Words and Phrases
Phrasal verbs, collocations, idioms, proverbs are the part of language which often differentiates native speakers from those that learn English as a second language. While most learners assimilate vocabulary and grammar to the highest levels, they often show poor knowledge of phrasal verbs and collocations. It is a part of language that simply doesn't make much sense - such phrases cannot be understood from the meaning of the words they are made of.
For instance, if you heard:
John kicked the bucket
what would you really think? First, you would thing that John really kicked a bucket, probably using his foot. Then, looking at the context of this sentence:
After being sick for months, John kicked the bucket
maybe you would think John was so happy, or frustrated, that the first thing he did after getting better was kicking some bucket. But, after being given further information:
- I need a day off work.
- How come?
- Well, after being sick for months, John kicked the bucket
- Oh, sorry to hear that. When's the funeral?
a lot of things become clear now, don't they? John is dead.
What's that got to do with the bucket?! What's that got to do with kicking?!
No idea.
Now you're starting to see the problem. There is only one way to learn such expresions. Every language has these. Listen to native speakers and read - read all the time. And, of course, learn.
You can find out more about this subject using the following links:
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