🗓️ Idiom: Being on Top of Things (v)
💬 Meaning
- Staying in control of all tasks and responsibilities.
- Being well-organized, informed, and ready to act.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The project manager is really on top of things so she always knows the status of every task.
- If we want to meet this tight deadline, we need to stay on top of things.
- He was praised for being on top of things during the product rollout.
🏛️ Origin
The phrase comes from the image of someone standing above a situation, able to see and manage everything clearly. In business, it means being fully aware and in control of what’s going on.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
We avoided delays because the team lead was __________ from the beginning.
Answer
on top of things
2. Choose the correct meaning of “being on top of things”:
A) Letting problems build up
B) Focusing only on one detail
C) Staying organized and in control
D) Starting projects late
Answer
C) Staying organized and in control
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“She always manages tasks well and knows what’s happening at all times.” → Change the sentence using: on top of things
Answer
She is always on top of things and manages tasks well.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
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