idiom on linguistic

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this time I will tell you about idiom on linguistic.

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What’s wrong with this sentence? 

“I have a lot on my plates with school, and I have been working around my watch.”

⤇ EXPLANATION:

There are many phrases in English which can be very confusing to people trying to learn the language, especially phrases which we try to understand literally, but actually mean something very different. These phrases are known as idiomatic phrases, or idioms.

For example:

“I have a lot on my plate tomorrow as I have to finish an assignment and work in the evening.”

If we try to understand these words literally, it means I have a plate with many items on it, meaning I have a lot of food… Is this what we mean? 

Definitely not! This phrase actually means busy:

“I am busy tomorrow as I have to finish an assignment and work in the evening.”

⤇Why should we learn idioms?

There are two main reasons to learn common idioms.

1. When used in speaking, and sometimes writing, they show a high level of vocabulary.

This is because they are natural phrases commonly used by native speakers. Remember, when we study English, we want to sound as natural as possible, as close to a native speaker as possible. Therefore, using idioms helps us in this.

2. We can recognise them when listening to others speaking.

It may be very difficult understand native speakers, or expert users of English, when they are speaking if they use idioms. Often when learners of English read, watch a movie or listen to the radio, they may misunderstand a lot if idioms are used. A good understanding of common idioms will enable learners to understand a great deal more of natural speech.

⤇How can we understand new idioms when we read or hear them?

As mentioned above, the nature of an idiom is that we cannot understand it if we try to look at the literal meaning. If we try to define an idiomatic phrase, we will often completely misunderstand the meaning of what someone is saying (see the example “a lot on my plate”).

This means, we have to follow a simple process for understanding idioms:

1. Try to guess the meaning from context.

Look at the sentence and try to understand it without the idiom, then guess some words that could replace the phrase and make sense.

This is a very important skill and should always be the first thing you do before asking for help or checking in a dictionary.

2. Google it!

Often by simply typing an unknown phrase into Google you will find many sites offering actual definitions.

Try it now. Enter “a lot on my plate” into Google and see what you can find. Are there any sites which tell you that this means “busy”?

⤇What should we do when we find a new idiom?

First, we need to decide if it is useful or not. So what make a phrase useful? Well, useful means “to have a lot of uses” or “something which can be used a lot”. So if you think you could use this phrase in many situations, then that means it is useful!

Now that we have decided if a phrase is useful, we need to record it. Everyone studying English, whether at a high level or low level, should keep a vocabulary journal (a notebook to record new and useful words and phrases). It is a good idea to have an area to record idioms so that you can find them again easily.

Finally, use and review! Try to use your new phrases in speaking and writing, and go back to older phrases and use them again.

⤇How do we use idioms?

The most important things to know when learning to use idioms are:

1. What changes, what doesn’t?

Often mistakes are made when using idioms because learners try to change too much. For example:

I have a lot on my plate today.

She works around the clock at weekends.

(This means she works long hours. Probably all day, and maybe at night too.)

In these phrases there are only two parts we can change, the verb and the pronouns:

She has a lot on her plate today. √

She has a lot in her bowl today. X

I work around the clock at weekends. √

I work over the clock at the weekends. X

2. When can we use this phrase?

One very common mistake is using a phrase in the wrong situation, or trying to use it literally. For example:

I am very hungry so I will have a lot on my plate. X

(Remember, this phrase means busy, so this is not the correct idiomatic use!) 

So…

I have a lot on my plates with school, and I have been working around my watch. X

I have a lot on my plate with school, and I have been working around the clock. √