Body Idioms- Presentation And Speaking

Body idioms problems and solutions presentation and speaking

Choose one problem below and try to think of ideas that could solve that problem for the people involved. Discuss your ideas with your partner, then take turns doing the same thing with other problems from below.

• It’s hard to keep your head above water (= You often spend all the money that you earn)
• Other people look down their noses at you (= Other people don’t respect you/ Other people think that they are much better than you)
• In your company, the right hand doesn’t know what the left one is doing (= People in the company make different decisions, don’t share information or don’t work together)
• You are up to your eyes in work (= You have so much work that you can’t manage or nearly can’t manage)
• You are worried about getting the elbow at work (= being fired/ being dismissed/ being sacked)
• You can’t make head or tail of English reports that you have to read (= can’t understand at all)
• You get butterflies in your stomach when you have to speak in public (= get incredibly nervous)
• You have time on your hands (= too much free time and nothing to do)
• You have two left feet (= You can’t dance)
• You have very nosy neighbours (= people who want to know everything about other people’s private lives)
• You need a shoulder to cry on (= someone to listen to you talk about your problems)
• You need someone to lend you a hand (= help you)
• You often put your foot in it during conversations (= mention the wrong topic or say the wrong thing)
• You want to learn your English presentation by heart (= learn perfectly/ learn every word)
• You wanted to study abroad but lost your nerve (= were too worried to do something)
• Your boss makes your blood boil (= makes you very angry)
• Your computer is on its last legs (= nearly totally broken or nearly totally useless)
• Your eyes are bigger than your stomach (= You order or cook more food than you can or should eat)
• Your rent costs an arm and a leg (= is incredibly expensive)
• Your subordinates are getting out of hand (= You can’t control your subordinates)
• Your tennis partner always wins hands down (= wins easily)
• Your children are really cheeky at school (= don’t show respect to people in authority)
• The person at the next desk to you at work gets on your nerves (= annoys you/ irritates you)
• You don’t see eye to eye with (= don’t have the same opinion as) your fiancé(e) about your wedding

Ask about anything above you can’t understand or can’t think of solutions for, discussing possible solutions to those problems as a class each time.

Without looking above, fill the gaps below with one body part word.

• It’s hard to keep your ________________________________________________ above water (= You often spend all the money that you earn)
• Other people look down their ____________________________________ at you (= Other people don’t respect you)
• In your company, the right ______________________________________________ doesn’t know what the left one is doing (= People in the company make different decisions, don’t share information or don’t work together)
• You are up to your ________________________________________________ in work (= You have so much work that you nearly can’t manage or can’t manage)
• You are worried about getting the ________ at work (= being fired/ dismissed/ sacked)
• You can’t make ___________________________________________________ or tail of English reports that you have to read (= can’t understand at all)
• You get butterflies in your ___________________________________________ when you have to speak in public (= get incredibly nervous)
• You have time on your ______________ (= too much free time and nothing to do)
• You have two left __________________________________ (= You can’t dance)
• You have very __________________________________________y neighbours (= people who want to know everything about other people’s private lives)
• You need a ______________________________________________________ to cry on (= someone to listen to you talk about your problems)
• You need someone to lend you a ___________________________ (= help you)
• You often put your _________________________________________________ in it during conversations (= mention the wrong topic or say the wrong thing)
• You want to learn your English presentation by _______ (= learn perfectly/ every word)
• You wanted to study abroad but lost your _________ (= were too worried to do it)
• Your boss makes your ____________________ boil (= makes you very angry)
• Your computer is on its last _________________________________________s (= nearly totally broken or nearly totally useless)
• Your ___________________________________________________s are bigger than your stomach (= You order or cook more food than you can or should eat)
• Your rent costs an arm and a __________________ (= is incredibly expensive)
• Your subordinates are getting out of __________________________________ (= You can’t control your subordinates)
• Your tennis partner always wins _____________________s down (= wins easily)
• Your children are really ______y at school (= don’t show respect to people in authority)
• The person at the next desk to you at work gets on your ___________________s (= annoys you/ irritates you)
• You don’t see _____________ to ________________ with (= don’t have the same opinion as) your fiancé(e) about your wedding

Check with the previous page. In most or all cases, no other answers are possible.

Brainstorm useful language for asking for advice, giving advice and responding to advice that you used or could have used in the first stage.