A lack of or incomplete communication has been one of the major causes of conflict and bloodshed throughout history.
While addressing major world conflicts is not the goal here, this book is an effective tool for helping to accomplish better communication between at least some of the people. It can help to reduce the possibility of unwanted, and sometimes devastating, consequences.
In 1990, a Boeing 707, from Colombia, crashed in New York before it could reach the airport. The investigation into the crash determined that the pilot’s request for emergency landing had been misinterpreted. (See Appendix.) This miscommunication cost the lives of the 73 people who were on that aircraft.
In another tragic incident, in 1992, a foreign exchange student was accidentally shot to death when he inadvertently walked onto someone’s lawn. He apparently didn’t know what the homeowner meant when he yelled, “Freeze!” (See Dedication.)
These, of course, are extreme examples. Less serious incidents, however, are happening around us, all of the time.
They have led to receiving lower grades at school, missing flights, losing business opportunities, having broken hearts, etc.
Although difficulties with idioms and expressions mainly involve non-English speakers and foreign students, people from different regions in English-speaking countries are not necessarily immune either. Even children, as they are growing up, encounter occasional surprises. Imagine the surprised look on a little child’s face upon hearing this for the first time: “You can’t play outside today; it’s raining cats and dogs!”