Lesson 2

Idioms and Story

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be free to = have the opportunity to

At my school, students are free to use computers after class.

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become of = happen to; occur

Don't give up your dreams. Just look at what became of Mickey!

Do you know what became of that singer? I haven't heard about him for ages.

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die of = be the cause of death

I almost died of embarrassment!

A: My parrot died of old age.

B: I'm sorry to hear that.

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furnish A with B = provide B to A

The hotel furnished us with free drinks all week.

The school furnished the students with new desks.

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keep track of = watch or count

She's always busy keeping track of her children.

The teacher had a hard time keeping track of all the children.

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no way = I don't believe it

He's on the weight lifting team? No way!

You are forty years old? No way! 

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on the other hand = but; looking at the other side of the situation

He likes eating cookies. On the other hand, he usually gets a rash from them.

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stand to reason = be a logical conclusion; obviously follow

It stands to reason that if you study hard, you will do well in school.

It stands to reason that if you eat too much, you will gain weight.

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turn up = suddenly appear after being lost or missing

Please call me if my car keys turn up.

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what if = in the event that; suppose that

What if no one comes to our party?

What if I get sick?

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Mark had a pet parrot named Billy. He liked to let Billy out of his cage so that he was free to walk around the house. Mark did not bother to keep track of Billy when he was out because the bird never got into trouble.

One day, Mark let Billy out of his cage as usual. Suddenly, Billy flew out the window! At first, Mark didn't worry. "Billy will turn up when he gets hungry," Mark thought. "On the other hand, what if Billy gets caught and eaten by a dog or a cat! Or what if it gets too cold outside? What if he can't find any food? He might die of hunger!" Mark did his best to find Billy over the next two days, but he had no luck. He began to think that his parrot was gone for good. Mark knew something terrible must have become of Billy because he didn't come home.

Then a phone call took Mark by surprise. The person on the phone asked, "Is this Mark? I think I have your parrot."

"No way! Really?" Mark exclaimed in surprise. 

Then he asked, "How did you know my phone number?"

The caller said, "Your parrot furnished me with the number. It keeps saying 'Hello, you have called 243-7855. This is Mark. Please leave a message.' So it stands to reason that this is your bird."

Then Mark remembered that Billy's cage was next to the answering machine.

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