Can You Believe It? - Stories and Idioms from Real Life - Book 1

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Eliana

Can You Believe It? Book 1 guides learners in everyday idiomatic American English through true stories from around the world. It explains what idioms, fixed expressions, and phrasal verbs are, emphasizing that meaning often differs from individual words. The book provides a step-by-step learning process, from reading for main ideas and listening repeatedly to completing idioms, role-playing, writing, and taking dictation, supported by appendices and additional study aids.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages126

Reading Time3 h 14 min

AccessFree to download

What is an idiom?

What is a fixed expression?

What is a phrasal verb?

Can You Believe It? Stories and Idioms from Real Life Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue New York,NY 10016 USA Great Clarendon Street Oxford OX26DP England Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong KarachiKuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City NairobiNew Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France GreeceGuatemala Hungary Italy Japan South Korea Poland PortugalSingapore Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam OXFORD is a trademark of Oxford University Press ISBN-13:9780194372794 ISBN-10:0194372790 Copyright 2000 by Oxford University Press Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Huizenga.Jann. Can you believe it?:stories and idioms from real lifejfannHuizenga. p.cm.includes index.Contents:bk.1ISBN-13:9780194372794ISBN-10:0194372790 1.English language—Textbooks for foreignspeakers.2.English language—United States—Idioms.3.Americanisms.4.Readers.L.Title.PE1128.H7772000428.6°4-dc2100-021653 No unauthorized photocopying. All rights reserved.No part of this publication uay be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system,or transnitted,in any form or by anymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying.recording,or otherwise.without the priot writen permissiou of Oxford University Press. This book is sold sabject to the condirion that ik shall not.by way oftrade or otherwise,be lent,resold,hired oxt.or otherwise circulatedwithout the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or coverother than that in which it is published and wishout a similarcondition including this condition being imposed on the subsequentpurchaser. Editorial Manager:Susan Lanzano,Janct Aitchison Editor:Lynne Barsky Senior Production Editor:Ralbyn E.Clemente Associate Production Editor:Justin Hartung Design Manager:Lynne Torrey Designer:Elizabeth Onorato Art Buyer/Photo researcher:Stacy Godlesky Production Manager:Abram HaHl Production Controller:Shanta Persaud Printing(last digit):109 Printed in Hong Kong Acknowledgments Hustrations and realia by Patrick Merrell,Wally Neibart.Tom Powers, William Waitzman Cover illustration by Ken Condon The publishers would like to thank the folowing for their permission to reproducephotographs:APWorldwide;Rachel Cobb;Wayne Lockwood,David A.Northcott/Corbis:Bill Cramer:Jann Huizenga;Norman Y.Lono/PeopleWeekly c.1998;Jack Hollingsworth/Photodisc:Joshua Sheldon/Photonica;Gavriel Jecan,William Whitehurt/The Stock Market;SidAvery|Stockfood;Ron Lee Brown/Tony Stone. Credits The stories in this book have been adapted from the followingmaterial:p.2,The New Mexican,December 3.1997:p.6 Ann Landers inThe New Mexican,November 11,1997;p.9,Reuters on-line,January 22,1999;p.10,Reuters on-line,November 1.1998;p.13.The Associated Presson-line,June 7,1998;p.14,Reuters on-line July 3,1998;p.18,Reuterson-line,January 1.1999:p.21.Morning Edition,Nationa Public Radio,December 31,1998;p.26,Moriing Editfon,National Public Radio,October 9,1998;p.30,The New Mexican,January 24,1999;p.33,TheAssociated Press on-line.September 301998;p.34.The Funny Times;p.38,Chicago Sun-Times,December 1,1998;p.42,The London DailyTelegraph,September 5,1998;p.45.TheAssociated Press on-line.June 7,1998;p.50,The Associated press on-line.November 14,1998:p.53.Morming Edition,National Public Radio.December 2,1998;p.54.PeopleWeekly,November 2,1998;p.57,Moming Edition,National Public Radio.November 27.1997;p.58.The New Mexican,May 8.1998;p.62.personal interview.January 5,1999;p.66,People Weekly.September 21,1998:p.69.People Weekly.September 21.1998. # Can You Believe It?Stories and Idioms from Real Life Book 1 Jann Huizenga In this book you will enjoy learning everyday idiomatic American English through amazing,true stories from around the world. When you study vocabulary,it is not enough to learn individual words.Everyday English is filledwith expressions that are two or more words long,such as tum ove

FAQs

What is an idiom in this book?

An idiom is a group of words whose meaning is different from the meaning of its individual parts.

How does the book explain fixed expressions?

Fixed expressions like “take a vacation” or “be at death’s door” can be understood as a whole, but translating them word-for-word may not match the learner’s language.

What is the recommended process for learning idioms?

The steps include reading quickly for the main idea, listening several times while looking at pictures, studying the idioms, completing them, retelling the story using only pictures, and then practicing through dialogue, writing, dictation, and fill-in activities.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Eliana