Difference between Idiom, saying, proverb

[anupumh]

Hi,

What is the difference between Idioms, Sayings, Proverbs, Phrases/Phrasal verbs..?

Thanks

[sarat_106]

Originally Posted by anupumh

Hi,

What is the difference between Idioms, Sayings, Proverbs, Phrases/Phrasal verbs..?

Thanks

Phrase: a short group of words which are often used together or a sequence of two or more words arranged in a grammatical construction and acting as a conceptual/single unit in a sentence as the highlighted expression in the following sentences.:
We are governed by an 'elective dictatorship'.(Used as noun/object of pre-by)
The house at the end of the street belongs to a famous player.(Used as noun and subject of the sentence)

Phrasal verb: a phrase which consists of a verb in combination with a preposition or adverb or both, the meaning of which is different from the meaning of its separate parts as highlighted in following sentences:
The child is well looked after by his parents.(Looked after=taken care of)
He has gone down with fever. (gone down with=becomes ill with disease)

Idiom: group of words in a fixed order forming an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements/words, as
To "have bitten off more than you can chew" is an idiom that means you have tried to do something which is too difficult for you.
You have added fuel to the fire. It means you say/do something that makes a difficult situation worse.

Proverb: a short sentence, etc., usually known by many people, stating something commonly experienced or giving advice or a short popular saying, usually of ancient origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought; .
Slow and steady wins the race"
A bad cause requires many words.
A broken hand works, but not a broken heart.

Saying: a well-known and wise statement made by famous people, which often has a meaning that is different from the simple meanings of the words it contains:
What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.
- Aristotle.
Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value. - Albert Einstein
Hinduism is not a religion, its a way of life.
-Swami Vivekananda

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by anupumh

Hi,

What is the difference between Idioms, Sayings, Proverbs, Phrases/Phrasal verbs..?

Thanks

An idiom is a short set phrase (a short series of words) that usually must be used strictly to make sense. 'Idiom' is used in a few different ways. For example "It's grammatically correct, but it's not idiomatic" means that we just don't say it that way.
A saying can be i) a quotation from a famous person, ii) a traditional orally-transmitted piece of wisdom of commentary about life in general.
A proverb is generally longer than a saying, and there is usually some moral lesson in it.
Sayings and proverbs don't necessarily need to be word perfect like an idiom does.
There is often a blurry line dividing idioms, sayings and proverbs; also between collocations and idioms.