Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer. Does learning vocabulary drive you
up the wall? Does it annoy you or frustrate you? If it does, you're not alone. People have asked me
whether or not they should learn idioms. My answer is yes, but... See? It's not that simple. In my
lesson on literary devices, I gave the advice that idioms can be limited in use according to culture,
dialect, age, and other factors. First and foremost, you need to build familiarity with
idioms so that you understand them when you hear them and read them. Like my use of "drive you up
the wall." Were you able to guess the meaning? In time, you'll learn to associate an idiom with
certain situations, like learning lots of words or lots of grammar can drive you up the wall.
You can also develop a sense of who uses an idiom. Which generation? Maybe which professions or which
industries? Knowing when it's appropriate to use an idiom will give you the confidence to use it.
Here are some tips. One. When you learn an idiom, note where you first heard it.
What was the situation? Who was the speaker and who was the listener?
Two. Try to guess the meaning from context,
but you can confirm your understanding with an online dictionary.
Three. Use a resource like YouGlish.com to hear more examples -- real uses of the idiom
in context. Four. Remember that idioms are like seasoning. They're not the main dish,
so don't pile idioms onto your plate or the plate of your listeners. You can use idioms
to spice up your speech, but too many can ruin a conversation. Do you understand my analogy?
Right now, I'd like to share five idioms related to the mouth.
Funny, huh? Let's see if you can understand each one before I explain the meaning.
One. It's never a good idea to bad-mouth your boss or your colleagues.
That kind of talk will almost always get you in trouble. What does it mean to bad-mouth someone?
B. To bad-mouth someone means to criticize them. You say negative things that would hurt them.
Often bad-mouthing someone takes place out of earshot, meaning when they're not listening.
What would you do if you found out a co-worker or classmate was bad-mouthing you?
Two. Children usually learn at an early age not to mouth off to teachers or other people in
authority. That kind of behavior is usually punished. What does it mean to mouth off?
A. To mouth off means to talk rudely. It can be a combination of complaining and criticizing.
You can mouth off to someone. You can mouth off about something. If you mouth off in anger,
you say lots of strong opinions on issues that bother you.
Should children be punished for mouthing off to their parents?
Three. My uncle can usually be found in a group of people shooting his mouth off about sports
or politics. He has a lot to say about both. What does it mean to shoot your mouth off?
B. To shoot your mouth off means to talk freely,
almost carelessly. IF you shoot your mouth off, you'll likely say things that you never meant
to say. You might share too much. Shooting your mouth off can be a form of boasting or bragging.
Your friend is shooting her mouth off at a party about her wonderful new job.
You can tell she's not going to stop anytime soon. Do you let her go or do you stop her?
Four. I almost ruined the surprise birthday party when I told my friend,
"See you later tonight." Then I quickly added, "I mean if you're free. Maybe we can get together.
Call me." Gosh! Me and my big mouth. What does it mean to have a big mouth?
C. If you have a big mouth, you tend to talk too
freely to the point where you give away secrets or say things you shouldn't say.
This is different from shooting your mouth off, which is often talking at length. When you say,
"Me and my big mouth," it means you let something come out that you should have stayed silent about.
Someone who is a big mouth is a person who likely gossips a lot.
This is not the kind of person you want to tell a secret to.
If you do share a secret, then you likely need to warn this person to keep their big mouth shut.
Do you ever talk too freely? Has your big mouth ever gotten you in trouble?
Five. The sight and smell of the rich chocolate cake made my mouth water.
What does it mean to make your mouth water?
C. If the sight, smell, or thought of some food makes your mouth water, you begin to salivate,
and you want to eat it immediately. Let's do some wordplay. Help me form an adjective.
If chocolate cake makes my mouth water, how can we describe the cake?
I'll give you a hint. We're forming a compound modifier that ends with -ing.
Mouthwatering. A mouthwatering chocolate cake.
Name one smell that makes your mouth water.
Okay. Time to recall what we've learned. Complete my sentences with the correct idioms.
One. My dad sat behind the wheel mouthing off about how bad the traffic was
and how the city needs to improve the roads.
Two. Never bad-mouth a friend. If you have criticism, have the respect
to say it to their face. Three. The smells of my grandmother's cooking always makes my mouth water.
Four. I told my friend all about my vacation, but I shouldn't have shot my mouth off like
that. She's on a tight budget and can't travel right now. I should have been more sensitive.
Five. Don't tell Katie about the job offer. She has a big mouth,
and she'll tell everyone your plans before you're ready to make them public.
As a bonus, I'll throw in a saying that's more a proverb than an idiom,
but I think you'll like it. Have you ever noticed that children
sometimes see things so simply and clearly, they're capable of wisdom beyond their years?
If a child recognizes a truth especially before you do, you can say, "Out of the mouths of babes."
That's all for now. For practice, you can post your answers to my five
questions in the comments. Please like and share the video if you found the lesson useful.
As always, thanks for watching and happy studies!
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