Speaking in another language can be difficult. It\u2019s more than just understanding what individual words mean, fluent speakers need to understand how words connect to one another, and how the meaning changes when different connections are made.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Idioms are a common linguistic device often brought up by English teachers. But is it really important to learn them? Will they help you in your IELTS test? The simple answer is yes! As well as understanding literal language, learners need to understand figurative language.<\/p>\n
Being able to understand these linguistic links is a major step towards greater communication and can be crucial towards success in the IELTS exam.<\/p>\n
An idiom is an expression that has a meaning that cannot be worked out from the individual words. For example, \u2018see the light\u2019<\/em>\u00a0means to have a clear moment of sudden understanding. However, this is not immediately clear from the words used. A learner might work it out from the context it is used in, but this is often not easy and translating word by word will not make any sense.<\/p>\n This definition can extend to\u00a0slang<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0clich\u00e9s<\/strong>\u00a0used in English, which vary from region to region adding extra challenges to a learner.<\/p>\n The average native English speaker uses idioms and slang expressions all the time and is probably unaware of how much they do so. The reason for this is simple; idioms are often the easiest way to express what you want to say.<\/p>\n Example 1<\/strong><\/p>\n Example 2<\/strong><\/p>\n Both Colin and Brian feel the same, but what Colin is saying sounds much more natural and common place.<\/p>\n It is not just in casual spoken English that idioms appear, they can appear in business and academic conversation too. You will find them in books, newspapers (especially headlines), on the radio, as well as in conversation.<\/p>\n By learning more about the target culture, a learner can understand more idioms and through using idioms they can improve their vocabulary and comprehension of the target language.<\/p>\n There are American, Australian and British idioms that people may not recognise, but also a huge number of shared expressions. Slang too varies from region to region, reflecting the dialect and culture of the people there.<\/p>\n Using idioms naturally and easily is a good indication that the communicator is aware of nuance and natural English. Listening to them requires concentration and comprehension that furthers the learners understanding of English. Using them in the Speaking and Writing section demonstrate your awareness of a language.<\/p>\n Using fun expressions, like \u2018shot myself in the foot\u2019,\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0\u2018flogging a dead horse\u2019<\/em>\u00a0make your conversation sound more interesting and often allows the conversation to flow more easily. This is one of the criteria of the Speaking test so using idioms could push up your mark.<\/p>\n As anyone who has listened to Donald Trump knows, taking a long time to explain or express something can have a very negative effect on your fluency and coherence. \u00a0An idiom often allows you to express a complicated concept simply and effectively. Instead of giving a lengthy explanation of why learning idioms will help improve your practical communicative English and your comprehension, I can simply say it will\u00a0kill two birds with one stone<\/em>.<\/p>\n Although, it isn\u2019t necessary to learn\u00a0every<\/em>\u00a0idiom, having a few at your disposal, ready to use and ready to impress your listener, could make a big difference to your speaking score. You might struggle at first, and you\u2019ll almost certainly make some mistakes, but your English will improve and so you will\u00a0have the last laugh<\/em>.<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, check out our\u00a0IELTS Facebook<\/a>\u00a0page for weekly IELTS updates and special offers.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>If you wish to learn more about studying\u00a0IELTS in London<\/a> or Manchester<\/a>, visit our office for a free consultation today!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false},"study-guide-destinations":[127],"study-guide-canada-categories":[],"study-guide-australia-categories":[],"study-guide-usa-categories":[],"study-guide-uk-categories":[1600],"study-guide-nz-categories":[],"study-guide-ireland-categories":[],"class_list":["post-138847","gsi_study_guides","type-gsi_study_guides","status-publish","hentry","study-guide-destinations-study-in-uk","study-guide-uk-categories-ielts"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gostudyin-dev.com\/pakistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gsi_study_guides\/138847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gostudyin-dev.com\/pakistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gsi_study_guides"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gostudyin-dev.com\/pakistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/gsi_study_guides"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gostudyin-dev.com\/pakistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gostudyin-dev.com\/pakistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"study-guide-destinations","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gostudyin-dev.com\/pakistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/study-guide-destinations?post=138847"},{"taxonomy":"study-guide-canada-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gostudyin-dev.com\/pakistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/study-guide-canada-categories?post=138847"},{"taxonomy":"study-guide-australia-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gostudyin-dev.com\/pakistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/study-guide-australia-categories?post=138847"},{"taxonomy":"study-guide-usa-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gostudyin-dev.com\/pakistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/study-guide-usa-categories?post=138847"},{"taxonomy":"study-guide-uk-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gostudyin-dev.com\/pakistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/study-guide-uk-categories?post=138847"},{"taxonomy":"study-guide-nz-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gostudyin-dev.com\/pakistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/study-guide-nz-categories?post=138847"},{"taxonomy":"study-guide-ireland-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gostudyin-dev.com\/pakistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/study-guide-ireland-categories?post=138847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why are idioms important in the IELTS exam?<\/h2>\n
1. Idioms are common<\/h3>\n
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2. Idioms are pervasive<\/h3>\n
3. Idioms and culture are closely connected<\/h3>\n
4. They display a clear grasp of common functional language<\/h3>\n
5. Idioms allow you to be creative<\/h3>\n
6. Idioms allow you to avoid talking too much<\/h3>\n
Study IELTS in London or Manchester<\/h2>\n