English Second Language (AS)·3 · Grammar & Language Usage · NSSCAS 5.3.5
Idioms & proverbs used correctly
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An idiom is a fixed phrase whose meaning is not the sum of its words; a proverb is a short traditional saying that gives advice. Miss Veronica shows you what each one is, how to use it exactly right, and — the real AS skill — how register decides where it belongs and where it does not.
What you'll learn in this lesson
By the end you should be able to (NSSCAS English Second Language (AS) 5.3.5):
- Learners should be able to define an idiom as a fixed expression whose meaning is not the literal sum of its words.
- Learners should be able to explain the meaning of common idiomatic expressions as they are used in a text.
- Learners should be able to use idiomatic expressions correctly in their own writing, keeping the wording exact.
- Learners should be able to define a proverb as a short traditional saying carrying advice or a general truth, and recognise that proverbs exist in every culture, including Namibian ones.
- Learners should be able to use proverbs correctly, stating, explaining and then applying them.
- Learners should be able to judge register — deciding when idiom suits speech, a blog or informal writing, and when it is inappropriate in a formal report or a serious argumentative essay.
- Learners should be able to identify and correct mangled or half-remembered idioms and proverbs.
- Learners should be able to explain why 'a highly developed sense of idiom' is what the top Language band rewards, and why precision beats decoration.
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