English Idioms and Sayings

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by bmo

1. (As) sick as a dog.
Very sick.

Example: “Linda, Brian is on the phone, he is asking if you are going to the Sunday school?” “Mom, please tell him it is something I ate at the party last night; I am sick as a dog, I can’t make it.”

Do I need a "the" in front of Sunday school? Should "Sunday" be capitalized? Anything else wrong?

No, you don't need the in fromt of Sunday school. Yes, "Sunday" should indeed be capitalized. (So should Monday, Tuesday, etc.)

Originally Posted by bmo

2. A man is known by the company he keeps.
By looking at your associates, people can tell what kind of person you are.

Example: I am worried about my son. He hangs around with these people with long hair, tattoos in arms and chest, holes in pants, some wearing nose, tongue, and lip rings. A man is known by the company he keeps; I wish he would associate with well-dressed, mannered, and church-going people.

Say: "tattoos on their arms". What's the question?

:)

Originally Posted by bmo

3. (Buying) a pig in a poke
Buying something without first checking it out can bring a surprise.

Example: I am glad the old fashioned, arranged marriages of our great-grandparent’s generation are over. Without seeing each other until the wedding day, how would they know the person they were marrying did not have two noses? It was like buying a pig in a poke – it could be full of surprises.

Should grandparent be plural and anything else wrong?

I would make "grandparent" plural in that sentence. Thus it would be: "our great-grandparents' generation".

:)

[RonBee]

Here's one: sour grapes. What does it mean to say It was a case of sour grapes?

:)

[bmo]

Originally Posted by bmo

2. A man is known by the company he keeps.
By looking at your associates, people can tell what kind of person you are.

Example: I am worried about my son. He hangs around with these people with long hair, tattoos in arms and chest, holes in pants, some wearing nose, tongue, and lip rings. A man is known by the company he keeps; I wish he would associate with well-dressed, mannered, and church-going people.

Say: "tattoos on their arms". What's the question?


Thanks. So it would be "tatoos on their arms and chest." Here is what I get so confused, do we say "their chests" or "their chests?"

BMO

[bmo]

Originally Posted by RonBee

Here's one: sour grapes. What does it mean to say It was a case of sour grapes?

:)

Something you like but can't get it, so you say it is a sour grape. For example: "John said Linda is not very pretty, but I think it is a case of sour grape."

BMO

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by bmo

Something you like but can't get it, so you say it is a sour grape. For example: "John said Linda is not very pretty, but I think it is a case of sour grape."

BMO

How about if John got fired from his job then said it (the company he had been working for) wasn't a very good company to work for. Might that be a case of sour grapes?

:)

[bmo]

Originally Posted by bmo

Say: "tattoos on their arms". What's the question?


BMO

Okay, thanks. "With tatoos on their arms and chest." Are we talking about one chest or it can be more here?

Thanks again. BMO

[RonBee]

It should be with tattoos on their arms and chests. (I assume that we are talking about more than one person. Certainly, the context indicates that.)

:)

[bmo]

Originally Posted by RonBee

It should be with tattoos on their arms and chests. (I assume that we are talking about more than one person. Certainly, the context indicates that.)

:)

Thanks a lot, and have a good day.
BMO

[bmo]

Dear teachers,

I am learning idioms, sayings and grammar all at the same time. ("My method") When you have some time, would you please take a look at what I did below. Any corrections or improvements will be appreciated. I would like to know if I defined them accurately and everything is grammatically correct. Or if you have a better (native speaker's) way of saying them.

Thanks. BMO

1. Birds of a feather flock together.
Meaning: People of the same type or of similar interest tend to associate with each other.

Example: There are special interest groups of mostly Japanese descendants in the South Bay – the Yu-Ai-Kai, Ikebana Club, Bonsai Club, Taiko drum teams, etc. Birds of a feather flock together; these groups are formed by people with common interests.

Question: Should both "Same type" and "Special interest" be plural? Also, is article "the" needed before yu-ai-kai? Should it be a semicolon or comma after "together?" Is it better to say people of the same background instead? Background or backgrounds? Anything else wrong?

I am so confused with singular or plural, when to use or not to use. Do you have some tests I can practice on?

2. (Come) rain or shine.
Meaning: No matter what the weather is or no matter what happens, a scheduled event will occur.

Example: (Come) rain or shine, we are going to Taipei tomorrow, even if John can’t make it.

Question: Some idiom websites explain that "Rain or shine" is related to the weather, but it is more than that, isn't it? Anything else wrong?

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by bmo

Dear teachers,

I am learning idioms, sayings and grammar all at the same time. ("My method") When you have some time, would you please take a look at what I did below. Any corrections or improvements will be appreciated. I would like to know if I defined them accurately and everything is grammatically correct. Or if you have a better (native speaker's) way of saying them.

Thanks. BMO

1. Birds of a feather flock together.
Meaning: People of the same type or of similar interest tend to associate with each other.

Example: There are special interest groups of mostly Japanese descendants in the South Bay – the Yu-Ai-Kai, Ikebana Club, Bonsai Club, Taiko drum teams, etc. Birds of a feather flock together; these groups are formed by people with common interests.

Question: Should both "Same type" and "Special interest" be plural? Also, is article "the" needed before yu-ai-kai? Should it be a semicolon or comma after "together?" Is it better to say people of the same background instead? Background or backgrounds? Anything else wrong?

The word same suggests one thing, as in the same thing. The word similar suggests more than one thing, as in similar interests. Say same background or similar backgrounds.

Originally Posted by bmo

I am so confused with singular or plural, when to use or not to use. Do you have some tests I can practice on?

Perhaps Tdol will have some tips on that. I haven't written my book on that yet.

:wink:

Originally Posted by bmo

2. (Come) rain or shine.
Meaning: No matter what the weather is or no matter what happens, a scheduled event will occur.

Example: (Come) rain or shine, we are going to Taipei tomorrow, even if John can’t make it.

Question: Some idiom websites explain that "Rain or shine" is related to the weather, but it is more than that, isn't it? Anything else wrong?

The expression is come rain or come shine, and your explanation of its meaning is just right. It literally means a person is going ahead with his plans regardless of the weather, but it really means he is going ahead with his plans no matter what. I think your example illustrates that.

:)