The first rule of idioms is...
DON’T USE IDIOMS.
What? But everyone is studying idioms!! And everyone is teaching them!! I know, but I’m going to tell you the truth.
First, let me give you an example of some idioms:
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
Directly quoting these sorts of idioms sounds weird as hell in conversation. People use most idioms extremely rarely. They can sound really strange in conversation, especially if you’re not using them exactly right or if you’re using too many of them.
There are some idiomatic expressions that are more common, for example, the best of both worlds, hang in there, or call it a day. The problem is that you don’t know the difference between the ones that sound normal. To be real, even the ones that sound more normal are not used that often.
So don’t use them. You can know them, if you want, in case someone happens to reference one, or just because you think it’s interesting. But there is no need to use idioms in conversation with anyone.
The reason (listen to me) that people teach courses on idioms and slang is because they’ve figured out that English students will pay for it. Don’t pay for it. And don’t waste your time.
What I’m teaching you is neither of those things. If there are any slang words or any idioms in this course, it will be because they are ACTUALLY COMMON in normal English conversation.
The expressions I teach are common, well-known by a wide variety of people, and they don’t sound weird. If it’s only 15-year-olds using them, I don’t teach them. If it’s only 80-year-olds using them, I don’t teach them.
You’re welcome.
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