Idioms: holidays

This ESL worksheet is dedicated to 12 idioms that are used when talking about holidays and travelling. Students will learn how to use different idioms to talk about their experiences and will have plenty of opportunities to practise.

The first activity introduces 6 idioms (have a whale of a time, steer clear of, a new lease of life, let your hair down, call it a night, in your element). Students read a short text and then match the idioms to their meanings. As a practice exercise, students are given the beginnings of different sentences which they have to complete with their personal experiences and ideas and then discuss what they have written in small groups. With the next activity, students learn 6 more idioms (travel light, off the beaten track, hit the road, get itchy feet, live out of a suitcase, get away from it all) by matching sentences with different meanings. To practise, students complete questions with the correct idiom and interview a partner. The worksheet wraps up with a speaking activity: students are given 4 holiday alternatives and for each one they discuss a series of questions. Then they decide which holiday is the best for them.

This ESL worksheet, together with the conversation cards can be used in various classes in order to practise these holiday-related idioms. The worksheet is a great addition to lesson about holidays, travelling, the summer.