz do mnie na hi@thebluetree i umów się na darmową lekcję próbną.
et|icon_pencil_alt|

COMMENTS

Write your own examples with the idioms you learnt in this lesson.