Sang kien kinh nghiem Anh van

Table of contents. A. Introduction. B. English Animal-based comparison idioms I. General view of English idoms. 1. Definition of English idoms. 2. Characteristics of English idoms. II. Animal-based comparison idoms in English. 1. Classification of comparison idoms in English. 2. Meaning of animal-based comparison idoms in English. C. Conclusion. Part A: Introduction English is an international language and is widely used all over the world. 1 Almost all books can now be written in English. In high schools in Vietnam, English is also a compulsory subject. It helps students widen their knowledge not only in studying other subjects at school but also in every other fields of life. In high school now, students focus on learning English grammar which can help them in their examinations. In English grammar, there are some basic parts which must be acquired before learning other parts like verb tenses, passive voice and comparison is one of these parts. Learning English especially English grammar is rather boring for Vietnamese students. So it is necessary to find out as many ways as possible to make an English lesson more interesting. When I am teaching comparison, I took an animal-based comparison idiom as an example and saw that students are very interested in this kind of comparison. They asked me for other examples. I see that it is a good idea to give them a list of animal-based comparison idioms. It not only helps them learn English grammar on comparison but helps them find English grammar more interesting as well. That is why I choose to write about English animal-based comparison idioms in this study. I hope this study can be applied widely in high schools in Vietnam. Part B: English Animal-based comparison idioms I. General view of English idioms 1. Definition of English idioms All languages have phrases and sentences that cannot be understood literally. Even if you know the meanings of all the words in a phrase and understand the grammar of it completely, the meaning may be confusing. A phrase of this type is said to be idiomatic, or in other words, they are idioms. So “what is an idiom?” The question has many answers. 2 According to Dictionary of English idioms 1976: “An idiom is a fixed group of words with a special different meaning from the meanings of several words”. For instance, “let the cat out of the bag” means to reveal a secret carelessly or by mistake. The Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics defines idioms as expressions which function as single units and whose meanings cannot be worked out from their separate parts. In Oxford English Dictionary, idiom is defined as a peculiarity of phraseology approved by the usage of language and often having a signification other than its grammatical or logical one. Seidle and Mordie, in their English Idioms also define: “Idioms as a number of words taken together, mean something different from the individual words of the idioms when they stand alone”. As can be seen from the above definitions, idioms have been defined variously but all of them share the same view on the matter. Most linguists agree that idioms are phrases where the whole phrase means something different from the meanings of several words. 2. Characteristics of English idioms a. Semantic characteristic Most of the idioms are metaphorical than literal. Therefore, one cannot usually discover their meanings by looking up the meaning of individual words in a dictionary. Their meanings must be understood metaphorically. A number of linguists have distinguished the meaning of idioms from the meaning of other kinds of expressions. According to A.V.Kunin, the meaning of an idiom is either partly or completely different from the meanings of all components. The partly different ones such as “cat and dog life” and their meaning can be guessed while the totally different ones like “to let the cat out of the bag” cannot be guessed. All these idioms 3 are embodied with metaphorical expressions and they must be understood metaphorically. Idioms are also said to have positive meaning, negative meaning and neutral meaning. Some idioms like “a lucky dog” (a very lucky person); “dressed like a dog’s dinner” (a very well-dressed person) have positive meaning. Some idioms convey negative meaning such as “a dog’s breakfast” (a mess, a thing done badly). “Let the sleeping dog lie” is an idiom of neutral meaning. We use it when we mean “don’t mention the things that happened in the past”. b. Figurative characteristics Most of, if not all English idioms share this characteristic. Idioms always contain images, which result from metaphor, in themselves. These hidden images can be either easy or difficult for readers to imagine. It is the figurativeness of idioms that makes the expressions more lively and impressive. c. Structural characteristic Idioms are word-groups with constant structure. One cannot change their word order apart from accepted variants. He can neither omit or add any component to fixed structure of idioms. Idioms can be very different at length from each other. In other words, the number of words in each idiom can vary from one to many. For example, one-word idiom like “fishy” (doubtful) and “when the cat’s away, the mice will play”. Idioms can have a regular structure, an irregular or even grammatically incorrect structure. For example, one may say “I am good friends with him” even though it is illogical in grammatical structure. In short, idioms are fairly free in their grammatical structures. 4 II. Animal-based comparison idioms in English 1. Classification of comparison idioms in English In fact, there exists three types of comparison named: equal comparison, superior comparison and superlative comparison, but in a small study like that only equal comparison is focused on. In English, equal comparison idioms are classified into three kinds: - Comparison with adjectives - Comparison with verbs - Miscellaneous comparison Most comparison are used with adjectives and follow the pattern: For example: “As cool as a cucumber” “As cunning as a fox” “As green as grass” “As silent as the dead” In addition, there are many other idioms of comparison which are under pattern: As the following list: As + adjective + as + (a/the) + noun 5 Verb + like + (a/the) + noun - To be like a shot: không ngần ngại, bất chấp hậu quả. - To come down on someone like a ton of bricks: chỉ trích, trừng phạt ai đó - To drink like a fish: uống nh hũ chìm - To eat like a horse: ăn rất khoẻ - To fight like cat and dog: đánh nhau nh chó với mèo - To live like fighting cocks: ăn uống phè phỡn - To run like a deer/rabbit: chạy bán sống bán chết - To sing like a bird/nightingale: hót nh hoạ mi - To take to something like a duck to water: nh cá gặp nớc Apart from those, there are many idioms that do not follow a set pattern and they are called miscellaneous comparison as: - like a bull in a china shop: vụng về, lóng ngóng - like a bear with sore head: cáu kỉnh, gắt gỏng - (To have) eyes like a ferret: mắt nh cú vọ - like fish out of water: cá mắc nạn - (To have) a hide like a rhinoceros: mặt dày, mặt dạn - (To have) a memory like an elephant: 2. Meaning of animal-based comparison idioms in English Animal-based comparison idioms reflect a diversity of meaning but after studying and analyzing 168 English idioms, we can unite them into two main following groups: animal-based comparison idioms, which evaluate human value and others that reflect human status according to their different social positions. The first group of meaning is illustrated clearly in the following table in which it is divided into two subgroups named: animal-based comparison idioms, which depict external human character and the other subgroup that describes the internal human character. The second group consists of animal-based comparison idioms, which express the running and eating postures of man that reflects the human positions in society. * External character of human. 6 Meaning English Vietnamese 1. Dirtiness As dirty as a dog As dirty as a pig As stink as a polecat Look like something the cat dragged BÈn nh chã H«i nh chuét chï BÈn nh tr©u dÇm H«i nh tæ có 2. Strength As strong as an ox As strong as a horse KhoÎ nh v©m KhoÎ nh tr©u 3. Slowness As slow as a snail As slow as a tortoise ChËm nh rïa ChËm nh sªn 4. Quickness As fast as a deer As fast as a hare As fast as an eagle As agile as a monkey As agile as a cat As brisk as a fled As fleet as a grey-hound As fleet as a deer As fleet as a gazelle As swift as a deer As swift as a hare As swift as a hawk As swift as an eagle Nhanh nh c¾t Nhanh nh sãc Nhanh nh h¬u vîn ®ång néi 5. Shyness As shy as a fawn As shy as a squirrel As nervous as a mouse 6. Ugliness As ugly as a toad As ugly as a bear As ugly as an ape As rugged as a rhinoceros XÊu nh ma 7 7. Plumpness As plump as a partridge As heavy as an elephant As fat as a whale As fat as a porpoise As fat as a pig Béo nh lợn Béo nh con cun cút Béo nh con bò mộng Mập nh heo 8. Confusion As dizzy as a goose As glum as an oyster Lúng túng nh gà mắc tóc Lúng túng nh cá vào xiếc 9. Clumsiness As awkward as a cow on ice As clumsy as a bear (Vụng về, hậu đậu) 10. Smallness As little as a squirrel As lively as a cricket Bé nh con kiến Bé bằng con muỗi 11. Silence As mute as an oyster As mute as a fish As mute as mice As quiet as a lamb As quiet as a mouse As dumb as a mouse Câm nh hến Gan nh cóc tía Im nh hến 12. Fashion and dressing style As gaudy as a butterfly As gaudy as a peacock (Loè loẹt) 13. Sneakiness As stealthy as a cat Len lét nh chuột ngày * Internal human character 14. Stupidity As stupid as a donkey As stupid as a sloth As foolish as a calf As silly as a goat As silly as a goose As silly as a calf As silly as a sheep Ngu nh chó Dại nh chó Ngu nh bò Ngu nh lợn 15. Meekness As meek as a dove (Ngoan ngoãn phục tùng) 8 As meek as a lamb As meek as a mouse As gentle as a lamb As gentle as a fawn As gentle as a dove As tame as a sheep As docile as a lamb 16. Brutality As fierce as a lion As fierce as wolves As fierce as a famished wolf As fierce as a tiger As bitter as wormwood ác nh hùm ác nh bao ác nh cọp Lòng chim dạ cá 17. Cupidity As greedy as a dog As greedy as a hog As greedy as a pig As greedy as a cormorant Tham nh chó 18. Laziness As lazy as a pig As lazy as a toad As lazy as a lobster Lng dài nh chó liếm cối Lò dò nh cò bợ 19. Alertness As calm as a cat As subtle as a serpent As nimble as a squirrel As nimble as a lizard As nimble as a squirrel As wise as an owl Khôn nh rận Khôn nh rái 20. Cunning As cunning as a fox As crafty as a fox As cunning as a monkey As sly as a fox Mắt cú da lơn Tinh nh cú Khôn nh cáo 9 As tricky as a monkey As tricky as an ape 21. Stubborn As obstinate as a mule As obstinate as a pig As stubborn as a mule As tenacious as a bull dog As willful as a mule Ngang nh cua 22. Innocence As innocent as a lamb As innocent as a dove As harmless as a dove As graceful as a fawn (Ngây thơ) 23. Patience As patient as a fox As uncomplaining as a lamb 24. Cowardice As timid as a rabbit As timid as a mouse As timid as a fawn As humble as a worm As cowardly as a wild duck Nhát nh thỏ đế Run nh cầy sấy Run nh dế Nhát nh cầy Nhũn nh con chi chi 25. Cautiousness As wary as a fox As watchful as a hawk As cautious as a fox Chắc nh cua gạch 26. Ignorance As warlike as the wolf As proud as a peacock As vain as a peacock Kiêu căng. 27. Sulkiness As spiteful as a monkey As sulky as a bear As gruff as a bear Cau cảu nh chó cắn ma Dấm dẳng nh chó 28. Selfishness As jealous as a cat As selfish as a fox (ích kỷ) 29. Faithfulness As loyal as a dove (Trung thành) 10 . deer As swift as a hare As swift as a hawk As swift as an eagle Nhanh nh c¾t Nhanh nh sãc Nhanh nh h¬u vîn ®ång néi 5. Shyness As shy as a fawn As shy as a