To the Teacher
ABOUT THE BOOK
This introductory book of idioms is designed to be used in advanced-beginning and intermediate classes of ESL and is appropriate for adult, college-level, and secondary home students.
An idiom is a group of two or more words that has a special meaning different from the meanings of its component parts. The idioms in this book have been selected with regard to the frequency of use and because of difficulty. The lesson design is based on the following premises:
1. Advanced beginners and intermediate students have encountered idioms and are curious about them.
2. These students can and should learn to understand and use idioms.
3. To attain fluency learners must come away from the lesson with clear understanding of the idioms in both situations and grammatical contexts.
4. A focus on the meaning of idioms must continue to be provided, along with practice in the use of a few idioms at a time. Memorization of long lists of idioms that they cannot use confidently will result in discouragement and apathy.