American Idioms and Idiomatic Phrases In Use (1): Speak English Like a Native Speaker with the Aid of 300 Common Idioms, Expressions and Phrasal Verbs ... (Advanced English Collocation Book 5)

Book Synopsis: One of the most significant steps to gain mastery of the English language is paying close attention to the idiomatic side of this language. Idioms are those collection of words or single words whose meaning is completely different than what they seem to be. Take for instance the idiom “I’m all ears”. Taking this phrase by its literal meaning is completely ridiculous and misleading.

Idioms are also an indication of the culture and the surrounding environment of the speakers. When we “add fuel to the fire”, the fire will typically get wilder and wilder. Similarly, when someone does or says more stupid stuff that caused a problem, this person’s actions or remarks are likened to adding fuel to the fire as he or she are making the problem even worse. Similarly, since chickens are easily scared and startled, a coward person is likened to the chicken and is called idiomatically “a chicken”.

The idioms presented in this book are all used in an interactive manner that can facilitate the actual use but not the origin of the idiom (the origin of the idiom is more about theory). Accordingly, the reader can make the most of these expressions and use them in similar day-to-day situations easily.

We all know that practice makes perfect, but here I must say that the right practice is the one that helps not any other practice. So, it’s never enough to know the meaning and the use of these idioms, you need to be able to use them in action. To make this possible, the author strongly recommends going over the dialogues over and over again with the intention of using the new expressions as soon as possible with friends, in class or by using them as comments or posts on social media platforms.