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This week on Ask a Teacher, we consider expressions, or idioms, and offer some advice for learning¹ them.

An idiom is an expression formed from two or more words. But an idiom's meaning often cannot be understood just by knowing each of the words in it.

Let's look at the following sentence as an example:

We want our students to think outside the box.

Here, the words outside the box form an idiom. If you only heard this one sentence, you might not be sure what it means. But people use idioms in connection to situations. For that reason, they usually say more than one sentence, and this can help you understand the idiom. For example:

We want our students to think outside the box. That's why we push them to find creative ways to solve problems.

By looking at these two sentences together, it can be easier to understand the meaning of outside the box. It means to think in new or creative ways.

In addition to considering the situation to help you understand the meaning of idioms, here is some other advice:

Digital translation tools continue to improve, but you should avoid translating the idioms directly, word-for-word, into your native language.

When you hear a short group of words that seem very unrelated to a subject under discussion², those words will often be an idiom.

Be sure to learn the tone³, or feeling, an idiom carries with it. The best way to learn about the tone of idioms is to ask native speakers about them. Native speakers might also be able to tell you if an idiom is commonly or rarely used.

When learning English, it will likely be easier for you to understand idioms than to use them in speaking. However, if you can use idioms correctly, that can help deepen⁴ your connection to native speakers.

With thousands of idioms in English, there is a lot to learn. But do not throw in the towel, in other words, do not give up. Instead, knock yourself out, or try hard, and do your best to learn them. And you will feel proud as a peacock⁵!

You can learn all about idioms by following our Words and Their Stories program or you can download In the Loop⁶, a guide to American English Idioms.