IDIOMS AND PROVEBS Done by : Nisanbaev Azamat Group 200- A

Definition IdiomsIdioms are groups of words with a special meaning that is quite different from the meaning of the individual words. proverbA proverb is a brief, simple, and popular saying, or a phrase that gives advice and effectively embodies a commonplace truth based on practical experience or common sense. A proverb may have an allegorical message behind its odd appearance. The reason of popularity is due to its usage in spoken language, as well as in folk literature.

Example of idioms The idiom " to be on the ball " really has nothing to do with a ball or being on top of one. It means that someone is very industrious, intelligent and organized. For this reason, we can say that idioms meanings are opaque rather than transparent. Since idioms are widely used in English but their meanings are nearly impossible to guess or infer from context, we will spend time studying them in this class.

Example of proverbs If a child washes his hands he could eat with kings. If a child washes his hands he could eat with kings. Meaning : If you remove the dirt of your ancestors, you can have a better future. Everyone can build his or her own fame. Nothing in life was as ugly as death. Nothing in life was as ugly as death. Meaning : Death is the most horrible experience in life.

Conclusion Learning idioms and proverbs can be fun. However, as they are idiomatic expressions, sometimes it can be difficult to decide when or how to use them. That is why it is better to learn them in context. Using visuals and pictures can also help. Doing matching activities as the ones proposed in this webquest or seeing if they translate directly into our language are also good ways of learning them, most of the time we know a similar expression in our language and it can help us to remember the proverb in English. That is also a fun activity as we can find the similarities and differences, sometimes we may find they are really surprising. It is far more useful to be able to understand the expressions when you hear them than to be able to produce them.