
25-Jul-2008, 16:05
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Home Country: Canada Native Language: English Current Location: China Member Type: English Teacher | |
re: What are the most common Idioms in English? Quote:
Originally Posted by AliJaffar
My question is that I would like to know the most common Idioms used in English. Could I find it? | Prepositional idioms
The most common idiom is an expression that depends on the choice of a particular preposition. The choice may seem arbitrary. For example, why do we say “She put up with him” rather than “She put on with him”? “At home” rather than “ in home”? Why is it “sick of him” rather than “sick from him”? No logical reason—the expressions are idiomatic. Notice in addition that many words take different prepositions to form different idioms. For example to wait on someone is different from to wait for someone.
Prepositional idioms don't follow rules you can memorize. Fortunately, you don't need rules. You can usually rely on your own ear and your own experience. When you're in doubt about the right preposition for an expression, check a good dictionary. The entry for a word sometimes gives you a phrase showing which preposition to use. When the word is associated with several idioms, they are often listed at the end of the entry. For example, after definitions of come in Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary, you'll find a list of idioms and their meanings: to come about, to come across, to come along, to come around, to come between, etc.
Read more here Grammar: The Idiom - CliffsNotes |