Idioms: hesitating and changing your mind

This ESL worksheet is dedicated to idioms and expressions that are used when expressing hesitation and when people change their minds. Students will learn and practice 14 idioms. You might also like the worksheet “Idioms: decision-making”, and “Phrasal verbs: convincing and persuading“.

Students see the first 7 idioms (e.g. on the fence, have second thoughts, get cold feet, take the plunge) in a text. They match the idioms to their definitions. Next, they practise by finding the incorrect word in 7 sentences, and replacing it with the correct word. After that, they read 6 situations, and summarise them using a suitable idiom. 

Next, the rest of the idioms (have a change of heart, blow hot and cold, make a U-turn, sleep on it, think twice)  are introduced through 7 short dialogues. 

The rest of the activities are focused on speaking. First, students look at different situations, and discuss when they feel hesitant or decisive. Next, they complete 5 sentences with the correct idiom, and they discuss whether the sentences are true for them. Finally, they are given a few “tricky” situations, and discuss how they will handle each one.

For more speaking practice, and to review these idioms related to hesitating and changing your mind, you can use the conversation cards.