Reading: Reading for Inference & Implied Meaning
B2 Lesson 3: Understanding Figurative Language (Idioms & Metaphors)
Listen to the lesson examples here.
Before You Read 🧠
Key Vocabulary (Click 🔊)
Let's learn these important words for today's lesson.
What is Figurative Language?
Figurative language is language that "paints a picture." It uses words in a non-literal way to make a story more interesting, funny, or powerful. Compare these two examples:
LITERAL (Boring) 😴
"I am very busy."
FIGURATIVE (Vivid!) ✨
"I am snowed under with work."
Both mean the same thing, but the figurative example paints a much stronger picture of *how* busy the person is. Your B2 goal is to understand this hidden picture.
Your Toolkit: Idioms vs. Metaphors 🛠️
These are fixed phrases. You cannot change the words, and the meaning is often impossible to guess from the words alone.
- "Break a leg!" (Means: Good luck!)
- "Bite the bullet" (Means: Do something difficult you've been avoiding)
- "On the ball" (Means: Alert, smart, and quick to react)
These compare two different things by saying one thing *is* the other. You must infer the shared quality.
- "He is a snake." (He = Snake. Shared quality: dangerous, dishonest)
- "She is a shining star." (She = Star. Shared quality: bright, successful, talented)
- "The city is a jungle." (City = Jungle. Shared quality: wild, chaotic, competitive)
Reading Practice Story
Read the dialogue below. The figurative phrases are in bold. Can you guess their meaning from the context?
A: "How's the new project, Bopha?"
B: "Honestly? I'm completely snowed under. My new boss is a real snake."
A: "Oh no! What did he do?"
B: "He told me to bite the bullet and finish the report all weekend, but then he told the CEO *he* did all the work!"
A: "That's terrible! You're usually so on the ball with everything."
B: "I know. It's a real jungle in that department. I think it's time to look for a new job."
Practice What You Learned 🎯
Quiz: What's the Implied Meaning?
Based on the story, choose the best meaning for each phrase. Click "Check Answers" when you're done.
1. When Bopha says she is "snowed under," she means:
2. When Bopha says her boss is a "snake," she means he is:
3. When Bopha says the department is a "jungle," she means it is:
Key Vocabulary Reference (Click 🔊)
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To be snowed under
(Idiom) To have so much work that you have problems dealing with it.
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A snake
(Metaphor) A deceitful, treacherous, or untrustworthy person.
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To bite the bullet
(Idiom) To decide to do something difficult or unpleasant that you have been avoiding.
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To be on the ball
(Idiom) To be alert, quick to understand, and quick to react to new things.
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A jungle
(Metaphor) A situation that is chaotic, competitive, and "every man for himself."
Your Reading Mission ⭐
Find the Figurative Language
- This week, find an English news article, song, or movie.
- Listen or read carefully until you find one idiom or metaphor that you don't know.
- Try to guess its meaning from the context (the situation).
- Write down the sentence and what you think it means.
Example: "I heard from the grapevine that he got the promotion."
My Guess: "Grapevine" probably means "through rumors or informal gossip," not from an official announcement.