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Lesson 119 / Trial & adjustment
5 phrases · 12 minutes · Look, listen and try.
Handle a mix-up, manage an unfamiliar task and see how a plan develops.
Match words to pictures →Play What is She/He doing? →
A randomly assigned, fixed male or female synthetic voice for each phrase or sentence · Slow playback at 0.7× preserves pitch.
He jumbled up pieces from two puzzle sets.
He jumbled up pieces from two puzzle sets.
Do not jumble the cards up before we finish.
Do not jumble the cards up before we finish.
Objects or information can be mixed into the wrong order. With a pronoun, use “jumble them up”.
He muddled through the paper-folding task.
He muddled through the paper-folding task.
We had no clear instructions, but we muddled through.
We had no clear instructions, but we muddled through.
Emphasises managing without much skill or a clear plan. Compare “jumble up”, meaning mix things together.
Cambridge Dictionary · muddle through
He reverted to the old building method.
He reverted to the old building method.
The new plan failed, so we reverted to our original idea.
The new plan failed, so we reverted to our original idea.
Often used after trying something new. Follow “to” with a noun or -ing form; “back” is unnecessary.
Cambridge Dictionary · revert to
The puppet-stage plan panned out well.
The puppet-stage plan panned out well.
We will see how the project pans out.
We will see how the project pans out.
Often describes an outcome over time; success is not guaranteed. You can ask “how it pans out”.
Our outing fell through because the venue was closed.
Our outing fell through because the venue was closed.
The deal fell through at the last minute.
The deal fell through at the last minute.
Describes a plan or agreement failing, not a person physically falling through something. The past form is “fell”.
The examples were written for this course. Usage was checked against Matt Errey’s book, pages 69, 88, 107, 94, 44. A2–B1 is the course’s intended level.
One step forward every day
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OBSERVE · UNDERSTAND · MATCH
Drag a wire from the dot beside a phrase to the dot beside its matching picture. You can also tap a phrase, then a picture. Drag again to change a pair before checking.
Read the picture descriptions for more context. Similar expressions are accepted when they fit the particular scene.
Phúc jumbles up pieces from two different puzzle sets.
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Phúc muddles through an unfamiliar paper-folding task and finishes a rough little boat.
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Phúc reverts to a familiar block-building method after a new approach fails.
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Phúc’s puppet-stage plan pans out well, with the finished stage matching his original sketch.
The picture could not load. Try loading it again before matching.
Phúc’s planned outing falls through because the venue is closed.
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Choose a phrase to begin.
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Read the conversation and find the expressions you have learned.
We muddled through the first attempt.
We muddled through the first attempt.
Should we revert to the old method next time?
Should we revert to the old method next time?
Let us first see how this result pans out.
Let us first see how this result pans out.
“Muddle through” means manage despite difficulty or unclear methods; “revert to” means return to a previous approach or state. Managing does not necessarily mean returning to the old way.
Try answering before revealing the suggested answer. This practice is not scored.
The answers below are models. Other answers can also work if they preserve the facts, meaning and structure requested in the task.
A beginner manages an unfamiliar booking system despite confusion. Afterwards the team considers returning to its former method.
Describe completing the unfamiliar task with difficulty.
She muddled through the booking process.
The beginner completes the booking despite confusion, so “muddled through” does not imply mastery.
Complete: We may revert ___ the former method.
to
“Revert to the former method” returns to the previous approach; keep “to” before the restored method.
Write a cautious message about judging the result.
Let us see how the new method pans out before reverting to the old one.
“See how… pans out” waits for the new method’s outcome before reverting, rather than judges it from one difficult attempt.
The usage comparisons are checked against the Cambridge Dictionary entries linked beside the compared expressions. The additional conversations and exercises are written for this course.
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