Proficiency: Christmas Homework

For this Christmas holiday homework I'll be asking for a review of a book and an exposition of some interesting vocabulary. You can choose any book you want just as long as it is in English but I have posted here a list of books by modern British authors which I think contain a lot of interesting language and idiomatic expressions.

Part1: Review

For instructions on how to write your review visit the writing section at the end of your student's book. You have some more interesting resources here. I also highly recommend visiting some online magazines to read some professional reviews and extract some language from them.

Part 2: Vocabulary exposition

Read the book and write down any words or short phrases that are new or difficult to understand, or that are important in the story.

Choose two words, two idioms and two collocations. You´ll explain the meaning of these words, idioms and collocations to the class providing the context (please careful with SPOILERS) and some examples of it's use. (You need to search the internet for common uses of these expressions)


e.g. From Us by David Nicholls

Collocation: to run its course

Context: The main character of the book is woken up by his wife in the middle of the night. He thinks at first that she's scared of burglars and tries to reassure her but it turns out that it is something else that worries her. She says:

"I didn't say anything about burglars. I think our marriage has run its course. Douglas I think I want to leave you."

Meaning: The expression means that something continues until it has finished. In the previous sentence it means that it has continued for a while but now it has reached its natural ending.

Other examples:

The doctor insisted I rested for a few days until the disease had run its course

This new anti-drugs strategy is needed now because the existing EU strategy will have run its course by the end of this year. 

A merry christmas and a happy new year to all of you.