Hi everyone,
Hope you are all doing great.
I've got free time just once in a blue moon lately, but here I am with more tips! Hope they are helpful!
Today's topic is IDIOMS.
Don't we love them? Apparently all learners are always studying them but why should we? Well, they are an important part of language and cultural inheritage. I bet you do speak them in your mother tongue once in a while. So here are some tips to use them beautifully in English!
NEVER EVER LITERALY TRANSLATE YOUR NATIVE TONGUE'S IDIOMS
If you do that there is a great chance you won't get through. Some idioms may exist in more than one language, derived from Latin sayings or so, but many idioms are local and exclusively depend on cultural and language context thus translating just the words is never enough.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERUSE IDIOMS.
The overuse of idioms removes fluidity of oral communication, mainly if you struggle to put them in the sentences artificially. On top of that, some we stumble upon in books or internet are old and not much used these days and make we sound old-fashioned or cheesy. Watch contemporary series, movies or reality shows if you want to know which ones are cool.
LEARN IDIOMS WHICH MAKE SENSE...FOR YOU!!!
What is the point of sounding like someone you are not? You can certainly use some fancy idioms and phrasal verbs to show off your English but do not be pedantic! If you were not born an English Lord why would you say "that's not cricket!" on your trip to Canada?
ATTENTION TO WHAT THE IDIOM MEANS AND DO NOT TRY TO GUESS THEM BY THE WORDS ALONE
As I said before, idioms are not literal. That means you will definitely need more context and examples to guess them. Sometimes they can be tricky and very distant from what we imagine they are saying just by looking at the words in them.
Read this article for tips on using idioms in tests such as IELTS and TOEFL:
https://lnkd.in/e7_Vz_F
Warm hugs,
Teacher Mariana
Once in a blue moon= rarely.
Not cricket= a thing contrary to traditional standards of fairness or rectitude.(Old British idiom).
Guts= Brave, courage.
"Guts" is the stomach area. Having "guts" is representing you have a strong stomach. When you have "guts" you are saying you are brave or have a lot of courage.
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