stify"> to make a public offence , in British English is passed by phrase to drop a brick , which won t be clear for the majority of the people, living in USA.
Idioms are very widespread in modern English language. We can divide all idioms into different parts according to their meaning. They re everywhere around us. ( Appendix 1 )
english american idioms usage
1.2 Structure of Idioms
idioms are unique and fixed in their grammatical structure. The expression to sit on the fence cannot become to sit on a fence or to sit on the fences . However, there are many changes that can be made to an idiom.of these changes result in a change in the grammatical structure that would generally be considered to be wrong. To be broken literally means that something is broken. The lamp is broken so I cannot easily read my book. To be broke is grammatically incorrect but it has the idiomatic meaning of to have no money. I am broke and I cannot go to a movie tonight.
There can also be changes in nouns, pronouns or in the verb tenses. I sat on the fence and did not give my opinion. Many people are sitting on the fence and do not want to give their opinion. Adjectives and adverbs can also be added to an idiomatic phrase. The politician has been sitting squarely in the middle of the fence since the election.
Many idioms are similar to expressions in other languages ​​and can be easy for a learner to understand. Other idioms come from older phrases which have changed over time. p align="justify"> To hold one's horses means to stop and wait patiently for someone or something. It comes from a time when people rode horses and would have to hold their horses while waiting for someone or something. " Hold your horses," I said when my friend started to leave the store.
Other idioms come from such things as sports that are common in the United Kingdom or the United States and may require some special cultural knowledge to easily understand them.
To cover all of one's bases means to thoroughly prepare for or deal with a situation. It comes fr...
