A Lesson on Idioms

A Lesson on Idioms

What would you do?

Idioms

• Idioms are a form of figurative language. They have special meaning separate from the literal meaning of the words.

• If you are not familiar with an idiom, it can be difficult to understand what someone is trying to say.

Match the idiom with the pictures.

A. From the horse's mouth

B. Over the moon

C. Let the cat out of the bag

D. Off the hook

E. Spill the beans

F. A square meal

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct meaning of this idiom:

You are barking up the wrong tree.

• Help me with this.

• You have got exactly the right idea.

• You have got completely the wrong idea.

• I want to complain to you about something.

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct meaning of this idiom:

You've hit the nail on the head.

• Help me with this.

• You have got exactly the right idea.

• You have got completely the wrong idea.

• I want to complain to you about something.

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct meaning of this idiom:

I've got a bone to pick with you.

• Help me with this.

• I tried to overcome the shyness/ awkwardness.

• You have got completely the wrong idea.

• I want to complain to you about something.

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct meaning of this idiom:

Lend me a hand with this.

• Help me with this.

• I tried to overcome the shyness/ awkwardness.

• You have got completely the wrong idea.

• She was really upset and cried a lot.

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct meaning of this idiom:

She cried her eyes out.

• Help me with this.

• I tried to overcome the shyness/ awkwardness.

• You have got completely the wrong idea.

• She was really upset and cried a lot.

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct meaning of this idiom:

I tried to break the ice.

• Help me with this.

• I tried to overcome the shyness/ awkwardness.

• You have got completely the wrong idea.

• She was really upset and cried a lot.

Fill in the Blank

Complete the sentence with the correct idiom.

"I couldn't have explained the problem better myself," said Mr Lee.

Fill in the Blank

Complete the sentence with the correct idiom.

"_________________," said Dad, passing me a bucket of water and sponge.

Fill in the Blank

Complete the sentence with the correct idiom.

"When Christina failed her test, _________________."

Fill in the Blank

Complete the sentence with the correct idiom.

"Although I didn't know Marcus well, ___________________ by inviting him to play with us."

Fill in the Blank

Complete the sentence with the correct idiom.

"____________________," said Maria. "What have you done to my new bike?"

Tip

Slang is a type of informal language where words often mean something different from their dictionary meaning.

Open Ended

Circle the keyword, or words, in each slang expression. Below it, write the literal meaning of the word, or words, and why it might have been used.

1. I got straight As in my exams.

Open Ended

Circle the keyword, or words, in each slang expression. Below it, write the literal meaning of the word, or words, and why it might have been used.

2. I am going to ace the spelling test this week.

Open Ended

Circle the keyword, or words, in each slang expression. Below it, write the literal meaning of the word, or words, and why it might have been used.

3. You can't cut class if you want to do well at school.

Draw lines to link these abbreviations to their meanings and then to a context you might find them used.

Words often share common spelling patterns or letter groups. Underline the common letter groups in these words.

dough, tough, through, although nought, rough, fought

Complete each of these words by adding the common letter group 'tch'

• fe___

• bu___er

• Du___

• buttersco___

• ke___up

• wre___ed

• la___

Open Ended

Match the 'tch' words with their meanings.

1. caramel flavoured sweet

2. comes from Holland

3. miserable or in a bad state

4. tomato sauce

Make a sentence with all the 'tch' words.

Let's read about making difficult decisions

Read the extract from The Kite Fighters by Linda Sue Park.

Chapter 11: Young-sup and his older brother Kee-sup have discovered that coating a kite's line with broken pottery and glue makes it faster at cutting other kite lines.

Did you know?

The Kite Fighters is set in Seoul, Korea, in 1473, when kite fighting competitions really took place.

As they were busy congratulating each other, Young-sup had a sudden, sobering thought.

"Brother. What if it is against the rules?"

"Against the rules?" Kee-up stopped in his tracks. "I never thought of that. You mean, maybe someone has thought of this before and it is not allowed."

"We could ask."

"But if we ask another flier, and no one has thought of it before, maybe he'll steal our idea."

They stared at each other, their faces reflections of worry.

...

"Honourable Sir!"

Kite Seller Chung lifted his head. He was just leaving the marketplace after a busy day.

Young-sup rushed up to him, panting from his run, and bowed politely if hurriedly. The old kite seller smiled at his eagerness.

"What chases you, young flier?" he teased.

"Nothing, sir - just a question."

"A question for me, I take it."

Young-sup looked around them. The market was closing for the day, with many people brushing past them in a hurry to make last-minute purchases. He bowed again to the old man.

"I do not wish to delay you, sir. Perhaps we could talk as I walk beside you."

The old man cocked his head curiously and gestured his assent. They set out on the road away from the market and walked in silence until the crowds around them had thinned somewhat.

"Now, young flier. What is the question, the answer to which you believe I hold?"

"It's about the kite festival, sir. About the competition."

"Ah - the kite fights." The old man's eyes lit up with keen interest.

"Yes, sir. It is said that there is little you do not know about them."

The kite seller nodded. "True enough. I have been watching them ever year now for more than half a hundred years."

"THen you would know, sir, about the rules." Young-sup paused, his voice low and urgent. "My brother has a new.... invention. We wish to use it at the fights, but we need to know if using it would be honourable - within the rules."

His companion frowned. "That is not one question, young flier, but two. Tell me about this invention."

Multiple Choice

Answer true or false.

1. Kee-sup and Young-sup had just won a competition.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Answer true or false.

2. One of the other kite fliers has copied their idea.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Answer true or false.

3. The market is getting ready to close for the day.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Answer true or false.

4. Young-sup asks the kite seller for advice.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Answer true or false.

The kite seller has seen more than 50 kite competitions.

• True

• False

Open Ended

Write down two pieces of evidence that show how Young-sup shows respect to the kite seller.

Summarise your understanding.

Number these events in the correct order

• Kite Seller Chung admits he knows a lot about the competition.

• Young-sup searches for Kite Seller Chung in the market.

• He describes his brother's new invention.

• Young-sup asks his advice as they walk away from the market.

• Kee-up and Young-sup worry about the competition rules.

Think about the story structure.

• Where in the story do you think this dilemma occurs - towards the start, the middle or the end? Give a reason based on your knowledge of story structures.

• The extract is from Chapter 11 of 16 chapters - does this support your previous answer? Why?

• Chapters are mini stories within the bigger story. What do you think the next chapter will be about?

Answer these questions

• Why were the brothers congratulating each other?

• Do you think Kee-sup or Young-sup is older? Why?

• What do they think could be against the rules?

• Why don't they ask just another kite flier?

• Who does Young-sup ask in the end?

• What two things foes Young-sup want to know?

• Do you think Young-sup's choice of person to ask is a good one? Why?

Answer these questions

• Did the boys do the right thing by asking about their new technique?

• What answer do you think Young-sup will receive? Why?

• What answer would you give to Young-sup?

The kite seller's parting words make the boys' decision even harder.

"But there is a more difficult question. From what you have told me, it is clearly a great advantage - perhaps too great. Yet you say that there would be no advantage without skill. It is you yourself, and your brother, who must decide if it is honourable."

Open Ended

Write two paragraphs on the extract before the seller's parting words.

"But there is a more difficult question. From what you have told me, it is clearly a great advantage - perhaps too great. Yet you say that there would be no advantage without skill. It is you yourself, and your brother, who must decide if it is honourable."

Start your sentence with:

They boys realise their invention might be against competition rules, so Young-sup asks...

Open Ended

Explain the dilemma and what you think the boys should do.

The boys think that... I think they should... because...

Focus on the language

What clues in the boys' conversation suggests that the setting is not modern?

Focus on the language

Which adjectives describe Young-sup's behaviour towards the kite seller?

casual, polite, careless, formal, respectful, nervous, excited

Why do you think he behaves this way?

Do you think he would speak differently in a novel with a modern setting?

Focus on the language

Which synonyms for 'fight' fit the context of kite fights?

brawl, contest, battle, struggle, skirmish, dispute, conflict, competition, bout, scrap, match