Many students ask me about idioms: What are they? Should you use them? Do they help your score?
Meaning
My dictionary defines an idiom as "a group of words whose meaning is not deducible from the meaning of each individual word". This means that you cannot understand an idiom by analysing it word for word. For example, "it's a piece of cake" means "it's easy". Phrasal verbs are also idiomatic expressions (e.g. "look up" can mean "search in a dictionary").
Using idioms
English speakers use idioms all the time in conversation, but less so in formal/academic speaking and writing contexts. However, we often write things like "focus on an issue" or "the key to solving a problem" and here we are using 'focus' and 'key' in a figurative or idiomatic way.
Idioms in IELTS
You need to be really careful when using idioms in your IELTS test. Please don't learn lists of idioms; if you use them in the wrong way, your speech/writing will seem forced and unnatural. Also, remember that many idioms are informal or clichéd. So, what should you do? Read my tip below.
My tip
You can only be sure that you are using an idiom correctly if you have seen or heard it used in context. For example, if you've read about someone who "set up a business", you can use that phrase with confidence (and it might help your score). If you've only seen the idiom on a list, don't use it.
IDIOMS I LIKE:
When Pigs Fly :
Something that will never ever happen.
Wild and Woolly:
Uncultured and without laws.
Water Under The Bridge:
Anything from the past that isn't significant or important anymore.
Under the weather:
Feeling ill or sick.
Turn A Blind Eye:
Refuse to acknowledge something you know is real or legit.
To Make A Long Story Short:
Something someone would say during a long and boring story in order to keep his/her audience from losing attention. Usually the story isn't shortened.
The Bigger They Are The Harder They Fall:
While the bigger and stronger opponent might be alot more difficult to beat, when you do they suffer a much bigger loss.
Start From Scratch:
To do it all over again from the beginning.
Smell A Rat:
To detect somone in the group is betraying the others.
Skid Row:
The rundown area of a city where the homeless and drug users live.
Rise and Shine:
Time to get out of bed and get ready for work/school.
Rome Was Not Built In One Day:
If you want something to be completely properly, then its going to take time.
Rule Of Thumb:
A rough estimate.
Run out of steam:
To be completely out of energy.
Practice Makes Perfect:
By constantly practicing, you will become better.
Pull the plug:
To stop something. To bring something to an end.
Pulling Your Leg:
Tricking someone as a joke.
Put a sock in it:
To tell noisy person or a group to be quiet.
Over My Dead Body:
When you absolutely will not allow something to happen.
Off On The Wrong Foot:
Getting a bad start on a relationship or task.
Off The Hook:
No longer have to deal with a tough situation.
Off the Record:
Something said in confidence that the one speaking doesn't want attributed to him/her.
On Pins And Needles:
Anxious or nervous, especially in anticipation of something.
On The Fence:
Undecided.
On The Same Page:
When multiple people all agree on the same thing.
Out Of The Blue:
Something that suddenly and unexpectedly occurs.
Out On A Limb:
When someone puts themself in a risky situation.
Out On The Town:
To enjoy yourself by going out.
Off On The Wrong Foot:
Getting a bad start on a relationship or task.
Off The Hook:
No longer have to deal with a tough situation.
Off the Record:
Something said in confidence that the one speaking doesn't want attributed to him/her.
On Pins And Needles:
Anxious or nervous, especially in anticipation of something.
On The Fence:
Undecided.
On The Same Page:
When multiple people all agree on the same thing.
Out Of The Blue:
Something that suddenly and unexpectedly occurs.
Out On A Limb:
When someone puts themself in a risky situation.
Out On The Town:
To enjoy yourself by going out.
Posted by: khoory | November 24, 2013 at 11:35
I gave my ielts exam on 16 nov.
I wrote " In a Nutshell, it can be derived from the above assertion that ........
:( :( : I am really worried about my writing result :(
Posted by: Bhateri devi | November 24, 2013 at 12:44
Wow! what a log list of idioms, khoory
Posted by: R | November 24, 2013 at 13:08
Hi Simon,
I got my test results today. It's 8.0 overall,
with Listening - 8.5, Reading - 8.5, Writing - 7.0 and Speaking - 8.0. Thanks, your blog has been of great help to me!
Posted by: Aminta | November 24, 2013 at 18:26
Aminta,congratulation.
Can you share us any experience? That's almost the same score as a native speaker.
Posted by: Leo Dai | November 25, 2013 at 03:17
@Leo Dai,
Well, first of all, before I started the IELTS course I had been listening to BBC Radio 4 and reading English books for quite a while, so I was pretty familiar with both spoken and written English, although I never used it. I think before you start the exam rush you first need to make sure you understand the language. Then I started practicing, mostly Listening & Reading, as I was very afraid of the other two parts of the test. I managed to get 37-38 right answers in both soon, and I even got 9 (39-40) several times, that is, when I was 100% concentrated, so concentration is a key to high score. Sadly, I was very tense during the exam, this is why I got 8.5 in L&R I guess.
My preparation for Writing & Speaking lasted for only a month. I used IELTS Cambridge books, but most of the time I read reports/essays & speaking examples on this blog, and then tried to copy the technique and the style. You need to be careful with time, because during the test I spent half an hour on writing task 1, so I only had 30 minutes to spend on writing task 2, and it was a HUGE mistake, because it was worth 2/3 of the overall writing score. Finally, the Speaking part - well, I used to be very hesitant when speaking English, but conversation clubs helped me get rid of my shyness. I practiced questions from the Cambridge books, and right before my Speaking test I went through questions from recent exams (source: IELTS-blog.com) so I was fairly confident when sitting the test. Funny that a week prior to the test I took a mock-test with my teacher, and she said I'm about to get 6.5-7, because I was quite tense and made long pauses and used wrong vocabulary. Apparently, the confidence improved my score by 1-1.5 points! So be confident and KNOW you're a great speaker.
Posted by: Aminta | November 25, 2013 at 06:56
News editors decide what to broadcast on television and what to print in newspapers. What factors do you think influence these decisions? Do we become used to bad news, and would it be better if more good news was reported?
can any one give some ideas about this task?
thanks
Posted by: showry | November 25, 2013 at 11:08
FROM SIMON:
Hi Khoory,
Thanks for the examples of idioms!
However, those are the kind of idioms that I suggest you should AVOID for the purposes of IELTS. Most of them wouldn't be relevant or appropriate in the writing or speaking test.
...
Hi Bhateri,
I wouldn't use "in a nutshell" in an IELTS essay, but don't worry - this one phrase won't affect your score.
...
Congratulations Aminta. Great scores!
...
Hi showry,
I'll try to make a lesson about that question soon.
Posted by: Simon | November 25, 2013 at 12:12
Hi Simon thanks for all your lessons. I've been following your lessons for a while. You're a great man.
I would recommend book "Speak like American" for learning idiomatic language and how to use them correctly.
Posted by: Mavlonbek | November 26, 2013 at 14:00
thanks Simon, i want appreciate for your help and i felt more confident after following your blog. i am taking my ielts exam on 7th dec. lets hope for the best..
Posted by: showry | November 26, 2013 at 16:12
This is the list of "most frequently used idioms" that I suggest my students to learn:
http://www.idiomconnection.com/mostfrequent.html
The good thing about this list is that it tells you the meaning of each idiom and gives you an example. I don't expect any student to learn/use all of them, but you will see that these are the kind of idiomatic expressions that are quite useful to deliver ideas/opinions/thoughts in both speaking and writing.
Posted by: Martin | November 27, 2013 at 19:19
hi simon could u mention wed sites for online ielts practice tests.
waiting for answer thanks
Posted by: sami | November 27, 2013 at 23:46
@Aminta, thank you for sharing that. It is really useful.
Posted by: Leo | November 28, 2013 at 13:29
Good link Martin. Thanks!
Posted by: Simon | November 29, 2013 at 10:23
thanks.
Posted by: Jack | December 06, 2013 at 03:07
Hi martin, the link is not available now. Would you mind posting the new link?
Posted by: JasmineChen | March 01, 2014 at 15:58
Great link! Thanks
Posted by: cynic_16 | July 15, 2014 at 23:36
tell me how to improve my vocab to score good bands in reading & writing modules
Posted by: Navjot | September 11, 2014 at 18:36
Give me some advice... I am not good in english language and taking my exam on may 9
Posted by: edmer | April 26, 2015 at 11:32
Hi Simon, I am taking my test in another 10 days.how can I build up my confidence.I am really tensed.Need some tips & also web sites for online ielts practice tests
waiting for your answer. thanks
Posted by: naveen | June 15, 2015 at 02:37
Hi everyone plz help me reading how can i improve last time i gave exam i got only 4.5 in reading and next week i have my 2 exam of ielts and i dont wanna lose my chance help me!
Posted by: nitika sharma | June 19, 2015 at 17:45
Can we use any idiom in report writing task one
Posted by: Neha | July 05, 2015 at 17:15
I am still wondering that can we use idioms in writing task 2? Can we boost our scores by using idioms?
Posted by: Kai_li213 | July 15, 2015 at 09:17
a needle in a haystack:something extremely hard to find
It's pretty much a needle in a haystack because these fish are extremely hard to find.
Posted by: Burcu | January 19, 2016 at 18:29
Plz help ....my ilets exam is so near .
Posted by: Beant kaur | February 21, 2016 at 10:38
Help me to prepare my ielts test
Posted by: munish kumar | May 04, 2016 at 18:05
Guys you should flying with colors so to speak when you see your IELTS score.
Did I use so to speak correctly?
Posted by: roi | October 05, 2016 at 05:14
Discover English idiomatic expression and phrases with complete meaning, sample examples and origin facts, arranged in very simple cataloging structure like search and alphabetically listing, idioms.in makes it easier to find your idiom.
Posted by: Idioms.in | December 20, 2016 at 14:11
Thanks so much. Very useful!
Posted by: Oanh Nguyen | June 11, 2017 at 04:34
Idioms are acceptable in IELTS exams, but the example you give as a tip - 'set up a business' - is not idiomatic; rather, it is a phrasal verb in the context of establishing a company.
I'm lucky I haven't had to pay you for such advice!
Posted by: Neil Hagerty | July 05, 2017 at 19:14
Hi Neil,
Yes, I know that "set up" is a phrasal verb, meaning "to establish". Many language books and dictionaries describe phrasal verbs as "idiomatic" in the sense that they cannot be understood by translating each word individually. I'm simply using a broader definition of "idiom / idiomatic" that includes phrasal verbs.
The advice here is all free, and thanks for sharing an example of sarcasm :)
Posted by: Simon | July 10, 2017 at 12:20
Hello sir please sir help to improve my ilets reading I didn't do it in time even some time I didn't find answers [email protected] is my mail please sir reply me on mail with Ana I'll wait for your message
Posted by: Jatin Chawla | August 12, 2017 at 19:03
Hi Simon,
Thank you for your advice, they are so useful for IELTS learners like me.
I have a question. Many IELTS teachers said that using idioms can increase speaking score and we should use about 2 idioms for all speaking test. Is that true? At what part should we use idioms?
Posted by: Ngoc Nguyen | January 02, 2018 at 17:02
Can we use idioms like BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD e.g. New technology is definitely a best thing since sliced bread.
Posted by: Nav | August 03, 2018 at 11:44