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THE FLATMATES

Language point:
Idioms: head and heart

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BBC Learning English – The Flatmates

The Flatmates - Language point – Idioms: head and heart

You can see this language point online at:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode05/languagepoint.shtml

Idioms use language metaphorically rather than literally. 'She put her foot in her mouth'
means that she said something stupid and was embarrassed by it (the metaphorical
meaning) not that she ate her toes (the literal meaning).

Idioms are also fixed groups of words so you can't change the wording of an idiom. For
example, you can say 'They get on like a house on fire' to describe how much two
people like each other but you can't say 'They get on like a hospital on fire'.

Here are some idioms referring to the head and heart:

Idioms of the head:

Get your head out of the clouds.


Stop daydreaming. Concentrate on what you should be thinking about or working
on instead.

I laughed my head off at that film.


That film was very funny and it made me laugh a lot.

I don't know the answer off the top of my head.


I can't answer the question immediately. I don't have the answer memorised.

Don’t bite his head off for that tiny mistake.


Don't shout at him for making a small mistake.

We should put our heads together to solve this puzzle.


We should work together to find the answer.

I'm so happy! I'm head over heels in love with that woman!
I'm completely in love!

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Idioms of the heart:

Have a heart!
Be sympathetic. Think about other people's feelings, not just your own.

We had a real heart-to-heart and now she knows exactly how I feel about her.
We were completely honest with each other about our feelings.

He seems unfriendly at first but honestly his heart's in the right place.
Although he appears cool and distant, he is a good person.

I really adored my grandmother and when she died, it broke my heart.


I was very sad when my grandmother died.

Some students like to learn irregular verbs by heart.


They like to learn things by rote, by saying or writing them again and again.

He wears his heart on his sleeve, you always know exactly how he's feeling.
He doesn't hide his emotions. If he's angry he shows it. If he's happy, he shows it.

Vocabulary:
to only have eyes for someone:
to be interested only in that person and to ignore (or not notice) everyone else

Would you like to try an online quiz about this language point? Go to:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode05/quiz.shtml

Or you can download the quiz from:


http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode05/quiz.pdf

The Flatmates © BBC Learning English


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THE FLATMATES
Language point:
Illness
BBC Learning English – The Flatmates

The Flatmates - Language point – Illness

You can see this language point online at:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode06/languagepoint.shtml

When you're ill, you can describe your symptoms (changes in your body which show
that you're ill) in the following ways:

You can use have got + ache (when it forms part of a compound noun) with only
5 parts of the body:
I’ve got (a) backache
She’s got (a) stomach-ache
He’s got a headache
You’ve got (an) earache
He’s got (a) toothache

Note: All of these aches except headache are usually uncountable in British English so
you don't use a or an with them. In American English, all these aches are countable so
you use a or an with them.

You can use hurt/ache (verb) with any part of the body:
My leg hurts
Her ankle
His stomach aches
Everything
My toes hurt
His hands ache

You can use sore (adjective) with any part of the body:
I’ve got arm
She’ got a sore leg
He’s got toe
You've got head

You can use pain (noun) with any part of the body:
I feel my leg
She’s got a pain in her stomach
He has his toe

You can use be or feel + ill/sick/unwell (adjective) or feel + awful (adjective) to


talk about your health in general:
I feel ill
I'm sick
She’s unwell
He feels awful

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BBC Learning English – The Flatmates

Vocabulary:
Morning, campers! (informal greeting to more than one person):
Good morning!

My head's killing me (informal, idiom):


I've got a very bad headache

a hangover (n):
a headache from drinking a lot of alcohol

a fry-up (n, informal):


a meal made of fried foods (fried egg, mushrooms, bacon etc)

to burn the midnight oil (informal):


to study or work until late at night

Who's for...? (offer, informal):


Who wants...?

You're a pain in the neck (idiom):


You're very annoying

Would you like to try an online quiz about this language point? Go to:
http://bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode06/quiz.shtml

Or you can download the quiz from:


http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode06/quiz.pdf

The Flatmates © BBC Learning English


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