1 Graduation thesis Part A: Introduction Rationale As we know, English is used the most widely over the world As a result, English is being taught and learned in Vietnam During the course of English, we have chance to deal with many aspects of English language We are really fond of English idioms since they play a very important role in reflecting the vivid, colourful picture of nation’s customs, cultural traditions and history Idioms are used both in written and spoken language to emphasize meaning and make our observation, judgment and explanations are more lively and interesting (Longman, idioms dictionary); so, they have aesthetic function In other words, they are really useful tools for communicating of great deal of meaning in just a few words For example, to indicate a person who is really beautiful, the English men are likely to say as beautiful as the rainbow or as beautiful as the sunset To indicate a person who is very fat, Vietnamese would like to say bÐo nh cun cót (as fat as a partridge) We are attracted by the question how and why idioms differ from each other between English and Vietnamese in case of comparative idioms with as as referring to people Hence, there are many researchers, many linguists studying about idioms such as Peter Howard (English vocabulary aid), Xuân Bá, Trần Thanh Sơn, Nguyễn Đình Hïng They give lists of English idioms and their uses or the explanations However, they have not mentioned much the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese idioms Especially, for comparative idioms with as as, they only give lists of these kinds of idioms without explanation and comparison with Vietnamese Furthermore, as a student of English, I find that students of English only stop at using non - idiomatic ways of expressing ideas There are a few students Lê Thị Thuý – 42A2 Graduation thesis using idioms in their speaking and writing It means students of English miss the chance to reach the highest effect in communication in general and in communication with foreigners in particular If they try consciously to fill their speech and writing with idioms, the effect will probably be improved For all the reasons above, we decide to choose to study about Idioms with “as as referring to people in comparison with the Vietnamese ones I hope the study can partly improve the knowledge of idioms in students of English In this study, idioms are described in a variety of contexts and situations English idioms are various and prosperous, especially about people Thus, in this small scale of the study, we only deal with comparative idioms with as as about the appearance, character, mental state, and health state in comparison with the Vietnamese ones Aims of the study The first aim of this study is to help the learners to improve their knowledge of English and Vietnamese idioms as well, especially comparative idioms with as as referring to people The second aim of the study is to give students and learners some identities in culture, customs, and traditions of the two countries which are described in comparative idioms with as as referring to people The third aim is that through this study, we give some suggestions for learning and teaching idioms and some types of exercises to improve the ability to use comparative idioms with as as referring to people Scope of the study - Idioms - Comparative idioms with as as referring to people in English and Vietnamese Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 Graduation thesis - The meaning of English comparative idioms with as as referring to people and their equivalents in Vietnamese Methods of the study - Statistic method - Contrastive and comparative method - Analytic and synthetic method Design of the study Part A: Introduction Rationale Aims of the study Scope of the study Methods of the study Design of the study Part B: Investigation Chapter 1: Idioms Chapter 2: Idioms with as as referring to people in comparison with the Vietnamese ones Chapter 3: Some suggestions for learning and teaching idioms and some suggested exercises for using idioms with as as referring to people Part C: Conclusion References Appendix Lê Thị Thuý – 42A2 Graduation thesis Part B: Investigation Chapter 1: Idioms 1.1 Definitions of idioms Language follows the rules but an idiom is one of the interesting things that are anomalies of language, mavericks of the linguistic world The very word idiom come from Greek idio - one’s own, peculiar, strange Idioms therefore will break the normal rules According to the definition of Vietnamese Dictionary (Linguistics Institute - Da Nang Publishing House, 1997), thành ngữ tập hợp từ cố định quen dùng mà nghĩa thờng giải thích đợc cách đơn giản nghĩa từ tạo nên Examples: Coi trời vung Ăn bánh trả tiền Đắt xắt miếng An idiom, as Johnathan Crowther (1995) defines, is a phrase whose meaning is difficult or sometimes impossible to guess by looking at the individual word it contains (from Advanced Learners’ Dictionary); or, an idiom can be defined as a number of words which when taken together, have a different meaning from the individual meaning of each word Idioms, like proverbs, are common sayings However, they usually not make sense at first sight and not offer any advice For example, to sting to the quick which means, to make someone angry So that idioms are fixed expressions that are commonly used They are not complete sentences but words – An idiom is equal to a phrase Lê Thị Thuý – 42A2 Graduation thesis Idioms not give comments, experiences, a moral lesson, advice that make idioms aesthetic not educated, that is the reason why an idiom does not become a literary work – idioms belong to the language An example of a Vietnamese idiom mỈt hoa da phÊn it only indicates the aesthetic – beauty of a woman, not a comment or advice or criticism, even though an idiom can be ornate and flowery So idioms not bring about the full understanding about life and any lesson of the people’s relationship in the society 1.2 History of studying idioms I.2.1 In England and Europe In England and Europe, lots of linguists started their study in English idioms since the very beginning of 20th century Many Western and American authors gave great contributions to the collection of English idioms such as: - W Mc Mordie with English Idioms and How to use them (1909), which is considered as the first to research carefully on the field of English Idioms - V.H.Collin with A Book of English Idioms with Explanation (1958) and American English Idioms (1986) - Browcal M with Idioms for Everyday Use (1994) - Teachers and researchers from Cambridge University with Cambrigde International Dictionary of Idioms (1999) I.2.2 In Vietnam Although the study in English idioms was started much later than in Europe and other countries, many Vietnamese linguists show their interests in this new and difficult subject They are: - Trần Tất Thắng with Idioms for Everyday Use (1995) - Lơng Văn Đang, Nguyễn Lực with Thành ngữ Tiếng Việt (1979) Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 Graduation thesis - Hoàng Văn Hành, Nguyễn Nh ý and Phan Xuân Thành with Kể chuyện Thành ngữ, Tuc ng÷ Volume 1, 2, (1998 and 1991) - Việt Chơng with Từ điển Thành ngữ, Tục ngữ, Ca dao Việt Nam (1996) - Nguyễn Lân with Từ điển Thành ngữ, Tục ngữ Việt Nam (1997) Respectively, many linguists in England, Europe and in Vietnam have studied widely on idioms and have given great contribution to the collection of the idioms These works mostly give learners the lists of idioms in English and Vietnamese with the explanations and examples However, they have not mentioned the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese idioms On the whole, through the time idioms have been studied widely In order to master the base and the criteria to define an idiom, we will come to the next unit 1.3 Criteria to distinguish idioms from proverbs According to Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, a proverb is a short wellknown sentence or phrase that states a general truth about life or gives advice For example, think today than speak tommorow means it is better to think before speaking This is an advice and the phrase mentioned is called a proverb There are many proverbs in both English and Vietnamese For example in English, live on the fat of the land, cheapest is dearest, silence gives consent In Vietnamese ngồi mát ăn bát vàng, rẻ ôi, im lặng đồng ý It is clear that a proverb is also a phenomenon of language; so, how is it used in communication? Since a proverb is short saying which expresses popular wisdom, a truth or a moral lesson in a concise and imaginative way, it is also figurative in term of meaning Let’s consider many hands make light work that means many people working together bring successful result a truth in life Lê Thị Thuý – 42A2 Graduation thesis It seems that idioms and proverbs, to some extent, are alike; so, are there any criteria to distinguish an idiom from a proverb? In fact, the borderline between an idiom from a proverb is not very solid However, in this study, we give two criteria that can be used to distinguish an idiom from a proverb The first criterion is the meaning In that, idioms are not instructive, moral in nature as proverbs Idioms are constructions peculiar to a language For example, in English, the proverb there is a time for all things means giê nµo viƯc nÊy in Vietnamese We see that these proverbs tell about the truth in life Thus, a proverb is a principle that has been concluded from the experiences in life In short, a proverb is a lesson The second criterion is about structure or the stability of structure An idiom is a fixed group or a set phrase, this means the sequence of words in an idiom cannot be changed or shortened anyway If that sequence is changed, the meaning of the idiom will change as a consequence If any word is added to or left out, that idiom may be invalid or it will easily cause confusion In contrast, a proverb is often elliptical in their nature For example, in English, the proverb There is no place like home can be shortened into No place like home without changing in meaning Meanwhile, an idiom such as Unity is strength cannot be shortened in any circumstances; or in Vietnamese, we have the proverb Dạy ông cống vào tràng, Dạy bµ lang bèc thuèc This is an evidence to see that a proverb can be changed into idioms Though there have been some studies about proverbs, no particular criteria are given to distinguish idioms from proverbs A perfect criterion is hardly possible since there have been many borderlines between them Up above, we only introduce two accepted criteria as a reference Due to the limitation of the subject, we not widen this unit Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 Graduation thesis Chapter Idioms with as as referring to people in comparison with the Vietnamese ones Table The meaning of English and Vietnamese idioms with as as referring to people People’s appearance No 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 English idioms as black as ebony as black as coal as black as chimney as black as sweep as black as soot as black as ink as black as a raven as thin as bone as thin as a rail as thin as a lath as fat as patridge as fat as a pig as big as an elephant as pretty as a picture as ugly as sin as bare as a stone as bald as an egg as like as peas in a pod as white as snow as spotless as snow as spruce as lilies Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 Vietnamese idioms đen nh gỗ mun đen nh than đen nh cột nhà cháy đen nh củ súng đen nh đồng hun đen nh mực đen nh quạ gầy nh mắm gầy nh hạc gầy nh xác ve bÐo nh cun cót bÐo nh lỵn to nh voi to nh vâm đẹp nh tranh xấu nh ma xÊu nh ma lem xÊu nh ma mót trÇn trơi nh tảng đá trọc nh trứng giống nh đúc trắng nh tuyết trắng nh ngà 25 26 27 28 29 as yellow as saffron as red as a cherry as tall as a steeple as tall as a giant as glorious as the sun Graduation thesis vµng nh nghƯ ®á nh ®ång hun cao nh sÕu cao nh nói rùc rì nh mỈt trêi 2.1 People’s character 31 32 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 as fierce as a lion as fierce as wolves as timid as a rabbit as timid as a mouse as timid as a fawn as changeable as the weather as uncertain as the weather as meek as a lamb as gentle as a fawn as devoted as a mother as lazy as a pig as lazy as a toad as obstinate as mule as wise as an owl as trick as a monkey as mean as a miser as stupid as a donkey as stupid as a pig as cold as a fog as cold as acorpse as cold as ice as sweet as honey as sweet as sugar as agile as a cat as nimble as a squirrel as quick s as lightning as fleet as the wind as warm as sunbeams as blunct as the back of a knife as firm as steel Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 nh cọp nh chó nhát nh thỏ đế rơt rÌ nh cht sỵ sƯt nh nai thay ®ỉi nh thêi tiÕt hiỊn nh cõu non hiỊn nh nai tËn tơy nh mĐ hiỊn lêi (nhác) nh lợn lời nh hủi ngang nh cua khôn nh ranh nghịch nh quỷ sứ keo kiệt nh kẻ bủn xỉn ngu nh lừa/bò ngu nh lợn lạnh nh băng lạnh nh đồng lạnh nh đá nh ®êng ngät nh mÝa lïi nhanh nh c¾t nhanh nh sãc nhanh nh chíp nhanh nh giã Êm ¸p nh tia nắng mặt trời thẳng nh sống dao vững nh ®ång 10 63 64 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 Graduation thesis as lasting as the pyramids as shy as a bride vững nh kim tự tháp khép nép nh dâu nhà as slow as a tortoise as slow as a snail as true as the gospel as hard as stone as grim as hell as hard as steel as dumb as a mouse as greedy as a dog as greedy as a pig chång chậm nh rùa chậm nh sên thật nh chân lý cứng nh đá cứng nh sắt cứng nh thép lầm lì nh chuột tham ăn nh chó tham ăn nh lỵn 2.2 People’s mental state 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 as happy as a clam at a high tide as happy as a king as fresh as a daisy as cool as a cucumber as sick as a dog as cheerless as death as still as a statue vui nh sáo vui nh Tết tơi nh hoa tỉnh nh kh«ng buån nh chã chÕt buån nh cha chết đứng nh bụt mọc chết đứng nh bị trời trồng đứng im nh trời trồng đứng nh khúc gỗ say nh điếu đổ say nh ăn mày phải bà trơ nh gáo múc dầu trơ nh đá câm nh hến câm nh thóc vô cảm nh tảng đá as still as death as still as a log as drunk as a lord as drunk as a begger as bold as brass as bare as stone as dumb as an an oyster as dumb as a mouse as unfeeling as rocks 2.3 Peoples health state Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 18 Graduation thesis Besides, when concerning a person who has no expected covering like clothes, Vietnamese say he/she is trÇn nh nhéng (as bare as a pupa) Example: Xung quanh anh, bốn ngời chiến sĩ trần nh nhộng Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 660) Meanwhile, English have many different ways, many idioms with as as that differ from Vietnamese idioms to express this opinion such as: as bare as a stone as bare as the palm of your hand as naked as picked bone as naked as my mother bore me In fact, with the same concept about the bareness, Vietnamese think of pupa, and English think of stone, the palm of one’s hand, a picked bone What creates these differences? As we know, Vietnamese is an agricultural country Especially, in the past, in some regions, except for planting paddy, growing silkworms was the main work As a result, the Vietnamese people got used to pupa Therefore, they compare somebody bare with a pupa This comparison has been commonly used in daily life Up to now, this idiom has become very popular It partly presents the national peculiarity of Vietnam It is likely that the observations and comparisons in the English idioms are more scientific and more accurate than in the Vietnamese ones What is more exact than comparing nakedness with a baby just being born? And it can be clearly seen the things they associate with that their points of view, thoughts expressed by idioms different from Vietnamese’s Moreover, both Vietnamese and English have plentiful ways/idioms with as as to talk about people’s shape Vietnamese and English have their own idioms with as as about fatness Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 Graduation thesis 19 Vietnamese use the idiom béo nh trâu trơng while English use as fat as a whale/porpoise (bÐo nh c¸ voi) The reason why there is a such difference is because the Vietnamese people were likely to be closely connected with buffaloes and ploughs all their lives Moreover, buffalo is a big and fat animal with round shape Specially when it is bloated, it become bigger Therefore, when talking about fatness, Vietnamese associated of ideas a floated buffalo rather than a whale There were a few Vietnamese people knowing about whale It used to be a new concept The last group of idioms with as as we would like to mention to in this part are the idioms about the similarities between two persons To talk about this case, English have the idioms: as alike as two peas as like as peas in a pod Example: I have never met his brother before but I recognized him immediately because they are as like as peas in a pod Oxford Idiom Dictionary (2003:280) Meanwhile, we can find a series of the Vietnamese equivalent idioms such as: Gièng nh hai giät níc Gièng nh lét Gièng nh ®óc Gièng nh tạc Example: Thử nhìn kĩ lại xem có phải giống nh lột không? Miệng mồm rộng huếch, rộng hoác nh Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 352) Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 20 Graduation thesis Một bà mẹ đầu đội thúng lu, chất đầy quần áo, hai tay dắt hai đúa trẻ gái sinh đôi giống nh hai giọt nớc Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 352) The Vietnamese people believe that two things that are cast, created or printed from a form, a mould are very similar and very difficult to distinguish, so are two drops of water But the English people use the image two peas because according to them, two peas are often very similar We may say the reasons causing the differences above are the different point of view and the different habits of using idioms of each nation 2.2.2 The idioms with as as referring to people’s character As we know, people’s characters are very abundant So the means of expressing them are also plentiful Therefore, apart from idioms referring to people’s character that are similar between two countries: England and Vietnam, each country has many idioms of this type of their own We would like to mention some idioms referring to people’s character that are commonly used by both the English and Vietnamese people When saying about someone who often change his/her mind, lifestyle, viewpoint the English people say that he/she is: as changeable as the moon as changeable as the weather as uncertain as the weather Example: Don’t trust her, she is as changeable as the weather Meantime, the Vietnamese use the idiom thay ®ỉi nh chong chãng (as changeable as pinwheel) as in this example: Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 21 Graduation thesis Chơng trình thay đổi nh chong chóng Ba đầu sáu tay vô làm không kịp Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 608) Why is there such difference? Everybody studies English knows that the weather in England is very changeable The English people can never be sure of a dry day; there can be cool (or even cold) days in July and some quite warm days in January Perhaps it is the reason that English people always seem to be talking about the weather And it might also be the reason why the English people compare this kind of person with the moon, they also have the reason Most of us know that the shape of the moon always changes night after night during a month And the next month the moon restarts that cycle But why the Vietnamese people take the image of pinwheel? It is because the Vietnamese people find that pinwheel often changes depending mainly on the wind It is continuously changes direction whenever the wind blows different direction or better whenever the wind shifts The Vietnamese people not use the image weather to express this concept because the weather in Vietnam is steadier They can forecast the weather They also not use the image the moon It may be because in the past, science and technology were backward They did not discover many natural laws of changing like the changing of the moon From the idioms above, it can be clearly seen that the differences of idioms between English and Vietnamese are to some extent, caused by their surroundings Moreover, the English people observe things or phenomena more scientifically than the Vietnamese people In addition, when saying about someone who is very lazy, unwilling to work, the English people say that he/she is: as lazy as a pig as lazy as a toad Lª ThÞ Thuý – 42A2 22 Graduation thesis Example: John will never learn better because he is as lazy as a toad But Vietnamese compare this kind of person with the person who gets leprosy Example: C¸i th»ng TriỊu lêi nh hủi nói nh trạng me, trông thấy tay thi nghều ngào mà phát ghét Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 430) Each nation has its own reason The Vietnamese people perceive that the one getting leprosy does nothing and is unwilling to work because when one contracts this disease, his/her skin, bone and viscera are ulcerated, which leads to loss of sensation, paralysis gangrene and deformation Meanwhile, the English people associate somebody lazy with a toad or a pig Because they realize that a pig does nothing but lies, sleeps and eats even they not have to find food And a toad moves a little to find food or even keeps still waiting mosquitoes flying across to catch them Lastly, an idiom that is very familiar with the Vietnamese people is ngang nh cua Example: Nó bảo phụ nữ tổ quấn chân thôi, chả đợc tích Nó nói ngang nh cua, mà tổ du kích vỗ tay cời Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 492) The Vietnamese use it in the case of saying someone is very stubbornly adhering to an attitude, an opinion or a course of action, very obdurate We can find the English equivalent idiom As obstinate as mule Example: She was very stubborn when her mind was made up Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 23 Graduation thesis In this case, English people find that mule is an animal that is hard to control and very stubborn So there is the idiom as obstinate as a mule However, Vietnamese not base on the characteristics that are connected with the ones of the person compared They realize that a crab craws horizontally Then, they use the homonymous different meaning phenomenon to create the idiom ngang nh cua 2.2.3 The idioms with as as referring to people’s mental state Emotional developments of people are different and numerous, so they always find different ways to express them lively and easily to understand Therefore, apart from the idioms with as as that are the same between English and Vietnamese, each country has its own idioms referring to people’s mental state For instance, to say about someone who is cheerful, happy, and enjoys what they are doing, these idioms are usually used: as happy as a sand boy as happy as a lark as happy as a pig in shit (a rude expression) as happy as a clam at high tide Example: I remember the first day I saw my new bike I was as happy as a clam at high tide The reason why there is the idiom as happy as clam at high tide in English because they find clam is a large shellfish that live in sand and only when the tight is high does it get food (the high tide often brings much food for clam) Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 24 Graduation thesis We can find series of Vietnamese idioms are equivalent to the English idioms above such as: vui nh tÕt vui nh trÈy héi vui nh s¸o mõng nh cha chết sống lại mừng nh bắt đợc vàng/của Example: Chị Thiêm lúc vui nh sáo Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 710) Dạ, bác nói chi tội bác Tôi đợc cách mạng tha cho lần mừng nh bắt đợc vàng; lẽ dám phản đồng bào lần Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 475) Chiều biết tin tìm đợc điểm quặng khổng lồ anh em ë nhµ sÏ vui nh tÕt cho mµ xem Ngun Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 710) There remains the idioms such as: vui nh tÕt, vui nh trÈy héi in Vietnamese language because for Vietnamese people, Tet in particular festival as a whole bring them happiness, pleasures, enjoyments Similarly, the idiom mừng nh băt đợc vàng/của implies someone is Ñnjoying doing something as if he/she picked up something very valuable However, there is nothing making them happier than the father comes to life again Therefore, they use the idiom mõng nh cha chÕt sèng l¹i to express the happiness at the highest Besides, English people have many idioms with as as used to say about somebody who gets terribly angry, the English people often say he/she: as angry as wasp Like in the example: Lê Thị Thuý – 42A2 25 Graduation thesis I felt as angry as wasp that they left me out They associate somebody angry at a wasp because they find that a wasp is a black and yellow flying insect that cansting anyone who annoys it or even only touches it However, the Vietnamese people have a different idiom to express this emotional state That is: tøc (nh) ruét tøc (nh) næ ruét tức (nh) nổ mắt Like in the example: Chị giáo tức lộn ruột lên Đàn ông mà hẹn nhát Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 683) Bắn không trúng, Hoè tức lắm, tức nổ ruột lên đợc Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995:684) It means someone is filled with annoyances as if his/her intestines were upside down This is a really lively and specific image 2.2.4 idioms with as as referring to people’s health state Except for idioms about people’s characters, people’s appearances, and people’s mental state, English has many other idioms with as as that are used to express people’s heath state We can find many equivalent idioms of this kind in Vietnamese For example, when describing someone who is very strong, is completely healthy or better in very good physical condition, English has plentiful of idioms with as as such as: as fit as a fiddle as right as rain Lê Thị Thuý – 42A2 Graduation thesis 26 as rude as a bear Example: I don’t want you doing anything until you feel better Nonsense! I am as fit as a fiddle Longman Idiom Dictionary (2001:185) To express the concept of fitness, healthiness, Vietnamese use the idioms: khoẻ nh voi khoẻ nh vâm khoẻ nh Trơng Phi Example: Chaú có biết quân Nguyên thằng khoẻ nh Trơng phi không? Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 393) Những đứa gia nhân sức khoẻ nh voi chúng đẩy bọn mÃi đờng Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hµnh (1995: 394) The resemblance between the idioms of two countries is that both Vietnamese and English associate somebody in good physical condition very strong with fit and strong animals like: bear, elephant, gelded buffalo Besides, English people associate with rain, because to their mind, rain is a natural phenomenon that mankind cannot prevent from happening Vietnamese also compare somebody strong with Tr¬ng Phi According to some legends because he was a Chinese commander who could fight against thousands of soldiers on his own On the contrary, when mentioning somebody who is weak, unable to act without help or coward, easily frightened, the English people use many different idioms with as as such as: Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 27 Graduation thesis as fiddle as a child as weak as baby as weak as kitten as helpless as baby as helpless as infant as spineless as a jellyfish Example: She is still as weak as kitten after her illness The English people associate somebody weak with a child, a baby, an infant, kitten, and jellyfish because they realize all of them have an outstanding characteristic that is the weakness They are unable to protect themselves And so, they are easily frightened However, with the same concept, the Vietnamese think of a slug in the idiom yÕu nh sªn (as weak as slug) rather than baby, kitten, infant or jellyfish Example: Làm đội hải quân phải mạnh mẽ dũng cảm Đằng cậu yếu nh sên nhát nh cáy Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 728) Because they perceive that a slug is a small creature like a scail, without a shell, its body is very solf, whenever it is touched, it shortens body easily frightened In addition, both English and Vietnamese, there are some idioms with as as used to describe somebody who is in bad physical condition mainly because of illness, or because one is going to be ill or is frightened by somebody or something such as: as white as chalk/sheet Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 Graduation thesis 28 as wan as moonlight as pale as a death/ghost as green as grass Example: Quickly, find a chair for this patient, nurse He’s as white as a chalk and I think he is going to faint Longman Idiom Dictionary (2001:275) Respectively, we can find a series of Vietnamese equivalent idioms such as: mặt cắt không máu tái ngắt nh gà cắt tiết xanh nh tàu Example: Bị giam lâu bỏ đói, anh xanh nh tàu lá, ngời gầy gò, bẩn thỉu, chân tra chéo cùm Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 718) Ba ngời đàn ông quay lại mặt cắt không máu, định làm nhng thấy vẻ dứt khoát Hồ Riền với hang súng chỉa thẳng vào bọn chúng sẵn sàng nhả đạn run rẩy Nguyễn Nh ý, Hoàng Văn Hành (1995: 442) The English people associate someone pale, weak with chalk, sheet moonlight, death or a ghost because all of them are white or grey or rather having little colour or fewer colours than usual and there is a little vitality Similarly, the Vietnamese people associate with a drowned corpse, a killed chicken because of the same reason above Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 29 Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 Graduation thesis 30 Graduation thesis Chapter Some suggestions for learning and teaching idioms, and some suggested exercises for using idioms with as as referring to people 3.1 Some suggestions for learning and teaching idioms 3.1.1 Teaching idioms through stories As we know, students and learners are usually interested in listening to stories.The learners may find it enjoyable and the lesson will be greatly effective Therefore, the first task for teacher is finding suitable stories to ages, psychology The stories should be as short as possible because of the time limitation in the classroom and the stories should be written in simple way so that students can understand them easily The second task the teacher needs to is to find suitable idiom for stories After one story, the teacher should give out at least three idioms and students should be allowed to choose the most suitable one for the stories that they have just read or heard The stories can be made into copies for the students so that they have suitable time for reading comprehension Example: The story The little boy who cried wolf Reading section: Now read the story once as quickly as possible, for the general idea Try to guess the meaning of words you not understand by the context you can underline the words you not know, but not stop reading Lê Thị Thuý – 42A2 31 Graduation thesis The little boy who cried wolf Once upon a time there was a little boy whose father was a shepherd The father and son worked together guarding the sheep of the village One day the father said to the little boy, “ I have to go to town You must guard the sheep by yourself If a wolf comes, cry “wolf, wolf” and the men of the village will come to protect you” That night the little boy wondered what would happen if he cried “ wolf, wolf” so he did All the man of the village came running as fast as they could to protect the little boy and the sheep But there was no wolf The men were very angry The next night the little boy cried “ wolf, wolf” again Once more all the men of the village came running as fast as they could to protect the little boy and the sheep But, again, there was no wolf The men were furious The next night there was a full moon The little boy heard a strange noise, and the sheep became frightened He saw an enormous wolf It had big, red eyes, and its large sharp teeth shone in the moonlight It looked very, very hungry Of course, the little boy was extremely frightened He cried “wolf, wolf” again, but the men did not believe him Then the hungry wolf ate the little boy Planaria J Price (2002:12) Finding the moral: In small group, read the following idioms and decide which of these idioms best fits the moral of this story Then share your answer with the class a Never lie to your minister, doctor or lawyer b As cunning as a fox c As true as the gospel After students choose the idioms, teacher can ask them why they choose that one because if they understand the stories and understand the meanings of idioms, they will choose the right one Therefore, if the students have not understood the idioms yet, you can explain the meaning All the idioms that follow the story must be as nearly the same meaning as possible The idioms make students interested in the story and vice versa Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 Graduation thesis 32 3.1.2 Teaching idioms through articles/letters The first task for the teacher is collecting articles/letters from newspapers, books or magazines The articles/letters should bring students background knowledge The second task the teacher needs to is finding idioms in the articles/letters and listing them After one article/letter, the teacher ask the students to find the idioms and number them on the list in the order in which the students find them Then, ask students to tell the meaning of the idioms by how they are used Like stories, the article/letter can be made into copies for the students so that they have suitable time for reading comprehension Example: * Throughout this article you will find the idioms listed below Underline the idioms, and number them on the list in the order in which you find them Can you tell me what they mean by how they are used? black and white no ifs, ands, or buts change one’s tune find line right under someone’s nose have it both ways not see the forest for the trees up in the air see something in a whole new light .make a plug rule out .pros and cons The pros and cons of the American dream Few cases tried in a court of law are example, the case of two Southeast Asian absolutely black and white Although refugees in Los Angeles who were accused justice may seem to favor one side in the of killing their pet dog for food Were these beginning, ultimately there is often a fine men guilty of committing a vicious crime line between right or wrong, innocent and against an animal or were they victims of a guilty, victim and criminal Take, for foreign culture with which they were not Lê Thị Thuý 42A2 ... English idioms as black as ebony as black as coal as black as chimney as black as sweep as black as soot as black as ink as black as a raven as thin as bone as thin as a rail as thin as a lath as. .. as cold as acorpse as cold as ice as sweet as honey as sweet as sugar as agile as a cat as nimble as a squirrel as quick s as lightning as fleet as the wind as warm as sunbeams as blunct as the. .. 62 as fierce as a lion as fierce as wolves as timid as a rabbit as timid as a mouse as timid as a fawn as changeable as the weather as uncertain as the weather as meek as a lamb as gentle as