Idioms in sentences: Everyday examples for elementary ELA

📚 Quick Study Guide: Understanding Idioms

• 🤔 What are Idioms? Idioms are phrases or expressions where the meaning isn't obvious from the individual words. They have a figurative meaning that is different from their literal meaning.
• 🗣️ Common in Everyday Talk: We use idioms all the time without even realizing it! They make our language more colorful and interesting.
• 📖 Learning Idioms: The best way to understand idioms is to see them used in context and to learn their common meanings. You can't usually guess them just by looking at the words!
• 💡 Examples for Kids:
  • ☔ "It's raining cats and dogs" means it's raining very heavily. (Not actual animals falling!)
  • 😬 "Have butterflies in your stomach" means you're nervous. (No insects inside!)
  • 🍀 "Break a leg" means good luck. (Don't actually hurt yourself!)
  • ⬆️ "Keep your chin up" means stay positive and hopeful. (Not physically lifting your chin.)
  • 💨 "Time flies" means time passes very quickly. (Time doesn't have wings!)
• 🌟 Why Learn Them? Understanding idioms helps you understand conversations, books, and movies better, and makes you sound more like a native speaker!

📝 Practice Quiz: Idioms in Sentences

Question 1: What does the idiom "bite your tongue" mean in the following sentence?

"I really wanted to tell him off, but I had to bite my tongue."

1. To literally bite your own tongue.
2. To hold back from saying something.
3. To speak very loudly.
4. To taste something sour.

Question 2: If someone says, "It's a piece of cake," what do they mean?

"Don't worry about the test, it's going to be a piece of cake!"

1. The test is about baking.
2. The test is very easy.
3. The test involves eating cake.
4. The test is delicious.

Question 3: What does "feel under the weather" mean?

"I can't come to school today, I'm feeling a bit under the weather."

1. To be standing outside in bad weather.
2. To feel sick or unwell.
3. To be happy about the weather.
4. To be hiding from the rain.

Question 4: What does the idiom "hit the books" mean?

"I have a big exam tomorrow, so I need to hit the books tonight."

1. To physically strike books.
2. To throw books at someone.
3. To study very hard.
4. To buy new books.

Question 5: When someone says "get cold feet," what do they mean?

"He was going to try out for the play, but he suddenly got cold feet."

1. His feet became literally cold.
2. He became nervous or scared to do something.
3. He bought new shoes.
4. He walked in snow.

Question 6: What does "spill the beans" mean?

"Don't spill the beans about the surprise party!"

1. To accidentally drop beans on the floor.
2. To reveal a secret.
3. To cook with beans.
4. To plant beans in a garden.

Question 7: What does "break a leg" mean in this context?

"Before her performance, her friend told her, 'Break a leg!'"

1. To literally injure her leg.
2. To wish her good luck.
3. To run very fast.
4. To stop the performance.