Learn these four English idioms: cut corners, see eye to eye, a piece of cake and miss the boat. Learn the meaning of these useful idioms and master them by studying and reading aloud the example sentences. Also read the Idioms in Use text, which contains all four target idioms in a natural context. Leave a comment below and practice the idioms that you learned. Learn more by visiting me at www.SirEnglish.com

7. Choose only two of the four phrases to make a good
sentence. Write down your answer before moving
ahead to check your answers.

8. • If I miss the boat,
• I miss a chance or opportunity.
• If I see eye to eye,
• I do a bad job.
Choose two phrases to make a good sentence

9. • If I , I miss a chance
or opportunity.
Answer

10. • Something that is very easy to do is an example of
• cutting corners.
• Doing a bad job in order to save money is an
example of
• a piece of cake.
Choose two phrases to make a good sentence

11. • Doing a bad job in order to save
money is an example of
.
Answer

12. • because we don’t agree with each other.
• because he wanted to take the opportunity.
• Michael cut corners
• John and I aren’t seeing eye to eye
Choose two phrases to make a good sentence

13. • John and I aren’t
because we don’t agree with
each other.
Answer

14. • If something is a piece of cake,
• it’s very easy to do.
• they don’t agree with someone else.
• If someone misses the boat,
Choose two phrases to make a good sentence

15. • If something is , it’s
very easy to do.
Answer

16. Replace the phrases in bold with one of the idioms
from this section. Write down each sentence before
moving ahead to check your answers.

17. • Even though we are good friends, we often don’t agree with each
other.
• I passed my driving test on the first try. It was very easy.
• Please don’t do a bad job in order to save money. Do it properly the
first time.
• The big sale ended yesterday so I missed the chance on getting a great
deal.
Sentences with normal phrases
Replace the phrases in bold with an idiom from this section

18. Answers
• Even though we are good friends, we often don’t see eye to eye.
• I passed my driving test on the first try. It was a piece of cake.
• Please don’t cut corners. Do it properly the first time.
• The big sale ended yesterday so I missed the boat on getting a great
deal.
Sentences with idioms

19. Example Sentences
cut corners
to do a bad job in order to save time and money
see eye to eye
to agree with someone
a piece of cake
something very easy to do
miss the boat
to miss a chance or opportunity
Read the sentences containing the idioms that we studied. Think about the meaning of the idioms as
you read aloud. Train your brain to master these idioms.

20. Your house looks very impressive after you
redecorated it, Linda. I can see that you didn’t
cut any corners with it.

21. I’m thinking of leaving the company because
my boss and I just aren’t seeing eye to eye on
anything.

22. Because Tina is so fit and healthy, climbing the
mountain was a piece of cake for her. It
wasn’t so easy for me, though!

23. I wanted to apply for the job, but the
application deadline was yesterday so I
missed the boat.

24. The construction company cut corners when
they built the skyscraper, and put thousands
of lives in danger.

25. The two countries disagree on many issues,
but when it comes to trade and security, they
see eye to eye and work closely together.

26. Amy: I’m really nervous about the job
interview tomorrow.
Nina: Don’t worry, it’ll be a piece of cake for
you.

27. Customer: I’m not ready to buy the car today.
I’ll have think about it.
Salesperson: This deal won’t last long. If you
don’t act today, you’re going to miss the
boat.

28. Building this model tower was a piece of
cake. I want something more challenging next
time.

29. Investor: I think your idea is fantastic and that
we should go ahead with the plan.
Business owner: I’m glad we see eye to eye.
I’m really excited to get started.

30. I went horse riding for the first time last week
and I thought it would be difficult, but it really
is a piece of cake.

31. When time is short, there is a temptation to
cut corners. However, we should always do
the best job we possibly can.

32. We should have bought a house when the
prices were low. Now they’ve gone up five
times in value. We really missed the boat on
this one.

33. Student: Sir, I finished my work.
Teacher: You didn’t answer this question
properly. Stop cutting corners and take more
pride in your work.

34. It’s great to have friends who see eye to eye
with you on most things. It means you have a
lot in common.

35. My university application was late, and I
almost missed the boat. Luckily, they
accepted it and I still have a chance of getting
into Oxford.

36. Idioms in Use Set Three
Read this short passage aloud. Think about the meanings of the idioms
as you read. This will train your brain to master these idioms.
Situation: The boss of a company is criticising a new employee about
the bad job he did.
Frank, this job is not good enough. You’ve tried to save time by cutting
corners, but that’s not how we work at this company. This job was a
piece of cake to complete, but now we have to start all over again
because of your poor work. This job is really important to complete
correctly, because this customer is one of our most important. He’s
going to give us a lot more work in the future if we do well here, and I
don’t want to miss the boat on future contracts. I hope we can see eye
to eye on this so it doesn’t happen again.