IDIOM CONNECTION

lesson 18

Newspaper and Book Idioms and a Book Review

Introduction

1. How often do you read a newspaper?

2. What newspaper do you read?

Reading

Every morning, I get the newspaper and look for interesting articles to read. This morning, I read a book review that talked about a very interesting book about exercise. In terms of being useful, the reviewer said that the book was the best that she had ever read. I wanted to buy the book. I headed for my favorite bookstore and asked the bookseller if he knew of the book. As far as he knew, the book was not in stock and probably was now out of print. I was surprised. I thought that a book review in a large newspaper would only include books that are currently in print. What is the point of reviewing a book if you cannot buy it easily.

Reading Questions

Answer the following questions. The answers can easily be found in the reading above.

1. What does this person look for in the newspaper?

2. In terms of being useful, did the reviewer say that the book was good?

3. Where did this person head for?

4. Did he ask the bookseller if he knew of the book?

5. As far as the bookseller knew, was the book in stock?

6. Was the book probably out of print?

7. Did he think that book reviews would only be for books that are now in print?

Making Connections and Idiom Meanings

Some of the idioms have another meaning or are connected to another meaning. Use this information to help you choose the correct meaning for each of the underlined idioms:

1. The little boy is looking for his homework.
a)   planning to do
b)   talking about
c)   searching for

2. The movie was very good in terms of dialogue.
a)   if you forget about the terrible dialogue
b)   with regard to dialogue
c)   except for the dialogue

3. The children usually head for the park when they finish school.
a)   avoid
b)   are late to go to
c)   go to

4. I know of a good camera shop near my house.
a)   used to know
b)   am aware of
c)   have never seen

5. As far as I know, the meeting will start at six.
a)   I have no idea if
b)   To the extent that I know,
c)   Absolutely,

6. Stock is the goods that a company has that are available for sale. Out of means that none of something remains. When you are out of sugar, then you have no sugar. What do you think that out of stock means? The opposite of out of stock is in stock. What does in stock mean in the following sentence?

The store has no more digital cameras in stock.
a)   available
b)   on sale for a cheap price
c)   that are new

7. Print is sometimes used for the printed material that comes from a printer. Out of means that none of something remains. The opposite of out of print is in print. What does in print mean? What does out of print mean in the following sentence?

The special edition of the magazine is out of print.
a)   being printed next month
b)   very cheap
c)   not available

8. The new book is now in print.
a)   selling many copies
b)   unavailable
c)   available for sale

Your score is: ___  out of 8


Match the Sentences

Choose the best answer for each sentence:

1. I spent the morning looking for my keys.
a)   My keys were lost.
b)   My keys were not lost.
b)   I always lose my keys.

2. In terms of food quality, the restaurant is very good.
a)   He basically likes the restaurant.
b)   He does not like the restaurant.
c)   He plans to go to the restaurant often.

3. We often head for a coffee shop after work.
a)   We often go to a coffee shop after work.
b)   We never go to a coffee shop after work.
c)   We will go to a coffee shop after work today.

4. I know of a very good bookstore near my house.
a)   I know a good bookstore that is near my house.
b)   I do not know of any bookstores near my house.
c)   Hopefully, they will open a bookstore near my house soon.

5. As far as money is concerned, we do not have enough for the project.
a)   The money issue is very important in this situation.
b)   Money is not important in this situation.
c)   We have not talked about money yet.

6. The new phone is now in stock.
a)   We can now buy the new phone.
b)   We cannot buy the new phone.
c)   Hopefully, the new phone will be in stock soon.

7. The book is now out of print.
a)  We will be able to find the book easily.
b)  It may be difficult to find the book.
c)  Hopefully, the book will be out of print soon.

8. The special edition of the magazine will be in print again soon.
a)  We will soon be able to buy the magazine.
b)  We will never be able to buy the magazine.
c)  They have not printed the magazine yet.

Your score is: ___  out of 8


Grammar Focus

Choose the word or expression that makes each of the following sentences correct:

1. I lost my wallet so now I am _________________ it.
a)   looking up
b)   looking at
c)   looking for

2. ______________ the amount of time that we have spent on the project, it is very expensive.
a)   In terms to
b)   In terms over
c)   In terms of

3. After dinner we decided to ________________ the movie theater.
a)   head over
b)   head in
c)   head for

4. _______________ many lakes near our town.
a)   I know to
b)   I know of
c)   I know for

5. ________________ my friend knows, there will be no meeting this evening.
a)   As far to
b)   As far for
c)   As far as

6. There are no televisions ______________ at the store.
a)   at stock
b)   in stock
c)   into stock

7. The old book is now ___________________.
a)  out of print
b)  out off print
c)  out in print

8. The new novel is now __________________.
a)  in print
b)  off print
c)  for print

Your score is: ___  out of 8




Discussion Questions

Answer the following questions using the idioms from this section:

1. Do you spend much time looking for things that you lose?

2. Have you ever had to look for a lost pet?

3. In terms of your language ability, do you think that you can travel in English speaking countries easily?

4. In terms of money, how much would you pay for a new pair of shoes?

5. Do you like to head for a coffee shop after you finish school or work?

6. Do you ever head for a beach when you have a holiday?

7. Do you know of any good restaurants near where you live?

8. Do you know of any good bookstores where you live?

9. As far as you know, do you have any major projects to finish soon?

10. As far as your plans for the weekend are concerned, what will you be doing?

11. Do you always find everything in stock when you go to a store?

12. Have you recently tried to buy something that was not in stock?

13. Do you know of any books that are now out of print?

14. Do you think that bestsellers often become out of print quickly?

15. Do you think that your favorite book is in print now?

16. Are most of the books in a university library still in print?

Role Play

Student A: You are looking for a book that was reviewed in the newspaper. You head for your favorite bookstore to buy the book. It is out of print. You begin to ask why it is not in print if someone recently wrote a review about it in the newspaper.

Student B: You work in a bookstore. You try to explain to the customer that sometimes books that are out of print are still reviewed in the newspaper.

lesson 18