Joy English
Joy English

C2 Vocabulario

C2Modismos25 min

Modismos figurados y expresiones fijas

Figurative idioms and fixed expressions

Usa doce expresiones figuradas muy gráficas, desde red herrings hasta the tip of the iceberg, con la forma correcta y en la ocasión adecuada.

Los modismos dan color y economía al inglés avanzado, pero son fijos: no puedes cambiar una palabra sin perder el efecto. Muchos son metáforas que condensan toda una situación en pocas palabras. Aprende el marco gramatical de cada uno (¿es un sintagma nominal o un sintagma verbal que necesita un pronombre o un posesivo?) además de su significado.

a red herringsintagma nominal
una pista o un dato que distrae la atención del verdadero problemaThe anonymous letter proved to be a red herring.
the elephant in the roomsintagma nominal
un problema evidente e incómodo que todos evitan comentarFalling sales were the elephant in the room at the meeting.
grasp the nettlesintagma verbal
afrontar con valentía un problema difícil en lugar de evitarloWe must grasp the nettle and renegotiate the contract.
a mixed blessingsintagma nominal
algo que tiene efectos buenos y malosFame proved a mixed blessing for the young violinist.
run out of steamsintagma verbal
perder energía o entusiasmo antes de terminar algoThe campaign ran out of steam after the first month.
cut cornerssintagma verbal
hacer algo de forma más barata o más rápida, normalmente a costa de la calidadThe builders cut corners and the roof leaked within a year.
a damp squibsintagma nominal
un acontecimiento mucho menos impresionante o emocionante de lo que la gente esperabaAfter months of publicity, the festival turned out to be a damp squib.
a storm in a teacupsintagma nominal
gran alboroto por algo sin importanciaThe argument over the parking space was a storm in a teacup.
rest on your laurelssintagma verbal
relajarse y dejar de esforzarse debido a los éxitos pasadosHaving won twice, the team refused to rest on its laurels.
leave no stone unturnedsintagma verbal
buscar o intentar todo lo posible para encontrar o conseguir algoThe inspector promised to leave no stone unturned.
the tip of the icebergsintagma nominal
la pequeña parte visible de un problema mucho mayorThose three complaints are only the tip of the iceberg.
read between the linessintagma verbal
entender un significado oculto o no expresadoIf you read between the lines, the letter is a warning.

Ejercicio 1 de 2

¿Qué modismo encaja?

Elige el modismo que mejor completa cada frase.

  1. The detective realised the muddy footprints were _____, laid to lead the search away from the real culprit.

  2. Everyone knew the company was losing money, but nobody dared mention it; it was _____ at every meeting.

  3. Working from home has been _____: I save two hours a day, but I miss my colleagues.

  4. The complaint about the late bus turned out to be _____; by lunchtime everyone had forgotten it.

  5. The three errors we found are only _____; the audit will probably reveal hundreds more.

  6. Do not _____ just because last year's sales were a record; the market is changing fast.

  7. Halfway through the long essay, Aiko began to _____ and could barely finish the paragraph.

  8. The contractor was accused of trying to _____ by using cheaper materials than those specified.

0 de 8 respondidas

Ejercicio 2 de 2

Completa el modismo

Completa cada modismo con una palabra de esta lista: nettle, squib, stone, lines, steam, corners, laurels, teacup. Usa cada palabra una sola vez.

  1. After weeks of excited publicity, the grand reopening was a damp : hardly anyone came.

  2. The inspector promised to leave no unturned in her search for the cause of the leak.

  3. The sender was clearly angry, though you had to read between the to see it.

  4. Having put off the difficult conversation for months, she finally decided to grasp the .

  5. I would never cut on safety checks, however tight the deadline.

  6. The campaign started brightly, but after six weeks it began to run out of .

  7. The row over who should wash up was a storm in a ; they had forgotten it by morning.

  8. The former champion was warned not to rest on her .

0 de 8 respondidas

Fuente

Lección original de Joy English.

Los niveles son orientativos. ¿Has encontrado un error? Cuéntanoslo en la página de Contacto.