Idioms

 

"Okay guys, you need to get off the fence, get your head in the game, and if you get back on your horse everytime you'll fall down, learning idioms will be a  piece of cake!"

 

Wow! What was that?  Those were idioms.

 

What is an idiom? 

Idioms are words, phrases and expressions which cannot be translated word-by-word but have meaning beyond their literal dictionary definitions.  What does this mean?

Let's take above sentence apart:  to get off the fence means don't sit on the sideline (the fence= hek), but jump off and participate with what is going on. Get your head in the game means, concentrate, focus, and do what you need to do to be successful, participate! To get back on your horse means that if things go wrong and they don't work out,  just get up and try again till you get it. You horseback riders will understand where this idiom comes from.! And then, 'It's a piece of cake'. The meaning of this idiom is that something is easy to do. Your teacher can tell you: ''If you put your mind to it, learning idioms is fun and a piece of cake!

In other words, learning idioms is fun and easy to do!

 
Why should I learn them?
 
Okay, I admit, the above sentence was a little extreme, but idioms are used a lot by native speakers. Honestly, I believe this is what sets native speakers apart from good international English speakers. 
 
Using different English Idioms will help you impress your examiner in any Speaking Exam.  According to research led by Howard R. Pollio of the University of Tennessee, native speakers use on average 4 idioms per minute when speaking. So, clearly, focusing on developing a mastery of English idioms will help you not only understand native speakers more easily, but also make you sound more natural and interesting when you speak.  If you listen carefully during your listening exams, you will often pick up on idioms too. You can also find idioms in articles and put them in your own writing, however, take into consideration that idioms are often informal. This means that it is a good idea to use them in a friendly letter or in a light-hearted article, but not in a formal document like an essay, formal letter, or a report.
 
Make it a point to pay attention when you listen to your shows and movies. Listen how often and which idioms are used. Then, try to integrate them in your own speaking, and before you know it, it will be a piece of cake!