Fun with Idioms
*Makes learning English idioms as easy as ABC!Maybe even easy as pie?Either way, get these 2 books and in two ticks you will have the meanings of 512 idioms in the palms of your hands! It's a cinch! An iUniverse/Authors Guild Publication, USA << Click Here to order online >>
Have you ever had one of those days when you did something on the spur of the moment, played your cards right and came up smelling like a rose? Or maybe someone you know talks a blue streak, complains of dishpan hands -- yet lives the life of Riley.
Things like this might tickle your funny bone or make you see red, for these are idioms, and the difference between knowing or not knowing them can mean the difference between understanding or not understanding English. They're the nuts and bolts of everyday conversation, the glue that binds us in our everyday speech - and there they are, at every turn! They constitute, in effect, a language within a language adding color and dimension to the way we speak and think, making our language more expressive and fun to use. Every language has idioms, but English has more, giving anyone learning the language one of their greatest challenges.
A cock and bull story, get down to brass tacks, of the first water, an old chestnut, off the cuff, no strings attached, rain cats and dogs -- you either know what these word combinations mean or you don't. And you would find yourself tied in knots, worn to a frazzle and at your wit's end trying to guess their meanings. Yet as sure as God made little green apples, each and every one of these expressions is a common idiom known and understood by almost all native speakers of English, wherever they are in the world and whatever their occupation or level of education.
The wealth of idioms in the English language is almost beyond belief, but these books, each containing 136 of them, are unique. Created by the husband and wife team of John and Ching Yee Smithback (he's a teacher and writer, she's a translator, artist -- and a registered nurse!) these humorous illustrations along with their witty definitions are almost guaranteed to make learning English idioms as easy as ABC!
What does that mean? It means you can stop being a worry wart because FUN WITH IDIOMS is a new way to make learning easy as pie. In fact, read this and its companion books and we think you'll be thrilled to the core!
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Sardines are fish. "Everyone knows that!" Edwina cried. Sure, but the only time most of us ever see one is when we turn a key and find it packed into a tiny tin can. Fin to fin and back to front, they are packed in so tightly there's no room to turn around. "That's right, and when we ride the subway train during rush hours, we, too, are packed in like sardines!" Edwina said. "I sure hope that helps to explain this idiom," she gasped.
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Chadwick is absolutely convinced that his life is a bed of roses. "The only time it's not a bed of roses is when I am called upon to chase mice," he whispered. Then he yawned, and as there were no mice around he returned to his bed to have many peaceful dreams. "A bed of roses describes a situation that is agreeable and gives peace, comfort or pleasure," he said. Here’s a negative example: "Getting to work in a typhoon is no bed of roses," Henry said.
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*Fun with Chinese Idioms
*Idioms In Catagories
Add colour to your speech!
An A to Z guide to more than 500 colour idioms to help make your language more colourful -- and in a most agreeable way. This book is available to order.
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