To do smb a good turn

ИДИОМАТИКА В АНГЛИЙСКОЙ РЕЧИ

Idioms in Speech

Пособие для студентов

педагогических институтов

(Отсканировал, распознал и откорректировал: Аркадий Куракин, г. Николаев, 2002)

М.: Просвещение, 1964

(1) to do smb a favour,

to do smb a good turn

them too and that you're just dying to do them a favour. It's sort of funny, in a way. (J. Salinger)

2. This is for a friend who's done me a good turn. (1. Mur­doch)

3. "1 came to do you a good turn," she said. (J. Wain)

(2) so far (as yet) — up to now, all the while up to now

1. Hm! May I ask what you have said so far? (B. Shaw)

2. Thirty years ago five doctors gave me six months to live, and I've seen three of them out so far. (D. Cusack)

3. So far you are right. (W. S. Maugham)

(3) to take a fancy to (for) somebody (to take a liking to somebody, to take to somebody) — to become fond of, to like (often followed by immediately)

1. 1 met this young man in the train Just now, and I've taken a fancy to him already.

2. Mr. Short himself had taken a liking to George. (G.Gordon)

3. He had a warm, cheerful air which made me take to him at once. (A. Cronin)

(4) to be all for — strongly in favour of, to want it to be so, definitely to want something

1. Mother, I'm all for Hubert sending his version to the papers. (J. Galsworthy)

2. "I'm ready to welcome what you call half the truth — the facts." — "So am I. I'm all for it." (J. Priestley)

3. Anthony was all for the open fields and his friends, Steve on the other hand took little notice of other children. (G. Gordon)

(5) as a matter of fact — in fact, in reality; to be exact, really

1. "Haven't you finished?" — "As a matter of fact, we haven't begun." (A. Cronin)

2. "Do you happen to have any cigarettes, by any chance?" — "No, 1 don't, as a matter of fact." (J. Salinger)

3. I've been meaning to have a word with you as a matter of fact. (Gr. Greene)

(6) not to care two pins about (not to care a hang, fig, hoot, etc.) — to care nothing

1. I don't care two pins if you think me plain or not. (W. S. Maugham)

2. Caroline does not care a hang for woods at any time of the year. (A, Christie)

3.... a laugh you couldn't trust, but a laugh which made you laugh back and agree that in a crazy world like this all sorts of things didn't matter a hang. (Or. Greene)

(7) to put up with — to bear, to endure, to tolerate

1. If only he could be happy again she could put up with it. (J. Galsworthy)

2. She's my sister. We put up with each other. (I. Murdoch)

3. I want to know how long this state of things between us is to last? I have put up with it long enough. (J. Galsworthy)

(8) as good as — practically, almost, nearly

1. You'll be as good as new in six months or dead in twelve. (D. Cusack)

2. You see, I'm an only child. And so are you — of your mother. Isn't it a bore? There's so much Expected of one. By the time they've done expecting, one's as good as dead. (J. Galsworthy)

(9) to slip (out of) one's mind (memory) — to forget

1. Perhaps you really have a friend called Merde and it slipped your mind. (J.Wain)

2.... that the main purpose of my visit had slipped from his failing memory. (A. Cronin)

(10) all along — from the very first, from the very begin­ning (it implies 'over a period of time' or 'during that period')

1. Miss Boland is the daughter of a close friend. Thus, all along, he regarded her as his own responsibility. (A. Cronin)

2. Savina realized now that all along she had felt a secret superiority to Edna. (M. Wilson)

3. That's what I suppose I intended doing all along. (M, Wilson)

Exercises

I. Translate into Russian:

1. Serious or not I'm all for the truth coming out. (J. Priestley)

2. Mum and Dad were so old-fashioned, so conventional that if he took a girl home, they would consider her visit as good as shouting an engagement from the house-tops. (D. Cusack)

N. A bit weak still, I think a few days will put her right.⁴ But you should have seen her husband on the day when we took Tanya home. He made such a fuss ⁵ about buying flowers and presents and things!

L. I remember now you said he was a good man at heart, ⁶ though at first your mother used to say she was afraid that Tanya would find herself in a predicament ⁷ if she let herself in for ⁸ a marriage entailing so much loneliness.

N. It was because he was always so busy at that time, he had a lot to do with his project. But now this work on his machine is as good as done and he is compara­tively free.

L. As far as I know, Tanya loves him very much. She is all for helping him in everything, isn't she?

N. She is, to be sure. Oh, Lily, it's ten to twelve. I'm sorry to have kept you so long, but I couldn't help it, you know.

L. No need to apologize, Nina. I'd love to see you to­morrow. When can you come, or shall I drop in at your place?

N. Come any time you like, dear. I'll be at home all day.

L. See you tomorrow, then. Good night.

N. Good night.

VOCABULARY NOTES

(1) out of the blue (out of a clear sky) — a sudden surprise, something quite unexpected

1. A life, they say, may be considered as a point of light which suddenly appears from nowhere, out of the blue. (R. Aldington)

2. We were sitting at the supper-table on Carey's last day, when, out of the blue, she spoke. "How would you like to live in London, Jane?" (J. Walsh)

3. "Well, there's one happily married couple, any way," I used to say, "so congenial, and with that nice apartment, and all. And then, right out of a clear sky, they go and separate." (D. Parker)

(2) the fat is in the fire — a step has been taken, some­ thing done, which commits to further action, or will produce excitements, indignation etc.

1. He rose. "Well, the fat's in the fire. If you persist in your willfulness, you'll have yourself to blame." (J. Galsworthy)

2. Then the fat was in the fire! Dear Mamma took up the tale. (R. Aldington)

3. "Yes," murmured Sir Lawrence, watching her, "the fat is in the fire,'' as old Forsyte would have said. (J. Galsworthy)

(3) in the long run — eventually; before all is over; finally; after many changes of fortune, successes and failures

1. He filled a pipe and tried his best to feel that, after all, in the long run Dinny would be happier unmarried to him. (J. Gals­ worthy)

2. "Naturally 1 don't approve of them," said Emery, still uncertain whether he felt more annoyed or pleased at Clayton's insistence that in the long run they were both good fellows more or less on the same side. (J. Lindsay)

3. Hospital meant charring as far as work went but in its social atmosphere it meant something more interesting, more romantic, and, in the long run, more respectable. (J. Wain)

Note: In the long run means 'over a period of time' or 'at the end of a long period of time'. In the end means 'something less vague'. It is a more particular point of time.

In the long run it will not matter to us whether we stay at Brighton or Hastings. They are both seaside towns so 1 cannot understand why my parents are making such a fuss about the choice.

But: In the end we decided to stay at Brighton because my mother said there was more to do there if it rained. I must tell him about it in the end.

(4) to put (set) somebody (something) right — to restore to order, to a good condition; to correct something, or some­ body's ideas

1. This is Dr. Bulcastle. He's going to see what can be done to put you right again. (J. Wain)

2. I was thinking about our awful misunderstanding and wonder­ ing how on earth I could put it right. (A. Cronin)

3. He got a small model made and tried it out one afternoon, but it wasn't a success. He was a stubborn boy and he wasn't going to be beaten. Something was wrong, and it was up to him to put it right. (W. S. Maugham)

(5) to make a fuss about (over) — to complain or be angry about unimportant things

1. "Don't make such a fuss, Mother," he whispered, on the plat­form, after she had kissed him. "I've only been away a short time." (G. Gordon)

2. "Fella, darling," he said, "just don't make a fuss. If there's one thing I cannot stand it's women making a fuss." (I. Murdoch)

3. But nobody's going to make a _fuss about lifting a pair of boots from one of the toffs. (K. Prichard)

(6) at heart — in one's heart; in one's heart of hearts; in one's secret heart; in one's inmost self

1. "The trouble with you, Bill," said Nan, "is that for all your noisy Labour Party views you're a snob at heart." (I. Murdoch)

2. He went home, uneasy and sore at heart, for this concerned two people of whom he was very fond, and he could see no issue that was not full of suffering to both. (J. Galsworthy)

3. Short of the most convincing proofs he must still refuse to believe for he did not wish to punish himself. And all the time at heart — he did believe. (J. Galsworthy)

(7) to be in a predicament — to be in a dangerous, awkward or unpleasant situation

1. I felt a sharp anger against him for the predicament in which he had placed me. (A. Cronin)

2.... he had not realized, what circumstances were soon to teach him, that his predicament was not one that could be improved by thinking. (J. Wain)

3. To them he narrated Veronica's predicament and they imme­diately offered to adopt the child as soon as it was born — or say a month after. (A. Coppard)

(8) to let oneself in for — to be persuaded to do something

1. I let myself in for several hours' boredom every day, Dixon. A couple more won't break my back. (K. Amis)

2. Oh, God, Christine, you don't want to come to that, you'll be bored stiff. How have you let yourself in for it. (A. Christie)

Exercises

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