Common Idioms for IELTS Word Keep One’s Nose To The Grindstone

Idioms and phrases for IELTS are practiced very often by native speakers very unknowingly to express themselves. Common idioms for IELTS speaking add color to your conversation and help you to read between the lines. Candidates must learn to master idiomatic vocabulary as it will considerably improve your academic written English and hence it will increase your IELTS band score. The IELTS speaking section can be well prepared with the help of different kinds of idioms.

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Topic: Common Idioms for IELTS Word Keep One’s Nose To The Grindstone

Origin: The first recorded use of this idiom is in 1532 by John Frith's A Mirror or Glass to know thyself: "This Text holdeth their noses so hard to the grindstone, that it clean disfigure their faces." The idiom has appeared in editions on many dates since the 16th century.

Meaning: to work hard, to continuously work very hard

Example:

  1. My sister keeps her nose to the grindstone only a few times a month when she's especially inspired to write.
  2. This is the first time that he did not have to keep his nose to the grindstone because he only had term papers and no exams.

Exercise:

Choose the suitable idiom to complete the sentence below.

  1. ” I’ve only got six weeks before my exams start so I’m trying to ___________________________.“
  1. keep my nose to the grindstone
  2. any port in a storm
  3. crack the book
  4. a hard nut to crack

Answer: A

Explanation: The idiom means keep nose to the grindstone refers to paying strict attention to the work so you can achieve your desired results. In the above sentence, the speaker mentions that he/she has only got six weeks to prepare for the exams so he/she must start working hard for it. This is why the idiom is used here and it perfectly describes the situation.

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  1. Describe the time you had to work or study very hard. Try to use this idiom in your speech.

You should say:

– When it happened

– How hard you had to work or study

– Why you had to do that

And explain how did you feel about this moment

Answer: When I was preparing for the college entrance exam I had to keep my nose to the grindstone for six months. The college I wanted to get was my dream since childhood and it has a remarkably high cut-off. If I would not have kept my nose to the grindstone I would have failed terribly.

I used to study for 18 hours a day, I stopped going out with my friends and focused only on my exam preparation. As it was a childhood dream I always knew that I had to work hard to get into my dream college. I felt extremely accomplished when I saw the results.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

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