雅思口语素材：常用idiom

　　Chapter 1

　　Intransitive Verbs with Particles

　　1. For three days the wind blew hard and strong, but on the fourth day it died down.

　　2. I thought John and Mary were happy, but they recently got a divorce ; how did it come about?

　　3. My old car has a very bad engine ; it will probably break down and need repairs.

　　4. If you want to get ahead in life, you have to work hard and save your money.

　　5. His poor clothes really stood out at the meeting because every one else was wearing a suit and tie.

　　6. Since you dont have a car or motorcycle , how do you get around?

　　7. Our plans for a trip to Europe fell through because we hadnt saved enough money for the plane tickets.

　　8. Please hold on; Id like to ask a question before you continue your lecture .

　　9. He told me all of his marriage problems, from beginning to end; he really opened up.

　　10. Because several students didnt understand the teachers ideas, many questions came up.

　　11. While I was talking, Tom broke in to tell me that he disagreed.

　　12. After I spent two hours trying to explain the different idea, John finally caught on.

　　13. While his friends were playing football, poor Joe, who had a broken leg, could only look on.

　　14. At first the students in my class were too noisy, but eventually they settled down to work.

　　15. Its already 10 oclock and Bill hasnt come yet; if he doesnt show up soon, our meeting will fall through.

　　1. To die down to become more quiet; to diminish , to subside

　　Usual subjects: feelings ; natural events ; sounds

　　My anger at him has died down since he apologized to me.

　　After the storm, the strong winds died down.

　　The loud music died down after the police came.

　　2. To come about to happen, to occur; to be caused

　　Usual subject: event ; situations

　　This idiom is most often used in a How-Question, when we want to know the cause of something

　　How did the automobile accident come about?

　　His success came about after he started working harder.

　　The argument came about because they were talking about politics.

　　3. To stand out to be noticeable . To be prominent ; to be clearly seen

　　Usual subjects: color, tone, figure, shape, people

　　With this subject, there is a contrast with something else.

　　A very tall man wearing a big hat stood out in the crowd of people.

　　The large black letters on this small white sign really stand out.

　　Joe is so intelligent that he stands out in class.

　　4. To break down to fail to function, to stop working properly

　　Usual subjects: machines ; vehicles

　　The travelers were delayed because the bus had broken down.

　　It would be very regrettable if the air conditioning broke down on a very hot day.

　　5. To fall through to fail to occur, not to happen

　　Usual subjects: plan, project, arrangement, agreement, contract

　　If your new contract agreement falls through, the workers in your company will go on strike .

　　The plan for a new park fell through because no citizen wanted higher taxes.

　　The project is so well planned that it couldnt possibly fall through.

　　6. To get ahead to make progress, to succeed

　　Usual subjects: people

　　Anyone can get ahead in life if he or she really tries hard.

　　Can a criminal get ahead by stealing money from a bank?

　　The dream of most politicians is to get ahead in national politics.

　　7. To get around to travel, to move about

　　Usual subject: living things ; information

　　Its difficult for a person with a broken leg to get around.

　　Everyone knows him well; he really gets around.

　　How did my secret get around to all my friends so quickly?

　　8. To hold on to wait, to pause

　　Usual subjects: people

　　This idiom is usually used in a polite command form. or in indirect speech. It is commonly used when asking someone to wait on the telephone.

　　Please hold on; Ill see if the doctor is in.

　　I asked him to hold on before he finally left.

　　Unusual: He held on before he left.

　　It is usually followed by a time expression such as a second, a minute.

　　Please hold on a second! Could you hold on a minute?

　　9. To open up to talk honestly and freely; to reveal a secret

　　Usual subject: people

　　This idiom basically means that one doesnt hide his true feelings.

　　Their marriage plans fell through because neither one of them could ever open up to the other.

　　In court, you are expected to open up about what you know.

　　10. To come up to arise

　　Usual subjects: a problem, question, issue

　　A serious problem came up after the project had been started.

　　Many questions came up about the quality of the project.

　　A political issue came up which embarrassed the candidate.

　　11. To break in to interrupt

　　Usual subjects: people

　　While I was explaining my point of view, he broke in to argue with me.

　　During the regular TV program, the newsman broke in to tell about the recent disaster.

　　When your teacher is speaking, you shouldnt break in.

　　12. To catch on to finally understand

　　Usual subject: people

　　This idiom means that someone had difficulty in understanding something, but finally was able to understand.

　　After two hours of trying to learn the new game, he caught on.

　　The lady in the back of the room repeated her question several times but I still couldnt catch on

　　13. To look on to watch, to observe, to be a spectator

　　Usual subjects: people

　　I looked on as they tried to fix the machine, which had broken down.

　　The shopkeeper could only look on as the armed robbers stole all of his money.

　　When people are playing sports, I dont enjoy looking on; I would rather play also!

　　14. To settle down 1) to become calm, quiet, or peaceful

　　2) to begin a normal, stable life

　　Usual subjects: living things

　　1 ---The children settled down when their teacher entered.

　　The barking dogs settled down after the loud truck passed by.

　　2 --- Many young people are now getting steady jobs, getting married, and settling down in their own homes.

　　Many people settle down in San Diego because of the fine weather.

　　15. To show up to arrive, to appear

　　Usual subjects: people

　　This idiom is often used when someone appears somewhere late.

　　He finally showed up an hour late.

　　I hope our teacher doesnt show up so that we can leave.