Exercise

　　1. What does it mean if you are run off your feet?

　　a) you are very sick

　　b) you are very busy

　　c) you are very energetic

　　2. Which one of these sentences is grammatically incorrect?

　　a) I was run off my feet

　　b) She ran off her feet

　　c) They've been run off their feet

　　d) We're going to be run off our feet

　　Answers

　　1. b

　　2. b (run off your feet is used like an adjective, not a verb)

　　Read

　　You’re listening to British Council’s English Online and I’m Nina. Today on Language Snacks we take a look at the expression run off your feet. Let’s listen to the dialogue.

　　A: Do you fancy a coffee this morning?

　　A: I'd love to, but I'm going to be too busy I'm afraid. I've got to take the children to school, go to the supermarket and do some things at the bank. I'm going to be run off my feet!

　　A: Oh, poor you, I didn't realise you were so busy. How about another time then?

　　B: Definitely! I'll be free tomorrow, if you want to get together then?

　　A: Great, tomorrow it is. See you then.

　　Christmas and New Year are always busy times for me. There are presents to buy, decorations to put up, special food to prepare. There's so much to do and so little time! When you're really busy like this, with lots of things to do, you can say you are run off your feet. I don't know where this phrase comes from, but it always makes me smile because it sounds like you've been working so hard that your feet have fallen off!

　　It's important to notice that this expression is used like an adjective, not a verb. So make sure you say 'I'm run off my feet' and not 'I run off my feet'!

　　And that’s it for now – join us again for some more Language Snacks.

　　You’ve been listening to English Online – the podcast for English learners in China.