English Tip 4

**Tip 4: Learn The Most Common English Idioms
What is an idiom? An idiom is two or more words with a special meaning.

Idioms are difficult, because often you can't find them in a dictionary. For example, "to have a blast" is an idiom. What does it mean? You probably know "have", and you may know "blast" (which means "an explosion or a bomb")... but what does the the phrase "to have a blast" mean?

Actually it means "to have a lot of fun; to enjoy a lot"

There are thousands of idioms in English. Luckily, you don't need to know all of them. However, you MUST know the most common idioms-- because native speakers use them all the time.

That is one difference between reading English and speaking English-- native speakers use more idioms when they speak. To understand them fast, you must understand common idioms.

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--Niya Kolev, Bulgaria

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--Mona Hassan, Palestine

**How To Learn The Most Common Idioms and Speak Faster
There are two steps to learning idioms:
1. Buy a Dictionary of American Idioms
2. Listen to real English (TV, movies, podcasts, etc.)

When you listen to real English, write down strange phrases that you don't understand. Then use your Dictionary of Idioms to find the meanings.

By doing this, you will improve your understanding and speaking. You will be able to speak to native speakers faster.

Good luck,