2020 ENGLISH FORM 4 VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR

2020 ENGLISH: VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR PRACTICE
IDIOMS (CONTINUATION) AND DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
Hi everyone and I hope all of you are doing fine during this MCO. We must keep up our
pace in learning and never give up. I will keep you updated about your learning from time

to time.
This week, we are going to continue learning about idioms and; direct and indirect

speech.
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EXERCISE

IDIOMS (Continuation)
Task 3: Complete the idioms and other expressions in bold with an animal, insect,
etc, from the box. Many of the animals must be used more than once. The meaning
of each idiom / expression is explained in italics at the end of each sentence.

bee bird cat chicken dog donkey duck
fish fly goat goose hen horse

monkey pig rat shark whale

1) I always thought Laurence was rather shallow and superficial, but yesterday I
saw him reading a book of Renaissance poetry. He's a bit of a dark _________
isn't he? (someone with a secret, especially a secret ability, skill or achievement
that surprises you when you discover it)

2) I'm not going out with you looking like that. You look like something that the
dragged in! Brush your hair and put on some clean clothes! (to

have a very dirty or untidy appearance)

3) I live on the 14th floor of a tower block, so I have a wonderful ________'s-eye
view of the town. (a good view of something from a high position)

4) How did I know that you were going out with Lucy? Aha! A little _________ told
me! (an expression used for saying that you are not going to say who told you
something)

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2020 ENGLISH: VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR PRACTICE
IDIOMS (CONTINUATION) AND DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
5) It really gets my___________, the way she keeps interrupting all the time. (to

annoy someone)

6) William didn't get the promotion he wanted last year, and he's had a
___________ in his bonnet about it ever since. (to be very involved in
something that you think is important, in a way that other people find annoying)

7) You really let the _________ out of the bag when you asked Louise what time
her party started. She didn't know anything about it. It was supposed to be a
surprise. (to tell someone something that was supposed to be a secret)

8) Where have you been? You're soaking wet! You look like a drowned
____________! (looking very wet and cold)

9) Tony! What a surprise! It's wonderful to see you again. I haven't seen you for
's years! (an extremely long time)

10) The hotel used to be the best in town, but since the new manager took over it's
really gone to the ___________s. (not as good at it was in the past)

Task 4: Complete sentence below with one of the colours from the box. Each
colour can be used to complete or make an idiom or other expression (in bold).
Some of the colours have to be used more than once.

black blue brown green grey pink red white yellow

1) Elsa congratulated me on getting the job, but I could tell that secretly she was
__________ with envy.

2) Generally, I'm a very calm and relaxed person. But when people are rude to me,
I start to see ______________.

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2020 ENGLISH: VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR PRACTICE
IDIOMS (CONTINUATION) AND DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
3) I very rarely see my parents these days. They only come to visit once in a

_____________ moon.

4) Everyone in my family is a teacher, but I decided from a young age that I wanted to
be an actor. I guess I've always been the _____________ sheep.

5) My wife asked me if I liked her new dress. Well, I thought it was horrible, but of
course I told her it looked wonderful. You have to tell a little __________ lie from
time to time, don't you?

6) I hate applying for a new passport. There's so much ___________ tape involved.

7) You can ask me to lend you money until you're ____________ in the face, but
my answer is still 'No'.

8) When Maria was attacked in the street, instead of running away she started
screaming _______________ murder until someone came to her help.

9) The best way to stay in the ____________ is to eat sensibly, take regular exercise,
drink in moderation and not smoke.

10) I think the new underground railway is a ___________ elephant. The city already
has a very efficient bus and tram system.

11) Everyone in my department is very happy because the project we've been
working on for six months has finally been given the ____________ light.

12) There were 200 people in a room designed for only 75. It was like the __________
Hole of Calcutta in there.

13) Your report is full of errors and spelling mistakes. I don't think you were using
your __________ matter when you wrote it.

14) You must hear the new album by the American rock group Papa Roach: it's
___________ - hot!

15) I had a real ___________ - letter day yesterday: my boss gave me a pay rise, I
won £60 on the lottery, and my boyfriend took me to my favourite restaurant for
dinner.

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2020 ENGLISH: VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR PRACTICE
IDIOMS (CONTINUATION) AND DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
16) Most of the people in my town are __________ - collar workers. There are very

few people working in factories.

17) The company has been doing badly for over two years, and now everyone agrees
that it's a financial __________ hole.

18) Nobody in the office likes him very much: he's always __________-nosing the
boss.

19) Your garden looks wonderful. What lovely, healthy plants. You must have
____________ fingers!

20) I hadn't heard from Jo for almost ten years, so when a letter from her came out
of the ____________ , I was naturally very surprised.

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DIRECT SPEECH
Direct speech is a record of the actual words spoken by someone to another.
For example:

 He asked me, “What are you doing here?”
 My sister told Miss Natra; her English teacher, “I’ve forgotten to do

my homework.”
 “I’ve forgotten to do my homework.” My sister told her teacher.

INDIRECT SPEECH
Indirect speech is a reported form of the actual words. Certain changes have to be made
when direct speech is changed into indirect speech. The quotation marks are removed and
the speaker becomes the subject of the sentence.
For instance:

Direct speech: The man asked his wife, “Why are you angry with me?”
Indirect speech: The man asked his wife why she was angry with him.

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2020 ENGLISH: VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR PRACTICE
IDIOMS (CONTINUATION) AND DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

A) Change in pronouns

Direct Indirect
I He, she
my His, hers
we They
ours theirs

B) Change in adverbs

Direct Indirect
Here There
This That
Those Those
Now Then
Today That day
Yesterday The day before/ the previous day
Tomorrow The day after/ the following day
Last night The night before/ the previous night
Next week The following week/ the week after

C) Change in tenses

Direct Indirect Direct Indirect
Is/ am Was are were
Do/ does Did can could
Shall Should may Might
Must Had to eat ate
See Saw saw Had seen
Came Had come Was singing Had been singing
Brought Had brought Has/ have Had

More examples:

Direct speech: He asked me “what are you doing here?”
Indirect speech: He asked me what I was doing there.

Direct speech: Timmy said, “I have finished the report.”
Indirect speech: Timmy said that he had finished the report.

Tips: In direct questions, the verb comes immediately after the WH-word.
In indirect questions the verb comes after the subject of the questions.

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2020 ENGLISH: VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR PRACTICE
IDIOMS (CONTINUATION) AND DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

EXERCISE

A) Change the following sentences into indirect speech.
1) I said to her, “I have something to show you.”

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2) She said, “Nothing grows in my garden.”

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3) He said to his mother, “I’m going away tomorrow.”

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4) It is not as rainy as yesterday.” my friend said.
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5) “We moved to our new house last week,” she said.
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6) They complained, “The lift doesn’t always work.”
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7) The man said, “I am leaving my job.”
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8) My friend said, “From your rom I can see KLCC.”
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9) Miss Natra said, “Our Earth is becoming polluted and our natural resources are depleting.”
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10) My Science teacher said, “Bring your projects tomorrow.”
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2020 ENGLISH: VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR PRACTICE
IDIOMS (CONTINUATION) AND DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH
B) Change the following sentences into direct speech.
1) My mother asked who left the banana skin on the table.
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2) She inquired if we had completed the forms.
________________________________________________________________________
3) The headmaster told Miss Cheah that her son was a good student in school.
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4) My brother advised me not to borrow money to buy those expensive shoes.
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5) The teacher wanted to know if her pupils understood her lesson.
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6) He said that he had found the money in the back seat of his taxi.
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7) She asked him what car he was driving.
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8) The mother asked her son if he was sorry for what he had done.
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9) He said that he had been promoted to manager of his company.
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10) The scientist claimed that he had found a cure for cancer.
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