EYE ON IDIOMS 2

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Some weeks ago I promised I would write about one of my favourite topics again: idioms. They are not as often brought up in ESL lessons as they should (teaching speaking also involves teaching some idioms). They are not easy to teach, I know. Sometimes I use short texts to introduce them (usually related with a topic). Here is an example (the topic is the present economic crisis!):

On the Dole
Unfortunately the economic crisis means more people are out of work, because firms and factories are firing more people every day. So, presently a lot of people are on the dole. The present number of job seekers is increasing by the minute...

Well, you could go on introducing more idioms on the topic. I then ask the students to guess the meaning of the expressions in bold. Sometimes I ask them to write a short text or some sentences using the idioms they learned. The most creative ones come up with funny stories. Or you culd ask them to "draw" the idioms as in the animation above.
I found this interesting pps (www.worldofteaching.com). It´s another way of teaching them. You could ask the students to create one like this.

Idiom Dictionary

EYE ON IDIOMS

Isn't it nice when an expression translates easily into English? It really is a "piece of cake". For instance, if you are living in London on a tight budget, you may "struggle to make ends meet", I wonder if you can get the idea!
Sometimes expressions are not quite the same and the changes can be amusing. Suppose you have a cold and your voice is hoarse. The English would say "I've got a frog in my throat". When someting is impossible to happen, we (the Portuguese) use an expression about chicken having teeth. In this case, in English you would say "when pigs fly".

There's a whole world of idioms in English to explore. They are widely and mostly uded in spoken Elglish. So, if you want to become a fluent speaker of English, study them and use them!

I'll be back with other commom idioms.