How to teach English idioms and their meaning

    Should we or shouldn’t we teach English idioms to ESL students? Although it is uncommon for ESL students to use them comfortably and effectively, if we choose to not teach idioms, they’ll be missing an important cultural element of the language. However, it stands to reason that idioms should be taught to upper-intermediate or advanced students, individuals who are ready to take their English fluency to the next level.

How to proceed

Choose 5 to 8 idioms that may be easily grouped

Most idioms fall into simple categories, like idioms with animals or parts of the body. Choose 5 to 8 from any category, for example idioms with time. If you choose more than 10, you’ll only succeed in overwhelming your students, and they won’t remember any of the idioms they saw in class

Introduce idioms in context, never in isolation

Some ESL teachers simply go over a list of English idiom and their definitions or explanations. However, to ensure that students not only understand them, but also learn to use them, present idiom examples in context, for example, in simple conversations where the meaning of the idiom is clear.

Use real life, authentic material

Show students how some of these idioms are used in the media, in newspaper and magazine articles, and in songs, cartoons, videos, advertisements, etc…