Tổng hợp Idioms for IELTS speaking giúp bạn đạt band 7.0

Để có thể đạt điểm cao trong phần thi IELTS Speaking, bạn nhớ dùng ít nhất một câu Idioms mỗi lần mình nói chuyện bằng tiếng Anh. Sau đó nhờ trực tiếp hay thu âm lại cho giáo viên hoặc một người bản xứ nghe/xem và đánh giá độ chính xác và tự nhiên của bạn.

Vậy bạn có thể dùng những Idioms nào? Hãy cùng lướt qua những Idioms for IELTS speaking giúp bạn chinh phục IELTS 7.0 nhé!

Vậy idioms là gì?

Idioms (Idiomatic Expressions) là một nhóm chữ khi sắp theo một vị trí nhất định sẽ có nghĩa riêng, khác với nghĩa đen/nghĩa dịch sát từng từ trong nhóm đó. Nói chung là idioms dùng nghĩa bóng của từ thay vì nghĩa đen.

Bạn có thể xem thêm một số bài viết hữu ích sau:

• Các lỗi diễn đạt cần tránh để đạt 6.5 IELTS Speaking
• Sử dụng Accent nào khi thi IELTS Speaking?
• Cách phát âm bảng chữ cái tiếng Anh

Một số Idioms for IELTS speaking hữu ích

Idiom	Ý nghĩa	Ví dụ
A blessing in disguise	Trong cái rủi có cái may	Getting a low score the first time I took IELTS was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to study extremely hard so I got a much better score the next time. Failing in his exams was a blessing in disguise, for he realized that he was not enjoying his course and decided to try out something else.
A chip on one’s shoulder	Tức giận vì cho rằng mình bị đối xử bất công hoặc cảm thấy mình không tốt bằng những người khác	He has had a chip on his shoulder ever since he didn’t get the promotion he was expecting.
A drop in the ocean	Như muối bỏ biển	My letter of protest was just a drop in the ocean.
A piece of cake	Dễ như ăn bánh	To me, the exam was a piece of cake. They said the test would be difficult, but it was a piece of cake – I’ll pass with no problem at all.
Actions speak louder than words	Nói thì dễ hơn làm	He keeps saying he loves me, but actions speak louder than words.
To be back to the drawing board	Bắt đầu lại từ đầu (sau khi thất bại việc gì)	My experiment was a failure, so I’m back to the drawing board.
It drives s/o up the wall	Khiến ai đó tức giận	She drives me up the wall. It’s so annoying!
It makes one’s blood boil	Khiến ai đó giận sôi máu	Being rejected made his blood boil.
It’s a small world	Trái Đất tròn	You know my old science teacher! Well, it’s a small world, isn’t it?
Practice makes perfect	Trăm hay không bằng tay quen	I’ve been working on my tennis serve, and since practice makes perfect, I think I’m getting better.
The ball’s in one’s court	Tới lượt ai đó đưa ra ý kiến, hoặc giải quyết điều gì	What do you think we should do about the project? The ball is in your court.
To be a dog with two tails	Vui sướng, hạnh phúc	Anne will be like a dog with two tails if she gets into the team.
To be fixed in one’s ways	Bảo thủ, kiên quyết với điều gì đó mà không chịu, không thể thay đổi	Grandma will never retire—she’s been a teacher for 50 years and is totally fixed in her ways.
To be on cloud nine	Vui sướng, hạnh phúc	He was on cloud nine for days after she agreed to marry him.
To be on the dot	Ngay đúng lúc	James arrived on the dot at nine o’clock.
To be on top of the world	Vui sướng, hạnh phúc	He was on top of the world for days after she agreed to marry him. “Is art popular in your country?”  -> Yes, I would say that art is highly popular in my nation. Art has the power to unite us and express feelings that we cannot with words alone.  When I look at my absolute favourite piece of art, “starry night” by Vincent Van Gogh I feel inspired and on top of the world. It shows me true beauty and that I believe is why art is so popular.
To be over the moon	Vui sướng, hạnh phúc	He was over the moon for days after she agreed to marry him. “What did you do on your last birthday?” -> On my last birthday I went to Paris with my girlfriend. It was an incredible city and the food was to die for! The trip was actually a surprise and when my girlfriend told me I was over the moon.
To be over the top	Vui sướng, hạnh phúc	He was over the top for days after she agreed to marry him.
To be the spitting image of sb	Giống ai đó như đúc	She is the spitting image of her mother.
To be water under the bridge	Việc quá khứ thì để vào quá khứ, không còn quan trọng nữa	Don’t talk about it anymore, it is water under the bridge now.
To bend over backwards	Làm hết sức để giúp đỡ ai, bất chấp hậu quả bất lợi cho mình	She bent over backwards to help him. They bent over backward to help me learn this. I will always appreciate the effort they made.
To bite one’s tongue	Thu lại lời nói trước khi nói ra	I wanted to tell him exactly what I thought of him, but I had to bite my tongue.
To break a leg	Chúc may mắn (cho ai chuẩn bị làm điều gì quan trọng như trình diễn,…)	Danny’s family told him to “break a leg” right before he went up on stage.
To cost an arm and a leg	Thứ/việc gì đó rất khó để có được vì quá khó, quá đắt…	I want to buy a house by the beach, but it may cost me an arm and a leg. The show is excellent, but the tickets cost an arm and a leg.
To feel under the weather	Cảm thấy không khỏe	I’m feeling a bit under the weather – I think I’m getting a cold.
To get on my nerves	Làm ai đó hết chịu nổi, tức giận	That song gets on my nerves—can you change the radio station?
To get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning	Nói về ai đó có một ngày tồi tệ	I think he got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. He is in a terrible mood.
To have a whale of a time	Nói tới việc có nhiều thời gian tuyệt vời, vui vẻ trong đời	We enjoyed the party, danced, drank, and generally had a whale of a time. Well, I’m from London which is a world-renowned city for its history and culture.  They say he who is bored of London is bored of life! There is so much to do here that you are guaranteed to have a whale of time if you visit.
To hit the ceiling	Tức giận tột độ	Dad’ll hit the ceiling when he finds out I’ve left school.
To hit the nail on the head	Nói đúng trọng tâm vấn đề, nói chính xác	I think David hit the nail on the head when he said that kids won’t want to buy this product.
To hold one’s horses	Nhắc nhở ai đó suy nghĩ kỹ trước khi quyết định	Just hold your horses, Alex! Let’s think about this for a moment.
To jump the gun	Làm điều gì đó quá sớm, đặc biệt là không suy nghĩ cẩn thận về nó	Andy really jumped the gun with his project proposal – he should have waited until the other proposal was either accepted or rejected.
To keep an eye on sth or s/o	Trông chừng ai đó hoặc thứ gì đó cẩn thận	Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on your dogs! Dealers are keeping an eye on the currency markets.
To kick the bucket	Chết, qua đời	Every one of us will kick the bucket someday.
To let sleeping dogs lie	Né tránh một cuộc tranh luận	I thought about bringing up my concerns but decided instead to let sleeping dogs lie.
To play devil’s advocate	Giả vờ phản đối hoặc nêu lên luận điểm ngược lại với mục đích để thảo luận, hoặc làm cho cuộc thảo luận thêm thú vị	I agree with what you say, but I’ll play devil’s advocate so that we can cover all the possibilities that may arise.
To pull one’s leg	Đùa giỡn với ai đó	Is that really your car or are you pulling my leg?
To put all eggs in one basket	Phụ thuộc tất cả vào một người hoặc một điều nào đó	The key word here is diversify; don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
To smell a rat	Cảm nhận rằng có điều gì đó không đúng	If I don’t send a picture, he will smell a rat.
To take a rain check	Nói với ai đó rằng bạn sẽ suy nghĩ về một lời mời, nhưng bạn đã có ý từ chối	I’m sorry, but I’ll take a rain check for dinner this Saturday.
To let the cat out of the bag	Nói với ai đó điều gì đó mà bạn không nên nói	I was trying to keep the party a secret, but Mandy went and let the cat out of the bag.
Until/till the cows come home	Trong một khoảng thời gian rất dài	I could sit here and argue with you until/till the cows come home, but it wouldn’t solve anything.
You are what you eat	Cái bạn ăn sẽ thể hiện sức khỏe của bạn ra sao	I’m feeling more energetic now that I’ve started eating more salad. After all, you are what you eat!
To judge a book by its cover	Trông mặt mà bắt hình dong	I’m glad I didn’t judge a book by its cover, or I never would have married him!
To bite the hand that feeds you	Lấy oán báo ân	She was very angry with her boss, but she decided to keep quiet and not bite the hand that feeds her.
Bread and butter	Kế sinh nhai; Nguồn thu nhập chính	His bread and butter comes entirely from his filmmaking gigs.
Caught between a rock and a hard place	Ở trong tình huống khó khăn, khó xử	They are both my brothers! I can’t go against either of them. I am caught between a rock and a hard place.
Chalk and cheese	Be very different and cannot be compared.	Even though they’re twins, their personalities are chalk and cheese.
Make ends meet	Kiếm đủ tiền để trang trải cuộc sống	To make ends meet, Phil picked up a second job delivering pizzas.
Put all your eggs in one’s basket	Để sự thành công của mình phụ thuộc vào một người hay thứ gì đó	She puts all her eggs in one basket with this merger deal. If it doesn’t work out, I doubt her company can survive.
To be on cloud nine	very happy and joyful: sung sướng, lâng lâng trên 9 tầng mây	“Do you like your job?” I must say that I adore my job and all the people that work there. It is a pleasure to go to work there each morning. I feel content with my life at the moment and I am on cloud nine.
It makes my blood boil	to make you very angry	“Do you get on with your family?” -> I get on reasonably well with most of my family. But my sister is an awful person. She is very selfish and arrogant. Just hearing her voice makes my blood boil.
It drives me up the wall	It annoys you a lot	“What is your favourite food?” -> I would have to say that my favourite food is mashed potatoes. However, it drives me up the wall when people don’t mash them properly and the potatoes have disgusting lumps. →Similar expressions: It drives me crazy / it drives me nuts
To get on your nerves	Someone annoys you a lot	“How could your neighbourhood be improved?” -> It gets on my nerves that we have no recycling here. I am a big supporter of the environment and we should do more to save it.
Blow off steam	to vent energy, frustration or anger: xả hơi	I have had a very stressful week and I’m hoping to blow up some steam this Saturday.
An old soul	Someone who seems to have more emotional insight and wisdom than other people the same age.	I have always turned to my older sister for advice; she is a real old soul.
An open book	Someone who is extremely open about themselves	It was very easy to get to know Hannah. She was an open book and made friends easily.
As busy as a bee	Very busy	I’m as busy as a bee this morning. I’ve run lots of errands and completed lots of tasks.
Down-to-earth	To be practical and have lots of common sense.	One of the things I like most about Katie is how down-to-earth she is. She is always so sensible and I like going to her for advice.
Open (A) Pandora’s box	A situation that involves unexpected consequences and problems	It seems like we’ve opened Pandora’s box with this topic today. We’ve been getting hundreds of messages from listeners from around the country who have been affected by it.
Top-notch	Top quality	The perfume he bought me for my birthday is top-notch. It’s a designer brand and extremely expensive. I love it.
The tip of the iceberg	Only a hint or suggestion of a much larger or more complex issue or problem: phần nổi của tảng băng trôi → phần nổi của vấn đề.	The money missing from petty cash was only the tip of the iceberg of financial mismanagement.

Lưu ý 

Mặc dù có danh sách các idioms tiếng Anh nhiều vô kể, nhưng bạn cũng cần có một số lưu ý sau khi sử dụng idioms trong bài thi IELTS Speaking:

• Không cần thiết phải “nhồi nhét” idioms vào bất cứ câu nào bạn nói, vì như thế sẽ làm cách nói chuyện, diễn đạt của bạn bị mất tự nhiên và “mất điểm” trong mắt giám khảo.
• Sử dụng nguồn từ vựng linh hoạt để thảo luận về nhiều chủ đề khác nhau. 
• Sử dụng lối diễn đạt, paraphrase lại ý tưởng của mình một cách hiệu quả.

Tham khảo:

• Hướng dẫn cách học IELTS Speaking hiệu quả từ A – Z
• IELTS Speaking Part 2
• IELTS Speaking part 3
• Bài tập về Idioms

Trên đây là bài viết tổng hợp Idioms for IELTS speaking giúp bạn dễ dàng đạt được band 7.0 IELTS Speaking. Hãy sử dụng phù hợp vào câu trả lời của mình khi luyện tập tại nhà và thi thật nhé. Chúc các bạn thành công và nếu bạn đang ôn luyện IELTS thì hãy ĐẶT HẸN với Vietop để được tư vấn lộ trình học nhé!