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Mentouri University, Constantine

Faculty of Letters and Languages

Department of Languages

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement of a Master

Degreein Applied Language Studies

Boardof Examiners

President: Dr. Youcef Beghoul M.C University of Constantine

Supervisor: Dr. Nacif Labed M.C University of Constantine

Presented by: Supervised by:

Miss. Sawsen Benane Dr. Nacif Labed

Mr. Zakaria Bensahih

2010 -2011

An Awareness Building about the English Idiomatic Expressions

and their Use in Writing

The Case of Master One Students of English Civilization and Literature

University of Constantine


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Dedication

I should be grateful to ALLAH the Almighty who gave me strength to accomplish this work.

To the angel who devotes her life for me, my MOM.

To all my lovely exceptional family.

To my best friend Zinou.

To Adra.

To Meryem and Amira, especially, and all my friends generally.

Thank you Allah

Zakaria

To my dear mother for her never-ending love and guidance

To my sister Abir, for being such a supportive, reliable and loving person

To Aunt Hind and Uncle Ali

To my fathers soul hoping he is proud of me. May he rest in peace

I dedicate this work

Susan


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Acknowledgement

We would like to express our profound gratitude to the great teacher

ever Dr. Nacif Labed who provided us with his support and guidelines without which we

would be lost. We would like to thank him for his positive thinking, patience and

commitment that gave us the push to accomplish our dissertation.

Our deepest thanks go to Dr. Nemouchi who was quite helpful and to all the teachers of

the department of foreign languages.

We would like also to thank Bouchrit Lamine and Sadrati Djamel


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List of Tables

Table 1: The Grammatical Structure of Idioms..................27

Table 2: The Grammatical variety Within Idioms.............31

Table 3: Students Knowledge of Idioms..............................................................39

Table 4: Degree of Idiom Comprehensibility in Isolation and in Context............40

Table 5: Understanding idioms with Equivalents in Other Languages..42

Table 6: Students Knowledge and Use of Idioms ....................................44

Table 7: Frequency and Accuracy of Students Use of Idioms in the Essays....45

Table 8 Percentage of the Students Use of Idioms in the Essays.....46


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Table of Contents

General Introduction1

Chapter One: Writing and Idioms: An Overview

Introduction.6

1. Definition of Writing............6

2. Types of Writing...7

2.1. Academic Writing.8

2.2. Creative Writing............11

2.3. The Use of Creative Language in Academic Writing...14

3. Vocabulary, Diction and Style.16

4. Figures of Speech.17

5. Definitions of Idioms...19

6. Types of Idioms...20

6.1. According to Their Meaning....20

6.2. According to their Structure.....26

7. The use of Idioms....32

Conclusion...33

Chapter Two: The Fieldwork.

Introduction.................35

1. Description of the population......................35


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2. Description of the Research tools......................37

2.1. The Pre-test.............................37

2.2. The Courses....................................38

2.3. The Post-test ..............................................38

3. Description of the Pre-test results ................40

4. Description of the Post-test results................44

5. Discussion of the Results...........................................47

Conclusion.....................49

General Conclusion and Recommendations .50

References.......52

Appendices .........56


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Abstract

The present research, which is made up of two chapters, is conducted to check then build up

Master One students awareness of idioms. It is in an attempt to draw their attention to the

importance of using figures of speech in academic written production, namely idioms. We

noticed a lack of knowledge of idioms amongst Master One students of English Civilization and

Literature in the Department of Languages, as well as, simple writings poor of images and

figures of speech in general. So, we decided to initiate an awareness building about idioms. We

focused on showing them how they can make their compositions more interesting and aesthetic

using the Idiomatic Expressions. We came up with two hypotheses; the first one is that if

students are introduced to idioms, then their ability of understanding and appropriately using

them will be higher. The second hypothesis is: the more these students use idioms in their

writing the more expressive, vivid and prestigious it gets. In order to validate such hypotheses

we designed a pre-test to check their awareness, a post-test to check the effectiveness of the two

courses given after the pre-test. These courses were to introduce the students to idioms and their

importance in writing. The results obtained showed a lack of students knowledge of idioms and a

lack of mastery. They also proved the effectiveness of our introduction of idioms and thus, our

first hypothesis was confirmed. However, the results have also shown that it was not effective

enough to make these students use idioms in their writings. We concluded saying that students

need more lectures, time and especially more practice to use idioms in writing.


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General Introduction

In the process of learning English as a foreign language, learners are supposed to go over

many aspects related to it, and which are necessary for successful communication. Once they

master the basic linguistic elements, students are supposed to go beyond that and improve their

level with more genuine, culture related items. Many of these students will notice that their

writing style, for example, is simple, their expressions are plain and clichd and their essays are

no different from any other undergraduate student. Nobody then will be interested in reading

what they write. Even the students themselves might get bored doing this inevitable task. These

students cannot stand at the level of producing ordinary essays; they should rather use better

words and expressions; something that would make their essays sound more native and also most

attractive and enjoyable.

This goal cannot be reached unless students go beyond the level of grammar and structure and

enrich their diction with more important, vivid, and aesthetic words and expressions such as

metaphors, proverbs, and idioms. That latter, will be the focus of our research study. Moreover,

this research will introduce the students to the importance of using the idiomatic expressions in

written discourse. This research is conducted on the basis that the majority of students doesnt

know idioms or find difficulties in understanding and using them in the production of essays

because of their ambiguous and unpredictable meaning. English is known to be a highly

idiomatic language and students must know that and work on using idioms whenever possible.


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Aim of the Study

By checking students knowledge of idioms and examining their errors in understanding and

using them in writing, the provided research aims at raising their awareness of the importance of

knowing and using figures of speech in general, and idioms in particular for the sake of

enlivening their writings. It aims also at enlarging students knowledge of idioms by motivating

them through light and energizing lectures to make their own researches and investigations.

Further, the dominating aim of the research is to push them to get rid of the boring and non-

attractive style and have their own outstanding and idiosyncratic style. And thus, improve their

writing skills to rise to a level prestigious enough to suit them.

Research Questions and Hypotheses

At this point, some crucial questions such as these are to be answered:

1) Why dont students of English use Idiomatic Expressions in their writings?

2) If they do, how appropriate and frequent do they use them?

3) Can an awareness building about idioms be helpful to make these students produce better

essays?

We hypothesize that: if the students are introduced to idioms, then their ability of

understanding and appropriately using idioms will be higher. And if they know idioms well

enough they will use them in their writing which makes their essays more expressive, beautiful,

entertaining and prestigious.


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Means of Research

This research studies the case of Master1 students being advanced learners of English. The

choice was based on the assumption that they have the required linguistic competence to be

introduced to such element as Idioms. We also assume that they are at a point where their pieces

of writing should be positively distinct from those of a lower grade in terms of structure and

meaning. And as English is said to be a highly idiomatic language, idioms will do the job. In our

research we will be making use of two tests. The first will function as a pre-test to check the

advanced learners knowledge about idioms, their degree of comprehensibility as well as their

frequency of using them in written production. The second will be done after two lessons

designed as an initiative to raise their awareness of idioms, their main categories, and their

cultural background. In addition, these lessons will show the importance and benefits of using

idioms in writing. The second, which is a post-test, will check the efficiency of the awareness

building. Its results will confirm or infirm our hypotheses.

Structure of the Study

The research will be divided into two main chapters: a theoretical and a practical

part. The theoretical chapter will involve a review of the literature of both writing and idioms;

Starting by definition of writing and academic versus creative writing. Then, we will mention the

use of figures of speech in writing, which functions as an introduction to idioms being the central

issue. The rest of the research will be devoted to idioms, definitions, types, cultural background

and comparisons, in addition to a large number of examples and illustrations. Chapter two


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represents the practical side of the research. It contains descriptions, analysis and discussions of

students' performance in the tests given.


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Introduction.6

1. Definition of Writing...62. Types of Writing.7

2.1. Academic Writing8

2.1.1. Definition of Academic Writing...8

2.1.2. Principles of Academic Writing9

2.2. Creative Writing...11

2.2.1. Definition of Creative Writing..11

2.2.2. What is Needed in Creative Writing.12

2.3. The Use of Creative Language in Academic Writing..14

3. Vocabulary, Diction and Style16

4. Figures of Speech17

5. Definitions of Idioms..19

6. Types of Idioms...20

6.1. According to Their Meaning....20

6.1.1. Literal and Non Literal Idioms.20

6.1.2. Transparency in Meaning.21

6.1.2.1. Transparent ...21

6.1.2.2. Semi-transparent....21

6.1.2.3. Semi-opaque..22

6.1.2.4. Opaque..22

6.2. According to their Structure...26

6.2.1. Grammatical Structure..26

6.2.2. Fixed and Variable Idioms..27

6.2.2.1. Optional Elements....27

6.2.2.2. Variable Elements.28

6.2.2.2.1. Someone versus One.29

6.2.2.3. Movable Elements....30

6.2.2.4. Grammatical Variation.31

6.2.2.5. Other Variations Within Idioms..32

7. The use of Idioms.32

Conclusion33


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Introduction

To master a language, a foreign learner must work on the receptive skills as listening and

reading; the productive asspeaking and writing. But realizing thoughts with the production of

graphic symbols is not that random and simple task. Letters should be gathered to form words

according to conventions. Words have to be gathered to form sentences; and so sentences are

combined into paragraphs and texts, and all in all have to serve a meaning.

However, our main concern in this chapter is the relation of writing with vocabulary,

especially idioms. In other words, we want to take the initiative to raise students awareness of

the importance of using English idioms in their writings. Our main interest is so to help learners

to produce essays in which they use idioms to make their English sound native-like, artistically

and beautifully written rather than using simple and simple vocabulary that would not enliven

their writings, and thus they would not attract the readers attention. Using idioms is expected to

produce strong effects and deep impressions.

1. Definition of Writing

The act of putting a pen or any writing instrument on a flat surface like a paper is theoretically

regarded as an easy task. However, when we put this theory in practice, it's very difficult to

prove this easiness. In other words, it does not stand at the level of combining graphic symbols

and numbers together. It is much more complex. Byrne in his book Teaching Writing Skill


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defines writing as "the act of forming these symbols on a flat surface of some

kind." (Byrne, 1991, p.1). Elbow sees that "writing well is a complex, difficult, and time-

consuming process."(Elbow, 1998, p.3). Some scholars go further to refer to writing as an

election of experience, and that's exactly what Nancy Arapof (1967)has mentioned when she

claimed that writing is much more than the orthographic symbolization of speech. It is, most

importantly, a purposeful selection and organization of experience."(Nancy, p. 233).

Kane (2000) sees that apart from being a simple combination of units(words, phrases, sentence)

on a paper, writing it is rather built on two assumptions "writing is a rational activity, and that it

is a valuable activity(...)Writing is a way of growing." ( pp.3-4). According to Kane "rational

activity" refers to putting mind in practice for acquiring the techniques of writing that can be

learned by anyone. On the other hand, "valuable activity" is that writing deserves to be learned

for its benefits (business and psychology). So, written expression is the art of making words say

what one wants them to say.

2. Types of Writing

Writing is divided into many types depending on the users needs. Such types are cooperative

writing, cognitive writing, academic writing and creative writing. Among the previous kinds

academic and creative writing are the ones we are going to tackle since they are the best to serve

our purpose. In this part we will provide definitions of both types and give characteristics of each

of them. Also we will try to make a combination between the two seemingly opposites. In other

words, we show the possibility of including creative language within academic writing.


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2.1. Academic Writing

2.1.1. Definition of Academic Writing

This type of composition has been widely spread due to the fact that English is needed for

many commercial, scientific, social and academic purposes. Foreign learners are likely to use

academic writing in their assignments, because it represents the structured written form of

language. Whitaker (2009) sees that academic writing refers to any production the student is

assigned to do for his or her faculty, then it may have many names like essay, paper, research

paper, term paper, argumentative paper/essay, analysis paper/essay, informative essay, position

paper. Another perspective of the Australian School of Business (2011) suggests that academic

writing is the final fruit that evolves from the process of one's thought. (The University of New

South Wales, p. 2). The University of Michigan's English Language Institute (2011) defined

academic writing from many considerations:" Academic writing is a product of many

considerations: audience, purpose, organization, style, flow, and presentation." (The University

of Michigan Press, p.7). Bailey (2003) refers to that type of writing by saying that Academic

Writing is designed for anybody who is studying (or planning to study) at English-medium

colleges and universities and has to write essays and other assignments for exams or coursework.

"(Bailey, p.vi). He also he adds that it is a flexible course that allows students to work either

with a teacher or by themselves, to practice those areas which are most important for their

studies."(Ibid).

2.1.2. Principles of Academic Writing

Academic writing represents the structured form language, and this can be seen from the

strict rules that control its usage. The University of Michigan (2011) states five major principles


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of academic writing which are: audience, purpose, organization, style, flow and presentation.

Audience, as a principle, refers to the knowledgeable instructor of the given subject. That is why

the writer has to understand the readers' assumptions and prior knowledge. Whitaker (2009) from

the University of Seattle considers also the same standard as in the case of student writer, his

audience is his fellow students so they may be attracted to his field of writing but not interested

in reading his paper. So, here comes the responsibility of the student to grab their attention by

engaging them in his ideas, with his style, logical evidences and reasons. That is also what

Thaiss (2006) has mentioned in his thesis saying that an imagined reader who is coolly rational,

reading for information, and intending to formulate a reasoned response."(p. 3).

Purpose has a strong link with the previously mentioned principle. The interconnection

between them results in two points. First, when readers have less knowledge or background

about the topic, the writer's aim is to guide them with instructions like in text books. Second,

when the audience is more knowledgeable than the writer, the purpose is that the writer should

show familiarity, expertise and intelligence. That last point is the case for student writers.

Whitaker (2009) shares the same principle but in a different way stating that "the goal of your

paper is to answer the question you posed as your topic. Your question gives you a purpose. The

most common purposes in academic writing are to persuade, analyze/synthesize, and

inform."(p.1).

Organization is the third mentioned standard by the University of Michigan as followed:"

information is presented to readers in a structured format. Even short pieces of writing have

regular, predictable patterns of organization."(p.8). In addition to that, Whitaker (2009) said that

the logical organization of every academic essay consists of introduction, body paragraphs and

conclusion.


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The fourth element is Style. Some scholars, like Laurie Rozakis (2003), define style in writing

as an author's distinctive way of writing. Style is made up of elements such as word choice,

sentence length and structure, punctuation, figures of speech, and tone. Writers might change

their style (...) to suit different audience". (p.10). All academic writers have to make sure that

their writings are composed of the appropriate formal style that fits the transmitted message for

the audience. Nevertheless, there are some exceptions for using the congruent scholarly formal

style as explained in the following excerpt:

"One difficulty in using the appropriate style is knowing what is considered academic

and what is not. Academic style is not used in all academic settings. Lectures are

generally delivered in a relatively nonacademic style. It is not uncommon to hear

lecturers use words and phrases like stuff, things, bunch, or a whole lot of, which would

not be appropriate for an academic writing task. They may also use elaborate metaphors

and other vivid expressions to enliven their speaking style."(University of Michigan. p.

10).

Moreover, academic writing avoids using the first person and more often uses the third

person "he, she, or it", because the focus is on the action not on the doer. It is advised to write in

full forms and avoid constructions, for example instead of using he's use he is or instead of

writing doesn't write does not. Colloquial vocabulary such as "a lot of or stuff" is avoided.

Also, phrasal verbs like look into are avoided; instead, it is preferred to use polysyllabic verbs

like investigate.

2.2. Creative Writing

2.2.1. Definition of Creative Writing

Many of us often feel the inner power that they want to own something new and extremely


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different, change their lives to get rid of the routine, or even use self experience to create

something out of the restricting rules to be extraordinary, imaginative and aesthetic. That inner

power is creativity. In the world of writing, there exists a type called creative writing. So, what

does this term refer to? According to Ramet (2007), Chambers Dictionary sees creative as

Having the power to create, that creates, showing, pertaining to, imagination, originality ,and

writing refers to The act of one who writes, that which is written, literary production or

composition.(p. xi). So, Ramet sees that the term creative writing may be defined as having

the power to create an imaginative, original literary production or composition."(Ibid). Creative

writing has been also defined as "a journey of self-discovery and self-discovery promotes

effective learning." (Gaffield-Vile, 1998, p.31). For that, creative writing has a strong link with

the fact of being proud after finishing writing, because it involves cognitive skills and feelings.

(Nemouchi, 2008, p34). This kind of writing includes many sub-types under its category as it is

explained in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2011):"Creative writing is considered to be any

writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional,

journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature the bounds of normal professional,

journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category

include novels, epics, short stories, and poems. Writing for the screen and stage, screenwriting

and playwriting respectively, typically has their own programs of study, but fit under the creative

writing category as well."

2.2.2. What is Needed in Creative Writing

Taking into consideration that there are no rules to govern creative writing, any writer should

feel free whenever his pen gets in touch with the surface on which he writes. He should imagine


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the paper, in front of him, as an open space that has no dimension (Morley, 2007, p.1); he writes

all expressions he wants. No matter how he writes them since" in the writing game we are all

beginners."(Ibid, p.90). No matter when he starts or finishes writing since he creates that open

space so that he is the governor of his world in which there are no rules, except those you set for

yourself, and they will be many and complex."(Ibid, p.91).

It is important to note that together with the inner power in creative writing, there exists also

enthusiasm. In fact, enthusiasm that students feel comes as "they are writing a simple poem

about someone they care about; or while they construct a narrative or tell a story of their

childhood, they are investigating in their own experience in their own

experience." (Nemouchi, 2008, p.35). As a result, this can bring motivation to the student writer

who will always search for the right words to describe his idea, feeling, and experience and so on

in the right manner. But sometimes he feels frustrated, especially a foreign language learner

when he does not find the exact word while he writes about hard describing imaginative settings.

In other words, creative writing depends on but the power of words, and to Beetlestone (1998) it

is of the student to start writing short productions rather than long ones, and it also important to

construct creative writing gradually by smaller structured phrases and sentences after that

shifting to longer ones.

In order to avoid such situations, a creative student writer has many tools available to him for

better composition as Morley (2007) suggests: "clarity is hard-won, and of first importance.

Economy is all. Style, above all else, is your aim, and it should show no sign of effort. Energy, in

language, is eternal delight." (p.90). Similarly, to Markel (2007) the writer has not to worry

about being objective, because creative writing is subjective since it depends on emotions,

opinions, and self experience. Students can also enliven their language by the application of


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vivid vocabulary like adjectives and adverbs. Moreover, the writing language should be

sharpened by the use of metaphors, alliteration, hyperbole, similes, and idioms (the latter being

our concern in this research). In other words, they represent the figurative language that brings

images, sense-impression, and pictures to the mind of the reader. Teresa Hackett (2005) provides

two examples described in two different ways just to explain this notion. The first excerpt is:

'Toby was lost. He must have wandered off from his family during their morning hike because

around noon he realized that he was all alone in the middle of the woods. He wasnt frightened

exactly, but he was definitely anxious to find his family before evening. The thought of spending

a night in the woods alone was a scary one. Heaving a sigh, Toby walked on. (p.13)

The second is 'Toby was totally lost. He must have wandered off from his family during their

morning hike because around noon he realized that he was alone in the middle of the wide

whispering woods.Thonk! Thunk! His feet went on the soft pine needles that covered the ground

like a soft brown blanket. Birds twittered and tweeted from the sky-scraping branches of trees,

but there was no sound of his family. He wasnt frightened exactly, but he was as anxious as a

fish out of water to find his family before evening. The thought of spending a night in the woods

alone was one that made his heart dance a fearful frenzied jig in his chest. Heaving a sigh, Toby

tiredly trudged on.' (Hacket, 2005, p.13)

She explains that both the passages consist of the same events and character but described in

two different ways. Story one tells the adventure of Toby in an easily understandable language

that contains few details and does not describe the feelings of Toby when he was lost. However,

story two is more entertaining when it makes the reader involved in Toby's experience by the use


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of figures of speech. They help showing the whole picture to the audience rather than telling

them. (Ibid)

2.3. The Use of Creative Language in Academic Writing

As it was mentioned, academic writing is the kind of writing that is governed by certain rules

need not be deviated. Creative writing, on the other hand, is not governed by any rules. It is the

type of writing where a writer has a total freedom to express himself in any way he likes using

whatever expressions and words. All that matters is what he wants to say. But what if there is a

chance of selling the cow and getting the milk at the same time? What if there is a possibility of

writing academically and creatively. So as that title shows, and based on what many scholars

have suggested, you can make academic writing more vivid by the use of creative language, and

especially by including figurative language. It is unarguable that university students are supposed

to write different forms (essays, reports, and dissertations, etc) in a congruent manner; yet, White

and Arndt (1991) point out that, For many students writing is a chore to be got through for a

grade, and to many others, not only is it a chore, but a boring one at that.(p. 11). The fact of

getting bored happens because academic writing is bounded by strictness of formulating the

thesis statement, topic sentence, supporting details and final comments. And as students are

absolutely required to write in a clear, abstract, plain and scholarly formal language, this means

for many those two aspects will be missed. The notions of creativity and style are the two aspects

that Carter (1997) and Carter and McCarthy (1995) suggested to be of equal importance for the

most formal essay as is traditional, formal, transactional, and objective language. Candlin and

Hyland (1999) believe that academic writers and students writing academic assignments must

not throw their creativity away. Hence, for the reason of attracting the reader's attention a writer


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should open the door to creativity and aesthetic style. The audience (fellow students) may be

interested in the topic of a student writer but not so eager to read his essay if any or both of these

aspects are absent. In other words, it is the creativity and the writing style that contribute in

inviting the audience even in the most formal essays.

Whitaker supports this idea by saying:" As students in the field, they are interested in your

topic, but perhaps not so interested in reading a paper. So you will have to engage them with

your ideas and catch their interest with your writing style." (2010, p.3).

Tarnopolsky (2006) shares the same idea about the strictness of academic writing pointing that:

"Writing business letters or CVs (practical writing), students cannot learn to write (or

think) creatively because they have to write strictly following the existing standards andsamples of similar documents that were used in teaching in order to demonstrate those

standards. But when writing an essay in English, learners are supposed to express their

own original ideas and find the most suitable language means for achieving this goal. It

does not only develop the skill of productive writing but also the general creative

communicative abilities...And since writing is the most conscious and deliberate of allcommunication skills, academic writing becomes a unique means for learners

consciously mastering the creative, productive, and expressive approach towards

communicative performance... "(p.1, 2)

According to him creative writing serves to enhance writing abilities, and even more

importantly, ameliorates student's fluency and sophistication. (ibid). He also believes that

creativity in academic writing is such an emulation or imitation among learners. And again,

Wyrick (2002) provides learners with a technical way to improve and enliven their writing,

which is figurative language. She argues that:"figurative language not only can help you to

present your ideas in clear, concrete, economical ways but also can make your prose more

memorable" (p.167). According to the oxford essential guide to writing, effective figures depend

on total diction. It is all about your words. (1988, p.294). Thus, and again, academic writing


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should be equipped with tools like creative and figurative language to accelerate the

development of the student's writing abilities or skills.We have been mentioning the figures of speech or figurative language, vocabulary, diction

and style very often throughout the research and it is high time we gave them their share of

explanation.

3. Vocabulary, diction and style

Since we are dealing with creativity, a master element to be mentioned here is vocabulary.

Creativity can be best presented if the vocabulary is well mastered and manipulated. Barrass

says: "Without words we cannot think; and we are limited in our ability to think by the number

of words at our command. As we enlarge our vocabulary, and learn to construct effective

sentences and paragraphs, we improve our ability to think and to express our thoughts and

feelings." (2005, p. 51). A student writer should, by all means, enrich his vocabulary through

frequent reading. Any book, article or even a dictionary may prove handy for this matter. And

thus, the student will have more choices to express himself when writing. The vocabulary chosen

then is called diction. According to Cody diction is:derived from the Latin word dictio, which

refers to the choice of words. (2006, p. 75). Rozakis defines diction saying:"The words you

select as you write and speak make up your diction. There are words, and then there are words.

The word you want in a specific instance depends on context: your audience, purpose, and

tone." (2003, p. 300). She believes that: "Successful writers adapt their language to the audience

and circumstances because they know which words are appropriate in a specific

situation." (ibid, p. 299). Thus, the fact that the student writer has his own diction, chooses a

word over another or even a phrase or an expression and uses them the way he wants; makes his


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pieces of writing or essays different from anybody else`s. He has his own style. According to

Cody style is: the choice and arrangement of words in sentences and of sentences in paragraphs

as that arrangement is effective in expressing our meaning and convincing our readers or hearers.

Agood style is one that is effective, and a bad style is one which fails of doing what the writer

wishes to do.(2006, p.295).

All in all, rich vocabulary helps making one`s diction that leads to having ones own

idiosyncratic style. But now, how can one make his writings most interesting and informative,

and at the same time his style most enjoyable and appealing? The newest article published on

line by the NCSSM Writing Program (2011), sums up and lists the criteria of successful writing

that help improve one`s style in the following: Varied, precise, and appropriate diction;

meaningful and highly effective sentence variety, tone appropriate for purpose and audience of

essay, verbal adventurousness and self-confidence that includes: Stylistic elegance; innovative

and energetic presentation and skillful use of figurative language, humor, anecdotes and

rhetorical questions.

4. Figures of speech

Whenever language is simple, plain, direct, whenever it employs words in their conventional

meaning, we say that it is literal. Literalcomes from the Latin litera, "letter"; what is literal is

according to the letter. On the other hand, Figurative means that a word has been stretched to

accommodate a larger or even very different sense from that which it usually

conveys. (1988, p.296). Consider, for example, this statement: "A writer's style should be

purposive, not merely decorative." It is to be read literally: the words mean nothing more and


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nothing less, than what they say. In figurative language the same idea has been expressed like

this: "Style is the feather in the arrow, not the feather in the cap."

Figurative language or figures of speech are devices that enliven language. They include:

proverbs, metaphors, similes, idioms, etc. our main concern in this research is idiomatic

expressions. But to avoid any confusion between the different kinds, here are some definitions:

Similes are figures of speech in which a thing is described by being likened to something

usually like or as.

Eg: He smells like a dead horse in August.

Metaphors are expressions in which the persons, actions or things referred to, are described

as if they really were what they merely resemble.

Eg: Zakovic is my sunshine.

Proverbs are well-known neatly-expressed sayings that give advice or express supposed

truths.Proverbs contain everyday experiences and common observations in succinct and

formulaic language, making them easy to remember and ready to be used

Eg:Behind the Cloud the Sun Is Shining: Abraham Lincoln

Idioms: "idioms are the grease that makes the language flowthe sheer number of idioms

and their high frequency in discourse, make them an important aspect of vocabulary

acquisition and language learning in general.(Fernando. 1996). Cooper adds saying: since

idioms are so frequently encountered in both spoken and written discourse, they require

special attention in language programs and should not be relegated to a position of

secondary importance in the curriculum. (1998). Thus, we have decided to devote the rest

of our research to Idioms. And here is an overview.

Eg: I wonder when you are going to stop having a finger in every pie. You are such a pain in

the neck!


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. Definitions of Idioms

English as any other language has phrases that cannot be understood literally. Even if you

know the meanings of all the words in such a phrase and you understand the grammar

completely, the total meaning of the phrase may still be confusing. These expressions are called

idioms or idiomatic expressions.

The older meaning of an idiom was: a form of speech peculiar to a nation or to a limited

area. (Oxford Dictionary of Grammar, 1994) This is no longer correct since more and more

people from all over the world are learning English. And after going through several books,

articles and dictionaries; here are some definitions:

Websters New World College Dictionary (fourth edition, 1999:708) outlines five senses of

the term. The third sense is "a phrase, construction, or expression that is recognized as a unit in

syntactic patterns or has a meaning that differs from the literal meaning of its parts taken

together". The example that follows is: she heard it straight from the horses mouth.

In a much simpler way, Oxford Dictionary Of English Grammar defines idioms as a group

of more or less fixed words having a meaning that is not deducible from those the individual

words (1994). And according to the Penguin dictionary of English idioms, an idiom

is "a combination of words with a special meaning that cannot be inferred from its separate

parts." (2001). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language identifies an idiom by two

features. First, the meaning of the idiomatic expression cannot be deduced by examining the

meanings of the constituent lexemes. Second, the expression is fixed, both grammatically and

lexically. Thus, the idiom: put a sock in it!" means `stop talking`, and it is not possible replace

any of the lexemes and retrain the idiomatic expression. So expressions like `put a stocking in it`


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or `put a sock on it`, must be interpreted literally or not at all. Idioms are figures of speech. And

they differ from other figures, such as similes, metaphors and proverbs in that they have a

conventionalized meaning. That is, they are recognized by the native speakers. (Injo, 1986).

6. Types of Idioms

6.1. According to Their Meaning

6.1.1. Literal and Non Literal Idioms

We recognize two types of idioms of this kind:

The first type is an idiom which has both a literal meaning and a figurative meaning. And of

course it is the figurative or metaphorical sense that is considered as an idiom. (Gulland, 02). Let

us take this example from the penguin dictionary of idioms: John cannot say boo to a goose. You

might think at the beginning that this is a strange thing to say. Of course it is quite possible for

someone to say boo to a goose, but who would want to do such a thing? However, its idiomatic

meaning is simply that John is very timid that he would not dare to make the mildest protest, no

matter how bad he was treated.

The second type as in the case of the following example, taken from the same source, the

idiom can only have a figurative meaning. That is, no literal interpretation can be made: shall

we go Dutch? This means that everyone should pay for his own meal or entertainment or has to

share the expenses. Again, it is impossible to infer the meaning of the idiom from its separate

words in question.


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Before moving forth with this, here is a clarification of what a figurative meaning is.

According to Ponterotto: Figurative language is a language which does not mean what it

says.(1994, p.2). For example if you say that a person has burnt his boats; it is just an image that

refers the inability of going back home (retreat is impossible). Idioms often originate from

metaphors in which figurative meaning is embedded. And it is really hard then to draw a

dividing line between them. The figurativeness of an idiom is actually a characteristic that helps

in the identification of idioms in general along with other characteristics such as being a lexical

item having a certain peculiar collocation.

.1.2. Transparency in meaning

According to Lewis The figurative meaning of an idiom is the criterion by which different

kinds of idioms are said to range from easily interpretable to totally opaque. (1993. p.98). He

adds saying that there is a continuum from transparent to opaque along which idioms are

categorized. And he calls it: 'spectrum of idiomaticity'. Thus, idiom comprehensibility is related

to its degree of transparency. Fernando sees that this spectrum can be divided into a four-point

scale. (1996. p. 204), i.e. four degrees that are as follows.

6.1.2.1. Transparent

In this type of idioms, the idiomatic meaning is pretty close to the literal one that some

scholars, namely Fernando, consider them non-idiomatic to a certain extent, as in:

- Think nothing of it = do not worry about it.

- To be a piece of cake = very easy.


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.1.2.2. Semi-transparent

This kind of idioms is usually a metaphor, such as:

- To eat like a horse = in large quantities

- As two peas in a pod = alike.

- To fish for complements = want to be praised.

6.1.2.3. Semi-opaque

Here the figurative meaning becomes more detached from the meaning of the constituent

elements of the idiom:

- To be all thumbs = clumsy.

- To sit on the fence = to be neutral.

- To be thin skinned = over sensitive.

6.1.2.4. Opaque

The meaning of the idiom is completely different of that of the individual elements. It is

impossible therefore to work it out. I.e. either you know it or you simply do not, as in:

- To spill the beans = reveal a secret.

- Till the cows come home = for a long time or forever.

- To catch somebody off guard = unprepared.

The question to be asked now is how can one understand the meaning of an idiom especially

if it is an opaque one? The best way to learn an idiom is either to see it in context or/and to check

its origins and how it came into use. After putting the previous idioms in context notice how

clearer they get:


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.1.2.4.4.1. Transparent:

Eg01: - sorry, I couldnt pick up the phone. I had a meeting.

-Oh! Think nothing of it. It was not important. (Do not worry about it)

Eg02: -So, how was the game? Did you win?

-Sure we did. It was a piece of cake. (Very easy)

6.1.2.4.4.2. Semi-transparent:

Eg01: No wonder he has a stomachache. He eats like a horse. (In large quantity)

Eg02: Is this your sister? You are as two peas in a pod. (Alike)

Eg03: -I am not nearly as pretty as Isabel.

-what are you saying! You are a hundred times prettier! You really are fishing for

complements! (Wants to be praised)

6.1.2.4.4.3.Semi-opaque:

Eg01: Do not ask Marry to help you with the cooking. She is all thumbs. (Not skillful and

clumsy)

Eg02: Listen mike, either you support me or you dont. You cant just sit on the fence all

your life. (Avoid deciding between two sides of an argument)

Eg03: I did not mean him to take my remarks so personally. He is so thin-skinned!


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.1.2.4.4.4.Opaque:

Eg01: she has spilt the beans about your engagement. It will be all over the town by now.

Eg02: you can argue about that till the cows come home. You will never agree. (Forever)

Eg03: The question caught him off his guard, so he could not answer. (Was unprepared)

(Our examples)

Many idioms have stories behind their use. They are usually related to the social and cultural

environment in which they appeared. They are sometimes related to old stories, legends and

myths. Knowing the origin of an idiom can surely help understanding it no matter how opaque it

is. Examples of such idioms are:

Achilles` heel

This expression was named after the old Greek hero Achilles. When he was a child, his

mother dipped him into the River Styx which made him invincible. She held him by the heel,

which therefore was not touched by the water. And thus it was the only vulnerable pats of his

body Achilles died after being wounded by an arrow in the heel. (Oxford Idioms Dictionary.

2006. P: 2). so, now people use this expression to refer to a hidden weakness or fault in

somebody that can be used against them.

Eg01: Her stubbornness proved to be her Achilles heel.

Eg02: He was such a successful man. What a sticky end! Being a ladies man was really his

Achilles heel. I feel sorry for him.


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A ball and chain

In the past, prisoners had to wear a heavy metal ball on a chain around one leg so that they

could not escape. (ibid. P: 16). Now the expression is used as an idiom to mean: a problem that

prevents you from doing what you would like to do.

Eg: English was as a ball and chain when I finally decided to study architecture abroad.

It can also humorously mean: someone`s husband or wife as in:

- I must get home to the ball and chain. She would be waiting by now.

Cry wolf

Its a folk story of the shepherd boy who shouted wolf! just to frighten people, so that when

a wolf did come, nobody went to help him. And thus the expression crying wolf refers to a

false alarm against danger.

Eg: Is the economic future really so bad? Or are the economists just crying wolf?

Sometimes, an especially for foreign students of English having similar idioms in one`s own

language and culture is helpful and makes the English one easier to understand an more

memorable. And they are more like old sayings:

- Appearance can be deceptive.

- As cunning as a fox.- A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Which have similar expression, in terms of function, in Arabic:

- Almadhahir khadda3a.

- Makiron katha3lab.

- Assadik wktaddik.


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In such sentences, even if a student does not understand every single constituent word; but the

general idea gets across; however, it does not always work.

.2. According to their structure

6.2.1. Grammatical structure

This table shows the different categories of idioms according to their syntactic structure.

Every idiom we encounter must fall within one of the following forms:

Form Example Meaning

Verb+ object+ complement Kill two birds with one stone To produce two useful things by

just doing one action.

Prepositional phrase In a blink of an eye In an extremely short time

Simile As dry as a bone Very dry indeed

Compound A bone of contention Something which people argue

about or disagree over

Binominal Rough and ready Crude and lacking

sophistication.

Trinomial Cool, calm and collected Relaxed, in control not nervous.

Whole clause or sentence To cut a long story short To tell the main points but not

all the fine details.

Table 01:The Grammatical Structure of Idioms

6.2.2. Fixed and variable idioms

It was mentioned in the different definitions that idioms are more or less fixed expressions or

phrases. So most idioms are fixed in their form, and cannot be changed or varied. Sometimes,


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however, the grammar and vocabulary can slightly be varied. According to the American Idioms

Dictionary, the majority of the idioms allow four kinds of variation which are: optional items,

variable elements, movable elements and grammatical variation.

.2.2.1. Optional elements

They are words, phrases or variable elements that may or may not be present in an idiom. In

some idioms adding or omitting certain words does not change its meaning at all. The optional

item is usually put between parentheses in most dictionaries.

Eg: Alike as (two) peas in a pod.

The idiom here is actually two variants:

- Alike as peas in a pod

- Alike as two peas in a pod.

But this does not really matter since the metaphor gets across. And it is still the same idiom.

6.2.2.2. Variable elements

A variable element in an idiom is a word that can stand for a whole list or class of words or

phrases. The most common ones are: someone, somebody, something, someone or something,

one (The same person as the agent of the sentence), someplace (for locations). And other more

specific items like: an amount of money, doing something, some time (Spears, 08)


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- To put pressure on somebody to do something.

Eg: The director is putting pressure on the workers to finish their reports on time.

The underlined elements can vary within the same class: somebody can be workers, children,

her husbandand so can the other elements.

- To be a prey to something.

Eg: He was often a prey to doubt and despair.

Something here can also be replaced by a large number of possible words: poverty, sadness,

wolves (metaphorical)

Someone versus one

In the process of learning idioms, a student may get confused. How can òne` be different

from `someone` in an idiom? So òne` simply refers to the same human being that is named as

the agent or subject of the sentence in which the variable element òne` is found. The variable

element òneself` works the same way.

Eg01: To be able to do somethingstanding on one`s head.

Some possible variants here are:

- He is able to bake cookies standing on his head.

- She is able to drive this car standing on herhead.

- Iam able to finish this report standing on my head.

The personal pronoun must be linked to the possessive one. So sentences like the following

ones are incorrect or inappropriate


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- He is able to bake cookies standing on her head.

- She is able to drive this car standing on his head.

- Iam able to finish this report standing on yourhead

Because the idiom will be like: to be able to something standing onsomebody`s head, that

is someone else`s head, and this is not it. A native English speaker would instinctively know the

latter sentence is wrong, but language learners might find it a little hard to tell the difference

between one and someone. So, extra practice is required at this point.

.2.2.3. Movable elements

They are usually adverbs or other particles that can either follow or precede a direct object.

This mainly concerns phrasal verbs and it refers to the possibility of moving the verb`s particle

before the object. (Some phrasal verbs are considered as idiom. They are the ones with a

figurative meaning such as: to look aftersomebody, which means to take care of him/her).

Examples:

- keep something quiet. Or keep quietabout something.

- Verb+ Object+ particle. Or verb+ particle+ Object.

Put+ your hat+ on. Or Put+ on+ your hat.

Take+ the trash+ out. Or Take+ out+ the trash.

We should also mention that not all phrasal verb particles are movable. For instance, it is

impossible to say: I will lookhim after. It is rather: I will look after him.


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.2.2.4. Grammatical variation

A good knowledge of the Basic English grammar enables the learner to reduce the plural

nouns to singular, verbs to their infinitive forms and passive voice to active. And then the idiom

will be easy and ready to be used.

Variation Example

Occasionally, an idiom in the active voice can

be used in the passive.

01. Government ministers always pass the

buck if they are challenged about poverty.(blame someone else or refuse to accept

responsibility) > 02. The buck has been

passed from minister to minister. No one

seems prepared to accept the responsibility.

Some verb-based idioms also have non-

compound forms.

There is too much buck passing in the

government these days.

One or more words can be varied in the idiom Stop acting the fool/goat. (stop acting

stupidly)

Table02. Grammatical Variety within Idioms

According to Ball, the idiomatic expression does not conform to ordinary grammatical usage.

You may use verb in the past or present tense to refer to a future event.

Eg01: It is time we wenthome. (Past for future meaning)

Eg02: When you come tomorrow, I will pay you back. (Present for future meaning)


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Also, the idiomatic expression is not strictly grammatical, but is well established within the

native speakers. (They are mostly spoken)

Eg01: It is ages since we met. (Singular with plural noun)

Eg02: He is a friend ofmine. (Possessive instead of personal pronoun)

Some others show unusual structures. Such as: come to think of it. (1988, p. 204)

.2.2.5. Other variations within idioms

The last point mentioned in table two needs more details. Sometimes a word in an idiom can

be replaced with another. Whether one word is more used or is most recognized as an idiom; or

are equally used. And the idiom, then, is defined at the first word that is fixed.

Eg: A bag/a box of tricks: A set of methods or equipments that somebody can use.

- The hotel managers are using a whole new bag/box of tricks to attract their guests.

Some idioms have variants which belong to a particular variety of English such as American

English

Eg: `Eat humble pie` is a British idiom which has an American variant: Eat a crow. And they

both mean: say and show that you are sorry for a mistake that you made.


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. The use of idioms

As we have mentioned earlier in this research, figures of speech, such as idioms, play an

important role in enlivening one`s essay. However, a student writer must bear in mind that the

way of using and choosing them is what matters the most. Figures of speech which, according to

Baratta (2004), belong to the hardly described word style cannot be viewed as right or wrong.

Yet, the best side from which we should consider them is appropriateness. Moreover, it is the

context that determines a figure of speech to be appropriate or inappropriate. As a result, he

suggests contextual awareness to determine how much figures of speech and other literary

devices are needed for an academic essay. Consequently, the excess of using figures of speech in

one's academic essay will make it less formal and even not academic. Thus, a student writer

should be very selective and moderate while writing. In fact, most idioms are considered

informal, especially American. But most dictionaries mention whether the idiom is formal,

informal or even slang.

Eg01: To go ape: (to be very angry) is considered as very informal or slang.

Eg02: A man of straw: (a weak or cowardly person) is a formal expression. And so on

So, whenever a student learns a new idiom, he ought to check it out in a dictionary for better

and appropriate use.

Conclusion

If you are sick of your simple and plain English, and you really want to write vivid and

outstanding essays, idioms will do the trick. Not only they clarify ideas and concepts, they


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entertain your readers so that they take pleasure in reading the witty succinctness in which your

complicated ideas are made clearer and enriched by images. So explore this aspect of language

and you will be surprised by what you can learn. And remember, they say: an image is worth a

thousand words


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Outline:

Introduction...36

1. Description of the population.....................36

2. Description of the Research tools.......37

2.1. The Pre-test..............................37

2.2. The Courses.....................................37

2.3. The Post-test ...............................................38

3. Description of the Pre-test results ..................40

4. Description of the Post-test results.................44

4.1. Part One...................................43

4.2. Part Two..................................43

5. Discussion of the Results...........................................47

Conclusion.......57


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Introduction

Chapter two represents the practical part of the research. It focuses on raising students`

awareness about idioms and the importance of using them in their writing. The tools presented in

this part are used for the requirements of the research. We designed a pre-test to check the

student's knowledge about idioms. After that, we gave the students two courses as an initiative to

build up their awareness about idioms and their usefulness in academic writing, giving as much

information as was possible.

Finally, we provided them with a post test to see whether they have taken advantage of the

lessons given to them, and if they, eventually, would use idioms in writing. We have taken into

consideration all the circumstances that surrounded the study. Both of the pre-test and the post

test were handed to twenty of Master One students, who study English Civilization and

Literature in the Department of Languages, University of Constantine. It is to be mentioned also,

the interference some unwanted variables that could not, in any way, be ruled out.

1. Description of the Population

Our research population is one group of 35 Master One students of English Civilization and

Literature, from the Department of Languages, University of Constantine, from which we

randomly chose 20. We have purposefully selected this population on the basis that after four

years of study, they have good language mastery. They are also more exposed and interested in

the English culture and its different aspect, which makes understanding idioms easier.


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2. Description of the Research Tools

The tools used in this research are a set of a pre-test, two courses, and a post test.

2.1. The pre-test (See appendix 1)

It was designed to evaluate the students' knowledge about the idiomatic expressions. It is also

an indirect introduction to the concept of idiom. We wanted the pre-test to be as inviting as

possible to motivate students.

It is divided into four units, every unit serves a purpose. Unit 1 starts from question 1 to

question 4. It is a kind of warm up to the rest of the questions. It checks whether or not the

students know idioms. Unit 2 includes questions 5 and 6. In this unit we provided four idioms:

- Think nothing of it.

- Air one's views.

- Fog the mirror.

- Kick the bucket.

These idioms represent the four degrees of idiom transparency. They were given to check the

degree of comprehensibility of idioms in isolation in question five, and then in context in

question six. Unit 3 consists of question 7. It was given to present the idea of the similarity of

certain idiomatic expressions between English and Arabic, and to see if this similarity will help

understanding idioms. Students were to give the equivalents of the idioms provided in their

mother tongue. The idioms are:

1- Once bitten twice shy.

2-All that glitters is not gold.


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3-Honesty is the best policy.

The fourth unit includes question 8, in which we asked students to write paragraphs about a

funny story or a terrible day they had. We wanted the topics to be light, motivating and suitable

for imagination. We asked them to be creative so that they will be free to use figures of speech,

precisely idioms. We hid the purpose of the pre-test in order not to influence the students'

performance in any ways and get their real level and style. With the agreement of the teacher of

the written production skill, the students were given half an hour of time to answer the questions.

This limitation of time was done on purpose to check out the existing knowledge of students and

their performance in such situation.

2.2. The courses

The results of the pre-test were as we anticipated. They showed a lack of knowledge of

idioms. After getting back the students' answers of the pre-test, we devoted two courses in two

different sessions for the awareness building. In the first session we started with a general

feedback of the pre-test, which helped introducing the theme of our research. The second session

aimed at refreshing students' knowledge about the writing skill and its two types (academic and

creative writing). In addition to that, we have introduced them to the importance of using

creative and figurative language in academic writing. In the end, we shed light on the idiomatic

expressions as an instance of the figurative language. It was an overview that included

definitions, types and classifications. In addition to some useful tips to learn, understand,

memorize and appropriately use these idioms.


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2.3. The post-test

To check the effectiveness of our lectures, we designed a post-test. We were interested in

knowing to things: first, whether the students knowledge about idioms has improved. Second, if

so, are they going to use idioms in their writing, in the sense that they realize now their

importance? Thus, the post-test was divided into two parts; in the first part we asked the students

to come up with their own definitions of idioms, and then provide us with examples of idioms in

isolation and in context. The examples should prove their ability of using idioms appropriately.

In the second part students were asked to write an assay about one topic out of three. The three

topics were:

1-Why did you choose to study English and why civilization and literature?

2-How can idioms improve your pieces of writing? Give Examples.

3-If you want to write about a topic of your choice be our guest.

The reason of which topic 1 is chosen is that it is a topic anyone can write about passionately.

So there is a chance of creativity that leads to the use of idioms. By writing about topic 2

students will hit the core of our research idioms, because they should be able, by now, to tell

the difference between a plain simple text and an idiomatic one. Topic 3 gave them a chance to

express themselves without ties and, hence, to be creative.

In the post-test, however, we did not limit students by the time as in the pre-test but it rather

took one day. Again, we wanted them to be comfortable for better results. Also, doing it at home

gives them a chance to do more research about idioms and thus our purpose would be fulfilled.

3. Description of the Pre-test Results

The pre-test papers have been gathered from the sample students. Then the answers were


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carefully examined and analyzed.

nit One: Includes the questions from1 to 4

We wanted to know whether or not students can recognize the idiom in the joke, and if they

know the term itself. Giving examples would be a prove.

Students who: Number Rate

Understood and explained

the joke

12/20 60%

Knew the term idiom 6/20 30%

provided correct examples 5/20 25%

Table03: Students Knowledge of Idioms

As Table03 shows, 12 out of 20 students understood the joke that included the idiom` pay

attention. So, the warm up was 60% successful. The other 40% students were not able to explain

the punch line. As for their knowledge of the term idiom, only 6 students could recognize the

nature of the expression. This means, only 30%of them know about idioms. The students who

could provide correct examples, though, were only 5 that is 25%. We noticed also that some

students understood the joke and provided examples, but just could not give the term idiom. So

they know the concept, yet not the terminology.

Unit Tow: includes questions 5 and 6

We aimed at knowing students degree of idiom comprehension in isolation and in context to

show context effectiveness.


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Student

Right guess of idioms in

Isolation Context

Number/4 Rate Number Rate1 1 25% 4 100%

2 1 25% 1 25%

3 1 25% 1 25%

4 0 0% 4 100%

5 1 25% 3 75%

6 0 0% 0 0%

7 0 0% 3 75%

8 1 25% 0 0%

9 1 25% 1 25%

10 0 0% 3 75%

11 0 0% 0 0%

12 1 25% 1 25%

13 1 25% 4 100%

14 1 25% 1 25%

15 2 50% 3 75%

16 1 25% 1 25%

17 0 0% 1 25%

18 3 75% 3 75%

19 2 50% 3 75%

20 0 0% 1 25%

Total 17 21.25% 38/80 47.5%Table4: Degree of Idiom Comprehensibility in Isolation and in Context

We can see that none of the students could know all the four idioms provided when they were

put in isolation. Only one student out of 20 could recognize 3 idioms. That is 5% of students

understood 75% of the provided idioms. Two students, who represent 10%, understood 2 idioms

out of 4, that is 50% of the idioms. On the other hand, 10 students, that is half of the students,

knew no more than 1 idiom, which represents a percentage of 25%. The rest of students that are

7 (35%) did not know any idiom at all. Their degree or rate of understanding those idioms is 0%.

So, students degree of idiom comprehensibility in isolation is 21.25%.

As for idioms in context, 3 students understood all the four idioms provided in context. This

means that 15% of students were a 100% successful in understanding idioms in context. Then, 6


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students, which represent 30% of them, figured out the meaning of 3 idioms. it is a total

understanding of 75%. Forty percent of students (8) had the rate of 25% when they knew only 1

idiom in context. The remaining 3 students had the percentage of 0% as they did not recognize

any of the idioms. Hence, this results show a total understanding of idioms in context of.5%.

Unit Three: question 7

We wanted to see if students will give idiom equivalents in Arabic or French to show that the

similarity of these expression help understanding idioms.

student

Right equivalent of idioms

in another language

Number/3 Rate

1 2 66.66%

2 1 33.33%

3 1 33.33%

4 2 66.66%

5 2 66.66%

6 2 66.66%

7 0 0%

8 0 0%

9 2 66.66%

10 2 66.66%

11 1 33.33%

12 2 66.66%

13 0 0%

14 0 0%

15 1 33.33%

16 2 66.66%

17 1 33.33%18 2 66.66%

19 2 66.66%

20 3 100%

Total 28 46.66%

Table5: Understanding idioms with Equivalents in Other Languages


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Table 5 displays that only one student out of 20, which represents 5%, could write the right

equivalents of all the three idioms in other languages. 10 students gave the appropriate

equivalent of 2 idioms out of 3, which is a percentage of 66.66%. The Table also shows that

only5 students were able to find an equivalent of 1 idiom, which is a percentage of 33.33%. Four

students, however, did not give any equivalent. Consequently the average of understanding

idioms which are similar to others in other languages is 46.66%.

nit Four:

The paragraph was aimed to see if students will use any form of figures of speech,

particularly, idioms. Out of 20 students, 06 did not even write the paragraph, which represents

30%. And only 02 of the other 14 used idioms in their paragraph, which is a percentage of

14.28%. They did not use any form of figurative language. They only used one idiom taken from

the examples we gave them, which is to pay attention.

4. Description of the Post-test Results

4.1. Part One

This part of the test was designed to see if the awareness building about idioms was

successful. In question one, 14 students out of the 16 who gave back their post-test papers,

provided a good definition of idioms. That is a percentage of 87.5%. If we consider the 4 missing

papers as unsuccessful definitions, then the total rate will be 70%.

The answers of questions two and three are to show if these students know idioms well

enough to provide accurate examples in an appropriate context. The results are tabulated as

follows:


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Students Examples of Idioms

In isolation In context

Number/4 Rate Accuracy/4 Rate

1 4 100% 4 100%

2 4 100% 4 100%

3 4 100% 3 75%

4 4 100% 4 100%

5 4 100% 4 100%

6 4 100% 4 100%

7 4 100% 3 75%

8 3 75% 3 75%

9 4 100% 4 100%

10 4 100% 3 75%

11 4 100% 3 75%

12 4 100% 3 75%13 4 100% 4 100%

14 4 100% 4 100%

15 4 100% 4 100%

16 4 100% 3 75%

17 0 0% 0 0%

18 0 0% 0 0%

19 0 0% 0 0%

20 0 0% 0 0%

Total 63 78.75% 57 71.25%

Table6: Students Knowledge and Use of Idioms

It is noticeable from the table above that in 15 students wrote down 4 correct idioms in

isolation and gave their adequate explanations. This means that 75% of students gave a 100%

good examples. Just 1 student gave 3 out of 4 good examples with their explanations; this

represents 75% of idioms. The 4 missing papers were considered as null. Those 20% of students,

thus, gave neither examples of idioms in isolation nor their explanation; they, therefore, have a

rate of 0%. Hence, totally we have 63 correct idioms in isolation with their right meaning, which

is a percentage of 78.75% of the students' knowledge and use of idioms.

However, in context we can see that 9 out of 20 students succeeded in putting their four own

idioms in context, that equals 45%. We noticed also that 7 students could put 3 idioms in their


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right context. That is 35% of students were 75% successful. The four remaining students did not

succeed in doing this task. That represents 0%. All in all, the rate of accurately putting idioms in

context is 1.25%.

4.2. Part two

Students in question 8 were asked to write an essay to see if they, after the awareness

building, will use idioms frequently and accurately. As we examined the students essays, we

noticed that none of them used any form of figures of speech other than idioms. Some did not

include any figures of speech at all. The use of idioms was as the following table demonstrates.

Students Idioms

Frequency Accuracy

1 0 0

2 0 0

3 0 0

4 5 5

5 1 1

6 0 0

7 1 1

8 0 0

9 0 0

10 1 1

11 2 2

12 0 0

13 0 0

14 0 0

15 1 1

16 2 217 0 0

18 0 0

19 0 0

20 0 0

Total 13 13

Table7: Frequency and Accuracy of Students Use of Idioms in the Essays


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We can see from Table 7 that only 1 student out of 20 accurately used 5 idioms in his essay.

Then, 4 students accurately used 2 idioms. Two students made use of only 1 idiom in their

productions. However, 13 students, including those who did not give back their papers, did not

provide idioms at all in their compositions. As a result, only 13 idioms were used in 20 students

essays. These results are represented in percentage in Table 8.

Number of

idioms

Number of

students

Rate

0 13 65%

1 2 10%

2 4 20%

5 1 5%

Total/13 Total/20 Total/ 100%

Table8: Percentage of the Students Use of Idioms in the Essays

This table shows that 65% of the students did not include a single idiom in their essays. And a

total of 35% of them used idiom as follows: 5% used 5 idioms, 10% used 1 idiom and 20% used

2 idioms in their essays.

5. Discussion of the Results

The results of the pre-test analysis show that students knowledge about idioms is low and

limited. The fact that the percentage of students who actually knew the term idioms is 30% and

that of those who gave examples is25% as table 3 shows, proves that there is a lack of awareness

and knowledge of idioms amongst these students. As for unit 2, which was represented in

Table4, it shows that the percentage of students understanding of idioms in context (47.5%) is


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higher than that of idioms in isolation (21.25%). This is an evidence of the usefulness of context

in understanding idioms. The rate is not very high itself, so depending on context alone is not

enough. Table 5, on the other hand, shows a similar percentage of understanding idioms in

comparison to other languages which is 46.66%. Here, many students were able to identify the

equivalent idiom in Arabic and in French which helped them understand the English idiom. So,

comparing idioms might be another method to understand idioms if context does not help. As for

the paragraphs, the very low rate of using idioms which is 14.28% and the fact that none of them

used any form of figurative language other than idioms, is again a sign of students lack of

awareness of idioms and the importance of using them for better writing. That is why their

paragraphs were really plain and simple. The other 30% of the students, though, did not write a

single word because of the lack of time. All in all, these students were in need of an awareness

building about idioms and writing. Then next step was an attempt to raise their awareness via

courses. Our lectures were only a small introduction that resulted in the following.

The pos-test results show that 70% of the students were successful in writing their own

definitions of idioms. Also, 80% were able to give good examples of idioms in isolation with

their meanings, a percentage of78.75%. Most of those idioms were put in an appropriate context

(71.25%); Even though we considered the score of those who did not return the test papers as

null. These results are considerably high and show a great improvement in students knowledge

and mastery of idioms. This means that the idioms awareness building was, though short,

effective and fruitful. On the other hand, they essay results were unexpected. After having given

the students enough time (a whole day) to write; only 35%of them used idioms in their writing

ranging from 1 to 5 idioms only. The other 65% of them have not used a single idiom or any

figurative language of any kind. And their style was neither academic nor creative, not even a


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combination of both as we wanted an expected. In our assumption, this is either because the idea

of using idioms is still new to them, or the concept is too vague so they need more time and

practice; or the awareness building was not deep enough to make them use idioms. The first

assumption is more probable because the results of the first part of the pre-test prove that these

students have acquired a great deal of knowledge in the courses and they successfully understood

what idioms were about. Also, we think after going over their written productions that their level

of English is not is it is supposed to be and they need to work on their grammar and diction

weaknesses. Furthermore, the awareness building was only an introduction to idioms and their

role in enlivening essays. And the purpose was to motivate them and push them to investigate

more if they wanted to enhance their writing abilities. Our goal was reached since the first part

was successfully done.

In a nutshell, our first hypothesis is confirmed. That is if the students are introduced to

idioms, then their ability of understanding and appropriately using idioms will be higher. This

has been proved. Yet, the second hypothesis which is: if they know idioms well enough they will

use them in their writing which will make their essays more expressive, beautiful, entertaining

and prestigious, was disconfirmed. So maybe they just did not know them well enough. Also

knowing idioms does not necessarily mean that a student will use them.

Conclusion

To conclude, students knowledge of idioms could be improved through light, energetic and

motivating lectures. Yet students should make their own effort and investigate more. But if they

really want to enhance their writing abilities they must work on their weaknesses, apply what

they learn, and practice writing whenever possible.


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General Conclusion and Recommendations

Our study is devoted to check and improve students awareness of idioms and their

importance in enlivening their essays. As an attempt to motivate them to make their own

researches about the issue being a very vague, yet an interesting one. The main questions we

were to answer are whether Master One students of English Civilization and Literature know

idioms and if they do know them, why dont they use them in writings. This is what led us to

question whether an awareness building will make them use idioms to write better essays. Thus,

we came up with two related hypotheses that are: if Master students of English are to idioms,

then their ability of understanding and appropriately using idioms will be higher. And if they

know idioms well enough they will use them in their writing which makes their essays more

expressive, beautiful, entertaining and prestigious.

Before getting into practice, we have presented an overview of writing and idioms

represented by Chapter One. The aim behind this theoretical part is to shed lights on the nature of

writing, its two types academic and creative writing, in addition to the nature of idioms, their

types, and then the use of creative language in academic writing by the inclusion of idioms.

Chapter Two, our fieldwork, included a thorough description or the research tools that were a

pre-test and a post-test. It also described an important step in the research which is the two

awareness building courses given to students. The results were analyzed and helped us determine

the efficiency of our work.

At first, the majority of students lacked knowledge of idioms as a term and concepts. Their

essays were simple and did not include any kind of figurative language. Yet, after the courses,


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their knowledge and mastery of idioms has improved a great deal, which confirmed our first

hypothesis. Their essays on the other hand did not witness the same rate of improvement. Their

style was still the same and the idioms were almost absent. These results have disconfirmed our

second hypothesis.

We finally concluded by justifying these results by the lack of time which was a major

limitation of our study. Also, improving one essay does not happen overnight. Students are

recommended to practice writing more and investigate more to get their essays to the level that

suits them as Master students

In the light of our findings, we recommend the following:

For better results in the future, the awareness building should be deeper and should

include numerous sessions of guided practice. This is as far as Master students are

concerned.

For even better results, the awareness building should start from students first year so

that by the time they graduate, both their spoken and written productions will be better.

We hope that our work was a good eye-opener and that it has helped to have insight into the

use of idioms in writing. We also hope that it will help learners as well as teachers reconsider

their stand vis-a-vis creative writing and idioms.


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