Phrases & Idioms Worksheet - Class 10 English Grammar Basic PDF Download

Q1: Use the following idioms in sentences of your own:
(i) Off and on
(ii) In the air
(iii) To come to light
(iv) Call it a day
(v) In a nutshell

Ans:
(i) Off and on - Our principal visits different classrooms off and on to check the students' progress.
(ii) In the air - Suspicion of corruption is in the air all over the country.
(iii) To come to light - Many strange facts came to light during the course of the enquiry.
(iv) Call it a day - It is very late now; we should call it a day and continue tomorrow.
(v) In a nutshell - He explained the plan to me in a nutshell, so I understood it quickly.

Q2: II. Match the idioms in column A with their meanings in column B:

Ans:

Q3: Each sentence given below contains an idiom/phrase. From the given alternatives, choose the one that best expresses the meaning of this idiom/phrase.
(i) He has the gift of the gab.
​(a) He is gifted
(b) He is a chatterbox
(c) He is a good conversationalist

Ans: (c)

Explanation: "The gift of the gab" means an ability to speak fluently and persuasively. This makes someone a good conversationalist rather than merely being talkative without skill, so option (c) is correct.

(ii) Parental property has become a bone of contention between the siblings.
​(a) unifying factor
(b) cause of quarrel
(c) cause of rivalry

Ans: (b)

Explanation: A "bone of contention" is something that causes disagreement or quarrel. Here, parental property is the cause of quarrel between siblings, so (b) is the best choice.

(iii) Once in a blue moon, we meet each other.
(a) Frequently
(b) Sometimes
(c) Very seldom indeed

Ans: (c)

Explanation: "Once in a blue moon" means very rarely or very seldom. Therefore, option (c) correctly captures the meaning.

(iv) He has been jobless for several months, and it is his wife who keeps the pot boiling.
(a) Keeps the fire burning
(b) Avoids starvation
(c) Keeps firing
(d) Gets angry

Ans: (a)

Explanation: "Keeps the pot boiling" means to keep the household running or to provide for the family. Option (a), which parallels "keeps the fire burning," best conveys this sense of maintaining daily life or income.

(v) In the end he had to eat the humble pie.
(a) apologize humbly
(b) defend himself vigorously
(c) adopt an aggressive attitude

Ans: (a)

Explanation: "To eat humble pie" means to admit one's mistake and apologise humbly. Thus option (a) is correct.

Q4: Directions: In each of the following questions, an idiomatic expression/a proverb has been given, followed by some alternatives. Choose the one which best expresses the meaning of the given idiom proverb.
(i) To be up and doing
(a) To recover from illness
(b) To be actively engaged
(c) To progress satisfactorily
(d) To be expressive and explicit

Ans: (b)

Explanation: "To be up and doing" means to be active and busy; therefore, option (b) correctly expresses the idea of being actively engaged.

(ii) To stop talking and start to take somebody for a ride. (M.B.A. 1990)

(a) To provide entertainment
(b) To keep the company
(c) To deceive or humiliate him
(d) To exploit a person cool one's heels

Ans: (c)

Explanation: "To take somebody for a ride" means to deceive or cheat them. Option (c) accurately captures this meaning; option (d) is a mixed or incorrect phrase here and does not match the idiom's sense.

(iii) To rest for sometime
(a) To give no importance to someone
(b) To remain in a comfortable position

(c) To be kept waiting for sometime

Ans: (c)

Explanation: The sense given by the options indicates "to cool one's heels," which means to be kept waiting for some time. Hence (c) is correct.

(iv) By the rule of thumb

(a) the use of force
(b) By the use of trickery
(c) By cheating and deception
(d) By practical experience which is rather rough

Ans: (d)

Explanation: "By the rule of thumb" refers to a practical method based on experience and rough approximation rather than a precise rule, so option (d) best explains the phrase.

(v) A fool's errand

(a) A blunder
(b) An impossible task
(c) A useless undertaking
(d) None of these

Ans: (c)

Explanation: A "fool's errand" is a task that is pointless or unlikely to succeed, that is, a useless undertaking. Therefore option (c) is correct.