You have accidentally knocked over a cup / mug and the coffee has gone(uncontrolled) all over the

desk.

(b) What has happened if toys spilt out all over the carpet?

The toys are in a container, such as a box, and either the box is too fullso some toys are falling out

onto the carpet, or the box has been tipped over so most of the toys havefallen out of the box.

(c) What might be happening if crowds were spilling out of the bars andrestaurants? Many people would be leaving the bars and restaurants all at once,probably because they were closing

for the night.

3 join When you join something, you become part of it. Thewriter joins a queue, and several clubs.

(a) When might someone join a band?

When they can play a musical instrument and want to play with others.

(b) What has happened if you join the unemployed?

You have lost your job and become unemployed.

(c) What do you do when you join in?

You do the same activity that most other people are doing.

4 burst into This phrase suggests that something suddenly happens,or someone suddenly starts doing something.

(a) What does the writer suddenly start doing when she bursts intotears? The writer suddenly starts crying.

(b) What bursts into bloom?

Flowers, when they emerge from buds.

(c) What do you do when something bursts into flames?

Put out the flames immediately if you can, or keep well clear and call theemergency services (the

fire brigade).

5 clean This word usually suggests several ideas: not dirty, notillegal or wrong, without problems,

inoffensive.

(a) If you’ve got a clean licence, what have or haven’t you done?

This refers to a driving licence. It means that you have been drivingsafely or at least you have no

penalty points on the licence – a person gets such points as a punishmentafter breaking the law on

the roads, eg speeding or causing an accident, and the licence then has anote on it (it’s not “clean”)

and the police have a record.

(b) If you use clean language, what do you avoid saying?

You avoid using swear words or other examples of bad language.

(c) If something has a clean bill of health, is it healthy orworking correctly?