Metaphors and Other Challenges for Learners of American English

Book excerpt: This book is a handy reference for anyone wanting to help other people with their American English. It contains examples of trouble spots frequently encountered by non-native speakers. Metaphors are particularly puzzling to a new learner. This book identifies and explains over 3,000 such idiomatic expressions, arranged for easy reference by any language coach or teacher. Non-natives learning English sometimes do not realize the impact of their use of American four-letter words in mixed company. We list here over five dozen minced oaths and masked swear words that are safer alternatives to use in most circumstances. We have also included a list of over 200 similes which a learner may encounter in talking, reading, and using media such as television. The section on homophones provides backup for countless possible discussions about sound changes in American English. The learner expecting only five vowels is in for a puzzling surprise. More like ten different vowel sounds will be detected by a good mimic. Then the puzzle gets worse, as English is full of glides which differ depending upon the native user's dialect. We don't have the answer for this dilemma, short of a course in English phonology. But we provide here a list of over 300 homophone pairs for reference whenever such a discussion comes up. There is also a useful list of over 150 pairs of antonyms, words with opposite meanings. We do not include the more easily learned pairs such as conformist/non-conformist or American/un-American, but instead list the more difficult pairs, from absent/present to tomorrow/yesterday or X-axis/Y-axis. Teachers of advanced learners can create lots of discussion by referring to our unique list which we call Frozen Pairs. It is a sample of speech rigidity which is hard to defend or explain; by agreement it is "just that way." For example, why do we typically say to put on our shoes and socks when that sequence is not logical? If learners do use the non-typical order, you might use this list to help them avoid "sounding like foreigners". Learners are also likely to hear many phrases in ordinary speech that were not readily classified in any of the above groups. We have listed almost 100 of these under Other Expressions. Then, our eclectic collection of folk wisdom gives nearly 200 opportunities for discussions in American English on a variety of topics. In individual tutoring or in group classes, any single one of these sayings can trigger enthusiastic and revealing discussions which may well prove to be cross-culturally interesting for all concerned. Finally, we have included a section on palindromes, words or phrases which read the same backwards and forwards. After all your effort helping others, you might like to relax and use this as your own challenge. It is definitely not for learners, but just for your own use.