Learning Idiomatic Expressions

Learning phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions, which may comprise them, means that the student should take a constructive approach especially if he wants to incorporate them in his daily speech. It has been suggested that the student categorize the idioms into groups where he can associate the group of words to a particular activity. If he can think of the literal and figurative meanings of phrasal verbs that may be there, that would also help. One way of categorizing the expressions may be on the type of words they contain like colors for example.

There seems to a variety of classifications as to what phrasal verbs are. This teacher has learned about the variety of phrasal verbs through books such as one published by Dixon, that they consist of verbs and prepositions only and not verbs and adverbs or verbs adverbs and prepositions. There does seem a common vein as to the constituents of an idiomatic expression, which are either made up of the phrasal verbs and other words like abstract or concrete nouns, or just a collection of words whose meaning together is completely different from any literal connotation. Those words are often after conjugations of be or have such as “to be on a winning streak” or “to have a knack for something.”

So the student can learn a number of expressions that have different meanings and are only connected because they each have the name of a color. To be in the red means to owe money and that is the figurative sense. No one expects that a literal meaning be expected. Similarly, to be in the black means that the person has funds available and is not in debt. So being in the red can be taken to be the opposite if being in the black. The phrasal verb “is in” and the added color, makes up the idiomatic expression.

The worst thing that a person could do would be to expect an equivalent of the idiom in his native language. Still it is quite difficult for the new speaker not to unconsciously look for some kind of equivalent. Translating from one language to the next is quite common for new language speakers especially when there are patterns of speech that do not exist in their cultures.

Many immigrant students are pressed to learn idiomatic expressions because of the association of this form of speech to social situations. So if the person is going to socialize, I would have him think of what ways people socialize in his adopted country and then try to attach that expression to the situation. Socializing, in fact could be in the form of having a house party and in fact there is an expression incorporating the word, house in house-warming party. The complete expression is ‘to give a house warming party’ and that would be an occasion where someone wants to celebrate the purchase of a house. He would do that by inviting people over to see it and celebrate the occasion. Visitors would most likely give gifts to the new house owner in the form of something that could go with the house, such as a knick-knack or vase.