+ 200 idioms

Have a look at these 5 lists of idioms. Highlight the ones you did not know and think you might use (at least 7 per list) and find translations for them:




from above board to before long
from big shot to few and far between 
from find fault with to keep someone posted 
from keep one's fingers crossed to on the tip of one's tongue
from out of one's mind to word for word

People's idioms

 Have a look at these People's idioms.
Do you think you could find some more to include them on the list?

Read the following articles

 


Article writing skills may be helped with article reading. The following are a selection of articles which I found interesting (with my notes): vocabulary to learn in green; useful phrases in yellow. Hope you enjoy them:

• Happiness is ... doing better than your parents (if you are a man)
• Hold App. Is there really a cure for smartphone addiction? (a bit too long, but riveting!!!)

Spoken Fluency (by McCcarthy, 2010)

,

  Hi everyone,

I thought this could be of great use to you not only  to speak in public, but also to kind of relate it to the " LEARNING LANGUAGES" topic, which could come up in certificacion.

McCarthy (2010) suggests that spoken fluency depends crucially on three basic factors:

1.    The automatic use of pre-fabricated chunks,

In building an effective advanced-level syllabus, we propose that vocabulary teaching should focus increasingly on useful, common chunks, not just colourful idioms or obscure words. Without automatic access to chunks, fluency and spontaneity of expression are inconceivable. Such chunks might include:

As far as I'm concerned, Having said that, in any case, etc.

2.    the smooth linking of speaking turns one to the other,

... Common turn-transitions can be illustrated and practised in speaking strategy lessons. ...

3.    and the use of interactive ‘small words’.

The small words (often on the fringes of native-user awareness and therefore neglected), can also be illustrated and practised. These might include words like so, ...then, and all that, and I mean. 

Teaching fluency in this way takes us away from simply learning more language to awareness of, and the exercising of, strategic choices.

Cambridge English Teacher © Cambridge University Press and Cambridge English Language Assessment 2014

Filler words

When we speak continuously we end up using gap fillers. These words are short phrases and are used when we fall short of words. You would commonly come across people who end up making vocal sounds to keep a conversation going such as ‘umm’, ‘ahhh’ or ‘ohhh’ etc.,

 Have a look at this article and check how many of these fillers you regularly use in your speech.

Article on consumerism and environment

 

Article writing skills may be helped with article reading. The following are a selection of articles which I found interesting (with my notes): vocabulary to learn in green; useful phrases in yellow. Hope you enjoy them:


Consumers Feel the Burn of Energy Bills.

Common mistakes in Essays

Check typical mistakes in essays


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