1. Take for granted = assume: cho điều gì là đúng, dĩ nhiên.

2. When the Minister was asked about the strike, he declined to comment.
→On being asked about the strike, the Minister declined to comment
3. Someone rang the alarm as soon as the burglars left the building.
→No sooner had the burglars left the building than someone rang the alarm
4. We regret to inform you that your application has not been successful.
→Much to our regret, we have to / must inform you that your application hasn't been successful.
5. Although we were impressed by the new cinema, we found it rather expensive. AS
Much as we were impressed by the new cinema, we found/did find it rather expensive
/ Impressed as we were by the new cinema, we found/did find it rather expensive
6. The accident victim was having increasing difficulty in breathing DIFFICULT
→The accident victim was finding it increasingly difficult to breath.
7. Teams of experts are examining the damage to the building.EXAMINED
→The damage to the building is being examined by teams of experts
8. You didn't think carefully enough before you decided.OUGHT
→You ought to have thought more carefully before you decided
9. I was not willing to buy the product because it was too expensive.
→The sheer cost/ expense of the product put me off buying it
10. We never buy things in small quantities as we would make profit.
→With a view to making profit, we always purchase/ buy things in bulk
11. Pamela became popular with young people in the 1950s.
→Pamela caught on with young people in the 1950s (catch on = become famous/ popular )
12. Thanks to the improvement in export sales, the company has had a successful year.
→Without the improvement in export sales, the company wouldn't have had a successful year
13. In a nutshell, the man’s an idiot. (BLUNTLY)
→Quite bluntly/To put it bluntly/Put bluntly/Putting it bluntly/Bluntly, the man’s an idiot.
14. Joan was not sure if it was a good idea to employ such young staff. (MISGIVINGS)
→Joan had misgivings about employing such young staff
15. If you are in London by any chance, come and see me.(HAPPEN)
→If you happen to be in London, please come and see me
16. If you work without a break, you are more likely to make an error.(PRONE)
→Working without a break makes you more prone to error
17. You must not write your answer in ink.
→ It is against the rules to write your answer in ink. To Against the law: trái luật
18. The staff hated Frank’s new policies intensely and so went on strike.
→ So intense was the hatred for/of Frank’s new policies that the staff went on strike. Đảo ngữ
19. “I admit that I forgot to turn on the alarm system” said Mark.
 →Mark confessed to forgetting/ having forgotten to turn on the alarm system.
confess to doing sth: nhận khuyết điểm, sai lầm
20. When she saw the dog coming towards her, she quickly crossed the road.
 →On seeing= when the dog coming towards her, she quickly crossed the road
21. Every possible effort was made by the orphanage to find the boy’s parents. (STONE)
 →The orphanage left no stone unturned in their attempt to find the boy’s parents.
leave no stone unturned: làm mọi thứ có thể
22. Women outnumber men by two to one in Greece (TWICE)
 →There are twice as many women as men in Greece.
23. No matter what Peter does, people don’t seem eager to work on project. (GENERATE)
 →Peter doesn’t seem Peter doesn’t seem to generate enthusiasm (in people) for working on the
project.
24. The jumper you knitted for my daughter no longer fits her. (GROWN)
 →My daughter has grown out of the jumper you knitted for her.
Grow out of : If children grow out of clothes, they become too big to fit into ...
25. Only final year students are allowed to use the main college car park. (RESTRICTED)
 →The use of the main college car park is restricted to sb: bị giới hạn và chỉ dành cho người đó
final year students.
26. The heavy rain made it impossible for us to have our picnic.
→ Had it not been for the heavy rain, we could have had our picnic.
27. People no longer smoke so many cigarettes as they used to.
→The smoking of cigarettes is no longer as popular as it used to be.
28. My decision to get up to dance coincided with the band’s decision to stop playing.
→ The moment I decided to get up to dance, the band decided to stop playing.
29. If anyone succeeds in solving the problem, it will probably be him.
→ He is the most likely person to succeed in solving the problem
30. . We were all shocked by his reaction. → His reaction came as a shock to us all
31. I left my last job because I didn’t really agree with my manager’s approach. (EYE)
→I left my last job because I I left my last job because I didn’t really see eye to eye: agree with
my manager.
32. . All the witnesses said that the accident was my fault. ( BLAME)
→All the witnesses said that I was to blame for the accident.
33. It was childish of him not to accept my apologies. ( REFUSED)
→ He He refused to accept my apologies, which was childish of him of him.
34. No one listened to what the politician was saying last night. (EARS)
→ What the politician was saying fell on deaf ears: bị phớt lờ last night.
35. She thought it was too difficult for her to come to the class on time. (FOUND)
→ She it too diffcult to come to the class on time.
36. The man was not able to go on an expedition to the Middle East because of his age.
→The man was too old to go on an expedition to the Middle East.
37. Your silly questions distracted me. →You drove me to distraction with your silly
questions.
38. Go to the international ticket desk immediately on arrival.
 →As soon as you arrive, go to the international ticket desk.
39. His second attempt on the world record was successful.
→He broke He broke the world record at/on his second attempt.
40. This problem cannot be solved instantly.→There is no instant solution to this problem
41. If I were you, I wouldn’t tell anybody about the discovery.
→ You had better not tell anybody about the discovery.
42. It is thought that the Prime Minister is considering raising taxes.
→ The Prime Minister is thought to be considering raising taxes.
43. . I was very annoyed by his refusal to listen to reason.
→ What really annoyed me was his refusal to listen to reason.
44. . The company have been reviewing their recruitment policy for the last three months.
→ The company’s recruitment policy chính sách tuyển dụng của công ty has been under
review: vẫn đang được xét duyệt for the last three months.
45. I realy like her voice but not her choice of songs.
→ Much as I like her voice, I don’t like her choice of songs.
46. I am telling you this for you not to make a mistake. FEAR
→ I am telling you this for fear (of) vì sợ that you might make a mistake.
47. I'd rather you didn't stay long at the party. BETTER
→ It would be better if you didn't stay long at the party.
48. I now think differently about this matter. MIND → I've changed my mind about this matter.
49. . I am going to write and complain to the council. COMPLAINT
→ I intend to : có ý định make a written complaint to the council.
50. She was just as good as they had thought. CAME→ She came up to their expectations.
51. Return the product to the shop if you have any complaints about it.
 Should you have any complaints about the product, return it to the shop.
52. Both of the lifts were out of order. Không hđ→ Neither of the lists was working.
53. .I had only just put the phone down when the boss rang back.
→Hardly had I put the phone down when the boss rang back.
54. .While I strongly disapprove of your behaviour, I will help you this time.
→ Despite my strong disapproval of your behaviour, I will help you this time
55. .They were seasoned travelers, which we hadn't expected them to be!
→ Contrary to what we had expected/ our expectation, they were seasoned travellers
56. . I’ve got to get a new computer. (NEED) → What I really need to get is a new computer.
57. I can’t describe people as well as you can. (BETTER)
→ You’re better at describing people than I am.
58. It was easy for us to get tickets for the concert. (NO)
 →We have no difficulty in getting tickets for the concert.
59. The two theories appear to be completely different. (COMMON)
→ The two theories have nothing in common.
60. Money is of little value on a desert island. (COUNTS)
→ Money counts for đáng giá little on a desert island
61. As I get older, I want to travel less.→ The older I get, the less I want to travel.
62. . He warned me not to use the mountain road.
→I wouldn’t use the mountain road” said he
63. . She discovered a new chemical element in her experiment.
→Her experiment resulted in discovering/ the discovery of a new chemical element
64. As far as I know he is still working in Bristol. KNOWLEDGE
→To ( the best of) my knowledge, he is still working in Bristol
65. The power went out as soon as I turned on the computer. (NO)
→No sooner had I turned on the company than the power went off
66. Both John and Jim don't wear helmets when going to school. (NOR)
→Neither Jim nor John wears helmets when going to school
67. . They worked together to clean up the mess after the storm. (HANDS)
→They joined hands to clean up the mess after the storm
68. There's nothing new about the generation gap in every family. (HILLS)
→The generation gap in the family is as old as the hills: rất cũ, cổ xưa
69. My grandfather died in the early hours. (PASSED)
→My grandfather passed away during the night
70. I really must answer all these letters (GET DOWN)
→ I really must get down to: bắt tay vào... answering all these letters.
71. Jane was sure there was no mistake in her homework. (NOTHING)
 →Jane was sure there was nothing wrong with her homework.
72. Pauline isn't trying to solve her financial problems. (EFFORT)
→ Pauline is making no effort to solve her financial problems
73. Fewer people smoke these days. DECREASE
→There has been a decrease in the number of smokers/ people who smoke these days
74. I'd like to visit India more than any other country in the world.
→ It's India that I’d like to visit most/ more than any other country in the world.
75. People say that the driver was listening to his walkman at the time of the crash.
→The driver is said to have been listening to his walkman at the time of the crash.
76. Thanks to the improvement in export sales, the company has had a successful year.
→Without the improvement in export sales, the company wouldn't have had a successful year.
77. The boy became so confused and worried that he left home.
→So confused and worried did the boy become that he left home.
78. Smoking is not allowed on the public buses.
→ They don’t They don’t allow smoking on the public buses.
79. That old typewriter is not worth repairing. (POINTLESS)
→Repairing that old typewriter is pointless.
80. He doesn’t have money to go on holiday. He doesn’t have time, either. (NEITHER)
 →Neither have I seen him nor have I heard him speak
81. He recommended me for the position, which was very nice of him. (KIND)
 It was very kind of him to recommend me for the position.
82. Is there such a place as Eldorado? ( EXIST) →Does Eldora do exist?
83. Although I tried hard, I couldn’t lift the suitcase.
→Try as hard as I might, I couldn’t lift the suitcase.
84. It wasn’t until he came back to the office that he remembered his mobile phone.
→Not until he came back to the office did he remember his mobile phone.
85. Immediately after his appointment to the post, the new editor fell ill.
→No sooner had he been appointed to the post than the new editor fell ill
86. You are allowed to play in my garden if you promise not to do anything wrong.
→So long as you promise not to do anything wrong , you are allowed to play in my garden.
87. If you changed your mind, you would be welcomed to join our class.
→ Were you to change your mind, you would be welcomed to join our class
88. All of you are likely to be able to enter college, (chances)

89. I think his theory is clear and logical, (stands)

90. Don’t panic about something so trivial, (mountain)

91. Mass tourism has been one of the causes of the problem, (blame)

92. Teaching doesn’t really suit her. (cut)

93. I feel completely exhausted when I’ve listened to Marion for half an hour.
→Half an hour (of) listening to Marion leaves me feeling completely exhausted.
94. Sally is very disorganized so she has no chance of getting that secretarial job.
→ Were it not for the fact that Sally is very disorganized she might/would have a chance of
getting that secretarial job
95. Success in the acedemic field depends on your ability to amass qualifications.
→The more qualifications you are able to amass, the more success you will have in the
acedemic field
96. Absolute secrecy was crucial to the success of the mission.
→ Without absolute secrecy this mission would not have succeeded/ been successful/ been a
success/ would have failed
97. The inhabitants were far worse-off twenty years ago than they are now.
→The inhabitants are nowhere near as badly-off as they were twenty years ago
98. I'm sure that he missed the eleven o'clock train. CAN'T
→He can’t possibly have caught the eleven o’clock train
99. From the educational point of view his childhood years had been well spent.TERMS
→In terms of education his childhood years had been well spent.
100. A goverment official leaked the story to the world press.(WIND)
→The world press got wind of the story from a government official.
101. The terrible scream frightened me BLOOD
→The terrible scream made my blood run cold
102. We never purchase small quantities as we would make less profit BULK
→We always buy in bulk in order to make more profit.
103. I’m not certain, but there may be about twenty applications for the job
→At a guess, there are about twenty applications for the job
104. The best way to make them work hard is to promise them a reward
→Promise them a reward and they will work hard
105. Ann paints her landscapes with great pleasure.
→Ann takes great pleasure in painting her landscapes.
106. Just thinking about his face at the moment makes me laugh.
→The very thought of his face at that moment makes me laugh.
107. The collision didn’t damage my car much.
→Not a great deal/ amount of damage was done/ caused to my car in/by the collision
108. My father is really very angry when he finds out that I’ve lost the car keys. (WALL)
→My father is going to go up to the wall when he found out I’ve lost the car keys
109. When I heard her speak, it affected me profoundly. (IMPACT)
→When I heard her speak, it made a profound impact on me.
110. When they broke the news, she stayed perfectly calm and controlled . (HAIR)
→When they broke the news, she didn’t turn a hair
111. She wasn’t speaking seriously. (TONGUE)
→She was speaking with her tongue in her cheek
112. People say that there’s hardly any difference between love and hatred.(LINE)
→It is said that there’s a thin line between love and hatred
113. It is my opinion that there is no advantage in further discussion. (SEE)
=> - As far as I can see, there is no advantage/point/sense in further discussion.
- I don not/ cannot any advantage/point/sense in the further discussion
- I (can) see no advantage/point/sense in the further discussion
114. “Excuse me madam, but is this your bag?” the policeman asked. (belong)
=> “Excuse me madam, but does this bag belong to you ?” the policeman asked.
This + be + Possessive Adj + N => This N + belong to + Object Pronoun (be and belong at
any tenses)
Question: Be + this + Possessive Adj + N? => Does + This N + belong to + Object Pronoun?
115. She’s under the illusion that she’ll get the job. => She believes …wrongly that she will
get the job (Be under an/the illusion that + clause: co ao tuong/ nham tin rang …)
116. I never miss out on a cup of coffee when I visit her flat. => She …always gives/offers me
a cup of coffee when I visit her flat.) (Miss out (on St): mất cơ hội được lợi từ => Tôi chưa bao
giờ mất cơ hội được uống cà phê mỗi khi tôi đến thăm cô ấy. = Tôi luôn luôn được uống cà phê
mỗi khi đến thăm cô ấy.)
117. I wish he would get to the point. (quickly) => I wish he would say it quickly).
(get to the point: nói thẳng vào vấn đề)
118. Do you know who this coat belongs to?(coat)=> Do you know whose coat this/ this coat
is?
119. Winning that prize has made him very conceited. ( HEAD).
→
120. She is not really upset; she’s only pretending. (ACT)
→
121. My father’s going to be really angry when he finds out that I’ve lost the car keys.
(WALL) →
122. . The personnel officer promised him that she wouldn’t tell anyone that he had been in
prison. (WORD) →
123. We’d get the job finished much quicker if everyone worked as hard as everyone else
(WEIGHT) →
124. Regarding payment, most major credit cards are acceptable.
→As far as …payment is concerned, most major credit cards are acceptable
125. Mass tourism has been one of the causes of the environmental problems.
→Mass tourism is partly responsible/ to blame for the environmental problems
126. . It was an impressive building but it wasn’t to my taste.
→Impressive ……as/though the building/ it was, it/ the building wasn’t to my taste
127. The inhabitants were far worse-off twenty years ago than they are now.
→The inhabitants are nowhere near as badly-off as they were twenty years ago.
128. The new deal has introduced many changes in the cooperation
→Many a change has been introduced in the cooperation by the new deal.
129. It never occurred to me that there’d be a cashpoint machine in the supermarket.
(CROSSED)→ It never crossed my mind (that) the supermarket would have a cashpoint machine
130. Don’t tell the boss about our scheme. (BREATHE)
→Don’t breathe a word about your scheme to the boss
131. . I don't like it when people I don't know very well ask me personal questions. (BEING)
→I don't like being asked personal questions by people I don't know very well
132. Our children are crazy about Korean singers. (HEAD)
→Our children are head over heels in love with Korean singers
133. They arrived at their destination alive and kicking. (SOUND)
→They arrived at their destination safe and sound
134. He was so enthusiastic that he apparently ignored any warning signs.
→Such was his enthusiasm that he apparently ignored any warning signs
135. Sally is very disorganized so she has no chance of getting that secretarial job.
→Were it not for the fact that Sally is very disorganized she might/would have a chance of
getting that secretarial job
136. The committee had a long discussion but they could not make up their mind.
→Lengthy as/though their discussion was/might be, the committee couldn’t reach any/a decision
137. Absolute secrecy was crucial to the success of the mission.
→Without absolute secrecy this mission would not have succeeded/ been successful/ been a
success/ would have failed
138. “If you wanted to use my car, you should have asked me first, Tom” said Mary.
→Mary criticized Tom for using her car without asking/having asked her first
139. I don’t mind whether we go to the seaside or not this year. (DIFFERENCE)
→It doesn’t make any/ much difference to me whether we go to the seaside or not this year.
140. I know that it was wrong of me to get angry in front of the children (LOST)
→I know that I should not have lost my temper in front of the children.
141. I never thought that we’d have legal problems. CROSSED
→It never crossed my mind that we’d have legal problems
142. I’m afraid our problems are only just beginning. (ICEBERG)
→These problems of ours are just the tip of the iceberg
143. We never purchase small quantities as we would make less profit BULK
→We always buy in bulk in order to make more profit
144. Customs officials are stopping more travelers than usual this week.
→An increased number of travellers is being stopped by customs officials this week
145. My decision to get up and dance coincided with the band’s decision to stop playing
→The moment I decided to get up to dance, the band decided to stop playing.
146. He never suspected that the bicycle had been stolen.
→At no time did he suspect that the bicycle had been stolen.
147. How could I help, except to offer to lend her some money?
→Other than to offer to lend her some money, how could I help?
148. To this day no one has equaled his achievements in the field of technology. (unsurpassed)
→To this day his achievements are unsurpassed in the field of technology
149. Peter grimaced as he swallowed the foul-tasting medicine pulled
→Peter pulled a face as he swallowed the foultasting medicine
150. It’s unfortunately that the construction of the building will not be finished as originally
planned. (longer)
The construction of the building will take longer than originally planned, which is unfortunate
151. What he told me made me very curious to hear the rest of the history. (appetite)
→What he told me whetted my appetite for the rest of. the story.
152. They chose not to drive because they thought there would be too much snow. (fear)
→They chose not to drive for fear of too much snow.
153. The manager wrote a long ungrammatical report.
→The report (which was) written by the manager was long and ungrammatical
154. You may be disqualified if you don’t obey the regulations.
→Failure to obey the regulations may lead to (result in) disqualification
155. It’s necessary to do all of this photocopying before lunchtime.
→All of this photocopying has got to be done/ has to be done before lunchtime
156. The fate of the two climbers is unknown.
→ It is a mystery(as to) what (has) happened to the two climbers.
157. She wore a hearing-aid, even though she could hear the phone ring perfectly well.
→She wasn’t so deaf/hard of hearing that she couln’t hear the phone
158. I don’t think the television’s likely to blow up at any minute. ( LIKELIHOOD).
→ There is little LIKELIHOOD that the television will blow up at any minute
159. In 1967 programs began to be transmitted in color ( ADVENT)
=>1967 saw the ADVENT of the transmission of programs in color.
160. Do you ever regret not going to university ? ( WISH )
=>Do you ever WISH you had gone to university ?
161. “Please don’t take my money, it’s all I’ve got,” said the old woman to the intruder.
( PLEADED)
=>The old woman PLEASEDwith the intruder not to take her money as it was all (that) she had
162. Ours is the only company allowed to import these chemicals. (MONOPOLY)
→Our company has got (the/a) MONOPOLY of/on/over the importation of these chemicals
163. They were not used to driving on the left. => They found it strange to drive on the left.
164. Don’t complain about it to me because it won’t make any difference.
→ It’s no use/good complaining about it to me because it won’t make any difference.
165. When her dream of meeting her pop star idol came true after so long, Carol couldn’t
believe it. => Carol couldn’t believe it when her dream of meeting her pop star idol became a
reality after so long.
166. . They will decide very soon whether to close the Paris office.
 →They are just on the point of deciding whether to close the Paris office.
167. They painted the wall very well. → They made a good job of painting the wall
168. Try to stay the same level with the other runners at the start of the race. (FALL)
→ Try not to fall behind the other runners at the start of the race.
169. It’s highly likely that Stephen was listening. (WELL)
→ Stephen may well have been listening.
170. The adverts look exactly the same as the articles in this magazine. (TELL)
=> It’s impossible to tell the difference between the adverts/articles and the articles/adverts in this
magazine.
171. . A friend of ours fixed our car for us. (HAD) => We had a friend of ours fix our car.
172. My dad’s not happy with me at all because he heard me swearing. (IN)
 →I am in my dad’s bad book(s) because he heard me swearing.
173. I thought she bore a strong resemblance to her grandmother. => She reminded me of
her grandmother ( to bear a (strong) resemblance to Sb (rất giống ai đó): take after Sb: giống ai )
174. I take your point. (accept) I understand and accept your idea =support sb point of view
175. He’s just saying that to prove a point. (right) =>He’s just showing that his idea is right
(prove a point/case, prove the point/case, prove one’s point/case: chứng tỏ/minh quan điểm)
176. . He seemed to have already struck up a friendship with Jo. (begun)
=> He seemed to have begun a friendship with Jo.
(strike up st = start st: bắt đầu tình bạn, sự quen biết, …)
177. The education system bears no comparison with that in many Eastern European countries.
(as) => The education system is not so/as good as that in many Eastern European countries
(bear (no) comparison with: có thể/ không thể so với … )
178. Please do not enter the room all together. => Please enter the room one at a time
=> one at a time: lần lượt từng người một
179. I realized immediately that something was wrong. (once)
=> I realized at once that something was wrong.
180. It’s not safe these days to make remarks about a woman’s appearance.
=> Feminists think it is “sexist” to compliment a woman on her appearance.
(make remark about Sb’s St = compliment Sb on St: bình luận, khen ngợi, …)
181. I didn’t mean to break the vase. (purpose) => I didn’t break the vase on purpose
182. I don’t know them to speak to, though I’ve seen them. (sight) => I only know them by
sight (know Sb by sight: biet mat, quen biet nhung khong noi chuyen)
183. It is unusual for Carol to get angry with her staff. (hardly) => Carol hardly ever loses
her temper with her staff.
- To be in a good temper (vui vẻ hoà nhã)
- To learn to control one's temper (tập kiềm chế tính cáu kỉnh của mình)
- To keep/lose one's temper (giữ được bình tĩnh/mất bình tĩnh)
- To be in a (bad, foul, rotten..) temper (bực tức, giận dữ)