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A Study of the Problems of Learning and Translating Idioms
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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.

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Publication Date
Tue May 28 2024
Journal Name
Journal Of Optics
Study of the optical properties of aluminum films and the effect of current frequency on plasma parameters
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Publication Date
Fri Sep 01 2023
Journal Name
Iraqi Journal Of Physics
Study of the Structural, Optical, and Morphological Properties of SnO2 Nanofilms under the Influence of Gamma Rays
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This study reports the fabrication of tin oxide (SnO2) thin films using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The effect of 60Co (300, 900, and 1200 Gy) gamma radiation on the structural, morphological, and optical features is systematically demonstrated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and ultraviolet-visible light analysis (UV-Vis), respectively In XRD tests, the size of the crystallites decreased from 45.5 to 40.8 nm for the control samples and from 1200 Gy to 60Co for the irradiated samples. Using FESEM analysis, the particle diameter revealed a similar trend to that attained using XRD; in particular, the average diameters were 93.8 and

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Publication Date
Tue Dec 30 2014
Journal Name
College Of Islamic Sciences
Investigations in the sanctity of divine texts and their composition: (Comparative study between the Quran and the Torah)
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The research deals with an important issue that many people are working on, namely the sanctification of the texts on which the timings of the time and the different conditions of the place took place. Do not live up to the ranks of perfection and perfection, and every effort has explanations according to the mind machine, which is not protected by infallibility from error. The great downfall is to put these intellectual efforts in the Bible without separating them from the Word of God. The situation and the place on the adherents of a religion and mixed with the trick of the average individual only to be subject to the words of the teachers of Sharia and docility.

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Publication Date
Sat Aug 09 2025
Journal Name
Scientific Reports
Machine learning models for predicting morphological traits and optimizing genotype and planting date in roselle (Hibiscus Sabdariffa L.)
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Accurate prediction and optimization of morphological traits in Roselle are essential for enhancing crop productivity and adaptability to diverse environments. In the present study, a machine learning framework was developed using Random Forest and Multi-layer Perceptron algorithms to model and predict key morphological traits, branch number, growth period, boll number, and seed number per plant, based on genotype and planting date. The dataset was generated from a field experiment involving ten Roselle genotypes and five planting dates. Both RF and MLP exhibited robust predictive capabilities; however, RF (R² = 0.84) demonstrated superior performance compared to MLP (R² = 0.80), underscoring its efficacy in capturing the nonlinear genoty

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Publication Date
Sun Dec 01 2019
Journal Name
Journal Of Accounting And Financial Studies ( Jafs )
Study of the imperatives of promoting financial inclusion in Iraq: Opportunities and challenges
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The aim of the research is to provide an analytical study to promote financial inclusion in Iraq by clarifying the opportunities and challenges of the economic and demographic situation in Iraq, studying the structure of the financial system and introducing non-bank financial institutions operating in Iraq, and using the descriptive approach. Analytical in the study of the phenomenon of research, the research reached a number of conclusions, the most prominent of which were:

  • Iraqi society is a young society.
  • The majority of the population is 70 percent. They live almost in urban areas.
  • The coverage of bank branch networks is concentrated in only four provinces, leaving other provinces outside financial

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Publication Date
Sun Sep 01 2013
Journal Name
Baghdad Science Journal
Kinetic Study of the Hydrolysis of synthesized Ibuprofen Ester and its Biological Activity
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It is known that the oral administration of ibuprofen caused an irritation of stomach as a side effect due to its carboxylic moiety. Ibuprofen ester was synthesized by linking the carboxylic moiety of ibuprofen and the hydroxylic group of paracetamol to reduce its side effect. Study the kinetic hydrolysis of prepared ester was examined at different values of physiological pH (1.0, 5.8, 6.4 and 7.4) at 37 ± 0.1 of 1 hour period. Measurements of absorbance were carried out by UV-Visible spectrophotometer to follow the stability of ester, it showed Pseudo first order hydrolysis. The pH- apparent rate profiles of ester was exhibited a good stability at pH 1.0 and pH 5.8. Pharmacological activity in vivo of prepared ester was evaluated in re

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Publication Date
Fri Mar 01 2019
Journal Name
Journal Of Pharmaceutical Sciences And Research
Anatomical study of the vegetative parts and seeds of Vitex agnus-castus plant
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The species Vitex agnus-castus is an important medicinal plants and it is one of the cultivated and dicotyledon plants in Iraq. The anatomical of stem, petiole, midrib area, epidermis, veins, type of leaf stomata and seeds were studied by light microscope. In this research, shows the knowledge of anatomical characteristics of the studied plant, showing its importance as taxonomic characteristics through the sections of the stem, petiole, the midrib and the petals.

Publication Date
Sat Aug 30 2025
Journal Name
Iraqi Journal Of Science
Synthesis, characterization and Study of the physical properties of some new silicone polymers
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This study involves the synthesis of a new class of silicon polymers, designated as P1-P7, derived from dichlorodimethylsilane (DCDMS) in combination with various organic compounds (Schiff bases prepared from different amines and appropriate aldehydes or ketones) [I-V] through condensation polymerization. The structures of all monomers and polymers were characterization by FTIR and 1HNMR spectroscopy (for some polymers). The results of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry DSC test show stable thermal behaviour. Polymers with a higher concentration of aromatic rings in their repeating structural units exhibited a higher temperature for weight loss, indicating increased thermal stability. Thermal meas

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Publication Date
Sat Aug 30 2025
Journal Name
Iraqi Journal Of Science
Synthesis, characterization and Study of the physical properties of some new silicone polymers
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This study involves the synthesis of a new class of silicon polymers, designated as P1-P7, derived from dichlorodimethylsilane (DCDMS) in combination with various organic compounds (Schiff bases prepared from different amines and appropriate aldehydes or ketones) [I-V] through condensation polymerization. The structures of all monomers and polymers were characterization by FTIR and 1HNMR spectroscopy (for some polymers). The results of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry DSC test show stable thermal behaviour. Polymers with a higher concentration of aromatic rings in their repeating structural units exhibited a higher temperature for weight loss, indicating increased thermal stability. Thermal meas

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Publication Date
Wed May 01 2019
Journal Name
Solid State Phenomena
Preparation and Study of the Mechanical Properties of Unsaturated Polyester Resin/Graphene Nanocomposite
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Nanocomposite was prepared using unsaturated polyester (UP) resin as a matrix and graphene nanoparticles as a reinforcement material in six percentage weights (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 1 and 1.5%). Mechanical, calorimetric and thermal studies were performed on the (UP) resin/graphene nanocomposite. All tests showed a clear improvement of all mechanical properties examined (hardness, flexural strength (F.S), impact strength (I.S) and tensile strength (T.S)) with increasing graphene percentage. In addition, the temperature of glass transition and thermal conductivity of this composite increased with increasing graphene content.

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