Quote:
Originally Posted by tangelatm  Thank you, Mike! 
But what about the following (my list of questions was way too long and you seem to have skipped some points)
Are the following idioms:
1. He took a long walk later that night. ( to take a walk?)
2. Is ” to come to a conclusion” an idiom? My sentence reads: “They came to the conclusion that they already had a telephone network.”
What infinitive forms should I bracket in the following examples, given that my student are not familiar with the passive voice and the sentences below appear in some jokes (I insist on practising tenses – here, the past tense- in “friendlier” contexts, and jokes have proved to be an appealing alternative – my kids simply love them!)
3. The sidewalk was sheeted with ice. ( to be sheeted or to be?)
4. The doctor was completely overwhelmed with embarrassment. ( to be overwhelmed or to be?)
5. Willie was astounded ( to be astounded or to be ?)
What does “as it is” mean in:
6. As it is, he naturally takes us for old friends. (“the way things stand’?)
7. I was down to my last nickel. (what exactly does it mean – I haven’t found it in any dictionary…)
Thank you for your invaluable assistance,
Angela |
1. not an idiom
2. not an idiom
3. I've never seen "sheeted" used in that way. Try "covered".
4. If you want a passive infinitive, it must be "to be overwhelmed".
5. As written, I would call "astounded" an adjective. If the sentence had an agent, I would call it passive voice - Willie was astounded by the numbers.
6. Yes.
7. It means that his funds had decreased to one nickel (5 cents).