Idioms, Proverbs, & Expressions:
Here is a quiz with idioms, proverbs, and expressions featuring precious metals. Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences. The answers are at the bottom of the post!
Precious metals: gold, silver, copper, platinum
1/ She said at the meeting that there is no _______________ bullet for the thorny problem.
2/ The _______________-bottomed business plan is sure to succeed! (British, informal)
3/ Some claim that every cloud has a _______________ lining. In other words, you can always find a ray of hope, even in the worst situations.
4/ Salt-N-Pepa was the first female rap group to go _______________.
5/ All that glitters is not _______________.
Grammar:
The future perfect tense is used to explain when some activity will be completed by a certain time in the future. To form it, you combine WILL + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE of the verb.
Oh, let's just go! The rain will have stopped by the time we get to the park. (= The rain will stop before we get to the park.)
I imagine the party will have ended before midnight. (= I imagine the party will end by midnight.)
Practice the future perfect by completing these sentences. The answers are at the end of this post!
Here are the verbs: -- spend -- run -- write -- read -- reach --
1/ Laura ____________________ the entire book cover to cover within two days.
2/ Before you know it, Teddy ____________________ three marathons.
3/ If our business is profitable this year, then we ____________________ our goal.
4/ They're confident they ____________________ the first draft of the report by Friday.
5/ By the time we arrive in California, we ____________________ three weeks on the road.
Do you want more practice? Here is a future perfect exercise at Perfect English Grammar.
Enrich your vocabulary | TOEFL words: nettle (verb)
If you read the entry at Merriam-Webster you'll discover that this verb, which means to vex or aggravate, comes from the name of a plant that irritates your skin if you come into contact with it.
Questions about alternative facts and relative truths have been nettling me for decades.
---Errol Morris, Time, 22 May 2018
What nettles you?
The Britannica Dictionary: 100 Essential Words for the TOEFL
Answers to precious metals idioms, proverbs, and expressions quiz:
1/ She said at the meeting that there is no silver bullet for the thorny problem.
2/ Their copper-bottomed business plan is sure to succeed! (British, informal)
3/ Some claim that every cloud has a silver lining. In other words, you can always find a ray of hope, even in the worst situations.
4/ Salt-N-Pepa was the first female rap group to go platinum.
5/ All that glitters is not gold.
Answers to the future perfect exercises:
1/ Laura will have read the entire book cover to cover within two days.
2/ Before you know it, Teddy will have run three marathons.
3/ If our business is profitable this year, then we will have reached our goal.
4/ They're confident they will have written the first draft of the report by Friday.
5/ By the time we arrive in California, we will have spent three weeks on the road.