Academic idioms Study academic idioms for speaking and writing

These quizzes focus on academic idioms for speaking and writing. There are 4 quizzes in total. Before you begin the quizzes, you might want to study meaning and other information about the idioms used in the quizzes. See below (after Exercise 4) for details.



Learning Outcomes

By completing these quizzes, you will:

  • recognise different academic English idioms;
  • understand the meaning(s) of some common idioms for spoken and written academic English.


Exercise 1

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Exercise 2

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Exercise 3

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Exercise 4

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Language Notes

a step back

noun

action that will be harmful or make things worse




across the board

adv

including or applying to all




along the lines of

adv

in a similar way or of a similar type




at the back of one's mind

adv

in the part of one's mind where memories are kept but not usually thought about




balance of power

noun

an equilibrium of power between nations




bear in mind

verb

think of something, especially as a warning




beg the question

verb

1. to cause someone to ask a particular question.
2. to talk about something as if it were true, even though it may not be




bridge the gap

verb

to connect two things or make the difference between them smaller




cast one's mind back

verb

to try to remember something that has happened




come into play

verb

begin to be used or begin to have an effect




down the line

adv

in the future




driving force

noun

someone or something that makes something happen




early days

noun

an early period of development




from scratch

adv

from the beginning




full circle

adv

returning to the original place, source, or state after a cycle of developments (esp. in the phrase to come full circle)




get a handle on

verb

to have an understanding of something




go hand in hand with

adv

closely related to or happening at the same time




go without saying

v

to be so obvious that it does not need explanation




golden age

noun

1. a time period when some activity or skill was at its peak.
2. any period (sometimes imaginary) of great peace and prosperity and happiness.
3. (classical mythology) the first and best age of the world, a time of ideal happiness, prosperity, and innocence; by extension, any flourishing and outstanding period




have the upper hand

verb

to have a position of advantage and control




in its own right

adv

because of its own special qualities




in the hands of

adv

controlled or owned by someone




in (the) light of

adv

in view of, because of, considering




in the long run

adv

after a very lengthy period of time




keep an eye on

verb

follow with the eyes or the mind




last resort

noun

the only choice that remains after all others hand been tried




on the face of it

adv

from appearances alone




on the other hand

adv

(contrastive) from another point of view




on the right track

adv

doing something in a way that is likely to lead to success




on the spot

adv

1. without delay or immediately.
2. in a difficult situation.
3. at the place in question; there




out of one's hands

adv

not in one's control




rule of thumb

noun

a rule or principle that provides guidance to appropriate behavior




sit on the fence

verb

to be unwilling or unable to make a decision




state of the art

noun

the highest degree of development of an art or technique at a particular time




take for granted

verb

take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof




take on board

verb

to understand or accept or deal with an idea




the big picture

noun

the whole story or idea




the bottom line

noun

the main or essential point




the high point

noun

the best or most enjoyable part of a given experience




trial and error

noun

experimenting until a solution is found




Definitions taken from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. THIS SOFTWARE AND DATABASE IS PROVIDED 'AS IS' AND PRINCETON UNIVERSITY MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. BY WAY OF EXAMPLE, BUT NOT LIMITATION, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT- ABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR THAT THE USE OF THE LICENSED SOFTWARE, DATABASE OR DOCUMENTATION WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY THIRD PARTY PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS, TRADEMARKS OR OTHER RIGHTS.

Pronunciation of words is adapted from The Carnegie Mellon University Pronouncing Dictionary.




Sheldon Smith

Author: Sheldon Smith    ‖    Last modified: 03 November 2022.

Sheldon Smith is the founder and editor of EAPFoundation.com. He has been teaching English for Academic Purposes since 2004. Find out more about him in the about section and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.



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