Jacko  +  4255 Wed, 13 Aug 03 07:25 PM What is your personal taste in using idioms in your writing? Well, they are hackneyed and we've always been told that trite statements are dull and boring. Personally, since I'm a rebellious writer, I'll use idioms whenever I feel necessary. Jacko Joined on Fri, Jun 20 2003 Full Member 215 ...Ad Space For Sale... Contact St. Nick for Details Idioms

	maj  +  4256 Wed, 13 Aug 03 07:30 PM I try to use them on the forums because if I don't use them i tend to forget them. I wouldn't normally be holding a conversation using a lot of idioms, I wouldn't definitely like to put the other person off. But I would be inclined to think that native speakers use them now and again. I would say it would be more useful simply to recognise them. maj Joined on Mon, Mar 31 2003 Senior Member 4,756 Conversations, Idioms

	indian123  +  4262 Wed, 13 Aug 03 08:06 PM hey no doubt idoms sound stylish, but i think you should do some reserach on where exactly to use them and where not, for eg. in my early days i used a few of them in some letters and my teacher was mad at me, but at times they do add spice to your articles. btw any good site suggestions for idioms ? indian123 Joined on Wed, Aug 13 2003 new delhi, india New Member 40 Articles, Idioms

	kitkattail  +  4303 Wed, 13 Aug 03 11:40 PM Idioms are not always informal. There are formal idioms as well, and they are appropriate to formal situations, just as informal ones are appropriate to informal situations. Idioms are fabulous. Because idioms, slang, sayings, etc. have a narrower range of connotations than most words, they can add a lot of colour to your writing when employed well. kitkattail Joined on Tue, Aug 12 2003 Toronto Full Member 400 www.kitkattail.blogspot.com Idioms

	kitkattail  +  4304 Wed, 13 Aug 03 11:42 PM And yeah. It's kind of silly to ask whether something is a good stylistic effect, because, well, pretty much anything can be stylistically useful if you know how to use it. The problem comes when these things are used poorly. For that reason, it's dangerous to use colloquialisms. Unless you are very familiar with how an idiom is used, I would recommend avoiding it. kitkattail Idioms, Colloquialisms

	Jacko  +  4306 Wed, 13 Aug 03 11:48 PM But why is it that those so-called teachers of mine gets all gritty when they see idioms and metaphors. Teachers loved those in high school. Oh well, I'll wait 'til I become the teacher, hopefully, and have my revenge on my students lol j/k Jacko Metaphors, Idioms

	kitkattail  +  4309 Thu, 14 Aug 03 12:16 AM Possibly you are using them inappropriately. But I couldn't say for sure without seeing specific examples. kitkattail Idioms

	Jacko  +  4312 Thu, 14 Aug 03 01:12 AM I guess I should just listened to my current teacher, besides, my teacher now is the judge of the current state of my writing. So far, I haven't had problems with my first college English teacher because I didn't feel using idioms during that time. The only teachers I'd have problems with were people who think they are teachers and stuff (I guess, I shouldn't have used the word so-called earlier, huh? It made it sounded like they were real teachers)...anywho, so yeah. I should ask inputs from people who don't know me, like forums, and real teachers. Jacko Idioms

	kitkattail  +  4316 Thu, 14 Aug 03 01:36 AM Actually, "so-called" generally means that they are not what they seem. They are called teachers, but in your opinion are not actually. The expression is generally used derisively rather than literally. kitkattail Idioms