Vocabulary in Context
C1 Lesson 3: Idioms & Figurative Language
Goal:
Decode complex idiomatic expressions by analyzing the context and subtext, rather than translating literally.
1. Advanced Idioms
Elephant in the room
An obvious problem that no one wants to discuss.
Walk on eggshells
To be extremely careful not to offend or upset someone.
Bite the bullet
To force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult.
Read between the lines
To find the hidden meaning in what someone says or writes.
2. The Iceberg Model [Image of an iceberg]
With C1 Reading, what you see is rarely what you get. You must look below the surface.
"We need to address the elephant in the room."
(LITERAL WORDS)
---------- SURFACE (CONTEXT) ----------
Real Meaning:
"We must talk about the big problem everyone is ignoring."
"We must talk about the big problem everyone is ignoring."
3. Context: The Office Memo
Team,
I know everyone has been burning the candle at both ends to meet the Q4 deadline. However, looking at the budget, I think we might be barking up the wrong tree with the current marketing strategy.
It's time to bite the bullet and restructure the campaign before we lose more resources. I don't want us to throw in the towel, but we need a smarter approach.
Let's discuss.
I know everyone has been burning the candle at both ends to meet the Q4 deadline. However, looking at the budget, I think we might be barking up the wrong tree with the current marketing strategy.
It's time to bite the bullet and restructure the campaign before we lose more resources. I don't want us to throw in the towel, but we need a smarter approach.
Let's discuss.
4. Understanding Nuance
1. The Director says the team is "burning the candle at both ends." What does this imply?
2. If they are "barking up the wrong tree," what is the problem?
3. Does the Director want to "throw in the towel"?
