Draw a Circle on a chart paper and divide it into 10 parts. Write 1 idiom
with its meaning and usage in each of the parts. You may prepare the
wheel as a working model.
Answers
Explanation:
Idioms and Expressions
by
David Holmes
A method for learning and remembering idioms and expressions
I wrote this model as a teaching device during the time I was working in Bangkok, Thai-
land, as a legal editor and language consultant, with one of the Big Four Legal and Tax
companies, KPMG (during my afternoon job) after teaching at the university.
When I had no legal documents to edit and no individual advising to do (which was quite
frequently) I would sit at my desk, (like some old character out of a Charles Dickens’
novel) and prepare language materials to be used for helping professionals who had
learned English as a second language—for even up to fifteen years in school—but who
were still unable to follow a movie in English, understand the World News on TV, or
converse in a colloquial style, because they’d never had a chance to hear and learn com-
mon, everyday expressions such as, “It’s a done deal!” or “Drop whatever you’re doing.”
Because misunderstandings of such idioms and expressions frequently caused miscom-
munication between our management teams and foreign clients, I was asked to try to as-
sist. I am happy to be able to share the materials that follow, such as they are, in the hope
that they may be of some use and benefit to others.
The simple teaching device I used was three-fold:
1. Make a note of an idiom/expression
2. Define and explain it in understandable words (including synonyms.)
3. Give at least three sample sentences to illustrate how the expression is used in context.
For instance,
Idiom: “It’s a done deal.”
Definition: “We agree. Everything has been decided. We’re ready to sign the contract.”
Examples:
1. “The bank has confirmed the loan agreement, so It’s a done deal.”
2. “The court has approved the restructuring plan, so it’s a done deal.”
3. “The Senior Partner has signed my promotion papers, so it’s a done deal.”
If a student came to me with an idiom he wanted explained, like “a rotten egg ” or “a lit-
tle stinker,” we would follow the above formula, and we would work it through together,
discussing and explaining the words and situations as we went along, to the point where
we could finally get the student using the expression in sample sentences referring to life
situations of his own.
If a student was anxious to learn idiomatic expressions, on a broader range, in general, I
would often encourage him just to open the book at any page and put his finger on the
first expression which caught to his eye, and we would talk about that, often getting into a
lively conversation on the topic, sharing related incidents, anecdotes and stories, and dis