Common Grammar Errors On The SAT Writing Section: Using Idioms
By: Todd Long
Submitted: 2010-11-09 15:01:53 | Word Count: 537
There are three segments to the writing section of the SAT: identifying sentence errors, improving sentences, and improving paragraphs. Each of these segments may test students' understanding of, and ability to effectively use, idioms. While idioms are especially challenging for students who speak English as a second language, many native language speakers still find idioms difficult to master. Therefore, all students should review common idioms prior to taking the SAT.
What is an Idiom?
An idiom is a figurative expression that is generally recognized by native English speakers. As they do not translate literally in other languages, idioms are often misunderstood by non-native speakers. Students should study the use of appropriate prepositions following an idiom. For example, a person talks on the phone, not in the phone. Why? It is, simply, idiomatic.
Here is a sampling of common idiomatic phrases. These types of idiomatic phrases are less likely to appear on the SAT:
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raining cats and dogs
blind as a kite
quit cold turkey
out of the blue
let the cat out of the bag
The following idiomatic phrases are more likely to show up on the SAT because they contain prepositions. Students should pay careful attention to the prepositions following idioms:
breaking up
getting through
point out
put up with
used to
abide by
Non-native speakers might ask, “why don’t couples break apart, rather than break up?” or “why don’t we try to get into somebody’s mind, rather than trying to get through to them?” While native speakers may find themselves using idioms in their speech, they probably couldn’t answer these questions of non-native speakers. The fact is, there is often no grammatical reason why certain prepositions are used with specific idiomatic expressions. However, the SAT often tests students on their ability to understand idioms because these questions incite inferential thinking. After all, one of the goals of the SAT is to test students’ critical thinking skills.
Idiom Activity With Prepositions Following Verbs
Teachers who want to help students better understand idioms in preparation for the SAT can begin by providing a short diagnostic quiz containing the following ten verbs. Students should write down one or more prepositions which commonly align with these verbs. In some cases, a verb can interact with several prepositions to create subtly different meanings. These usages can be discussed following the quiz. Here is a sample list of verbs for an idiom diagnostic quiz:
abide
decide
interact
talk
insist
protect
introduce
allow
look
consider
As an extension activity after the quiz, teachers should encourage students to create sentences correctly using different prepositions with each verb. For example, a person may look at a painting, look for her checkbook, and look into a topic worthy of research. Once students have created several sentences containing idiomatic phrases for three or more of the above verbs, they should turn to a partner and ask them to complete each sentence with the correct preposition.
Idioms are vast and varied. Embarking on a specific study of their usage in a classroom setting will help heighten students’ awareness to the many types of idioms which may appear on the SAT writing section. They should focus primarily on how prepositions complete an idiomatic phrase and consequently alter its meaning. Misusing prepositions following an idiomatic phrase is a common writing error that students can master.
