Get Cold Feet | An Eye-Opener | A Gut Feeling | A Breath of Fresh Air

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

get cold feet

Phrase

ɡet koʊld fit

to become nervous or frightened before a planned activity

I always get cold feet before presentations.

I really want to try bungee jumping, but I'm worried that I'll get cold feet.

eye-opener

Phrase

aɪ ˈoʊpənər

a situation or event that gives a person a new understanding of something

This documentary was an eye-opener for me.

Traveling to foreign countries can be a real eye-opener.

a gut feeling

Phrase

ə gʌt ˈfilɪŋ

an instinctive feeling; a feeling of being certain about something, without knowing why

I have a gut feeling that I shouldn’t go there.

My gut feeling told me that this man was the murderer.

a breath of fresh air

Phrase

ə brɛθ ə frɛʃ ɛr

something new and different, in a pleasant way

The fish tank was a breath of fresh air in the office.

Mark is so positive and active – he’s like a breath of fresh air when he visits.

go all out

Phrase

goʊ ɔl aʊt

to put all of your money, energy, effort, etc. into something

I went all out this Christmas: I decorated every corner, window, and wall of the house.

We need to go all out if we want to win this match.

Exercise 2

Dialogue Practice

Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.

Nathan	Zach! That was a nice speech. Good job!
Zach	Thanks!
Nathan	It was a real eye-opener for me, actually. I was not even aware of all the environmental issues that you talked about.
Zach	I’m glad you liked it. I went all out, I prepared for this for weeks.
Nathan	You seemed so confident up there!
Zach	Really? I got cold feet before going on stage.
Nathan	I couldn’t tell at all.
Zach	I did have a gut feeling that it would go well, though. And it did!
Nathan	You know, some of the ideas you presented are quite different from what we usually hear about this topic. It’s a breath of fresh air, actually. You should write a book. I’m sure it would be popular.
Zach	Thanks. I’ll think about it!

Exercise 3

Article

Read the passage aloud with your teacher.

I was getting tired of the city life, so I planned a trip to a small village on the coast. My friends couldn’t join me, so I decided to go alone.

I got cold feet before getting on the plane because I realized that I would be living completely alone for an entire week.

When I arrived, I went all out and rented a tiny old house 10 minutes away from the beach. It was a breath of fresh air compared to my cramped apartment in the city.

The holiday was great. It was an eye-opener for me. I realized how much I needed some peace and quiet.

Ever since that holiday, I’ve had a gut feeling that, when I retire, I will go back to that village and live there until the end of my days.

Exercise 4

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct idioms to complete the dialogue.

Hannah and Lauren are discussing a book.
Hannah	Did you like the book?
Lauren	Yes, I did. It was (1), actually. It made me see many things from a different perspective.
Hannah	I know, it had the same effect on me.
Lauren	From the first page, I had (2) that I would like the book.
Hannah	So, who was your favorite character?
Lauren	Hmm... I think Charlotte brought (3) to the plot. I liked her a lot.
Hannah	I liked Charlotte too. But Zephyr was my favorite.
Lauren	What was your favorite part?
Hannah	The wedding, probably. I was so anxious when Zephyr (4) just before going to the altar!
Lauren	You said that it’s the first book in the trilogy?
Hannah	Yes. I’m planning on (5) and buying all of them.
Lauren	Lend them to me, when you do!