Common Idioms for IELTS Topic Illness and Death
It is essential to develop a better understanding of common idioms to score well in the IELTS examination. Idioms glorify the meaning of our thoughts and to achieve a better score one has to use uncommon vocabulary. This means using words that are used less but might not be a part of advanced English. This idiom is focused on the IELTS Reading section. Candidates will find different types of questions as they do in the IELTS reading section.
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Topic: Health and death idioms
We have given all the questions related to the topic idioms health and death, and have explained three answers from each genre of questions to help you understand how to attempt the questions.
Exercise 1:
Complete the sentences with the words in the box.
| death | health | life | wear | alive | end | kick | knock |
- He lay at ____________ ‘s door for months but made a miraculous recovery.
- After a year of illness I finally have a clean bill of ____________
- My father is still ____________ and kicking at 85.
- She told me that she wasn’t ready to____________ the bucket yet.
- The man involved in the accident is fighting for his ____________ in the local hospital.
- A minor infection can ____________ you for six if you don’t look after yourself.
- It’s been a heavy week and now I’m feeling a bit the worse for ____________
- She went through some bad times but never felt she wanted to ____________ it all.
1.
Answer : Death
Idiom used: At death’s door
Meaning: refers to someone so ill that he/she may die, to be very sick
Example: She is so old and lies at death’s door
Also,check:
2.
Answer : Health
Idiom used: A clean bill of health
Meaning: A line to state the complete healthy nature of an individual.
Example: The doctor has finally given her a clean bill of health
3.
Answer : Alive
Idiom used: Alive and kicking
Meaning: prevalent and very active
Example: My grandmother is 90 and still alive and kicking.
4.
Answer : Kick
Idiom used: Alive and kicking
Meaning: prevalent and very active
Example: My grandmother is 90 and still alive and kicking.
5.
Answer: Life
Idiom used: Fighting for your life
Meaning: If a person is fighting for his life it means he is very injured or ill and he can die.
Example: His condition is very grave. He is fighting for his life.
6.
Answer: Knock
Idiom used: knock you for six
Meaning: an infection can knock you for six means it can make you ill for a very long time.
Example: He caught the FLU which knocked him for six.
7.
Answer: Wear
Idiom used: Worse for wear
Meaning: tired or injured
Example: After the long journey he was worse for wear.
8.
Answer : End
Idiom used: end it all
Meaning: kill oneself
Example: Even though life crushed me hard not even for once I thought of ending it all.
Exercise 2
Re-order the phrases to make sentences. Add punctuation where necessary.
- the members of / were dropping like flies / the golf club / with food poisoning
- was delighted / the manager /a clean bill of health / to receive / for his team
- her music career / in spite of / is alive and kicking / her problems
- terribly / was a wake-up call / the heart attack / that scared him
- from stress and / was generally / she was suffering / under the weather
- to see / had become / that Bill / I was shocked / a shadow of his former self
1.
Answer: The members of the golf club were dropping like flies with food poisoning.
Idiom used: dropping like flies
Meaning: People falling ill or dying within a short period of time.
Example: The people were dropping like flies because of the intense heat.
2.
Answer: The manager was delighted to receive a clean bill of health for his team.
Idiom used: a clean bill of health
Meaning: completely fit and healthy
Example: The doctor did not give her a clean bill of health.
3.
Answer: In spite of her problems, her music career is alive and kicking.
Idiom used: alive and kicking
Meaning: prevalent and very active
Example: My grandmother is 90 and still alive and kicking.
4.
Answer: The heart attack was a wake-up call that scared him terribly.
Idiom used: wake up call
Meaning: Something that mashakes you realise to change
Example: This was a wake up call for the society to change.
5.
Answer: She was suffering from stress and was generally under the weather.
Idiom used: under the weather
Meaning: Feeling ill
Example: She won’t be able to come, she is feeling under the weather.
6.
Answer: I was shocked to see that Bill had become a shadow of his former self.
Idiom used: A shadow of his former self.
Meaning: Not as powerful as earlier
Example: She has become a shadow of her former self.
Exercise 3
Choose the best answer to complete the sentences.
- They all thought he would die but he’s still____________ .
a) alive and kicking
b) kicking the bucket
c) knocking himself for six
- The woman was 71, living on a small pension and she was nothing but____________
a) under the weather
b) skin and bones
c) alive and kicking
- For one brief moment he considered ____________ , but he knew everything would eventually get better.
a) ending it all
b) kicking the bucket
c) living and kicking
- I suffered from a virus that ____________
a) kicked my bucket
b) fought for my life
c) knocked me for six
- The illness has reduced him to ____________
a) a shadow of his former self
b) a clean bill of health
c) a wake-up call
- You might be ____________ but you should still turn up if you can.
a) fighting for your life
b) under the weather
c) alive and kicking
1.
Answer: alive and kicking
Idiom used: Alive and kicking
Meaning: prevalent and very active
Example: My grandmother is 90 and still alive and kicking.
2.
Answer: skin and bones
Idiom used: Skin and bones
Meaning: To be very thin
Example: She is nothing but skin and bones.
3.
Answer: ending it all
Idiom used: Ending it all
Meaning: to kill oneself
Example: He was so upset that he decided to end it.
4.
Answer: knocked me for six
Idiom used: knocked me for six
Meaning: an infection can knock you for six means it can make you ill for a very long time.
Example: He caught the FLU which knocked him for six.
5.
Answer: a shadow of his former self
Idiom used: a shadow of his former self
Meaning: Not as powerful as earlier
Example: She has become a shadow of her former self.
6.
Answer: under the weather
Idiom used: under the weather
Meaning: Feeling ill
Example: She won’t be able to come, she is feeling under the weather.
Exercise 4
Replace the underlined words with words and phrases in the box with the same meaning.
| it knocked him for a six | under the weather | wake-up call | fighting for his life | skin and bone |given a clean bill of health |
- After the accident, he was in the hospital, in a critical condition.
- I’ve been declared completely well by my doctor.
- Are you feeling alright? You look a bit unwell.
- Has she been ill? She’s so thin!
- Having that heart attack was a warning signal – he now takes his health much more seriously.
- The news really upset him – he hasn’t fully recovered from the shock vet.
1.
Answer: fighting for his life
Idiom used: Fighting for one's life
Meaning: Fighting hard to survive
Example: Her situation is critical, she is fighting for her life.
2.
Answer: given a clean bill of health
Idiom used: A clean bill of health
Meaning: A line to state the complete healthy nature of an individual.
Example: The doctor has finally given her a clean bill of health
3.
Answer: under the weather
Idiom used: Under the weather
Meaning: Feeling ill
Example: She won’t be able to come, she is feeling under the weather.
4.
Answer: skin and bone
Idiom used: skin and bone
Meaning: To be very thin
Example: She is nothing but skin and bones.
5.
Answer: wake up call
Idiom used: wake up call
Meaning: Something that makes you realise to change
Example: This was a wake up call for the society to change.
6.
Answer: knock you for six
Idiom used: knock you for six
Meaning: an infection can knock you for six means it can make you ill for a very long time.
Example: He caught the FLU which knocked him for six.
Exercise 5
Correct the idioms in these sentences.
1 The old folk around here have been fighting like flies recently.
2 He really changed after his wife’s death. He’s a shade of his former self.
3 I’ll have to take the day off work – I’m a bit worse for health today.
4 Apparently she was really ill – at death’s knock, in fact – but she’s fine now.
5 You’ll be pleased to know that all the newborn puppies are alive and living!
6 Two people were killed in the accident, and one is still fighting for his health.
1.
Answer: dropping like flies
Idiom used: Drop like flies
Meaning: Dying in a large number
Example: Due to the pandemic, people are dropping like flies.
2.
Answer: shadow of his former self
Idiom used: A shadow of his former self.
Meaning: Not as powerful as earlier
Example: She has become a shadow of her former self.
3.
Answer: worse for wear
Idiom used: The worse for wear
Meaning: In bad condition due to prolonged situation.
Example: After being sick for a few months, she is not the worse for wear.
4.
Answer: at death’s door
Idiom used: at death’s door
Meaning: seriously ill and likely to die.
Example: Whenever he had a bad cold he acted as though he was at the death’s door.
5.
Answer: alive and kicking
Idiom used: alive and kicking
Meaning: prevalent and very active
Example: My grandmother is 90 and still alive and kicking.
6.
Answer: fighting for his life
Idiom used: fighting for his life
Meaning: Fighting hard to survive
Example: Her situation is critical, she is fighting for her life.
Exercise 6
Arrange the idioms in pairs to complete the table.
a shadow of your former self | alive and kicking | under the weather | skin and bone/s | be fighting for your life | end it all | the worse for wear | a clean bill of heath | at death’s door | kick the bucket
| being well | 1__________________ 2__________________ |
| being unwell | 1__________________ 2__________________ |
| being thin | 1__________________ 2__________________ |
| almost dying | 1__________________ 2__________________ |
| dying | 1__________________ 2__________________ |
1.
Answer :
- alive and kicking
- a clean bill of health
2.
Answer:
- under the weather
- the worse for wear
3.
Answer:
- a shadow of your former self
- skin and bone/s
4.
Answer:
- be fighting for your life
- at death’s door
5.
Answer :
- end it all
- kick the bucket
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