WRITERS AT WORK’s educators understand the impact that strong writing skills can have on a student’s success, especially when it comes to crafting engaging compositions. One of the tools we encourage our students to use is idioms. These phrases, rich in meaning and culture, can add flair and creativity to writing.
WRITERS AT WORK’s educators understand the impact that strong writing skills can have on a student’s success, especially when it comes to crafting engaging compositions. One of the tools we encourage our students to use is idioms. These phrases, rich in meaning and culture, can add flair and creativity to writing.
There are generally four main types of idioms: pure idioms, binomial idioms, partial idioms, and prepositional idioms. Some people might also include clichés, proverbs, and euphemisms under the idiom umbrella, but we’ll explain why they differ.
A cliché can sometimes be an idiom, but not all idioms are clichés. A cliché is a phrase or expression that has been overused to the point where it loses its impact or originality. For example, after a long day, hearing someone say, “It’s always darkest before the dawn,” may sound comforting, but the phrase is so overused that it can feel empty.
While both idioms and proverbs have meanings that aren’t clear from the individual words, a proverb is specifically used to give advice or share wisdom. For instance, when someone says, “A stitch in time saves nine,” they’re advising you to take quick action to prevent bigger problems. Like idioms, proverbs don’t mean what they literally say. However, not all idioms are proverbs, and vice versa.
A euphemism is a type of idiom used to talk about sensitive or uncomfortable topics in a gentler way. For instance, saying someone “passed away” instead of “died” is a common euphemism. Euphemisms are frequently used in discussions about topics like death, money, or illness, often to avoid sounding harsh. They can become idioms themselves, but not all idioms are euphemisms.
The structure of idioms can vary widely depending on the language or even the region. They are often more about specific syntax—the way words are arranged—than grammar. The phrase “the ball is in your court” is understood in many English-speaking places, but a New Yorker might say “it’s brick outside” to describe freezing weather—a phrase unique to their local slang. Understanding idioms from a particular region comes with time and interaction with native speakers.
Idioms are like adding seasoning to language, making conversations or writing more engaging and expressive. Instead of saying “I agree” repeatedly, you could switch things up with phrases like “you hit the jackpot” or “spot on” to keep the dialogue fresh and interesting.
As previously mentioned, idioms can enhance your writing by making it feel more relatable and less stiff. They can also help the writer forge a connection with the reader. For example, if you were addressing an audience in Louisiana and wanted to express something as being exceptionally delicious, you might say it’s “finger-lickin’ good,” which conveys a sense of familiarity and adds a personal touch to your writing.
Another aspect of idiomatic language that fluent speakers often use is collocations—specific combinations of words that naturally fit together. For instance, when referring to a sudden downpour, it’s common to say “a torrential rain,” rather than “a heavy rainstorm.” While both phrases convey a similar idea, “torrential rain” is the collocation that feels more natural to English speakers.
Idioms pose a challenge for language learners because their meanings are not derived from the individual words. It’s akin to giving someone a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces appear to depict one image, but the final picture reveals something completely different. Since idioms lack strict rules, the best way for language learners to grasp them is through conversations with native speakers who can explain their usage and context.
Here are some common idioms in the English language, along with their meanings:
WRITERS AT WORK seeks to make students better learners through organisation skills, reflection, and understanding of how we process information. Are the PSLE or O Level English exams on the horizon? Let us take care of your child’s English results! Join us at our tuition centres to be a part of the best English enrichment courses for primary and secondary school students in Singapore.
English is a compulsory subject which all students must undertake. However, mastering the English language is not something which happens overnight – it takes consistent practice and effort to learn the nuances of the language. Students must read more and practice writing to gradually improve. Cramming for a language subject nearer to the exams is an impossible feat. After all, Rome was not built in a day! Attaining such a skill will have positive implications for not only your child’s education in school, but also employment prospects in future.
If your child needs help in school, it could be worth considering getting an English tutor as English is a compulsory subject at school. English is used in all areas of life and learning how to read critically and write essays are highly important skills which should be learned early.
Students often have poor writing skills as they do not have the knowledge of good exam habits to practise. For example, many students often do not plan their essays, which lead to a poor writing habit of rambling, going off on irrelevant tangents, and forgetting to list all good arguments.
Writing classes build systematic thinking and logic in children. Crafting a story plot is the same as thinking, step by step, what events chronologically happen in the context of a given scenario. Students will be able to express their ideas and thought processes in a coherent and concise manner, which will help them in their other subjects as they will be able to formulate sentences to better understand the material. English proficiency is a highly transferable skill.
