George Jundt (teacher from Monticello, Minnesota)

In the spring of 2001, my Chinese friend , Mr.Yun-kun Wang from Beijing, made arrangements for me to teach an English lesson (of my choice) to Chinese teachers of English.  My teaching was done at the Anna Chennault Education Development Research  Center (ACEDRC) at Beijing Normal University in Beijing.  Mr.Wang also acted as my interpreter as needed on occasion. 

The Chinese teachers of English were quite proficient in the language, so not too much interpretation was required.  I pondered for a long time as to what would make a valuable lesson in English for these teachers.  I came to the conclusion that "IDIOMS' in the English language are problematic for many foreigners attempting to master this language. In my researh, I discovered we use over 16,000 idioms in British, American, and Australian English.  Idioms are fixed expressions with nonliteral meanings.  And so, I came prepared with hundreds of examples of idioms (mostly those in very common use). 

Here are just a few examples. The idioms are found in quotation marks. (a) That mathematics assignment "was a piece of cake" for the students. (b) Some people starting a new business "bite off more than they can chew". (c) I'm tired and I think "I'll hit the sack" early. (d) Before a college exam, the students "hit the books" for several hours. (e) There are times when my wife "drives me right up the wall".  We had a wonderful time with this lesson.  I advised the teachers to simply question the user of an idiom to explain what was being said, and that would be a good way to learn more and more of them.  The Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms explains over 7.000 idioms current in British, American, and Australian English.  This fine resource helps learners to understand idioms and use them with confidence.