Learning Idioms are A Piece of Cake

What do you think it meansif I told you that learning about idioms is a piece of cake?But, how did you know what a piece of cake means?

Youre right!1So, what is an idiom anyway?An idiom is a group of words which, when used together, have a different meaning entirely, than when used separately.

There are more than 15,000 idioms in the English language. Most of the time, we use idioms without ever realizing that we are.

2Would an example help?But, when the words are used together, as in couch + potato,

Look at the following words defined separately :couch = something we sit onpotato = vegetable we eat3

...the words take on a whole different meaning.4 A couch potato is an idiom that describes someone who is lazy and spends a lot of time watching television. Do you know someone who is a couch potato?

5You might have heard people sayHave you ever seen cats and dogs falling from the sky?

Its raining cats and dogs outside.

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So, do you think an idiom is meant to be a lie?

7No, of course not.Idioms are more like a code. People use idioms to make a point. They say one thing, but really mean another.

Raining cats and dogs is just another way of saying it is raining really hard outside.

8What is weirdis that even though idioms mean something drastically different from what we actually say, everyone else seems to understand exactlywhat we really mean!

9well, everyone who speaks the same language.

10Let me explain.Every language has its own idioms.

If you are trying to learn a second language,you are going to be very mixed up when you hear idioms from another language.11For Example:

If you heard someone say this problem is driving me up the wall, YOU would know that it means to be really annoyed. But, can you imagine if you heard someone say this and you understood very little English? 12Should idioms be taken literally?No, if you take idioms word for word, they do not make much sense at all.

For example: To bury your head in the sand, means to ignore something that is obviously wrong.

13Do you think this would be a very good idea?

14This may be a familiar idiom

Maybe someone has told you to zip your lips!

You did not really zip your mouth. You knew this really meant to be quiet, no talking.

15See if you can figure this one out

16What do you think this idiom means?

Put your foot in your mouth Correct. It means to say something you regret.

Your right! 17These next few slides are a bit more challengingSo, I suggest you might want to put on your thinking cap!

18See if you can figure these out

19Thats right. A hidden or shocking secret that you dont want others to know. You are correct!Skeletons in the closetWhat might this idiom be referring to?20How about this one?

21When someone says, the cats got your tongue, it means you are at a loss for words or speechless.You are correct! The cats got your tongue.What do you think is the meaning of this phrase? 22Have you ever heard this idiom?Barking up the wrong tree

Can you take a guess what this idiom means?23It means going about something the wrong way.

Why do you think people say this? 24Try and name this idiom

25It is when pigs fly. Your right again! Can anyone use this idiom in a sentence correctly?Are these idioms just too easy ORare you just too smart?26Okay, now it is time to

Why should we use idioms in our writing?27We need idioms because Idioms enhance the quality our writing. Using idioms makes our writing interesting, more vivid, and descriptive.Idioms can be really funny, too!

28But, idioms are most effective when used sparingly.

29The bad newsSometimes, idioms can be very difficult to understand unless you can guess the meaning by using context clues or pictures.

But, the good news is30There are many helpful dictionaries and online resources available to help us better understand and practice using idioms.

31Eye On IdiomsI hope everything you learned about idioms didnt go in one ear and out the other?

Because, now it is quiz time!32Now it is your turnExplore the following websites:

http://www.idiomsite.com/http://usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/http://humanities.byu.edu/elc/student/idioms/idiomsmain.htmlhttp://www.funbrain.com/idioms/Make a list of idioms you might use in your writing. Be sure to write down the idioms meaning so you will remember it.

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