It is more important
to recognize what idioms mean than to use them yourself. People use them in
informal situations, often to create a personal and sometimes exaggerated
impression of what they are describing.
There are many ways of categorizing idioms. (Below
are some examples).
To describe
personal qualities of behavior:
She has a heart of gold. He
is as tough as nails. She is quick off the mark.
(She
is very generous). (He is able to take a lot of
punishment). (She understands
something quickly).
To describe feelings:
She is on cloud nine. He is beat. He
is down in the dumps.
(She
is feeling very happy)
(He is feeling tired). (He
is feeling depressed)
To describe problems or reactions to situations:
He is between a rock and a hard place. She sweeps things under the mat.
(All
his alternatives are difficult). (She tries to hide
everything).
She can see a light at the end of the tunnel.
(She
can see an improvement happening in the near future).
To talk about communication:
He got the point. She spoke her mind. She talked up a storm.
(He understood the situation). (She said everything she wanted to
say). (She made people
angry).
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Which category (personal qualities or behavior,
feelings, problems or reactions to situations or communication) do the below
idioms belong too?
(A) He never remembers anything. His
mind is like a sieve!
__________________
(B) She came up behind him quietly and
shouted, “Boo”! She frightened the life out of him. ___________________
(C) Your children are well behaved. They
are as good as gold! __________________
(D) He was really angry. He was as mad
as a hornet. ____________________
(E) I think I will take the back
seat and let him do all the work. _________________
(F) I won’t beat about the bush. I will
tell you what I really think. ________________
(G) She is very long winded. She always
uses ten words when two would do. ___________
ANSWERS
Which category (personal qualities or behavior,
feelings, problems or reactions to situations or communication) do the below
idioms belong too?
(A)
He
never remembers anything. His mind is like a sieve! Personal Quality (very
forgetful)
(B) She came up behind him quietly and
shouted, “Boo”! She frightened the life out of him. Reaction
(C) Your children are well behaved. They
are as good as gold! Behavior
(D) He was really angry. He was as mad
as a hornet. Feelings (He is feeling very angry).
(E)
I
think I will take the back seat and let him do all the work. Reaction
(Don’t want to
participate)
(F) I won’t beat about the bush. I will
tell you what I really think. Communication
(G) She is very long winded. She always
uses ten words when two would do. Communication
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