Teaching idioms effectively. Games

с. Индюк
Келлер Елена Александровна

языке –
означает сегодня не просто усвоить словарные единицы
и

формальные правила их соединения в речи,
но и овладеть идиоматикой языка.

Что входит в понятие «идиоматика языка?»

Своеобразие слов, выражений, синтаксических конструкций данного языка, буквально не переводимое на другие языки.
(Толковый словарь иноязычных слов. — 2008)

is uncommon for ESL students to use them comfortably and

effectively, if we choose to not teach them idioms, they’ll be missing an important cultural element of the language. However, it stands to reason that idioms should be taught to upper-intermediate or advanced students, individuals who are ready to take their English fluency to the next level’.

and idioms as and when they crop up in their

contexts, such as in reading and listening tasks
Group the sayings by topic and introduce in conjunction with other activities around the topic.
Use visuals and pictures to help learners remember them.
Get students to create dialogues or role-play to reinforce the meaning.
Explain to students that it may be more useful for them to be able to understand the expressions when they hear them than to be able to produce them. Ask them how they would react if you used this type of expression in their language. Would they find it a bit strange?
Don’t overload students with too many at a time. Five is probably a good number for one class.
Do some matching activities and games.

Tips from Learn English with the British Council site

a picture to explain the context. This works best if

you show an image that humorously illustrates the literal meaning of the idiom. It will make students laugh, but also help them understand or guess what a phrase means.

like thunder!”
“I know you want to become a famous pianist,

but don’t chase rainbows! It’s very hard”

groups and have each group look up two idioms. Have

students explain the meaning to the rest of the class and use the idiom in a short sample dialogue.

- Nicolas thinks he is going to pass his exams without studying.
- Oh, he’s just got his head in the clouds!

- Did you see Peter win the race?
- Oh yeah! He was lightning fast!

theme A great way to teach idioms is to use a

theme. For example, you could use all weather-related idioms or food-related idioms. By using a common theme to teach idioms, it’s easier for students to grasp the meanings of the phrases, and see how similar words can mean very different things.

As cool as a cucumber

extremely calm; imperturbable.
“Joan felt nervous, but she acted as cool as a cucumber”.
“The politician kept cool as a cucumber throughout the interview with the aggressive journalist”.

To buy a lemon

To purchase a vehicle that constantly gives problems or stops running after you drive it away.
“You have bought a secondhand car. I think you bought a lemon”.

To be as slow as molasses
in January

Molasses is a very thick liquid and is really slow when you pour it out of a jar. It gets even slower when it is cold.
“C’mon! You’re as slow as molasses in January!”

your lesson and ensure that your students will leave the

classroom wanting more.

Games:
‘Games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the language class.
They are motivating and challenging.
Learning a language requires a great deal of effort. Games help students to make and sustain the effort of learning.
Games provide language practice in the various skills- speaking, writing, listening and reading.
They encourage students to interact and communicate.
They create a meaningful context for language use.'

From 'Creative Games for the Language Class'
by Lee Su Kim
'Forum' Vol. 33 No 1, January - March 1995

more than just fun. * A game should involve "friendly" competition. *

A game should keep all of the students involved and interested. * A game should encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than on the language itself. * A game should give students a chance to learn, practice, or review specific language material.

sorts of matching games

the meaning.
Mark was a sitting duck for a detention slip

by skipping class Friday afternoon.

The meaning of the idiom sitting duck is:

Something that is easily done with no problems
An easy target
Eat very little
To prepare for a fun and happy party

Jack was supposed to play hockey with me, but he chickened out.

The meaning of the idiom chicken out is:

To be stubborn
Unaware
Back out from fear, or lose one’s nerve
For a long time

the idiom.
The idiom whose meaning is in a straight line,

by the shortest route is:

The idiom whose meaning is
the least respected member of a group is:

As the crow flies
Dead duck
Rain cats and dogs
Shaggy-dog story

Neither fish nor fowl
Go whole hog
Black sheep
Clay pigeon

meaning

When Harry lost his job, he was really in

the soup.
I think that man's behaviour is a bit fishy. Call the police, please.
When Mark lost his passport, he was in a pickle.
People on the evening train are packed like sardines.
Sally is so clumsy, she's really a butterfingers!
The students at this university are the cream of the crop.

Somebody who often drop things

To be in a difficult situation and not know what to do

The best of all

Suspicious

To be in trouble

To be crowded tightly together in a small space

definition, word, phrase or question. Students must then identify the word

or picture on their bingo card and cover the space. - If a student has all words or pictures covered diagonally, across a row or vertically in a column, they should call BINGO. - If a student claims they have BINGO and they are incorrect, they are disqualified from that round.

Idioms bingo games

(hog heaven) - something outstanding (cat’s meow) - silent (quiet as a

mouse) - working hard (busy as a beaver) - very hungry, starving (hungry as a bear) - off track/ wrong answer (bark up the wrong tree) - out cast, unliked (black sheep) - clumsy (bull in a china shop) - a short rest/ sleep (cat nap) - someone who does what you do (copy cat) - fakes an emergency (cry wolf) - always arguing (fight like cat and dog) - goof off (horse around) - go crazy (hog wild)

- make a big deal out of a small problem (mountain out of a molehill) - do something because someone else does (monkey see, monkey do) - in trouble (in the dog house) - pouring rain (rain cats and dogs) - tell a secret (let the cat out of the bag) - be very excited (go ape) - don’t be nosy (curiosity killed the cat) - why are you so quiet? (cat got your tongue?)
- think someone is against you (smell a rat)
- # 1 person in charge (top dog)

is excellent for practicing speaking skills, though make sure you

save a time for after the game to comment on any mistakes students may have made during the game; also give them time to make their own examples using the idioms they’ve learnt

Why use it? Speaking skills, listening comprehension, writing skills, team work;
Who it's best for: best with older groups

describe to the rest of the teams in the class.

Think up two other ‘incorrect’ descriptions for the idiom you choose, including a key sentence and, if possible, where the word comes from. - When everyone is ready, you will take it in turns to read out your descriptions of an idiom. The other teams listen to all three definitions, then GUESS which one is correct. Do this by holding up a card - A, B or C. If correct, you gain ten points. - The team with the highest score wins.

act of bravery shown by an extremely timid individual

C: a

kind of courage one gets from drinking alcohol

dinner for the 1st night out of 10 days’ stay

in a hotel

B. To get a pack of letters in the mail

C. To have a short nap

angry way to something someone says or does;
to lose

one’s temper

of breaking

of people that is then given to a particular person

or used to buy a present for them

difficult
to control yourself

to sleep

accounts of an organization, especially in order to steal money

to be especially polite in a particular situation

in order to punish them

just learnt!