Richard Spears - McGraw-Hills Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

Richard A. Spears, Ph.D. Copyright 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. 0071486852 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0071469346. 0071486852 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0071469346.

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All languages have phrases that cannot be understood literally and, therefore, cannot be used with confidence. They are opaque or unpredictable because they dont have expected, literal meaning.

Even if you know the meaning of all the words in a phrase and understand all the grammar of the phrase completely, the meaning of the phrase may still be confusing. A phrase or sentence of this type is said to be idiomatic. This dictionary is a collection of the idiomatic phrases and sentences that occur frequently in American English. Many of them occur in some fashion in other varieties of English also. Many overlapping terms have been used to describe the idiomatic phrases included here: verbal collocations, idioms, idiomatic expressions, clichs, proverbs, set phrases, fixed phrases, phrasal verbs, common phrases, prepositional verbs, and phrasal/prepositional verbs. They all offer the same kinds of problems to the speaker and writer of English.

They are unclear because the meaning of the phrase is not literal or predictable. Phrasal verbs, also called two-word verbs, are idiomatic expressions because the second element of the verb (the adverb or preposition) is not necessarily predictable. For instance, why the word up in call up a friend?. Why not say call on a friend or call in a friend?. Actually, those are three separate, unpredictable combinations, and they each mean something completely different. For example, you can call up a friend on the telephone, call on a friend to have a visit, and call in a friend to come and help you with something.

Although there are some entries that are very casual or informal English, slang and idioms should not be confused. Some slang is also idiomatic, and some idioms are also slang, but generally they refer to different aspects of language. There are a few slang terms in this dictionary, because they are also fairly commonly known idioms.

A major goal of this dictionary is to make certain that each definition of a phrase illustrates the meaning of the phrase and matches it in syntax. The major exceptions are definitions that begin with "a phrase" or "an expression." Similarly, the examples for each sense must match the definition in meaning and syntax. The best use of the entries is to study the entry head, definition, and example carefully.

Look for the meaning that is common to all three. If the diligent user can see the elements of meaning shared by the entry phrase, the definition, and the example(s), the dictionary entry has done its task well. A second goal is to provide the learner with enough information about the many forms that an idiom might take to allow the user to recognize it in a variety of contexts and to be able to use it in speech and writing. A third goal is to make the details accessible to the learner. Idiomatic expressions and their variants are complex and unpredictable. There are many synonyms and near synonyms.

General cross-referencing in the body of the dictionary will help users find synonymous phrases. The Phrase-Finder Index provides a powerful tool for locating entry forms embedded in other entries and partially remembered phrases. The form of the entry is quite straightforward, consisting of entry, definition, comments (if any), and examples. Senses are numbered and may include variants in addition to those found in the entry head. A minimum of abbreviations and symbols are used, and these are explained in the section Terms and Symbols.

The dictionary will prove useful for native speakers who are looking for synonymous idiomatic phrases. The dictionary will prove useful for native speakers who are looking for synonymous idiomatic phrases.

Many phrases can be expressed in a variety of ways, and this dictionary, through cross-referencing, can lead the native speaker to equivalent forms with the same or similar meaning. The index provides a means for a writer to find the most appropriate phrase for a given purpose. Native speakers can find most of what they want by looking up words representing key ideas in the index and following the references to phrases in the dictionary itself. Likewise, near-native speakers who need help with phrasal verbs and common idiomatic phrases will find this reference very useful. Speakers and writers trained in British English will find this dictionary a good reference for checking on the American form and meaning of expressions previously encountered in British English. The format of the dictionary is designed to provide the information needed by learners who are attempting to read and write conventional American English.