Unit 1: Shakespeare Speaks
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Session 19
William Shakespeare and actor Thomas Swann have a disagreement. Can Bess the barmaid make Thomas see sense, or will he refuse to budge an inch? We explore the phrase not budge an inch and introduce some useful responses for when you are asked to do something you don’t want to do.
ድምር ነጥቢ ናይዚ ክፍለ-ስራሓት 19
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Activity 2
Not budge an inch - meaning and use
Grrrr. To budge, or not to budge: that is the question
Eveyone is refusing to budge an inch in this episode of Shakespeare Speaks - even this dog! So let's check that you know how to use this phrase.
To do
Listen to this extract of the animation to help you remember what the narrator said, and then do the quiz to check you understood the meaning and form of the phrase not budge an inch.
ነቲ ድምጺ ብምስማዕ ነቲ ስራሕ ፈጽምዎ
Narrator
The phrase not budge an inch is used these days to describe not only objects that won't move but also people who won't change their minds. Take Simon Walker, the director general of the British Institute of Directors, who said that the British chancellor George Osborne…
Clip 1
…must not budge an inch on the crucial job of deficit reduction.
Clip 2
That stupid dog refused to move. I kept pulling on the lead, but he wouldn't budge an inch.
Now have a go at this quiz. Look at the transcript if you need extra help.
To budge, or not to budge...
4 Questions
Answer the questions about the meaning and form of not budge an inch.
ሓገዝ
Activity
Answer the questions about the meaning and form of not budge an inch.
ኣመት
The narrator tell us that "the phrase 'not budge an inch' is used these days to describe [...] people who won't change their minds.Question 1 of 4
ሓገዝ
Activity
Answer the questions about the meaning and form of not budge an inch.
ኣመት
Can you remember the dog in the example? Is it refusing to stay still or refusing to move?Question 2 of 4
ሓገዝ
Activity
Answer the questions about the meaning and form of not budge an inch.
ኣመት
You need a negative form.Question 3 of 4
ሓገዝ
Activity
Answer the questions about the meaning and form of not budge an inch.
ኣመት
Remember that we are talking about a past situationQuestion 4 of 4
Excellent!Great job!ሕማቕ ዕድል!ዘመዝገብኩምዎ ነጥቢ ...:
Well done if you answered the questions correctly. Before you move on to learn some more useful phrases, have a look at this language note.
Language note
Meaning
An inch is a unit of measurement equal to 2.54 centimeters.
- We had over 3 inches of snow at the weekend
Budge means move slightly.
- He budged over to let her sit down
It's especially common in negative sentences:
- We couldn't get the door to budge
The phrase not budge an inch has a similar meaning to these phrases: stand your ground and dig your heels in.
- She stood her ground even though nobody agreed with her
- The owners dug their heels in and refused to sell their land
Form
The phrase not budge an inch can be used with different modal verbs:
- I won't budge
- They mustn't budge an inch
- You shouldn't budge an inch
- She wouldn't budge an inch
We can also use budge an inch with the verb refuse.
- They refused to budge an inch
The verb budge can be replaced with give.
- She won't give an inch
Next
How do you feel when you are asked to do something you don't want to do? Do you refuse to budge an inch or do you back down and agree?
On the next page we'll look at some responses you can give next time you are asked to do something you don't want to do!
Session Vocabulary
For more great Shakespeare content visit our partner,The OU
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Not budge an inch
Meaning
The phrase not budge an inch is used these days to describe objects that won't move, and also people who won't change their minds.Example sentence
That stupid dog refused to move. I kept pulling on the lead, but he wouldn't budge an inch.
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Extra vocabulary
an inch
2.54 centimetersbudge
movethe battle of the sexes
the fight for power between men and womentame
change something wild so that it is easier to controlstubborn
describes a person who refuses to change their ideas or behaviourstrong-minded
not easily influenced by othersstand your ground
refuse to change your opinion or behaviour, even when other people disagree with youdig your heels in
refuse to change your ideas or behaviourback down
admit that you are wrongNo way!
Definitely not!not even if you paid me!
I would never do that, even if you gave me a lot of moneyit's out of the question
it's impossible; I won't let it happennever in a million years
absolutely neveroh go on then
I agree to do or allow something that I didn't want to do beforeI suppose so
I agree to something that I am not certain or happy about____________________
Shakespeare Speaks is a co-production between:
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