Idioms make English language funny, vibrant and enriching to learn. Many of us use idioms very often in our daily conversations, even without being aware of it. That is quite understandable from the fact that there are nearly 25,000 phrases in English language that are deemed to be idioms! In almost all languages, there are hundreds of thousands of idioms. In this article, we will restrict out discussion only about English idioms and phrases, with their meaning and usage.
Using Idioms Smartly
Idioms are phrases, expressions that are used very commonly in a language to express something whose meaning can't be taken literally. Many English language experts presume idioms to be a type of figure of speech or a metaphor, as they convey the same effect, in certain circumstances. Knowing about the history of idiomatic expressions is very interesting, as most of the idioms have been picked from human experiences. All idioms have an interesting story behind their origins. Idioms have become such an integral part of linguistics that avoiding their usage in English language would only render this funny language dry, dull and pedantic. So idioms are groups of words, phrases whose meaning can't be deduced apparently from the words used in the sentence.
The sentence might have altogether different connotations. To quote a simple example of idiom, when we say that, 'it's raining cats and dogs', it doesn't mean that cats and dogs are actually falling from the sky! The idiom has a different meaning, that is,
guess bag, it is raining heavily. To a beginner English learner, idioms can be quite confusing to remember and memorize. So how to use idioms in English language? You can't attain perfection in using idioms overnight. It is not easy to learn all idioms and memorize their meaning in one go. Most of the idioms are used in daily life, so we get their meaning during our natural phase of learning. Some uncommon ones can be known by reading grammar books.
Reading diverse books of different authors helps us to strengthen our vocabulary and also learn about various cultures. Remember, idioms are mostly derived from cultural practices and traditions. Not all idioms will have grammatical and logical connectivity. So you have to be patient while learning idioms. You can't use idioms anywhere and in any sentence. If used improperly, idioms can sound idiotic! Unless you don't know the meaning and usage of idioms, it is not a smart work to use them. You needn't memorize hundreds of idioms in one go. Learning about idioms is a gradual process and takes time. You must also make it a habit to practice making sentences by using idioms. That will help you to remember the meaning of idioms properly. Television, newspapers, magazines, college books, ebooks, Internet and conversations with native people - all these are some vital sources of learning idioms.
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