Page 9 - Speak English Like an American

because we keep winning game after game.” You can also express
this with an idiom: “Our team is on a winning streak.” Sounds bet-
ter, doesn’t it?

When using idioms, remember that their word order and structure
are often not flexible. In other words, you will need to get the word
order exactly right. Here’s an example of what I mean. Recently,
I helped a student with his English homework. He then told me,
“You've got a golden heart.” He was trying to speak idiomatic Eng-
lish, but the correct expression is: “You’ve got a heart of gold.”

This book includes a CD of all of the dialogues. The CD will help
you with pronunciation and will also help you remember the idioms.
Play it at home, at work, in the car, while traveling...before you
know it, youll be speaking English like an American!

Try to “develop an ear” for idioms on your own. Don’t worry, I’m
not suggesting you try to grow a third ear! “Develop an ear” is an
idiom — it means to learn to listen for something. If you don’t
know what an expression means, ask a native speaker of English.
Here’s what you can say to your helper: Excuse me, I ran across
this expression and I’m not sure what it means. Can you please
help me out?

Add idioms to your speech and writing just as you add vocabulary.
You may find it helpful to write all of the expressions in this book
down on notecards and review them whenever you have a free
moment.

Good luck adding idioms to your everyday speech. It’s fun, and
you'll enjoy speaking English much more. Like an American!