CBSE Class 8 English Idiomatic Phrases Concepts and Exercise

Introduction:

Idioms are words, phrases or expressions which are commonly used in everyday conversation. They are a type of informal English that have a meaning different from the meaning of the words in the expression.

They are often metaphorical and make the language more colorful. People use them to express something more vividly and often more briefly.

They serve as an image or mental picture. 

Fill in the blanks with appropriate idiom given in the box below.

birds of a feather flock together, chicken feed, let the cat out of the bag, crocodile tears, dead as a dodo, (as) sly as a fox, bat out of hell, take to something like a duck to water, bee in one's bonnet, kill two birds with one stone

1. If you pick the groceries up when you drop George off for his shift, you will ____________________________.
2. Who ______________________________ about the surprise party?
3. He grabbed the envelope and ran like ___________________________.
4. She's got ____________________________ about moving to New York.
5. They get on well. No wonder ___________________________.
6. I got a job during the holidays but the pay was _____________________.
7. Sujata pretended to be sad but we all knew it were __________.
8. The floppy disk is an invention that is now (as) _____________________.
9. When Sophie first tried skiing, she took to it like a ___________________.
10. Be wary of that insurance salesman. He's as ______________________.

Make sentences of your own of the following idiomatic phrases.

1. Eager beaver
2.  dark horse
3. Chickens come home to roost
4. Lion’s share
5. Look a gift horse in the mouth
6. Donkey's years
7. A cock and bull story
8. To take the bull by the horns
9. Put the cart before the horse
10. Raining cats and dogs

IDIOMATIC PHRASES

Fill in the blanks with the idioms given to make meaningful sentences:

1. Do not believe in her ____________________________________ story.
2. When the burglars heard the police car siren they ran like _____________________.
3. When the child told her grandmother about the plans for her birthday, she __________. It was supposed to be a secret!
4. Both the boys are interested in sports and are always seen together. It is rightly said_________________!
5. 5.By studying on the train on the way home, Claire ________.
6. When the argument turned into a fight, the bar owner __________ and called the police.
7. The new accountant works all the time - first to arrive and last to leave. He's a real _____________!
8. She's got ________________about moving to New York.
9. We'll have to cancel the picnic I'm afraid - it's __________.
10. 10 . It is a high profile job but the salary ____________.
11. As tenants the couple were noisy and disorderly. Now they can't find a place to rent. The ___________!
12. Caroline pretended to be upset but we all knew her tears were ________________ .
13. Rahul has entered the talent show but he is rather ______________________ and we don’t know how he is likely to perform.
14. The radiogram is an invention that is now _______________________________.
15. The __________________________of the property went to the eldest son.
16. You shouldn’t complain about the job which your uncle found for you in his factory, jobs are scarce and you shouldn’t __________.
17. Radhika bought a pair of shoes and now she is planning to buy a matching dress, isn’t that ________.
18. He knows the town inside out. He's been living here for ____________________.
19. When the babies were in the swimming pool they ___________________________.
20. Everybody is a part of the _________________ in this office.

Match the idioms to their meanings:

A.

B.