What are idioms
An expression like turn up(meaning ‘arrive’), break even(meaning ‘make neither a profitnor a loss’) or a can of worms(meaning ‘a complicatedproblem’) can be difficult tounderstand, because itsmeaning is different from themeanings of the separate wordsin the expression. (If you knowbreak and even, this does nothelp you at all to understandbreak even.) Expressions likethese are called ‘idioms’. Idiomsare usually special to onelanguage and cannot betranslated word for word (thoughrelated languages may sharesome idioms).
verbs with particles orprepositions
Common short verbs like bring, come, do, get, give, go, have, keep, make, put, and take arevery often used withprepositions or adverb particles(e.g. on, off, up, away) to maketwo-word verbs. These are called‘prepositional verbs’ or ‘phrasalverbs’, and many of them areidiomatic.
Can you look after the cats whileI’m away?
She just doesn’t know how tobring up children.
I gave up chemistry because Ididn’t like it.
Many of these two-word verbsare especially common ininformal speech and writing. Compare:–What time are you planning toturn up? (informal)Please let us know when youplan to arrive. (more formal)–Just keep on till you get to thecrossroads. (informal)Continue as far as thecrossroads. (formal)
For details of phrasal and prepositional verbs, see 599, 600.
collocations (conventional wordcombinations)
We can say I fully understand, but not I fully like; I rather like, but not I rather understand; Ifirmly believe, but not I firmlythink. Somebody can be a heavysmoker or a devoted friend, butnot a devoted smoker or a heavyfriend. Expressions like these arealso idiomatic, in a sense. Theyare easy to understand, but notso easy for a learner to producecorrectly. One can think of manyadjectives that might be usedwith smoker to say thatsomebody smokes a lot – forexample big, strong, hard, fierce, mad, devoted. It justhappens that English speakershave chosen to use heavy, andone has to know this in order toexpress the idea naturally andcorrectly. These conventionalcombinations of words are called‘collocations’, and all languageshave large numbers of them. Some more examples:
a crashing bore (BUT NOT acrashing nuisance)
a burning desire (BUT NOT ablazing desire)
a blazing row (BUT NOT a burningrow)
highly reliable (BUT NOT highlyold)
a golden opportunity (BUT NOT agolden chance)
change one’s mind (BUT NOTchange one’s thoughts)
Thanks a lot. (BUT NOT Thank youa lot.)
situational language: fixedexpressions
The expressions that are used intypical everyday situations areoften idiomatic in the samesense. With the help of adictionary and a grammar, onecould invent various possibleways of expressing a particularcommon idea, but generallythere are only one or two waysthat happen to be used byEnglish speakers, and one has toknow what they are in order tospeak or write naturally. Someexamples:
Could you check the oil? (Morenatural than Could you inspectthe oil? or Could you see howmuch oil there is in the engine?)
Is it a direct flight or do I have tochange? (More natural thanDoes the plane go straight thereor do I have to get another one?)
Sorry I kept you waiting. (Morenatural than Sorry I made youwait.)
Could I reserve a table for threefor eight o'clock? (More naturalthan Could you keep me a tablefor three persons for eighto’clock?)
Other fixed expressions are usedas parts of sentences – usefulintroductions, conclusions orframes for the things that peoplewant to say.
Let me knowwhen/where/what/how …
The best thing would be to …(dosomething) as a favour.
The point is …
… is more trouble than it’sworth.
I wouldn’t be surprised if …
I’ll … on condition that you.
using idioms, collocations andfixed expressions.
Idioms, collocations and fixedexpressions are common in allkinds of English, formal andinformal, spoken and written. Informal spoken language isoften very idiomatic.
Students should not worrybecause they do not know allthe expressions of this kind thatare commonly used by Englishspeakers. If they use non-idiomatic ways of expressingideas, they will normally beunderstood, and Englishspeakers do not expectforeigners to speak perfectnatural English. It is thereforenot necessary for students tomake great efforts to memoriseidioms, collocations etc: they willlearn the most common onesnaturally along with the rest oftheir English. In particular, notethat books of idioms oftencontain expressions which areslangy, rare or out of date, andwhich students should avoidunless they understand exactlyhow and when the expressionsare used. This is especially trueof colourful idioms like, forexample, raining cats and dogs, as cross as two sticks (= angry) or kick the bucket (= die). Ifstudents try consciously to filltheir speech and writing withsuch expressions the effect willprobably be very strange.
It is, however, helpful forlearners to have a good up-to-date dictionary of collocations(for example the OxfordDictionary of Collocations) inorder to become aware of themost common wordcombinations.
verbs with particles orprepositions
Common short verbs like bring, come, do, get, give, go, have, keep, make, put, and take arevery often used withprepositions or adverb particles(e.g. on, off, up, away) to maketwo-word verbs. These are called‘prepositional verbs’ or ‘phrasalverbs’, and many of them areidiomatic.
Can you look after the cats whileI’m away?
She just doesn’t know how tobring up children.
I gave up chemistry because Ididn’t like it.
Many of these two-word verbsare especially common ininformal speech and writing. Compare:–What time are you planning toturn up? (informal)Please let us know when youplan to arrive. (more formal)–Just keep on till you get to thecrossroads. (informal)Continue as far as thecrossroads. (formal)
For details of phrasal and prepositional verbs, see 599, 600.
collocations (conventional wordcombinations)
We can say I fully understand, but not I fully like; I rather like, but not I rather understand; Ifirmly believe, but not I firmlythink. Somebody can be a heavysmoker or a devoted friend, butnot a devoted smoker or a heavyfriend. Expressions like these arealso idiomatic, in a sense. Theyare easy to understand, but notso easy for a learner to producecorrectly. One can think of manyadjectives that might be usedwith smoker to say thatsomebody smokes a lot – forexample big, strong, hard, fierce, mad, devoted. It justhappens that English speakershave chosen to use heavy, andone has to know this in order toexpress the idea naturally andcorrectly. These conventionalcombinations of words are called‘collocations’, and all languageshave large numbers of them. Some more examples:
a crashing bore (BUT NOT acrashing nuisance)
a burning desire (BUT NOT ablazing desire)
a blazing row (BUT NOT a burningrow)
highly reliable (BUT NOT highlyold)
a golden opportunity (BUT NOT agolden chance)
change one’s mind (BUT NOTchange one’s thoughts)
Thanks a lot. (BUT NOT Thank youa lot.)
situational language: fixedexpressions
The expressions that are used intypical everyday situations areoften idiomatic in the samesense. With the help of adictionary and a grammar, onecould invent various possibleways of expressing a particularcommon idea, but generallythere are only one or two waysthat happen to be used byEnglish speakers, and one has toknow what they are in order tospeak or write naturally. Someexamples:
Could you check the oil? (Morenatural than Could you inspectthe oil? or Could you see howmuch oil there is in the engine?)
Is it a direct flight or do I have tochange? (More natural thanDoes the plane go straight thereor do I have to get another one?)
Sorry I kept you waiting. (Morenatural than Sorry I made youwait.)
Could I reserve a table for threefor eight o'clock? (More naturalthan Could you keep me a tablefor three persons for eighto’clock?)
Other fixed expressions are usedas parts of sentences – usefulintroductions, conclusions orframes for the things that peoplewant to say.
Let me knowwhen/where/what/how …
The best thing would be to …(dosomething) as a favour.
The point is …
… is more trouble than it’sworth.
I wouldn’t be surprised if …
I’ll … on condition that you.
using idioms, collocations andfixed expressions.
Idioms, collocations and fixedexpressions are common in allkinds of English, formal andinformal, spoken and written. Informal spoken language isoften very idiomatic.
Students should not worrybecause they do not know allthe expressions of this kind thatare commonly used by Englishspeakers. If they use non-idiomatic ways of expressingideas, they will normally beunderstood, and Englishspeakers do not expectforeigners to speak perfectnatural English. It is thereforenot necessary for students tomake great efforts to memoriseidioms, collocations etc: they willlearn the most common onesnaturally along with the rest oftheir English. In particular, notethat books of idioms oftencontain expressions which areslangy, rare or out of date, andwhich students should avoidunless they understand exactlyhow and when the expressionsare used. This is especially trueof colourful idioms like, forexample, raining cats and dogs, as cross as two sticks (= angry) or kick the bucket (= die). Ifstudents try consciously to filltheir speech and writing withsuch expressions the effect willprobably be very strange.
It is, however, helpful forlearners to have a good up-to-date dictionary of collocations(for example the OxfordDictionary of Collocations) inorder to become aware of themost common wordcombinations.
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