A few weeks ago we looked at some common business word partnerships with ‘leave’, ‘bring’ and ‘hold’. This month we are going to look at some common idioms with these verbs. Let’s begin with ‘leave’ and ‘bring.’
Task 1: Study the language banks and example sentences.
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leave
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s/o in the lurch
me cold
a lot to be desired
s/th well alone
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abandon someone when they really need you
doesn’t have the emotional effect on me it is supposed to
doesn’t live up to expectations
don’t get involved in something
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bring
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out the best in s/o
s/th to bear on
s/o to book
s/th into line with
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make someone use the best qualities they have to solve a problem
apply arguments or influence to a situation in order to effect it
give someone an official warning
make sure something meets the standards
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Task 2: Underline the idioms in the sentences to see how they work.
I used to have my own business, but then my business partner took all our profits and left me in the lurch.
The boss’s speeches, which are supposed to inspire us to work harder, always leave me cold.
Yes, I agree. They leave a lot to be desired. They are very boring.
My two department heads are fighting over the project again. I think it’s best to leave them well alone.
High pressure and an approaching deadline always brings out the best in me. I work better in those conditions.
The negotiations only started to go well when he brought his influence with the government to bear on the other side.
If she doesn’t improve her working habits, I think we’ll have to bring her to book.
We need to bring our operating procedures into line with international standards.
