Lesson 24

Knock out... knock oneself out.... carry out…. run into…. set out… set out to….
draw up…. give and take…. drop out of…. believe in…. cheer up….. make sense
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To knock out: to make unconscious (S), to impress or attract greatly (S)
This idiom can be made into the noun form knockout for both definitions.
Ø The prizefighter knocked out his opponent with one punch in the first five seconds of the first round. It was the fastest knockout in boxing history.
Ø Linda’s beautiful appearance and slender figure really knock me out. Isn’t she a real knockout tonight?
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To knock oneself out: to work very hard (sometimes too hard) to do something.
A reflexive pronoun must divide the idiom.
Ø She really knocked herself out trying to pass that difficult class.
Ø Don’t knock yourself out during practice. Save your strength for the competition later.
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To carry out: to accomplish, to execute (S) (also: to go through with)
Ø It’s easy to write down a plan for losing weight, but much harder to carry it out.
Ø Charles promised to go through with his plan to enroll in graduate school and get an advanced degree.
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To run into: to meet someone unexpectedly, to crash or collide into (also: to bump into)
Ø It was a shock to run into an old friend from high school recently.
Ø The drunk driver was slightly injured when he ran into a telephone pole.
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To set out: to start traveling toward a place (also: to set off, to head out), to arrange or display neatly (also: to lay out) (S)
Ø We set out for the top of the mountain at down. Unfortunately, as we set off, it started to snow heavily, so we decided to head out again later.
Ø The children tried to set out the dishes on the table, but their dad had to help to lay the dishes out properly.
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To set out to: to intend to, to act purposefully to
Ø We set out to paint the house in one day, but quickly realized that it would be impossible to do so.
Ø Janet set out to compete for the large scholarship grant by writing a good essay.
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To draw up: to create by drawing, such as a map (S), to prepare documents or legal papers (S)
Ø Max asked me to draw up a map to the party so that he wouldn’t get lost.
Ø Our lawyer agreed to draw the contract up as soon as possible.
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Give and take: compromise, cooperation between people
Ø Give and take is an important element of a successful marriage.
Ø Most business negotiations involve give and take between the parties involved.
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To drop out of: to stop attending, to withdraw from
This idiom can be made into the noun form dropout.
Ø Some students drop out of secondary school early in order to get jobs. However, such dropouts often regret their decision later in life.
Ø Two more baseball teams have dropped out of the youth league due to a lack of players.
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To believe in: to accept as true, have faith in
Ø Some people believe in being honest in all human affairs, while others accept the need to lie in order to get one’s way.
Ø Throughout the history of man, some cultures have believed in one god while others have believed in the existence of many gods.
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To cheer up: to make happier, to feel less sad (S)
Ø We all tried to cheer up the little boy when he started to cry.
Ø After the death of Deanne’s husband, it was difficult to cheer up at all.
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To make sense: to be sensible or reasonable
Ø It makes sense to wait until a sunny day to visit the park together.
Ø That Jimmy ran away from home suddenly doesn’t make sense to any of us.
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E X E R C I S E S
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Choose the appropriate idiomatic expression to substitute for the italicized word or words in each sentence below. Idioms from previous lessons are indicated by number.
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1. Alberto has faith in his own ability to succeed in his new business enterprise.
a. is in charge of (lesson 9)
b. carries out
c. believes in
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2. Cooperation is important in all relationships between people, especially those
who must live and work together closely.
a. Making sense
b. Seeing eye to eye
c. Give and take
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3. Cynthia intended to finish her term paper in one day, but actually it took her
three day.
a. went through with
b. set out to
c. knocked herself out to
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4. The bicyclist collided with a wall and was scraped up badly.
a. ran into
b. run out of (lesson 18)
c. put up with (lesson 19)
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5. The student apologized to his teacher for submitting the essay late.
a. handling in (lesson 21)
b. dropping out of
c. carrying out
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6. In order to avoid the early morning rush hour traffic, we started traveling before
dawn.
a. laid out
b. set out
c. went out (lesson 8)
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7. My friends tried to make me feel happier when I learned that I couldn’t graduate
because I had to take one class over.
a. to make me sense
b. to cheer me up
c. to change my mind (lesson 5)
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8. It isn’t reasonable to ruin one’s health by drinking alcohol and smoking
cigarettes.
a. doesn’t make a difference (lesson 3)
b. doesn’t make up your mind (lesson 5)
c. doesn’t make sense
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9. Peter raised an important issue regarding the next soccer tournament at the
club meeting.
a. put up (lesson 19)
b. brought up (lesson 20)
c. drew up
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10. Stacy worked very hard to prepare a nice meal for her family at their reunion.
a. set out
b. carried out
c. knocked herself out
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Answer these questions orally by making use of the idiomatic expressions studied in this lesson.
1. Have you ever been knocked out? What happened?
2. Have you ever knocked yourself out to accomplish something? What was it?
3. When you set goals for yourself, do you usually carry them out?
4. When was the last time that you ran into someone from your past?
5. Why should a store be careful in how it sets out its product displays?
6. Have you drawn up a will? Why is it important to do so?
7. Why might an athlete drop out of a sporting event? Has this ever happened to you?
8. Do you believe in capitalism as an economic system?
9. If someone has just lost a job, what could you do or say to cheer him or her up?
10. For some people, it makes sense to spend most of the extra income they make. Would this be true for you? Why or why not?