Meaning of "lost his touch"

[nemo]

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #62 "Losing It (2)", question 5

Despite his great age we realized that he'd not lost his ......... because he was still able to deliver a wonderful speech.

(a) feel
(b) contact
(c) touch
(d) feeling

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #62 "Losing It (2)", answer 5

Despite his great age we realized that he'd not lost his touch because he was still able to deliver a wonderful speech.

Correct answer: (c) touch

Your answer was: correct
_________________________

What's "lost his touch" really mean?

thanx
nemo lee

[Alan]

Hi nemo lee,

Touch in this sentence has the idea of special gift or ability. In the sentence it refers to the special ability to deliver a good speech. It is often used when you are talking about the influence someone has over others, especially over an audience as with good actors, singers and performers in general.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Kati Svaby]

Hello,

Can I say this sentence?

Picasso till the end of his life didn't lose his touch. His paintings produced the same influence on the people than his earlier ones.

Thanks:
Kati Svaby

[Beeesneees]

Picasso didn't lose his touch all through his life. His later paintings had the same influence on people as his earlier ones. ;)

I'd prefer 'all through' rather than 'till the end of..' here, because otherwise it sounds as if he might have lost his touch right at the end.
I've added 'later' to clarify which paintings I mean.
The usual term is to 'vahe an influence on... ' rather than 'produce an influence on...' I would expect 'produce' + 'effect'.
'as' not 'than' here.
_________________
Cheers m' dears!

[Kati Svaby]

Thanks BZ, I think superfluous to rank the titles because who was in the Picasso Museum in Paris or in the Modern Museum in Madrid when coming out from these museums this feeling suggests to everybody. But this is only 2 museums whereas all the big museums of the world has wonderful paintings. Incredible what he was able to. Anyway he was so prolific painter that one day he made several wonderful drawings. He was a very free painter.

You made a typo (?) what is the verb with influence, I couldn't find out what can be.

Thank you:
Kati

[Alan]

Hi Kati,

To avoid ambiguity I would rewrite your sentence as: Picasso didn't lose his touch throughout his life.

Alan
_________________
English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Progressive Forms

[Kati Svaby]

Hello Alan,

Thank you for your correction. I never found out this collocation. I think I used a "Hungarism". I translate from Hungarian unfortunately.
Thanks again:
Kati Svaby

[Beeesneees]

[Kati Svaby]

Hi Bz,

Thanks everything, your instruction. It is very useful for me.Anyway I 'decoded ' your verb, if I had been cleverer I should have found out at once.
Have a good day:
Kati

[Kietsjsu]

Hi teacher,
Can I write like this.
We always understand her presentation clearly despite of her nervousness because she never losts her touch in her materials.

Thanks in advance
Phuchi

[Beeesneees]

We always understand her presentations clearly despite her nervousness because she never loses touch with her materials. (present)
We always understood her presentations clearly despite her nervousness because she never lost touch with her materials. (past)

Use of 'always' indicates that she made more than one presentation, which is why I chose to use the plural.
_________________
Cheers m' dears!

[Kietsjsu]

Thank you for correction. I will check my grammar next time when I write.