How to Learn American English Idioms (Article 8)

Learning idioms can be very difficult, especially if you’re not in the US. However, there are a few tips that will help you get started and learn how to use them in everyday situations.

Step 1: Find out what an idiom is

An idiom is a word or phrase that’s used to mean something different from its literal meaning. They’re often very common, but they can still confuse English speakers. You need to know what they mean before you can use them in real life.

You can find out what an idiom is by looking it up on Google. If it’s a word, then it’s probably an idiom. If it’s a phrase, it’s probably an idiom.

Step 2: Know the difference between an idiom and an adverb

An idiom is a word or phrase that means something different than its literal meaning. A good example of this would be “to take the cake” instead of “to eat the cake.”

An adverb, however, is a word that modifies a verb or an adjective. An example of this is “I’m going to take the cake,” where “to take the cake” is an idiom and “to take the cake” is an adverb.

Step 3: Learn the difference between an idiom and a colloquialism

A colloquialism is a phrase that’s not widely used in everyday life. Instead, it’s used in speech or writing only. You can easily recognize colloquialisms because they don’t follow any grammar rules. For example, “I’m going to the park” is a colloquialism, but “I’m going to the park to play baseball” is an idiom.

Step 4: Learn how to use an idiom

An idiom has multiple meanings, but you usually have to use it in a specific way to get the most out of it. You should learn to recognize the different ways to use an idiom, and how to apply it in a given situation.

For example, you can say “the best things come in small packages,” or “the best things come in small packages.” However, when you want to talk about a package, you have to use the adverb “in.”

Step 5: Learn how to use an idiom to mean something other than its literal meaning

Some idioms have a literal meaning that doesn’t make sense in the context. For example, “I’m going to the park to play baseball” means you’re going to play baseball.

However, some idioms have a completely different meaning, and that’s what you need to know. For example, “I’m going to the park to play baseball” is still about playing baseball, but it also means you’re going there to do something else, such as go swimming or visit a museum.

Step 6: Understand how to use an idiom when it has multiple meanings

Sometimes, you’ll learn an idiom with a literal meaning, but then discover there are two other meanings to it. For example, “I’m going to the park to play baseball” could mean you’re going there to play baseball, or it could mean you’re going there to eat lunch and watch the game.

Step 7: Learn how to use an idiom in everyday situations

It’s very easy to learn a single idiom, but it’s much harder to learn idioms that can be used in different situations. The best way to learn idioms is to start using them in real life.