Objective Proficiency Unit 1: Ring the changes

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Objective Proficiency: Unit 1

Life-changing experiences

The objectives of this unit are: 

• being able to speak about key changes in life and 
• using appropriate vocabulary, 
• establishing difficult grammar areas, 
• learning to summarize concisely and 
• practising with Use of English CPE.

7 idioms to talk about change!

Let’s start with two idioms that you likely know, or at least have heard before:

• To change your mind
• To change your tune
  

They may seem the same, but in fact there is a little difference in meaning and use:

Can anyone explain the difference?

Nrs 1 and 2

Change your mind means that you change your opinion about something:

When I first started reading 1984 I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. I thought it was a bit slow and too depressing. But I soon changed my mind once I got into it and now I think it’s a fantastic book.

Change your tune similarly means to change your opinion, or your behaviour changes. We use it slightly differently to change your mind. We usually use change your tune when the opinion or behaviour goes from a negative to a positive.

Imagine you have a friend who has been moaning about her boyfriend for weeks. Really negative about him … they are arguing and they are not in a good place. Then suddenly, your friend starts saying how amazing her boyfriend is, she’s really in love with him, he can’t do anything wrong ….

In this context you wouldn’t say to your friend: You’ve changed your mind!

You would say: Well, you’ve changed your tune!

• Change your mind means that you change your opinion about something:

When I first started reading 1984 I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. I thought it was a bit slow and too depressing. But I soon changed my mind once I got into it and now I think it’s a fantastic book.

• Change your tune similarly means to change your opinion, or your behaviour changes. 

We use it slightly differently to change your mind. We usually use change your tune when the opinion or behaviour goes from a negative to a positive.

Imagine you have a friend who has been moaning about her boyfriend for weeks. Really negative about him … they are arguing and they are not in a good place. Then suddenly, your friend starts saying how amazing her boyfriend is, she’s really in love with him, he can’t do anything wrong ….

In this context you would say: Well, you’ve changed your tune!

No. 3: to have a change of heart

The next one, is to have a change of heart and again there is a difference in meaning to change your mind:

 

  

To have a change of heart really means that you’ve had a change in the way you are feeling about something or a change in attitude towards something or someone:

No. 4: Change out of (all) recognition

Idiom number 4 is to change out of all recognition: we can use this one when someone something has changed so much or so dramatically that now they are completely unfamiliar or unrecognisable.

For example, Pete has lost so much weight he’s changed out of all recognition.

No. 5: to change tack

If you change tack or try a different tack, you try a different method for dealing with a situation:

So when I first moved to Florence in 2013, I originally tried to set up business English courses. But I soon realised that the Florentines that I knew, they weren’t interested at all in business English! So I changed tack completely and started a conversation class and wine night! (Which by the way worked much better, it was a hoot!) 

"It was a hoot!" is een informele uitdrukking in het Engels en wordt gebruikt om aan te geven dat iets heel leuk, grappig of vermakelijk was. Het wordt vaak gebruikt om enthousiasme of plezier over een gebeurtenis, activiteit of situatie uit te drukken. Het is een positieve en informele manier om te zeggen dat je iets als heel leuk hebt ervaren.

No. 6: to turn over a new leaf

Number 6 is to turn over a new leaf: On Monday, I’m going to turn over a new leaf and only drink one coffee a day!

This idiom means that you want to change a habit, and start to act or behave in a better or more responsible way: 

Mark has really turned over a new leaf – he is really committed to the project now and giving it 100%.

No. 7: To take shape

And lastly, idiom number 7 to take shape. This means to change and develop into something definite or tangible. 

For example:

I have been working on English Digital Academy for a while now, but it really started to take shape about 6 months ago. So it really started to change into something clearer and tangible a few months ago.

Het Engelse woord "tangible" kan vertaald worden naar het Nederlands als "tastbaar" of "voelbaar."

Idiom Spot

Page 8

When things fall into place, events happen to

1. change the order of a list
2. produce the situation you want

If something goes downhill, it

1. gradually becomes worse
2. picks up speed

If something is on the cards, it is

1. likely to fail
2. likely to happen

When you are talking about a change in your life and you say the rest is history, you mean that

1. it happened a long time ago
2. you are sure that people know what happened next

Do ex. 4+5 on phrasal verbs

Exercise: 4 KEY

pay off (debts)

run out

settle in

take on (staff)

track (somebody) down

turn up

break up          

catch up with

cheer sb up

come up with

cut back on

end up

get in with

hang around

help out

jump at

Open Cloze

Exercise 6 page 9

question 1

1. sustainers
2. providers
3. keepers
4. promoters

question 2

1. background
2. location
3. outlook
4. landscape

question 3

1. vigour
2. weight
3. energy
4. stimulus

question 4

1. shown up
2. built up
3. put up
4. laid up

question 5

1. perform
2. play
3. act
4. conduct

question 8

1. set about
2. come about
3. go about
4. bring about

question 6

1. barely
2. merely
3. hardly
4. slightly

question 7

1. suspect
2. realise
3. sense
4. endure

Week assignment:

• Idiom spot (page 8/9)
• Phrasal verbs ex 4, 5, 6
• Corpus spot 3, 4, 5 (Page 10/11) :1,2
• Listening practice
  

• Study exam vocabulary unit 8 & 9