Common Idioms for Communications IELTS Reading
Common Idioms for Communications IELTS Reading is the Reading topic. There are many idioms used in English daily, whether in a business context, in media, or in social conversations between friends. In order to answer IELTS writing and reading sections, the candidates must learn different types of idioms. A variety of IELTS idioms falls under the category of ‘Help’ and ‘Encouragement’. These idioms are focused on the IELTS Reading section. Candidates will find different types of questions as they do in the IELTS reading section. In order to score good marks, use of common IELTS idioms can be undertaken by the candidates.
Topic: Communications
Exercise 1
Match phrases 1-8 with A-H to make idioms from this unit.
|
A. the bag |
- Go off at
Answer: a tangent
Explanation: Talking about something that is just tangentially relevant to the main issue is referred to as going off topic.
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- Get your wires
Answer: crossed
Explanation: Crossing wires refers to failing to communicate effectively.
- to be
Answer: at cross purposes
Explanation: to pursue objectives distinct from one another
- Keep someone
Answer: posted
Explanation: to inform someone with new information regarding something
- spill the
Answer: beans
Explanation:to unintentionally divulge sensitive information
- touch
Answer: base
Explanation: to connect with someone in a fresh way
- let the cat
Answer: out of the bag
Explanation: accidentally revealing a secret
- put someone
Answer: in the picture
Explanation: to help someone grasp something by providing the necessary details
Exercise 2:
Complete the sentences with the words in the box. Some of the sentences have more than one answer.
- Keep me ____________ the loop, will you?
Answer: in
Explanation:To keep someone informed is to keep them in the loop.
- I wish she wouldn’t keep going off ____________ a tangent.
Answer: at/on
Explanation: Going off topic refers to saying things that are only distantly related to the main subject.
- We heard a rumour ____________ the grapevine.
Answer: on
Explanation:To hear some gossip from an unofficial source is to hear a rumor on the grapevine.
- Let me put you ____________ the picture.
Answer: in
Explanation: giving someone the necessary information will help them understand something.
- I heard all this straight _____ the horse’s mouth.
Answer: from
Explanation: it refers to receiving information from a dependable source.
- I think they were arguing ____________ cross purposes there.
Answer: at
Explanation: To argue for opposing viewpoints is to argue at cross-purposes.
- She promised me she wouldn’t let the cat____________ of the bag.
Answer: out
Explanation: To let the cat out of the bag is to divulge a secret
- She really came ____________ of her shell when the singing started.
Answer: out
Explanation: To overcome shyness or open up more to others is to "come out of the shell."
Exercise 3:
Re-order the phrases to make sentences. Add punctuation where necessary.
- true / it must be / here in black and white / because it’s
Answer: It must be true because it’s here in black and white.
Explanation: Something is true and certain if it is black and white.
- as you develop/keep me / the idea / in the loop
Answer: Keep me in the loop as you develop the Idea.
Explanation: to routinely update someone on something
- every week to / touch base / we meet/have lunch and
Answer: We meet every week to have lunch and touch base
Explanation:To touch base is to establish a new connection or reconnect with a former acquaintance.
- was moving / that the discussion /off on a tangent / I thought
Answer: I thought that the discussion was moving off on a tangent.
Explanation:Going off-topic is referred to as going off-tangent.
- she was doing / she asked him / on how / to keep her posted
Answer: She asked him to keep her posted on how she was doing.
Explanation: keeping posted refers to being informed about something
- paid / the office cleaner to / the newspaper reporter / spill the beans
Answer: The newspaper reporter paid the office cleaner to spill the beans.
Explanation: revealing sensitive facts equates to coming clean
- the issue of / find common ground on / they managed to / rates of pay
Answer: They managed to find common ground on the issue of rates of pay.
Explanation: To come to a mutual understanding is to discover common ground.
- going away / the family agreed that / would bring him out of his shell / to university
Answer: The family agreed that going away to university would bring him out of his shell.
Explanation: to emerge from one's shell is to reveal one's true personality.
Exercise 4:
Make sentences 1 -6 less formal. Replace the underlined words with the correct idioms A-F.
- I haven’t heard any news yet, but I’ll inform you.
Answer: keep you posted
Explanation: To update someone about something is to "keep them posted."
- It was meant to be a surprise, but someone gave the secret away.
Answer: let the cats out of the bag
Explanation: to divulge sensitive information
- I heard a rumor that Penny and Alan are getting married.
Answer: heard on the grapevine
Explanation: To learn something from someone else requires doing just that. Additionally, it might be a sign of overheard speech or information from unnamed sources.
- It must be true. I heard it from a reliable source.
Answer: heard it straight from the horse’s mouth
Explanation: To hear something from someone with firsthand knowledge of it is to use this idiom.
- Let’s meet up next week just to make contact again.
Answer: touch base
Explanation: This expression frequently refers to briefly getting in touch with or reconnecting with someone in professional settings.
- They support different teams but they agreed with each other when someone mentioned the off-side rule.
Answer: found common ground
Explanation: Finding consensus is getting people to agree on something, especially while they disagree on other issues.
Exercise 5:
Match idioms 1-6 with situations A-F.
- Jo and Dee learned that Bud was being fired when Baz told them what he’d heard from Amit.
Answer: heard it straight from the horse’s mouth
Explanation: to receive information from a reliable source
- First, the professor was talking about dinosaurs, then somehow it was the price of oranges!
Answer: to go off at a tangent
Explanation: To veer off subject is to do so.
- This diamond was found by a workman on a building site. He told me about it himself.
Answer: heard on the grapevine
Explanation: to learn a rumor or rumor from a dubious source
- I think we should tell Lee that the time of the meeting has been changed.
Answer: heard it straight from the horse’s mouth
Explanation: To hear something from a trustworthy source
- I thought we were going to the cinema and he thought I was cooking him dinner!
Answer: o throw someone for a loop
Explanation: It implies to mislead someone or mislead oneself.
- Nobody knew about the baby until Suzi mentioned maternity leave.
Answer: kept them posted
Explanation: to inform someone about a certain issue
Exercise 6
Complete the table. Put the idioms in the correct groups.
- keep someone in the picture
- go off at/on a tangent
- hear something on the grapevine
- keep someone posted
- let the cat out of the bag
- get your wires crossed
- in the loop
- touch base
- from the horse’s mouth
- at cross purposes
- spill the beans
- in black and white
| communicating badly | 1 _________________________________ 2 _________________________________ 3 _________________________________ |
| maintaining communication | 1 _________________________________ 2 _________________________________ 3 _________________________________ 4 _________________________________ |
| revealing a secret | 1 _________________________________ 2 _________________________________ |
| trusting information | 1 _________________________________ 2 _________________________________ 3 _________________________________ |
Answer:
| Communicating badly | go off at/on a tangent get your wires crossed at cross purposes |
| Maintaining communication | keep someone in the picture keep someone posted in the loop touch base |
| revealing a secret | let the cat out of the bag spill the beans |
| Trusting information | hear something on the grapevine from the horse’s mouth in black and white |
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