Objective Proficiency p 41. Lucky Thirteen! Extra Gapped Sentences Ex 2

Get into a team.
Get a piece of paper.
Think of a name for your team and put it at the top.
Draw thirteen squares big enough to write a number and a word inside each.

Write a number, from 1-13, in the top left-hand corner of each square
Next to each number write the answers to the following questions:
 
1. 
a. We had a brief _________, but it’s over now.
b. They'll ____________ you into prison without batting an eyelid 
c. Don't ____________ insults at your colleagues. It won't help.






KEY
1. fling
a. fling (with somebody) a short sexual relationship with somebody
b. fling somebody/something + adv./prep. to throw somebody/something somewhere with force, especially because you are angry.

not bat an eyelid

(informal) to show no surprise, embarrassment or concern when something unusual happens. E.g. She didn't bat an eyelid when I told her my news. She fell down and grazed her knees, but she didn't bat an eyelid.
c. fling something (at somebody) | + speech to say something to somebody in an aggressive way. E.g. They were flinging insults at each other.



2. 
a. I felt ____________ because they obviously wanted to be alone.
b. Don't ask _________________ questions.
c. He tried to dance, but he was too clumsy and _____________. 





KEY
2.  awkward /ˈɔːkwəd/
a. making you feel embarrassed. E.g. There was an awkward silence.
b. difficult to deal with. E.g.  You've put me in an awkward position. an awkward customer (= a person who is difficult to deal with). Please don't be awkward about letting him come. It makes things awkward for everyone when you behave like that.
c. not moving in an easy way; not comfortable. E.g. Luther's awkward movements impeded his progress. I must have slept in an awkward position—I'm aching all over. Make sure the baby isn't sleeping in an awkward position.



3.
a. The UN has demanded that all troops _____________ withdrawn.
b. If he doesn't want to be involved, then so _____________ it.
c. I know that he has tried hard; ____________ that as it may, his work is just not good enough. 
 





KEY
3. be
a.  be used as the subjunctive with verbs like: insist, ask, suggest, recommend, advise... More information on the subjunctive here.
b. so be it (formal) used to show that you accept something and will not try to change it or cannot change it. E.g. If there are legitimate areas of disagreement, so be it - let the best ideas prevail. If you’ve really decided to quit the music business, then so be it.
c. be that as it may (formal) despite that. E.g. Be that as it may, I still think Mr Livingstone is the best man for the job. Anyway, be that as it may, I thought he was the most talented man on Earth. But be that as it may, that's not the important issue.



4.
a. Use sunscreen because the sun __________ our faces.
b. Your organisation's strength will greatly affect how well your company ______________ the storm.
c.First thing in the morning and in all __________ he goes for a swim.





KEY
4. weathers
a. to change, or make something change, colour or shape because of the effect of the sun, rain or wind. E.g. This brick weathers to a warm pinkish-brown colour. Wind and sun had weathered his face. Her face was weathered by the sun.
b. weather something to come safely through a difficult period or experience. E.g. The company just managed to weather the recession. She refuses to resign, intending to weather the storm (= wait until the situation improves again).
c. in all weathers: in all kinds of weather, good and bad. E.g.  She goes out jogging in all weathers. 



5. 
a. We had to ___________ on the rope holding the anchor to get it on board.
b. She saw him ____________ a sigh of relief 
c. Just the thought of eating trotters makes me _____________. 





KEY
5. heave
a. to lift, pull or throw somebody/something very heavy with one great effort. E.g. heave something/somebody/yourself + adv./prep. I managed to heave the trunk down the stairs. They heaved the body overboard. He heaved himself out of his armchair. + adv./prep. We all heaved on the rope. Heave away lads!  
b.  heave a sigh, etc. to make a sound slowly and often with effort. E.g. We all heaved a sigh of relief. She heaved a long sigh.
c. to experience the tight feeling in your stomach that you get before you vomit. E.g. The thought of it makes me heave. His stomach heaved.

trotter: a pig’s foot, especially when cooked and eaten as food 



6.  
a. I just think he ought to get a _____________ on himself - he's behaving like a child. 
b. The country is currently in the ____________ of the worst recession in 20 years. 
c.  This is the first book I've read in ages that has managed to __________ me from start to finish





KEY
6. grip 
a.

get/take a grip (on yourself)

to improve your behaviour or control your emotions after being afraid, upset or angry.  I have to take a grip on myself, he told himself firmly. (informal) Get a grip! (= make an effort to control your emotions).  
b.

in the grip of something

experiencing something unpleasant that cannot be stopped. E.g. The country was in the grip of an economic crisis.The forest is still in the grip of winter. a country in the grip of recession. 
c. 
grip somebody to interest or excite somebody; to hold somebody’s attention. E.g. The book grips you from start to finish. I was totally gripped by the story.



7. 
a. My bedroom looks like a _________ right now in between moving houses. 
b. In the US you do not __________ ushers unless they do something extravagant for you. 
c. Have you ever been to the lighthouse located in the northern ___________ of the island?




KEY
7. tip
a. a place where you can take rubbish/garbage and leave it. Sp. vertedero. E.g. He took all the garden waste to the tip. Sp. Él llevó toda la basura del jardín al vertedero. 
b. to give somebody an extra amount of money to thank them for something they have done for you as part of their job. E.g. Americans were always welcome because they tended to tip heavily. tip somebody Did you remember to tip the waiter? tip somebody something She tipped the porter a dollar. 
usher: a person who shows people where to sit in a church, public hall, etc. 
c. the thin pointed end of something. E.g. the tips of your fingers. the tip of your nose. She is at the far tip of the pier. Sp. Ella está en la punta del muelle. 
be on the tip of your tongue ​If something that you want to say is on the tip of your tongue, you think you know it and that you will be able to remember it very soon. E.g. Her name is on the tip of my tongue. 



8.
a. My children never want to ____________ me in on what they do in school. 
b. I was __________ stay at my friend's house for a whole weekend.
c. There isn't enough room for us, ______________ alone any guests.





KEY
8. let


a. let somebody in on something | let somebody into something (informal) to allow somebody to share a secret. E.g. Are you going to let them in on your plans? If you promise not to tell, I’ll let you in on a secret. They were planning something, but they wouldn’t let me in on it.

c.

let alone

used after a statement to emphasize that because the first thing is not true or possible, the next thing cannot be true or possible either. Sp. y mucho menos. Por no hablar de. E.g. There isn't enough room for us, let alone any guests. I didn’t have any clothes, let alone a passport. I hardly have time to think these days, let alone relax. Brian would never even read a newspaper, let alone a book.



9.
a. Hers was a classic tale of ___________ to riches.
b. The beggar was dressed in ___________ 
c. I keep these __________ for cleaning the car.




KEY
9.
rags
a.

(from) rags to riches

from being extremely poor to being very rich. E.g. a rags-to-riches story. Almost overnight, she went from rags to riches. 
b.

in rags

wearing very old torn clothes. E.g. The children were dressed in rags. Their clothes were in rags (= torn).
c. rag: a piece of old, often torn, cloth used especially for cleaning things. E.g. I wiped the window with a damp rag. Use a piece of old rag.



10. 
a. A little luck wouldn't _________ amiss right now!
b. He's decided to leave the band and _________ it alone as a singer.
c. I hope the conference will __________ off without a hitch.





KEY
10. go
a. 

not come/go amiss

(British English) to be useful or pleasant in a particular situation. Sp. ser bienvenido. E.g. A little luck wouldn't go amiss right now! A cup of tea wouldn't go amiss. A word of apology might not go amiss. A sense of proportion would not go amiss in all of this.

b.

go it alone

to do something without help from anyone. E.g. Andrew decided to go it alone and start his own business. More women are going it alone in business. They lack the knowledge and confidence to go it alone.
c.
go (off) without a hitch ​to happen successfully without any problems. E.g. To the bride's relief, the wedding ceremony went off without a hitch. Everything went off without a hitch. We hoped the job would go off without a hitch.

go off: to happen in a particular way. E.g. The meeting went off well. The whole conference went off just as we had planned.

If you have ten correct answers say: "I'm feeling lucky!"

11. 
a. I'd rather have eaten a ________ doughnut than a chocolate one. It was too sickly sweet.
b.  _________ is used by the media to describe people who do not have much money to live on.
c. There's a paper ______________ in the photocopier.





KEY
11. jam 
b. JAM (in the UK) used by the media to describe people who do not have much money to live on (the abbreviation for just about managing). E.g. JAMs may be in work, but are struggling to pay for essentials such as food, heating or rent.
c. a situation in which a machine does not work because something is stuck in one position. E.g. There's a paper jam in the photocopier. She fed the documents into the machine making sure that there were no paper jams.

If you have eleven correct answers say: "I'm whistling"


12.
a.  I _________ great exception to the fact that you told my wife before you told me.
b. I must __________ issue with you on the question of footballers’ pay. 
c. I think you’ll get the job — they seemed to _________ quite a shine to you. 





KEY
12. take 
a.

take exception to something

to object strongly to something; to be angry about something. E.g. No one could possibly take exception to his comments. 
b.

take issue with somebody (about/on/over something)

(formal) to start disagreeing or arguing with somebody about something. E.g. I must take issue with you on that point. 
c.

take a shine to somebody/something

(informal) to begin to like somebody very much as soon as you see or meet them. E.g. He seems to have taken a shine to you. It seems the boss has taken a shine to you, kid. You should start seeing some more work headed your way! I think Jennifer has taken a shine to my friend Tommy, so I'm going to try to set them up on a date! Seems to me you've taken quite a shine to Miss Richmond. I think he's taken a shine to your sister.

If you have twelve correct answers say: "I'm standing" and remain standing for the last question.


13. 
a. She is held in very _________ regard by her colleagues.
b. We had __________ hopes for the business.
c. This issue has had a ________ profile in recent months.





KEY
13. high
a
high: (usually before noun) showing a lot of approval or respect for somebody She is held in very high regard by her colleagues. You seem to have a high opinion of yourself!
b 
high: greater or better than normal in quantity or quality, size or degree. E.g. a high temperature/speed/price. a high rate of inflation. Demand is high at this time of year. a high level of pollution. a high standard of craftsmanship. high-quality goods. a high risk of injury. A high degree of accuracy is needed. The tree blew over in the high winds. We had high hopes for the business (= we believed it would be successful). A high proportion of our staff are female. The cost in terms of human life was high. 
c

a high/low profile

the amount of attention somebody/something has from the public. E.g. This issue has had a high profile in recent months. I advised her to keep a low profile for the next few days (= not to attract attention). high-profile politicians. He resigned from a high-profile job as economic adviser to the president. There is a growing number of women in high-profile positions in the government. Some very high-profile British players have transferred to clubs abroad. The club has signed several high-profile players over the summer. He was involved in a high-profile court case last year. The product is being promoted through a high-profile advertising campaign.


Who got the greatest number of correct answers?
Did anybody get the thirteen correct words?