PERSPECTIVES ON TEACHING IDIOMS IN ESL CLASSES
PERSPECTIVES ON TEACHING IDIOMS IN ESL CLASSES

Summary/Abstract: The large number of idioms and their high frequency in spoken and written English make them an important aspect of language teaching and learning. ESL learners are faced with two main problems when it comes to learning idiomatic language. First, they have to cope with the challenge of understanding idioms and using them correctly and instinctively in a variety of sociocultural contexts. Then, they need to be able to establish a connection between idioms and culture. Teachers, in their turn, have to overcome a big obstacle - that of the shortage of teaching resources available. ESL teachers should pay special attention to teaching idioms. Learning idioms can be beneficial to ESL learners in the short- and long-term. The more they are in contact with English idioms, the more opportunities they have to find out about the creative nature of human thought. Idioms are widely used by native speakers for several reasons such as the desire to make their speech brief and concise or to make it sound more vivid or humorous. If ESL learners acquire this skill, their communicative competence will be greatly improved.

• Details
• Contents