Working with Idioms
Idioms are commonly used in everyday English to express certain ideas or opinions. They are an essential component of the English language, and all English language learners should develop an understanding of, and fluency with, idioms.
The English language has approximately 25 000 idiomatic expressions. Clearly, it will be impossible to master them all. But there are several reasons why you should aim to develop a better understanding of the most common idioms:
They enrich our language by providing concise meaning that alternative wording lacks, and they allow you to say a lot with a few words.
They make conversations smarter, funnier, more creative, and less monotonous.
English native speakers use idioms as a natural part of their conversation.
Idioms may seem complicated at first, but they can actually be a lot of fun to learn.
Divide the class into groups. Study the list of 30 idioms.
In turn, pick a random idiom from the list. Don't tell the others which one you choose. Act out the idiom for the other students.
The person who's able to guess the idiom AND explain the meaning of the idiom will get a point.
Usually, an idiom is figurative in modern contexts but once had a literal meaning.
In the text box, you will find a list of different idioms. Work together in pairs or small groups and divide the idioms between you. Find out what they mean today and where they originally came from. In some cases, you may find several explanations.
Explain the modern and the original meaning to your partner.
let the cat out of the bag
barking up the wrong tree
cost an arm and a leg
bite the bullet
turn a blind eye
feeling under the weather
beat around the bush
steal someone's thunder
white elephant
close, but no cigar
give the cold shoulder
till the cows come home
hear it through the grapevine
bigwig
In this task, you are given three sentences containing idioms where only one sentence is correct. Are you able to identify the correct sentences?
Work together in groups of three.
Every group chooses a different idiom. You may want to choose an idiom that you have never heard before, just to make it a bit more difficult for the rest of the class.
Write down a detailed description of the meaning of the idiom. In addition, make two other incorrect definitions, equally detailed. Also, create three sentences, one for each definition, where the idiom is included for context.
The three students present one definition each for the class. The aim is to convince the class that their definition is the correct one. Is the class able to identify the correct definition?
Here are two lists with various idioms that you can choose from:
Link to 150 Common & Difficult Idioms with Examples
Link to A-Z idioms