Lecture 4
PHRASEOLOGY
Ho Ngoc Trung
[email protected]
0913306484
1. What is a set expression? Give some examples.
2. What is the difference between a set expression
and a free word group?
Lecture IV
PHRASEOLOGY
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Definition
Phraseology is the study of set expressions
called phraseological units. These "set
expressions are completely or partially
idiomatic and reproduced in speech as
ready- made units.
a bull in a china shop
to let the cat out of the bag
like a cat on a hot brick
a white elephant
Little Johnnie (crying): Mummy, mummy, my
auntie Jane is dead.
Mother: Nonsense, child! She phoned me
exactly five minutes ago.
Johnnie: But I heard Mrs Brown say that her
neighbours cut her dead.
2. Structural features
(unchangeable)
Set expressions are characterized by the stability of
its lexical components and grammatical structure.
e.g. red flower/pen/car/flag/tape(sing./plu)- free word
group
red-tape (bureaucratic methods)-set expression.
kick the bucket
The drunk man has kicked the bucket.
bread and butter (n)
2. Structural features
(changeable)
to kill two birds with one stone
he has killed three/four birds with one stone
to go to school/market/church
(as) dead as a doornail (=completely dead)
He’s deader than a doornail.
(as) black as pitch
It made night blacker than pitch.
blueblood
The Cantervilles have blueblood, the bluest in England.
make sb’s hair stand on end
sb=my/your/her/the reader’s
break the ice
The chairman broke the ice Ice was broken by the
chairman.
burn one’s boats/bridges
Having burnt his boats, he…
STYLISTIC FEATURES OF SET
EXPRESSIONS
STYLISTIC FEATURES OF SET EXPRESSIONS:
1. SIMILE:
as cross as two sticks
as like as two peas (in a pod)
as old as the hills (and older than the hills)
2. CONTRAST:
from beginning to end
not for love (n)or money
The show is sold out. You can’t get a ticket for
love nor money.
more or less
sooner or later: She will get married sooner
or later.
3. METAPHOR:
a lame duck
a pack of lies
arms race
to swallow the pill/to sweeten the pill/to
sugar the pill
A dog in the manger
4. ALLITERATION:
safe and sound: Have a safe and sound
journey!
part and parcel: grammar is the part and
parcel of a language.
with might and main
rack and ruin
from pillar to post
in for a penny, in for a pound
5. alliteration and simile:
as good as gold
as pleased as punch
as fit as a fiddle
6. alliteration and contrast
kill or cure
This new chemical will either clean the
painting perfectly or it will damage it
badly. It’s kill or cure.
now or never
7. Rhyme:
out and about: he is out and about.
high and dry
far and wide, far and near
by hook or by crook
fair and square
8. Synonymy:
by leaps and bounds (rapidly)
proud and haughty
II. Classification
1. Classification based on the degree of motivation
(degree of idiomacity)
1. completely idiomatic (non-motivated, phraseologial
fusion)
2. partially idiomatic (non-motivated, phraseological
unities)
3. non-idiomatic (motivated)
completely idiomatic (non-motivated,
phraseologial fusion)
to beat about the bush
white elephant
lame duck
tit for tat
partially idiomatic (non-motivated, phraseological
unities)
to show one’s teeth
to show sb the door
to wash one’s dirty linen in public
a slip of the pen/tongue
Jack of all trades and master of none
to fish in troubled waters
non-idiomatic (motivated)
to do one’s duty
to meet the demand/the requirement
as sweet as honey
as bold as brass
to make a mistake
a burning question
a blank look
CLASSIFICATION BASED ON
FUNCTION
1. SET EXPRESSIONS FUNCTIONING LIKE NOUNS
a skeleton in the cupboard (=a
(= secret source of
discredit, pain, or shame)
ladies’ man (=man fond of female company)
lord and master (=husband)
forty winks (=a nap)
ships that pass in the night (=people
(= whose
contact or acquaintance is necessarily fleeting
or transitory)
a pain in the neck (=an
(= annoying or tiresome
person or thing)
2. SET EXPRESSIONS FUNCTIONING LIKE VERBS
to take advantage
to pick and choose (=select carefully or
fastidiously)
to make eyes at sb (=look amorously at)
to snap one’s fingers at sb/st (=show
(= contempt or
disregard)
to see how the land lies (= see what the situation
is)
to blow one’s own trumpet (= praise oneself)
3. SET EXPRESSIONS FUNCTIONING LIKE
ADJECTIVES
high and mighty (= arrogant)
as meek as a lamb
spick and span (=absolutely new or fresh;
brand-new)
as mad as a hatter
as old as the hills
above-board (=open )
brittle as glass
cold as charity
sharp as a needle
4. SET EXPRESSIONS
FUNCTIONING LIKE ADVERBS
-like hot cakes:
Her new novel is selling like hot cakes
-once in a blue moon
-tooth and nail: to fight tooth and nail
-by heart
-against the grain (=contrary
(= to one's
inclination)
-by hook or by crook
-before one can say Jack Robinson.
-at sixes and sevens (=in (= confusion,
disorder, or disagreement)
-on the nail (=without
(= delay, immediately)
-in a trice (=instantly,
(= without delay, in a
very short time)
-at hand (=near,
(= close by; near in time; at
the start)
-in full swing (=at
(= the height of activity)
-through thick and thin (=in
(= spite of all
difficulties; under any circumstances)
-in the twinkle of an eye (=in
(= an instant)
-(by) far and away
-from pillar to post (=from
(= one place to
another)
-over head and ears (=deeply
(= immersed)
5. SET EXPRESSIONS
FUNCTIONING LIKE
PREPOSITIONS
-By means of
He got the post by means of a bribe.
-in view of
-with the view to (doing) st
he’s going to evening class with a view
to finding/having more contacts.
-by virtue of = because of
-in consequence of / in spite of
-by reason of = on the ground of
6. SET EXPRESSIONS
FUNCTIONING LIKE
CONJUNCTIONS
AS WELL AS
He as well as his wife likes pop music.
AS SOON AS
As soon as he got home, he got a
phone call from his boss.
7. SET EXPRESSIONS
FUNCTIONING LIKE interjections
Dear me! /Oh dear
Goodness gracious! / Gracious me!
Well, I never! Fancy getting married and not
telling us!
-Bless (one’s) soul
Your mother, bless her soul, is the only
friend I have.
-God bless me!
-Hang it (all)
-Damn it
I’ve broken my pen again, damn it!
III. Verbal collocations
Verbal collocation: Verb + particle
to turn on
3 kinds of verbal collocation:
1. phrasal verbs (Verb+adverbial particle):
turn off
2. prepositional verbs (Verb + prep particle):
look after
3. prepositional phrasal verb (verb + adv +
prep)
to catch up with
phrasal verb: turn on
prep verb: look after
1. turn the fan on/turn on the fan
look after the baby
2. look after him/her
turn it on (not turn on it.)
3. depend totally on someone. (prep V)
prepositional phrasal verb
look down on sb
look up to sb
cut down on
come in for
put up with
verbal collocation vs free verb
combination
He (S) looked (V) up the chimney (A)
(free)
He (S) looked up (V) the meaning of the
word (O). (phrasal V)
He (S) came (V) across the road (A).
(free)
He (S) came across (V) an interesting
book (O). (phrasal v)
compound words from phrasal
verbs
break down (v) break -down(n)
break up (v) break -up(n)
break out (v) break-out, outbreak (n)
call up (v) call- up (n)
clear out (v) clear -out (n)
draw back (v) draw-back (n)
drop out (v) drop-out (n)
hold up (v) hold-up (n)
knock out(v) knockout(n)
take over (v) takeover(n)
try out (v) try-out(n)
turn out(v) turnout(n)
bring up (v) upbringing (n)
