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ENGLISH IDIOMS: HOW TO LEARN AND USE
ABILZHAN ALTYNAY BOLATKYZY
Master of Pedagogical Sciences, senior lecturer of Academy "Bolashaq" City of Karaganda, Republic of Kazakhstan
Abstract: An idiom in English is an expression, the meaning of which can't be revealed if its components are translated. Words in idioms in English aren't taken literally. Regardless of the level of language proficiency, learning idioms is always a difficult task.
The purpose of my article is figure out how to study idioms so that they are fixed in memory, and we can freely use them in our speech. Therefore, I use several points that help to understand and learn idioms effectively. These are :
1. Break down idioms by topic,
2. Look for analogues of idioms in your native language,
3. Learn idioms in context,
4. Learn the history of the origin of the idiom,
5. Come up with your own examples of idioms.
Key words: Knowledge of phraseology, informational aspect, Russian, Kazakh and English phraseological units, English idioms, long-term memory, native speaker, high-quality memorization.
Introduction. The English language has a thousand-year history. During this time, it has accumulated a large number of expressions that people found successful, well-aimed and beautiful. And so a special layer of the language arose - phraseology, a set of set expressions that has an independent meaning. The study of English is widespread in our country. A good knowledge of the language, including English, is impossible without knowledge of its phraseology. Knowledge of phraseology greatly facilitates the reading of both non-fiction and fiction. The reasonable use of phraseological units makes speech more idiomatic.
With the help of idioms, as with the help of various shades of colors, the informational aspect of language is complemented by a sensually intuitive description of our world, our life. The world of phraseology in modern English is large and diverse, and every aspect of its research certainly deserves due attention.
An idiom in English is an expression, the meaning of which cannot be revealed if its components are translated. Words in idioms in English are not taken literally. Regardless of the level of language proficiency, learning idioms is always a difficult task. The reason lies in cultural differences, and in the illogicality of these expressions. Also, we can be stopped by the question: is it necessary to learn idioms at all? [1-2]
The purpose of the research: Understanding and using idioms correctly can facilitate the process of communication using the English language. The tasks of work:
-improve communication skills using idioms -demonstrate cultural awareness using idioms -improve fluency in speaking English by learning idioms Why learn idioms?
An idiom or phraseological unit is an expression that cannot be translated literally without losing the meaning of what was said. It is precisely the fact that idioms cannot be translated literally that makes them difficult to remember and further use. Is it really worth spending time memorizing phraseological units? Are they really necessary if they can always be rephrased, expressing the idea in simpler words?
Of course, I want to read positive answers to this question and without worrying. However without the idiom, it's not that easy. Yes, you can change your mind at any time by avoiding the use
of expression units. However your contacts won't stop using it. This idiom may also be found in literature, articles, and films. In other words, if you avoid learning idioms, you may not understand native speakers in certain situations. Idioms help to make speech more vivid and lively, giving it a bright emotional coloring. In order to speak English well, express yourself beautifully, and sound like a native speaker, you should at least try to learn the most commonly used idioms.
Of course, common words and phrases are easier to learn than idioms. However, this task is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Let us try to figure out how to study idioms so that they are fixed in memory, and we can freely use them in our speech.
Therefore, you need to use several points that help you understand and learn idioms effectively. It's not just learning and then forgetting [3]:
1. Break down idioms by topic
If you decide to learn idioms in groups, it is best to break them down by topic. For example, spend one day learning idioms about food, the second about family, the third about clothes, and so on. This way of studying several phraseological units at once will be more effective, since associative memory will work. That is, the brain will automatically generate associations between group idioms.
2. Look for analogues of idioms in your native language
Often in the Kazakh and Russian languages there are idioms similar to English. By building a relationship between Russian and English phraseological units, it will be easier for you to remember the latter. In addition, some idioms of the English language in literal translation are similar to the idioms of the Kazakh and Russian languages. For example, a dark horse is also in Russian "dark horse". There are also such English idioms, the analogues of which in Russian are significantly different. For example: cut someone down to size - put someone in their place. Despite the fact that these phraseological units are literally translated differently, we can build an association between them or think about the difference between them. For example, imagining that a person's ego is so swollen that he imagines himself to be much more (more significant) than he is. In Russian, by the fact that a person is out of place, we also mean that in his imagination he exaggerated his significance too much. That is, in the first case, we need to show what a person is really worth by "cutting his size to real", in the second - "putting him in his place".
3. Learn idioms in context
It is always better to learn new vocabulary in context, especially idioms and phrasal verbs, otherwise you can learn to use expressions incorrectly, and then it will be more difficult to relearn. So, if you come across an idiom in a book or while watching a movie, write down not only the idiom itself and its meaning, but also the sentence in which it was used. Also, you can briefly write down the situation in which the hero said it. Studying the expression itself without an example of usage will be meaningless.
4. Learn the history of the origin of the idiom
The illogicality of some idioms can make it difficult to remember them. For example, why do they say in English about the destruction of someone's plans "to upset the apple cart" - what does it have to do with apples in a cart? Knowing the history of this idiom, everything will fall into place, and it will cease to be a set of words devoid of logic. In addition, reading the history of the emergence of idioms allows you to focus on them longer, which will contribute to faster, and most importantly, high-quality memorization.
5. Come up with your own examples of idioms
After you have familiarized yourself with the use of the idiom in context, come up with some of your own examples of its use. Imagine in what situation you could use it, how exactly you would do it. This method allows not only to create several speech patterns, but also helps to fix the expression in long-term memory. It will be even better if you write down examples of the use of the idiom - this will involve the mechanical memory.
After working with these items, you need to make a table to fully fix the topic.
The table must be divided into four squares:
1 square - idioms
2 square - analogues in the native language
3 square - definitions in English
4 square - compose a sentence using idioms
Idioms 6. 1.There is no smoke without fire 7. 2.To play with fire 8. 3.To look for a needle in a haystack 9. 4.Black sheep 10. 5.White lie Analogues in the native languages 1.Нет дыма без огня. Жел турмаса, шептщ басы кимылдамайды. 2.Играть с огнем. Орынсыз ашу — от шашу. 3.Искать иголку в стоге сена. Асыгыс icKe эзэзш араласар. 4.Белая ворона. Тайга тацба баскандай. 5.Белая ложь.
Definitions in English 1.That an event has its own cause 2.Big risks 3.Difficult, almost impossible search. 4.A person who stands out from the crowd too much, he is not like the others. 5.Lie for good Compose a sentence using idioms 1."There is no smoke without fire," which you'll be seeing quite a bit of from here on in. 2.To carry a secret is to play with fire. 3.This warehouse is like a needle in a haystack 4.He's the black sheep of the family 5.What he told me yesterday is a white lie
Conclusion. Idioms are a vital aspect of English fluency. They add depth and nuance to conversations and interactions, allowing you to use more effective and persuasive language. You can learn and master the most important idioms to improve your language skills and understanding of English culture and history.
Using idioms in speech, of course, when they are really appropriate. This will not only make the speech richer and brighter, but also help knowledge to remain in memory. The above points will simplify the task of learning new English idioms and help enrich your vocabulary with beautiful and vivid expressions [4-5].
LIST OF REFERENCES
1. Alexander, R. J. (1987). Problems in understanding and teaching idiomaticity in English. 32, pp.105-122.
2. Anthony, L. (2012). AntConc (version 3.3.5) [Computer software]. Tokyo: Waseda University Available from http://www.antlab.sci.waseda.ac.jp/.
3. Baddorf, D. S., & Evens, M. W. (1998). Finding phrases rather than discovering collocations: Searching corpora for dictionary phrases. In Proc. of the 9th Midwest Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science Conference (MAICS-98) (pp. 110-116).
4. Biber, D., Conrad, S., & Reppen, R. (1998). Corpus linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
5. Biber, D., & Reppen, R. (2002). What does frequency have to do with grammar teaching? Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24(2), pp.199-208.
