There Is No Such Thing As An Idiom!
Yes… Yes I Am
am not kidding about that in any way! However — you will have to read a little bit further to know what I am talking about. And then — when you do — you will be smarter than 99% of all Traditional English “Teachers”.
I Am Serious About That Too
here are certainly thousands of Phrases, Phrasals, & Slang-Terms which people CALL “Idioms”. But — first of all — in most cases, they are not even Idiomatic. They are Metaphorical. But the people who are using and even TEACHING the Word or Phrase simply do not know the Metaphor, and many of them do not even comprehend the concept of Metaphor.
nd in case you think that I am exaggerating or being hyperbolic? Just think… How many times have you seen or heard “teachers” on YouTube or in blog-posts talking about Metaphors or Metaphorical Phrases? I would bet that it is very close to NEVER!
t is always about “Idioms”, “Idioms”, “Idioms”!!! — All the freakin’ time! And they never make any point to mention what Grammatical Classification the so-called “Idiom” actually IS: Verb-Phrase, Noun-Phrase, Adjective-Phrase, or any of the Phrasal-Forms.
I Know, Right?
And Now That Your Eyes Are Opened…
Allow Me To Show You The Way
“Idioms” vs “Idiomatic Phrases”
o now that I’ve got your attention… There is such a thing as the TERM “Idiom” that is used in Traditional Grammar. But the “Idiom” that they speak-of is only a “Concept”. and a further un-necessary classification of other things. It is a Term which can refer to literally EVERY single kind of Phrase- & Phrasal-Form of what — in Traditional Grammar — are called “The Parts Of Speech”.
here-fore — EVERY single one of the Phrases that teachers of Traditional Grammar call an “Idiom” MUST FIRST be the Phrase- or Phrasal-Form of a/an: Adjective, Adverb, Noun, Number, Preposition, Pronoun, or Verb.
Notice! — What others wrongly refer to as an “Idiom”, also, can NOT be a single Word. If it was — then it would be a Slang-Term… Not an Idiomatic Phrase. (Even by their flawed definition of the Term.) 😉
herefore — In The Common Tongue — The Term Idiom is NOT used as a singular classification of a type of Grammatical Device. It is only recognized as an example of the “Grammatical Dross” of Traditional Grammar.
nstead — we logically & CORRECTLY use the Adjective “Idiomatic” — to indicate that the Phrase in-question is indeed “Idiomatic” in nature. But we recognize the Phrase for what kind of Grammatical Device that it actually IS (Idiomatic Noun-Phrase, Idiomatic Phrasal-Verb, Idiomatic Phrasal-Preposition, etc.).
nd remember — even if “Traditional” English teachers would start to correctly use the Term “Idiomatic” — Most of the Phrases which they THINK are “Idiomatic” — are, in-truth — Metaphorical.
In Fact! — Most Of The Words And Phrases In The English Language Are Metaphorical. And The Truth Is “Hiding Right In Front Of Everyone’s Face”… (That’s A Metaphorical Phrase, Right There!) 😀.
You Are Now Smarter Then 99% Of All “Traditional English Teachers”
You Are Welcome
Have An Excellent Day!
😉
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