Advanced English Conversations (2) - Robert Allans, Matt Edie, A. Mustafaoglu 2020

Set 53 - Why are you sweating it out?

Joe: Poor Sarah. When she saw the damage the floods had done to her house, she just burst into tears.

Emilie: Actually; she is in no position to cope with such troubles unless she dips into her savings.

Joe: So heartbreaking to see her losing all her hard-earned money. If you know her address, jot it down on this note. I have a network of contacts who can pass this issue on to the governor.

Emilie: Well; why don’t you help me bring my maternity leave forward as long as you can reach the governor?

Joe: Oh! Not again! Why are you sweating it out? It’s only a matter of weeks and you get the regular approval. I mean it isn’t worth putting people out for the sake of such a minor issue.

Emilie: Minor issue! Huh! I shouldn’t have asked you in the first place! Anyway; I’ll take matters into my own hands and go to the governor myself.

Joe: Go for it!

Vocabulary:

burst into laughter/tears: to suddenly begin to laugh/cry.

cope with: to deal successfully with a difficult situation.

dips into: to spend part of a supply of money that you have been keeping or saving.

heartbreaking: (adjective) causing overwhelming distress; very upsetting.

hard-earned: (adjective) having taken a great deal of effort to earn or acquire.

jot down: to write something quickly on a piece of paper so that you remember it.

network of contacts: a group of people or organizations in different places who work together and share information.

pass on: to give, transmit, transfer, or deliver something.

bring forward: to reschedule something to an earlier date or time.

sweat it out: to endure or await something that makes one feel nervous, anxious, or distressed.

put someone out: to upset, irritate, or inconvenience someone.

in the first place: initially; originally; at the outset.

take matters into ones own hands: to do something yourself, because you are tired of waiting for somebody else to do it.

Exercise;

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate phrases or words;

1. People feel they are being cheated out of their .......... cash.

2. I had to .......... my savings to pay for the repairs.

3. The police were doing nothing about finding my car, so I decided to and .......... look for it myself.

4. We need to .......... this meeting..................................... .......... at least two hours to accommodate the CEO's schedule.

5. Psst! I heard Jenny and Mike are getting back together, .......... it ..........!

6. Why didn't you tell me .......... that you've decided to leave?

7. We don't want to .......... anybody .........., but it's necessary for us to evolve our service as we go along.

8. He also has a .......... who give him help when he needs it.

9. They said they would call me today to let me know if I got the job, so I've been .......... since I woke up.

10. It must be really hard to .......... three young children and a job.

11. It is .......... (for him) that he cannot see his children.

12. I carry a notebook so that I can .......... any ideas.

13. Unwilling to lose his filberts, and yet unable to withdraw his hand, he .......... and bitterly lamented his disappointment.

1. hard-earned 2. dip into 3. take matters into my own hands 4. bring/forward 5. pass/on 6. in the first place 7. put/out 8. network of contacts 9. sweating it out 10. cope with 11. heartbreaking 12. jot down 13. burst into tears