IDIOMS

A. What are idioms? An expression like turn up (meaning arrive), break even (meaning make neither a profit nor a loss) or a can be difficult to understand, because its meaning is different from the meanings of the separate words in the expression. (if you know break and even, this does not help you at all to understand break even.) Expressions like these are called idioms. Idioms are ussualy special to one language an can not be translated word for word (though related languages may share some idioms).

B. Situational language The expressions that are used in typical everyday situations are often idiomatic in the same sense. With the help of a dictionary and grammar, one could invent various possible ways of expressing a particular idea, but generally there are only one or two ways that happen to be used by English speakers, and one has to know what they are in order to speak or write naturally. Some examples: Could you check the oil? (more natural than could you inspect the oil? Or could you see how much oil there is in engine?) Is it a direct flight or do I have to change? (More natural than does the plane go straight there or another one?) Sorry I kept you waiting. (more natural than sorry I made you wait.) Could I reserve a table for three for eight oclock? ( more natural than could you keep me a table for three persons for eight oclock?)

C. Using Idiom Idiom are common in all kinds of English, formal and informal, spoken and written. However, informal spoken language is often very idiomatic. Students should not worry because they do not know all the collections and other idiomatic expressions that are commonly used by English speakers. If they use non idiomatic ways of expressing ideas, they will normally be understood, and English speakers do not expect foreigners to speak perfectly idiomatically or
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correctly. It is therefore not necessary for students to make a special effort to learn and use idioms: they will learn the most common idiomatic expressions naturally along with the rest of their speech and writing with idioms the effect will probably be every strange. Note that books of idioms often contain expressions which are slangy, rare or out of date, and which students should avoid unless they understand exactly how and when the expressions are used. This is particularly true of colourful idioms like raining cats and dofs, hit the nail on the head, eat like a horse or as old as the hills.

D. List Of Idioms Above all To be about to Accourding to To account for All out All time As one All the day Ahead of All at once All the same All the time All day long All over Arm in arm Hand in hand As far as So far as As for As if As long as As to As asual As well as At all At first yang terutama, yang terpenting baru saja hendak menurut ( pendapat ) mempertanggung jawabkan mati-matian, habis-habisan selamanya, sepanjang masa serentak sepenuhnya lebih maju dari, melebihi sekaligus tidak apa-apa, sama saja sejak dulu, non stop, terus menerus seharian, sepanjang hari semua telah selesai bergandengan tangan bergandengan tangan sampai, sepanjang sampai, sepanjang mengenai, kalau seolah-olah asalkan, selama mengenai, tentang seperti biasa disamping juga sama sekali mula-mula 2

At hand At last At least At most At best At the latest At once At once time Sixes and Sevens At will As you please To back out To back up Back and forth To break down To break off To break out To bring alog To bring up By change By mistake By non means To call at To call back To call down To call for To call in To call on To calm down To care for To carry on To check in To carry out To check up/on To cheer up To come about

sudah dekat akhirnya paling tidak, sedikit-dikitnya paling-paling, ( perkiraan paling tinggi ) paling-paling ( selambat-lambatnya ) dengan segera dulu bingung, berantakan ( tidak rapi, kotor ) semuanya, kehendak hati sesuka hati mengundurkan diri mendukung mondar-mandir mogok, tak berfungsi memutuskan ( meletus,berkobar ) mengajak, membawa serta membesarkan, mengasuh mendidik secara kebetulan, tanpa rencana karena kekeliuran sama sekali tidak singgah, mampir menelpon kembali memarahi, mendamprat menjemput memanggil kerumah mengunjungi, singgah menenangkan ( hati, kemarahan ) senang, saying meneruskan, melanjutkan tiba, mendaftarkan diri melaksanakan menyelidiki/memeriksa menghibur terjadi 3

To come along To come back To come from To come down To come true To cool down To cut down To cut off To do over To dig up To do for To drop in To drop out To do well To eat in; to To eat up To enter into To enter in Evena as; even Now Even so To fall back on To fall in love To fell like To find out To fix on To forgive and forget Let bygones be bygones To be far apart For fear For good

ikut kembali berasal dari turun menjadi kenyataan menebang atau mengurangi menebang, mengurangi memutuskan (komunikasi , listrik) mengerjakan kembali mengungkit-ungkit membantu, cocok singgah, mampir putus sekolah maju, berhasil baik makan di rumah, makan di restoran makan sampai habis, menghabiskan ikut serta, mengadakan memasukan bahkan waktu, bahkan sekarang meskipun demikian bersandar jatuh cinta, mencintai rasanya, rasanya seperti mengetahui, menyelidiki menetapkan (waktu) melupakan peristiwa yang lalu yang lalu biarlah berlalu berjauhan takut kalu-kalu untuk selama-lamanya