Idioms and expressions
An idiom means something its words do not say. English has thousands, they appear constantly in ordinary speech, and they are the last thing a fluent second-language speaker learns.
What you'll learn
10 chapters, then the quiz
- 01What an idiom isMeaning that is not compositional.
- 02Where they come fromSport, sea, war and work.
- 03Idioms at workThe business dialect.
- 04Learning themContext beats lists.
- 05Across languagesWhy idioms defeat translation.
- 06Phrasal verbsThe other hard part.
- 07Proverbs and sayingsCompressed advice.
- 08Regional variationSame language, different phrases.
- 09Common manglesHalf-remembered phrases.
- 10Using idioms wellKnowing when not to.
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