Idioms are a very important part of the English language: you are told that if you want to go far (succeed) you should pull your socks up (make a serious effort to improve your behaviour, the quality of your work, etc.) and use your grey matter (brain).1 Learning and translating idioms have always been very difficult for foreign language learners. The present paper explores some of the reasons why English idiomatic expressions are difficult to learn and translate. It is not the aim of this paper to attempt a comprehensive survey of the vast amount of material that has appeared on idioms in Adams and Kuder (1984), Alexander (1984), Dixon (1983), Kirkpatrick (2001), Langlotz (2006), McCarthy and O'Dell (2002), and Wray (2002), among others. The paper concentrates on idioms as a learning-translation problem; it makes no claim to be comprehensive or academically rigorous. Leech (1989) defines an idiom as follows: “An idiom is a group of two or more words which we have to treat as a unit in learning a language. We cannot arrive at the meaning of the idiom just by adding together the meanings of the words inside it. E.g.John and Mary usedto be hardup (='They had very little money'.)”(P.186) To be more exact, an idiom is a sequence of words which is semantically and syntactically restricted, so that they function as a single unit. From a semantic point of view, the meanings of the individual words cannot be summed to produce the meanings of the idiomatic expression as a whole. Thus, fly off the handle, which means lose one's temper, cannot be understood in terms of the meanings of fly, off, or handle. The idiom phrase hot air, which means empty or boastful talk, is neither hot nor air; with hot air we are dealing with a set phrase where the meaning cannot be suggested on the basis of the two constituent words. The idiomatic meaning of spill the beans in So who spilt the beans (=told the secret) about her affair with David? has nothing to do with beans or with spilling in its literal sense. The foreign-language learner is left trying to figure out where and how the beans were spilt. From a syntactic viewpoint, the constituent parts of an idiom often do not permit the usual variability they display in other contexts. The point to be emphasized here is this: most idioms do not lend themselves easily to manipulation by speakers and writers; they are invariable and must be learned as wholes, but concord ofnumber, person and gender in the idiom phrase is still necessary, i.e. the verbs must be put into the correct form, and pronouns must agree with their antecedents: I don't give a hoot for her opinion! 2 • She doesn't give a hoot for my opinion! etc.)║He won, but only by the skin of his teeth2• She won, but only by the skin of her teeth• Iwon, but only by the skin ofmy teeth,I had to run for the train, and caught it by the skin of myteeth, etc.║He kept pullingmy arm, throwing me off my balance 2 • She kept pulling his arm, throwing him off his balance • We kept pullingher arm, throwingher offher balance, etc.2 The present paper is divided into five parts, as follows: Part I: An Overview; PART II: Learner’s Difficulties with Idioms; PART III: Some Pedagogical recommendations and Suggestions about Idioms; Part IV: Activities to Practice Idiomatic Expressions; Part V: Summary and Conclusion.
Objectives: The study aimed to clarify the role of Al-Sayyid Al-Ajall and his family in the service of the Mongol Empire. They worked to develop its administrative and military institutions, benefiting from their extensive experience in administration, politics, economics, and urban affairs. Due to their capabilities, they received the patronage of Genghis Khan and subsequent generations, earning the confidence of the ruling Mongol authority. As a result, they were granted significant powers within the state. Methods: The study relied on the analytical method to analyze historical texts, compare them with others, and discuss them accurately. Results: The study yielded several results, including the minister's keen interes
... Show MoreThis study focused on determining the markers of Macrophage migration inhibitor (MIF), as well as the N-telopeptides of type I bone collagen (NTX), and some other parameters (alkaline phosphatase (ALP), vitamin D (Vit D), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and magnesium (Mg), and their correlation with other parameters in osteoporosis. One hundred ten subjects were involved in the current study. There were two groups of patients: group I (30) women with severe osteoporosis and group II (30) women with mild osteoporosis. For comparison, 50 apparently healthy individuals were included as a control. Serum levels of MIF, and NTX were significantly higher in groups I and II as compared to the control group, which indicate that these two parameters
... Show MoreThe earth's surface comprises different kinds of land cover, water resources, and soil, which create environmental factors for varied animals, plants, and humans. Knowing the significant effects of land cover is crucial for long-term development, climate change modeling, and preserving ecosystems. In this research, the Google Earth Engine platform and freely available Landsat imagery were used to investigate the impact of the expansion and degradation in urbanized areas, watersheds, and vegetative cover on the land surface temperature in Baghdad from 2004 to 2021. Land cover indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Water Index, and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDVI, NDWI, an
... Show MoreBackground: There are so many evidences that there was antimicrobial resistance, and there were many strains that emerged which were difficult to treat. We are living in a situation that the dissemination of multiple drug resistant bacteria can lead us to the situation, in which no treatment could be offered for bacterial infection in future.
Aim of study: Assessment of nurses’ knowledge, attitude, and practices on antibiotic use and resistance in Fatima Al Zahra hospital in Baghdad.
Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study. The study was carried on from 1st of February to 31st of March 2021. A questionnaire was constructed by the research team based on literature review and was adapted to asses
... Show MoreThis study compared in vitro the microleakage of a new low shrink silorane-based posterior composite (Filtek™ P90) and two methacrylate-based composites: a packable posterior composite (Filtek™ P60) and a nanofill composite (Filtek™ Supreme XT) through dye penetration test. Thirty sound human upper premolars were used in this study. Standardized class V cavities were prepared at the buccal surface of each tooth. The teeth were then divided into three groups of ten teeth each: (Group 1: restored with Filtek™ P90, Group 2: restored with Filtek™ P60, and Group 3: restored with Filtek™ Supreme XT). Each composite system was used according to the manufacturer's instructions with their corresponding adhesive systems. The teeth were th
... Show MoreThe summary:
This research paper presents a standard economic study. This study aims to build an economic standard form of the investment effect in Human Capital on Economic Growth in Algeria. The study showed that there is an inverse relationship between the investment and human capital. This is expressed by expending on education and economic growth. This contradicts with the economic theory. Such matter could be explained by that expending on education does not contribute in the economic growth. This refers to that the education sector result does not employee or save jobs. Thus, it does not contribute in growth; in addition, the Algerian economy depends on petrol in the first class. This means the ab
... Show MoreObjectives: The research aims to highlight the semiotic approach and apply it to a photograph of the Pope's reception at Baghdad International Airport, published on the page of the Media Office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi in the Twitter application, in order to study its components, analyze its contents and clarify its implications, as well as approach the image as a political and media act. Methods: The stages of research were accomplished by "investigation, observation, and analysis", and the dismantling of the composition of the photograph, thus revealing the hidden and hidden aspects, relying on the semiotic approach to analysis. Results: The study showed that the ideas and meanings included in the image in form
... Show MoreThis study involved the effect of anew nickel (II) complexs with formla [NiL2(H2O)2].2.5ETOH where L=Bis[5-(p-nitrophenyL)-4-phenyL-1,2,4-traizole-3-dithocarbamato hydrazide] diaqua. nickel(II). Ethanol(2.5).and anti-cancer drug cyclophosphamide on specific actifity of two Liver enzymes (GOT,GPT) in the (Liver,kidney) tissues and on the creatinine Level in the kidney byUtilizing an invivosystem in femalmice.The result showed that inhibition in the activity of GPT and GOT enzymes in theLiver and in both nickel (II) complex and cyclophosphamide drug (CP) . mice weretreated with three doses (90,180,320) µg/mouse for three days for each group.The Liver show's the highest rate of GPT inhibition was about 97.43% at180µg/mouse regarding the ki
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