chapter-8-English-Idioms学案课件.ppt

definition An idiom is a fixed group of words or a single word, or even a sentence, with a special meaning that can not be guessed from its structure. Content * I. Characteristics * II. Classification * III. Semantic relationship between the combination as a whole and its components * IV. Rhetorical and stylistic analysis V. The practical application of idioms I. Characteristics 1. English idioms can be very short or rather long. 2. English idioms are much longer, sometimes consisting of entire sentences. 3. The idioms which can not be changed at all are called fixed idioms. I. Characteristics 4. An English idiom has a special meaning. 5. English idioms are not only used as colloquial expressions, they can also be found in formal situations, in poetry or fiction, or in slang. 6. Some idioms consist of obsolete words. I. Characteristics 7. English idioms represent a semantic unit, though they contain a group of words. 8. English idioms are usually made of commonly used words. 9. English idioms are often created on the basis of alliteration, rhyme, euphony and repetition. I. Characteristics * 1. Semantic unity * 2. Structural stability 1. Semantic unity It is a set expression made up of two or more words. The sense of the combination cannot be explained in terms of its constituent parts. do sb. brown 使某人上当 do up brown 把…彻底搞好 1. Semantic unity In other words, an idiom functions as a unit of meaning which can not be predicted from the literal meaning of its member words. The semantic unity of idioms is also reflected in the illogical relationship between the literal meaning of each constituent and the meaning of the idiom. 2. Structural stability Structurally analyzed, the form of an idiom is set. Diamond cut diamond, crook cut crook. Like cures like. 2. Structural stability Firstly, the constituents of idioms can not be changed or replaced. Secondly, the word order can not be inver