Idioms

An idiom is an expression with a meaning that is completely different from the individual words in the expression. Knowing the individual words doesn't mean you will know the meaning of the expression because the direct meaning doesn't apply. It's the idiomatic meaning of the expression that is important.
e.g. When a native speaker says, "It's not my cup of tea" they are usually trying to say that they don't like something or that it is not type of thing that they like, rather than saying directly that a cup of tea doesn't belong to them.

All languages have idioms and unfortunately for learners, idioms do not usually translate from one language into another. Transferring idioms from your language directly into English can make you sound strange and very unnatural. The idiom from your language may have an equivalent in English but the words might not be the same.
e.g. There is an English idiom "to make a mountain out of a molehill", which means to make a problem or issue seem larger or more than it is. The equivalent idiom in German is, "to make an elephant out of a mouse". Using idioms from your language can sound strange to a native speaker, although they may be able to understand the meaning from the context.

In addition, using idioms inaccurately can have the same effect of sounding strange. If you use an idiom inaccurately, you may not communicate the meaning or the meaning might be taken as the direct meaning of the words instead of the idiomatic meaning you are trying to communicate.
e.g. If someone said, "it's not my cup of coffee" instead of, "It's not my cup of tea" a native speaker would assume you are directly saying the coffee is not yours.

Another thing to be careful of is that some idioms are old fashioned and are not used much in everyday speech.
e.g. Many learners I meet know the idiom "It's raining cats and dogs" meaning "it's raining heavily", but I don't think I've ever heard a native speaker use it in natural conversation. A native speaker would be more likely to say, "It's pouring down". or "It's hammering it down".

Another point to be aware of is that idioms are often closely related to a country's culture. Often the words used in an idiom come form a country's culture, geography, mentality or historical background.

e.g. there is a British idiom, "I'm all at sea" which means you are confused or fail to understand something. The equivalent in Swedish is, "I'm sitting in the lake". If you look at the maps of the countries you can see that Britain is an island surrounded by sea and that Sweden is a country with a lot of lakes. The geography of the country has had an effect on the words used in the idiom.

There are hundreds of idioms in English and using them will help you to sound more normal and natural in conversation. A learner with a very good level of English can often sound too formal and therefore unfriendly if they do not use any idioms. Also not understanding idioms will mean that a learner finds it hard to understand everyday English conversations.

Generally, idioms are not formal but it is wrong to say they are informal as many idioms are used in ordinary situations and contexts such as business meetings, serious discussions and everyday conversations

Idioms are usually fun to learn and you should take time to learn them when you find / hear them. When you feel you have understood the meaning of an idiom you should try to use it in appropriate a context or situation.

Overall when learning an idiom my advice is

• make sure you know exactly what it means
• make sure you know exactly which situations it's appropriate to use it in
• make sure you know the form of the idiom exactly (they are fixed expressions)
• make sure you are comfortable using them, but don't be scared to try. I'm sure most native speakers will understand if you make a mistake
• Try to guess the meanings of idioms from the context they are used in
• If you are not sure about any of the points above avoid using them get advice from a native speaker, dictionary or the internet.
  
  Remember - Idioms are a really fun way to learn a language as well as expanding your knowledge of the language, you will learn more about a country's culture.

Have a look at the following post about summer in the school. Notice the idioms highlighted in bold. See if you can understand them from the context. Come back to this blog in a few days to get full explanations and further examples and practice.

Summer In The School

So, summer's here (see previous post June) and all the staff in the school are rushed off their feet as there are a lot of learners here trying to brush up their English. It's an incredibly fun time of year in the school as we welcome people from all walks of life. Some of the young learners are trying to find themselves while some of the older learners are attempting to climb to the top of the career ladder or get out of a rut but whoever the learner may be they are all bending over backwards to improve their English.
Summer is an excellent time to be in London because there are no end of things to do, from music festivals to day trips, from outdoor theatre to exhibitions. No matter, who you are, where you're from or what you do, there are things to do in London which are right up your street.
So, why not come and visit us, experience the city and meet some new people from around the world? You never know you might just have the time of your life and your English could go from strength to strength and make all the difference to your life and career.

Are You Worried About Swine Flu in London?

If you are concerned about swine flu in the UK click here to read our swine flu information on the website.

At this stage, there have not been any confirmed cases of the virus in either of our centres. Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that there is an unacceptably high risk of contracting the virus. We do not think that it is necessary for anyone to cancel or postpone their courses with us and suggest people take simple hygiene precautions and ensure that they have adequate insurance for the duration of their course with us.

Ten Tips for Success in the IELTS Exam

1. Don’t try to read the texts in the reading paper in depth. Even if you are a native speaker, it would be extremely difficult to read 3 texts in detail and then answer the questions in an hour. You should start with the questions and then go to the relevant part of the text and read only that part in detail. Then move on to the next question and do the same.
2. Don’t forget to transfer your answers in the reading paper. You will not be given extra time to do this and if you forget then your score for the reading paper will be 0.
3. Be careful when you transfer your answers that you transfer them to the right place. It is easy to transfer them incorrectly if you miss a question and you could lose a lot of points by doing this.
4. Read the instructions carefully! If the question requires a YES, NO or NOT GIVEN answer, make sure that you write the answer fully. Y, N or NG is not acceptable.
5. In the writing paper, make sure you plan your answer before you begin to write it. This will help you organise your thoughts and will give you a better chance of getting a high score.
6. You should divide your time carefully in the writing paper. Part 1 should take 20 minutes and part 2 should take 40 minutes. If you spend too long on either part then you are risking losing marks over all.
7. Remember that part 1 writing could be either describing statistics OR describing a process, so make sure that you have practised both types of exercise and that you know how to structure your answer well.
8. In part 2 of the speaking test, you will be given a minute to prepare your short speech. Make sure that you use this time well and plan the order of the points you want to talk about. Think about it as a short essay and make sure you have a logical starting point, middle part and a finish.
9. You will only hear the listening ONCE so if you miss an answer, take a guess and move on. Always take a guess and don’t leave any blanks on your answer sheet. Remember, you will be given extra time to transfer your answers after the listening test is over so don’t worry about transferring them in the middle of the test.
10. The best way to ensure success in the IELTS exam is to practice the papers in advance and make sure you know how it works. If you can, do a preparation course but if that’s not possible, buy a self-study practice book that gives you the answers AND tells you why the answers are correct.

Have you got any questions about preparing for IELTS? If you have, write a comment and we will get back to you.

Using Podcasts to Learn English (Part 1)

The internet has changed the world. We now live in an instantly connected global society. As long as you have access to an online computer, you can find out about events almost as soon as they happen. Take the sad story of the death of Michael Jackson as an example. Within seconds of the event, millions of people all around the world knew what had happened: The King of Pop had died.

It’s not all sad news stories though. The internet can be a really useful tool to help you learn English, and there are lots of ways to do this. You can read blogs, like this one. People are blogging all the time, about lots of topics. If you like, you can blog about your own life too. As well as that, you can use social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to try and make friends and chat with other people around the world. You can use Twitter, in order to keep up with the latest conversation topics, follow interesting people, tweet about yourself and read other people’s tweets. You can also use YouTube to watch videos on almost any topic in English, or to upload your own videos for the world to see.

In my opinion, podcasts are one of the best ways to use the internet to improve your English. There are lots of podcasts on the internet and almost all of them are free. But, which are the best ones out there, and more importantly what actually is a podcast?

This is part 1 of a series of blog posts I’m going to write about podcasts. In this series, I’ll explain what podcasts are, how to listen to them and how to use them to improve your English. I’ll also recommend some good podcasts that you can find on the internet and can download for free.

So, watch this space for more blog posts about podcasts in the near future. For now though, have a look at the definitions of some of the useful ‘internet vocabulary’ I have used in this blog post, and feel free to write a comment or ask a question if you want to.

Luke.

podcast - n (C) an audio programme which you can listen to on the internet, or download and listen to on your computer or mp3 player. 'Pod' comes from the word 'iPod' and 'cast' comes from the word 'broadcast'. So, a podcast is like a broadcast (e.g. a radio show) on your iPod.

online - adj connected to the internet. The opposite is offline. E.g. my computer is offline at the moment because I don't have an internet connection at home.

blog - n (C) a website on which someone can regularly write posts, comments, stories, reports, diary entries, etc. Blogs are regularly updated. Blog is short for web-log.

blog - v to write on a blog. E.g. "I'm just blogging about how to use the internet to learn English".

blog post - n (C) an article, story, report, etc which has been written on a blog, by an author of the blog

social networking site - n (C) a website which people use to make friends, chat to people and share music & video, and make social arrangements

to chat - v this has two meanings. The most common meaning is to have an informal conversation with someone (it could be face to face or on the telephone), e.g. "I was just chatting with your Mum about what you want for your birthday...". The second meaning is newer than the first, and it means to have a text conversation with someone on the internet, using a messaging service like MSN Messenger or in an internet chat room.

chat - n (C) an informal spoken conversation, or a text conversation on the internet. E.g. "I had a chat with Mum about what you wanted for your birthday..."

to keep up with something - phrasal verb to stay up-to-date with something. E.g. "I like to keep up with the latest film reviews by using the BBC's film review website" or "I use Facebook to keep up with what my friends are doing"

tweet - n (C) a status update or comment which has been written on the website Twitter. It's a new word which is used for updates written on Twitter only. E.g. "Follow our tweets by visiting the LSE Twitter page"

tweet - v to write a status update or comment on Twitter. E.g. "The London School of English tweets about something every day"

upload - v to put an audio file, video file or photograph onto the internet from your computer. E.g. "Click here to upload your profile picture" or "You can't upload videos onto YouTube which are longer than 10 minutes"

download - v (and a noun sometimes) to take an audio file, video file or photograph from the internet and save it on your computer. E.g. "I downloaded Skype last night, so we can use it to chat from now on" or "Click here to download the mp3"

watch this space - fixed expression this is a common expression that people use to say a development is coming so pay attention to this. it is often used in newspapers, on TV and on websites. E.g. "Watch this space for news of the latest iPhone release"

Message from our Marketing Intern

Hi everyone!

My name is Annerieke and I have been the Marketing Intern at the London School of English for the past few months. I come from the Netherlands and before I started working here, I had never been in the UK before. The first few weeks when I started working here it took me a while to get used to everything, get to know the people and find my way around here. However, I really enjoyed working at the school. I think there is a really open atmosphere – the fact that almost every student comes on his/her own, makes people interact and mingle a lot with other students. Also the LSE staff has always been very helpful to me and always willing to help whenever I had questions.

Everybody is being encouraged to speak English as often as possible and most of the time you have no other choice, as students come from all over the world. I have had a great time and I met lots of interesting people (which might also be quite useful for my travel plans in the future ;)). Unfortunately, most of the students at Holland Park were only staying here for not more than 6 weeks, so I had to say goodbye very often as I was staying at the school for almost 5 months.

I have also learned a lot; not only about Marketing & Sales and the English language, but also about different cultures. It is very interesting to mingle with people coming from parts of the world that I can only imagine what they look like.

The city of London is just amazing. There are so many things to do; whatever you are looking for – it is all here: a vibrant nightlife, shops, pubs, bars, gigs, museums, festivals, etc. I am just a country girl and London is too big for me to live here all my life – but it was a great experience.

Thank you LSE!

Annerieke

The Fourth Plinth

The what? What’s a plinth?
A plinth is the base that a statue stands on, and the most famous plinth in the UK at the moment is ‘the fourth plinth’ in London’s Trafalgar Square. Each corner of Trafalgar Square has a plinth, and three of these have statues on them. However, the ‘fourth’ plinth’ stands empty. For the next 100 days British artist Antony Gormley is turning the fourth plinth into the stage for his latest project.

What’s going to happen?
Members of the general public can apply to spend one hour on the plinth. The plinth will be occupied 24 hours a day for the next 100 days. People can do whatever they like (as long as it’s legal!) on the plinth. So far people have used it to protest, to promote a charity and to do absolutely nothing.

Why?
Gormley is creating a ‘picture of Britain’, or some would describe it as a self-portrait of the nation.

What do you think about this? Do you think it is art? Do you think it is worthwhile and interesting? If you are in London why not go to Trafalgar Square to see for yourself what is going on.

Click on the title to read more about Antony Gormley and ‘The Fourth Plinth’.

Glossary
Statue n. a figure, often of someone famous made by an artist
General public n. anyone in the public, not an ‘official’ person, eg Members of Parliament can visit the House of Commons whenever they like but the general public can only visit on official tours
Protest v. to demonstrate that you are against something, eg to protest against a war
Promote v. to create awareness of something, eg to promote a new brand of toothpaste
Charity n. a non profit organisation that does work for people who need help, eg the Red Cross is a charity
Self-portrait n. a picture of yourself

Image from www.moreintelligentlife.com

Murray Mania!

This afternoon Andy Murray will play in the semi finals at Wimbledon. Anyone that is British and is interested in tennis is really excited. Even people that aren’t particularly interested in tennis will be tuning in to see how Andy does.

Although Wimbledon is arguably the most popular of all of the grand slams, us Brits rarely do well there. Some people say that we don’t have a strong enough work ethic when it comes to sport, I wonder if Lewis Hamilton or David Beckham would agree!

If Andy Murray wins today he will be the first British player to reach the Wimbledon final in 71 years. The last British player to win Wimbledon was Fred Perry, but that was in 1936! Andy wears the Fred Perry brand of tennis clothes, maybe that will bring him luck.

Andy Murray is Scottish. He has been described as ‘a dour Scotsman’. This means that he is quite serious, and not very jovial. Some people say that is unfair and he is just serious about his sport and doesn’t enjoy being in the limelight.

At Wimbledon there is a small hill where people can watch the Centre Court matches on a big screen. When British tennis player Tim Henman was the British number 1 everyone called this hill ‘Henman Hill’. Now it’s Andy Murray’s turn they are calling it ‘Murray Mound’. Murray Mound will be packed this afternoon. Many people will be waving their Union Jacks and hoping they are going to see a British player in the finals at last. Fingers crossed!

Glossary

Tuning in – v. to find a television or radio station

Grand slam – n. the biggest tennis tournaments in the world held in the UK, France, America and Australia

Work ethic – n. attitude to work, a ‘strong work ethic’ means you work hard and work is a priority for you

Jovial – n. fun and light-hearted

In the limelight – n. to have attention when you are important

Mound – n. small hill

Packed – adj. very busy, lots of people

Union Jack – n. the British flag

Fingers crossed – v. hoping for good luck, if you literally cross your fingers it is a sign that you are hoping for good luck

Image from The Guardian

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No Parking

I saw a funny thing the other day while I was out running. It was funny strange, but funny Ha Ha too. Watch the video below and see if you can work out how this happened.



Any ideas? Well, I took the video in West London, opposite Fulham Football club on the river Thames, not far from Westcroft Square. The driver who had parked the car on the slipway obviously didn’t realise that the tide rises very high, very quickly. Can you imagine the unpleasant surprise you would have if you came back to find your nice little car half-submerged in the River Thames like this. What would you do?

Unfortunately I don't know what happened to the car or how the driver reacted when they got back. How would you feel? Perhaps the worst thing would be the big crowd of people standing around taking pictures of your car and laughing. How embarrassing! I don’t think I would own up to it being my car - I'd just pretend it was someone else's and laugh along with them. Then I'd wait until everyone had gone home before trying to drive away.

Whatever happened, I hope that the driver's insurance covered the damage. I'm sure he or she will be more careful next time.

Glossary

funny strange or funny Ha Ha fixed expression this is generally a spoken expression used to explain that the word funny can mean either something that makes you laugh or something unusual or unexpected

slipway n (C) a sloping track that is used for moving boats into or out of the water

submerged adj to cover something completely with water or another liquid

to own up phr. v to admit that you have done something wrong

Some definitions taken from Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Pearson Education Ltd 2003