"Tips & Tricks: Phrases and Idioms" | HPSC Preparation: All subjects - HPSC (Haryana) PDF Download

Introduction

• Idioms
  An Idiom is an expression or way of speaking that is used in common parlance. They are the amalgamation of words that convey a separate meaning altogether.
• Phrases
  A Phrase is a collection of words that stands together as a single unit in a sentence, typically as part of a clause or a sentence.
  A Phrase does not contain any subject and verb so it cannot convey any thought.
  

Tips

• Continuous reading
  The only way to get expertise in solving such type of questions is reading as many books as we can. Since reading not only entertains us but it is also a great way to exercise our brain.
• Understand the meaning of each idioms and phrases
  The next important thing is to not only learn new idioms and phrases but also to understand their meaning, exploring their origin and context in which they are generally used.
• Jot down the ready reckoners (Most commonly used Idioms and words) for revision
  Another easy trick to achieve expertise in appearing such questions is to just note down the widely used idioms or words or phrases with their respective meaning and revise them regularly.
• Avoid cramming 
  Here the main focus should be on understanding the basic concept behind that particular Idiom or a word, avoid learning too many idioms at one go.
  One should fix the number to 6-7 phrases per day. However one can also categorize the idioms having similar meaning/or themes, and accordingly memorize them section or theme wise.
• Using visual imaginary
  And the last and final tip is to use our visual imagination. Since most of the idioms have a fascinating history behind their origin. One should, not only explore the story behind their origin, but also relate them to certain images and link them to those stores. This is the best trick to memorize a wide range of idioms and phrases.

Rules

• They have a cultural value attached to themselves.
• They are metaphorical in the sense that if you extract the literal meaning of all the words stated then it would be too unusual to believe or even farcical.
• Idioms and phrases have the capacity to add a flavor to a boring prose or book and are used by authors to add something interesting or remove monotones from their writing.

Solved Examples