What do you think it means… if I told you that learning about idioms is a piece of cake? But, how...
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What do you think it means… if I told you that learning about idioms is a piece of cake? But, how did you know what a piece of cake means? You’re right!
What do you think it means… if I told you that learning about idioms is a piece of cake? But, how did you know what a piece of cake means? You’re right!
What do you think it means if 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!
Slide 3
So, 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.
Slide 4
Would 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 on potato = vegetable we
eat
Slide 5
...the words take on a whole different meaning.
Slide 6
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?
Slide 7
You might have heard people say Have you ever seen cats and
dogs falling from the sky? Its raining cats and dogs outside.
Slide 8
So, do you think an idiom is meant to be a lie?
Slide 9
No, 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.
Slide 10
What is weird is that even though idioms mean something
drastically different from what we actually say, everyone else
seems to understand exactly what we really mean!
Slide 11
well, everyone who speaks the same language.
Slide 12
Let 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.
Slide 13
For 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?
Slide 14
Should 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.
Slide 15
Do you think this would be a very good idea?
Slide 16
This 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.
Slide 17
See if you can figure this one out
Slide 18
What do you think this idiom means? Put your foot in your mouth
Correct. It means to say something you regret. Your right!
Slide 19
These next few slides are a bit more challenging So, I suggest
you might want to put on your thinking cap!
Slide 20
See if you can figure these out
Slide 21
Thats right. A hidden or shocking secret that you dont want
others to know. You are correct! Skeletons in the closet What might
this idiom be referring to?
Slide 22
How about this one?
Slide 23
When 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?
Slide 24
Have you ever heard this idiom? Barking up the wrong tree Can
you take a guess what this idiom means?
Slide 25
It means going about something the wrong way. Why do you think
people say this?
Slide 26
Try and name this idiom
Slide 27
It is when pigs fly. Your right again! Can anyone use this
idiom in a sentence correctly? Are these idioms just too easy OR
are you just too smart?
Slide 28
Okay, now it is time to Why should we use idioms in our
writing?
Slide 29
We 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!
Slide 30
But, idioms are most effective when used sparingly.
Slide 31
The bad news Sometimes, idioms can be very difficult to
understand unless you can guess the meaning by using context clues
or pictures. But, the good news is
Slide 32
There are many helpful dictionaries and online resources
available to help us better understand and practice using
idioms.
Slide 33
Eye On Idioms I hope everything you learned about idioms didnt
go in one ear and out the other? Because, now it is quiz time!
Slide 34
Now it is your turn Explore the following websites:
http://www.idiomsite.com/ http://usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/
http://humanities.byu.edu/elc/student/idioms/idiomsmain.html
http://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.