Academic Year: 2023-2024 / First Term
English Online Courses
Proposed for L1 classes
Groups 1,2,3 and 4
Directed by:
Some common idioms in English
Building fluency in English is undoubtedly one of the primary objectives of learning this language. Regular and frequent use of the language, enhanced and appropriate vocabulary and good pronunciation are some of the known methods to achieve this.
It is commonly believed that the more words a learner knows in English, the better his vocabulary in this language is. Providing the learners with an extensive list of ‘new words’, is thus often seen as sufficient input to ensure addition to their vocabulary knowledge, something more than enough to enable an English native like speech behaviour.
The fact may be far from the truth. An additional factor has to be considered while teaching, learning or acquiring vocabulary knowledge- the extent of the various combinatory possibilities of a word in the given language that the individual knows. It is this knowledge that determines the vocabulary base of the individual. The combinatory possibilities of words or multi-word chunks and expressions like, collocations, proverbs, idioms help attaining automaticity and fluency in language, making the user sound natural.
Idioms and proverbs in English are sets of words that have specific meanings, draw out the essence of the English culture. These word chunks or expressions are figurative in nature, the meaning of which cannot be deduced from literal definitions of words. Used frequently by native language speakers, these expressions bring out the unique flavour to the English language.
Idioms and proverbs of the English language are used commonly, in the written and reading form both in formal and informal situations. The extensive use of these prefabricated units makes them important teaching aspects for learning the language.
Unfortunately, teaching of multi-word chunks like idioms and proverbs is highly neglected in our school English syllabi. This aspect to language learning can be easily overcome by their conscious inclusion in teaching, to enhance the learners’ language skills. Teachers should ensure that a regular use of idioms and proverbs is made in the day to day parlance, so as to ensure a wholesome practice of such prefabricated units, thereby assisting their language learning.
1. ‘The best of both worlds’ – means you can enjoy two different opportunities at the same time.
“By working part-time and looking after her kids two days a week she managed to get the best of both worlds.”
2. ‘Speak of the devil’ – this means that the person you’re just talking about actually appears at that moment.
“Hi Tom, speak of the devil, I was just telling Sara about your new car.”
3. ‘See eye to eye’ – this means agreeing with someone. “They finally saw eye to eye on the business deal.”
4. ‘Once in a blue moon’ – an event that happens infrequently.
“I only go to the cinema once in a blue moon.”
5. ‘When pigs fly’ – something that will never happen.
“When pigs fly she’ll tidy up her room.”
6. ‘To cost an arm and a leg’– something is very expensive.
“Fuel these days costs and arm and a leg.”
7. ‘A piece of cake’– something is very easy.
“The English test was a piece of cake.”
8. ‘Let the cat out of the bag’ – to accidentally reveal a secret.
“I let the cat out of the bag about their wedding plans.”
9. ‘To feel under the weather’ – to not feel well.
“I’m really feeling under the weather today; I have a terrible cold.”
10. ‘To kill two birds with one stone’ – to solve two problems at once.
“By taking my dad on holiday, I killed two birds with one stone. I got to go away but also spend time with him.”
11. ‘To cut corners’ – to do something badly or cheaply.
“They really cut corners when they built this bathroom; the shower is leaking.”
12. ‘To add insult to injury’ – to make a situation worse.
“To add insult to injury the car drove off without stopping after knocking me off my bike.”
13. ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’ – to not judge someone or something based solely on appearance.
“I thought this no-brand bread would be horrible; turns out you can’t judge a book by its cover.”
14. ‘Break a leg’ – means ‘good luck’ (often said to actors before they go on stage).
“Break a leg Sam, I’m sure your performance will be great.”
15. ‘To hit the nail on the head’ – to describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem.
“He hit the nail on the head when he said this company needs more HR support.”
16. ‘A blessing in disguise’ – An misfortune that eventually results in something good happening later on.
17. ‘Call it a day’ – Stop working on something
18. ‘Let someone of the hook’ – To allow someone, who have been caught, to not be punished.
19. ‘No pain no gain’ – You have to work hard for something you want.
20. ‘Bite the bullet’ – Decide to do something unpleasant that you have avoiding doing.
21. ‘Getting a taste of your own medicine’ – Being treated the same unpleasant way you have treated others.
– A matter or problem that is obvious of great importance but that is not discussed openly.
25. ‘Stealing someones thunder’ – Taking credit for someone else achievements.
“The plane flew above the cloud, behind the cloud, around the cloud, below the cloud, beneath the cloud, beside the cloud, beyond the cloud, into the cloud, near the cloud, outside the cloud, over the cloud, past the cloud, through the cloud, toward the cloud, under the cloud, and finally dived underneath the cloud.”
A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between two things. In the example above, the prepositions show the relationships between a plane and a cloud. Below is a list of most common prepositions: psycho course
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about |
beside |
inside |
to |
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above |
besides |
like |
toward |
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across |
between |
near |
under |
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after |
beyond |
of |
underneath |
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against |
by |
off |
until |
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along |
despite |
on |
up |
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among |
down |
out |
with |
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around |
during |
outside |
within |
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at |
except |
over |
without |
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before |
for |
past |
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behind |
from |
since |
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below |
in |
through |
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beneath |
into |
throughout |
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Some prepositions consist of more than one word. Here is a list of the most common multiword prepositions:
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along with |
in place of |
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because of |
in spite of |
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Due to |
instead of |
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except for |
on account of |
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in addition to |
out of |
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in case of |
up to |
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in front of |
with the exception of |
Prepositions for Time, Place, and Introducing Objects
Time
On is
used with days.
I will see you on Monday.
The week begins on Sunday.
At is
used with noon, night, midnight, and with the time of day.
My plane leaves at noon.
The movie starts at 6 p.m.
In is
used with other parts of the day, with months, with years, with seasons.
He likes to read in the afternoon. The days are long in August.
The book was published in 1999.
The flowers will bloom in spring.
Since, for, by, from—to, from—until,
during, (with)in – expresses extended time.
She has been gone since yesterday. (She left yesterday and has not returned.)
I'm going to Paris for two weeks. (I will spend two weeks there.)
The movie showed from August to/until October. (Beginning in August, ending in October.)
I watch TV during the evening. (For some period of time in the evening.)
We must finish the project within a year. (No longer than a year.)
Place
In – describes the point itself.
There is a wasp in the room.
Inside – expresses something
contained.
Put the present inside the box.
On – talks about the surface.
I left your keys on the table.
At – talks about a general vicinity.
She was waiting at the corner.
Over, above – when the object is higher than a
point.
He threw the ball over the roof.
Hang that picture above the couch.
Under, underneath, beneath, below –
when the object is lower than a point.
The rabbit burrowed under the ground.
The child hid underneath the blanket.
We relaxed in the shade beneath the branches.
The valley is below sea-level.
Near, by, next to, between, among, opposite – when the object is close to a point.
She lives near the school.
There is an ice cream shop by the store.
An oak tree grows next to my house
The house is between Elm Street and Maple Street.
I found my pen lying among the books. The bathroom is opposite the kitchen.
Introduce objects of verbs
At – with verbs glance, laugh, look,
rejoice, smile, and stare
She took a quick glance at her reflection.
(exception with mirror: She took a quick glance in the mirror.) You didn't laugh at his joke.
I'm looking at the computer monitor.
We rejoiced at his safe rescue.
That pretty girl smiled at you. Stop staring at me.
Of – with verbs approve, consist, and
smell
I don't approve of his speech.
My contribution to the article consists of many pages. He came home smelling of alcohol.
Of/About –with
verbs dream and think
I dream of finishing college in four years.
Can you think of a number between one and ten? I am thinking about this problem.
For – with verbs call, hope, look,
wait, watch, and wish
Did someone call for a taxi?
He hopes for a raise in salary next year.
I'm looking for my keys.
We'll wait for her here.
You go buy the tickets, and I'll watch for the train.
If you wish for an "A" in this class, you must work hard.
Frequently Misused Prepositions
Prepositions may sometimes be confused because of slang and the general informality of talk. Here are some frequently misused prepositions.
beside, besides. Beside means next to,
whereas besides means in addition.
The comb is beside the brush.
Besides planning the trip, she is also getting the tickets.
between, among. Generally, between is
used when two items are involved; with
three or more, among is preferred.
Between you and me, he is among friends.
due to. Due to should not be used as a preposition meaning because of.
Because of (not due to) his speeding, we were all ticketed.
inside of. The
of is always unnecessary.
Stay inside the house.
The man stayed outside (not outside of) the post office.
Regular verbs
1. The regular past simple tense in the English language is usually formed by -ed ending (work - worked, stay - stayed). It is the same for all persons, singular and plural: I started, you started, he started, we played, they played.
The spelling rules
a) We add -d (not -ed) to the word that ends in -e. Examples: like - liked, love -loved.
b)
If it ends in a consonant and -y, we change -y into -i. Examples: carry
- carried, try - tried.
But: play - played, because it ends in a vowel and -y.
c) If the regular verb has only one syllable and ends in a single vowel and a consonant, we double the consonant to keep the same pronunciation. Examples: stop - stopped, fit - fitted.
The
same rule applies to expressions with more syllables if the stress falls on the
last syllable: ad'mit - admitted, pre'fer - preferred.
But: 'enter - entered (the stress is not on the last
syllable).
In words ending in -l the consonant is always doubled after a single
vowel: travel - travelled.
2. The regular past participle is the same. It is also formed by -ed ending (worked, stayed). It is used in perfect tenses and passive voice: I have started, you had started, he will have started, it was started.
Irregular verbs in English
There
are basically three irregular verb forms in English:
1.The base form (or the bare infinitive): draw, lead, read, dream
2. The past tense (also called preterite): drew, led, read, dreamt or
dreamed
3. The past participle (sometimes called perfect participle): drawn,
led, read, dreamt or dreamed
As you can see from the examples above, some of the forms are completely different (draw - drew - drawn), some have a different infinitive, but the two other ones are the same (lead - led - led), some have the same spelling, but different pronunciation (read - read - read), some can be both regular and irregular (dream - dreamt/dreamed - dreamt/dreamed) and some have the same spelling and pronunciation (set - set - set).
https://www.e-grammar.org/pdf-books/
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be |
was/were |
been |
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know |
knew |
known |
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bear |
bore |
born |
lead |
led |
led |
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beat |
beat |
beaten |
learn |
learnt |
learnt |
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become |
became |
become |
leave |
left |
left |
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begin |
began |
begun |
lend |
lent |
lent |
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bet |
bet |
bet |
let |
let |
let |
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bite |
bit |
bitten |
lie |
lay |
lain |
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blow |
blew |
blown |
lose |
lost |
lost |
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broadcast |
broadcast |
broadcast |
make |
made |
made |
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break |
broke |
broken |
mean |
meant |
meant |
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bring |
brought |
brought |
meet |
met |
met |
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build |
built |
built |
pay |
paid |
paid |
|
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burn |
burnt |
burnt |
put |
put |
put |
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buy |
bought |
bought |
read |
read |
read |
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can |
could |
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ride |
rode |
ridden |
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catch |
caught |
caught |
ring |
rang |
rung |
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choose |
chose |
chosen |
rise |
rose |
risen |
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come |
came |
come |
run |
ran |
run |
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cost |
cost |
cost |
say |
said |
said |
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cut |
cut |
cut |
see |
saw |
seen |
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do |
did |
done |
sell |
sold |
sold |
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draw |
drew |
drawn |
send |
sent |
sent |
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dream |
dreamt |
dreamt |
set |
set |
set |
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drink |
drank |
drunk |
shoot |
shot |
shot |
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drive |
drove |
driven |
show |
showed |
shown |
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eat |
ate |
eaten |
shut |
shut |
shut |
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fall |
fell |
fallen |
sing |
sang |
sung |
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feed |
fed |
fed |
sink |
sank |
sunk |
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feel |
felt |
felt |
sit |
sat |
sat |
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fight |
fought |
fought |
sleep |
slept |
slept |
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find |
found |
found |
speak |
spoke |
spoken |
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fly |
flew |
flown |
spend |
spent |
spent |
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forget |
forgot |
forgotten |
stand |
stood |
stood |
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freeze |
froze |
frozen |
steal |
stole |
stolen |
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get |
got |
got |
stick |
stuck |
stuck |
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give |
gave |
given |
swim |
swam |
swum |
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go |
went |
gone |
understand |
understood |
understood |
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grow |
grew |
grown |
take |
took |
taken |
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hang |
hung |
hung |
teach |
taught |
taught |
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have |
had |
had |
tell |
told |
told |
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hear |
heard |
heard |
think |
thought |
thought |
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hide |
hid |
hidden |
throw |
threw |
thrown |
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hit |
hit |
hit |
wake |
woke |
woken |
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hold |
held |
held |
wear |
wore |
worn |
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hurt |
hurt |
hurt |
win |
won |
won |
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keep |
kept |
kept |
write |
wrote |
written |
https://www.e-grammar.org/irregular-verbs/
Exercise - complete sentences
Choose correct verbs to complete the sentences with past simple forms
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become,
bind, bide, bite |
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breed, bring, burn, burst |
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cast, catch, cost, cut |
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deal, dig, do, drink |
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fall, fit, feel, fight |
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fly, forget, get, give |
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grind, grow, hang, hear |
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hit, hold, hurt, kneel |
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lead, lean, leap, lend |
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let, light, make, mean |
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pay, put, rend, ride |
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rise, run, sell, set
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The English vowels are A, E, I, O, & U. (Sometimes Y is a vowel, pronounced as if it were I, and sometimes W substitutes for U.) Each can be pronounced in several ways. This page explains when each sound is commonly used.
Short Vowels
The most common sound for each vowel is its “short” sound: • ă, pronounced /æ/ as in apple, pan, or mat, • ĕ, pronounced /ɛ/as in elephant, pen, or met, • ĭ, pronounced /ɪ/as in insect, pin, or mitt, • ŏ, pronounced /ɒ/ as in ostrich, upon, or motto, • and ŭ, pronounced /ʌ/ as in umbrella, pun, or mutt.
(The International Phonetic Alphabet symbol for each sound is inside the backslashes://) When syllables end in a vowel and then consonant (as in the examples above), the vowel is usually short. If there is more than one consonant, the vowel is almost always short. This becomes important as a way to keep the same vowel sound when adding -ed to put a verb into the past tense. We often double an ending consonant to keep a short vowel short.
Long Vowels
The alphabet sounds (when the vowel “says its name”) are called “long vowels.” We call them ‘long’ because we hold them longer than the short sounds, but they are completely different sounds-- not a longer version of the same sound.
• Long A (ā ), pronounced /eɪ/ as in ate or mate,
• Long E (ē ), pronounced /iː/ as in eat or meat (or meet or mete-- all pronounced the same), • Long I (ī), pronounced /aɪ/ in mite or might,
• Long O (ō), pronounced /oʊ/as in oats, mote or moat, and
• Long U (ū), pronounced /juː/ in mute.
Silent ‘E’ Rule: When a vowel and consonant are followed by an ‘e’, the ‘e’ is almost always silent, but it causes the preceding vowel to be long. (Examples: ate, plane, Pete, bite, nine, rope, note, cube, flute.)
This rule does not apply when the “i” is followed by the consonants th, ch, or sh, as in:
Other Long Vowels: A vowel at the end of a syllable is almost always long. Examples: I, we, he, she, go, try, potato and tomato. (Some English speakers use a short ‘a’ in the 2nd syllable, while others use a long ‘a,’ but both ‘o’s are long for everyone.)
-Igh and -ight are usually long I (and silent GH): bright, fight, high, light, might, night, right, sigh, sight, tight.
Often the first letter of the vowel combinations, especially ‘ai’, ‘ay’, ‘ea’ (sometimes-- see Digraphs, below), ‘ee’, & ‘oa,’ will be long & the second will be silent. (An old rhyme for children says “when 2 vowels go walking, the first does the talking.”) So ’plain’ sounds just like ‘plane,' ‘meat’ and ‘meet’ like ‘mete,’ etc.
However, there are many exceptions. (See the link to English Vowel Digraphs, at the bottom of this page, for the most common ones.)
Common Examples of Short and Long Vowels
These contrasts demonstrate the rules (in each column, first short, then long):
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vowels |
Short a /æ/ |
Long a /ei/ |
Short i |
Long i /ai/ |
Short e /ɛ/ |
Long e /iː/ |
Short o /ɒ/ |
Long o /oʊ/ |
Short u /ʌ/ |
Long u /juː/ |
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Example
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can plan tap |
bake Fade made |
bit tim sit |
blight high mind |
peck set pet |
seat peek eat
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Sop Got frog |
Soap Goat snow |
umbrella cute upon |
cute university shy
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A long vowel sound is created when a vowel is followed by a consonant and a silent “e” in a syllable, as in:
:
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All about British Life and Culture |
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British customs and traditions are famous all over the world. Our British Life and Culture website will tell you some of the fascinating facts and information about our beautiful country, in a way that is easy to read and to understand. When people think of Britain they often think of people drinking tea, eating fish and chips and wearing bowler hats, but there is more to Britain than just those things. We have over 30,000 pages on Britain, so you are sure to find what you are looking for right here!
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Essay topics:
Describe a
custom from your country that you would like people from other countries to
adopt. Explain your choice, using specific
reasons and examples.
