如何巧学善用英语成语之一

One of the most difficult aspects of learning any foreign language is being able to understand and use a wide range of idioms. The English language has over 15，000 idioms and native speakers use them very frequently，often without realising it themselves. This can make communication with native speakers confusing.

在任何语言学习中最困难的一个方面就是，要能理解并运用大量成语。

英语有15000多个成语，而且本族语使用者常常在不自觉的情况下频繁使用它们。这就造成了与本族语使用者的沟通不畅。

What is an idiom？ An idiom is a group of words which，when used together，has a different meaning from the one which the individual words have. For example：

什么是成语呢？一个成语就是一组词，当结合在一起使用时，其意与单个词语所表达的意思均不相同。例如：

-How do you know that Sid and Nancy have separated

你怎么知道席德和南希分手了？

-I heard it on the grapevine.

我是从小道消息听到的。

Of course，the second speaker does not mean he heard the news about John by putting his ear to a grapevine！He is conveying the idea visually of information spreading around a widespread network，similar to a grapevine.