Answer — Exercise 2
1.2 - Famous firsts·New Total English Advanced - Students' Book
Question
- Complete the How to ... box with the underlined expressions from exercise 1.
- How are the expressions different? Which are strongest? Which mean the same?
Answer
a)
| know
- I'm pretty sure
- I know it like the back of my hand
- I know it by heart
- I know it inside out
- I'm fairly certain it is
- I'm positive it is
I don't know
- I haven't a clue
- I don't know off the top of my head
- I don't know offhand
- I've never heard of him
- I know next to nothing about it
- I haven't the faintest idea
b)
- I'm pretty sure means 'I'm quite certain'.
- I don't know off the top of my head and I don't know offhand are similar. They mean 'I can't tell you the answer now (without looking for the relevant information)'.
- We use I've never heard of ... when we don't recognise the name of the thing mentioned (it could be a person, an object, a place, etc.).
- We use next to nothing when we recognise the name of the subject, but know almost nothing about it / him / her. We use this expression in response to a 'What do you know about ...?' question, or in the expression 'I know next to nothing about it.'
- I know it like the back of my hand is often used to talk about a place, while I know it inside out is often used to talk about a subject. I know it by heart is used for something we have memorised, perhaps a poem or a speech.
- The strongest are: I know it like the back of my hand, I know it by heart, I know it inside out, I haven't a clue, I haven't the faintest idea.
- The expressions with a similar meaning are: I know it like the back of my hand, I know it by heart and I know it inside out. They mean 'I know it extremely well'.