People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word “mouth.”
For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not bad mouth me.” Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person’s feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say: “I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth. In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.
Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something. The other person might protest: “I did not say that. Do not put words in my mouth.”
Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person, “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food.
Parents might sometimes withhold sweet food from a child as a form of punishment for saying bad things. For example, if a child says things she should not say to her parents, she might be described as a mouthy child. The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off.
But enough of all this talk. I have been running my mouth long enough.
小题1:In what kind of situation will a person say “Do not bad mouth me.” ?
A．When he feels down.
B．When he feels regretful.
C．When he is spoken ill of.
D．When he feels innocent.小题2:If a person feels sorry for what he has said, he might say “ .”
A．Do not bad mouth me
B．I really put my foot in my mouth this time
C．Do not put words in my mouth
D．Stop mouthing off小题3:If a person lives from hand to mouth, it implies .
A．he is badly – off
B．he is hard – working
C．he is well – off
D．he has enough to eat小题4:By saying, “I have been running my mouth long enough”, the speaker means “ ”.
A．I have run a long way
B．I have been a mouthy person
C．I have learned a lot
D．I have talked too much
