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Idioms, phrasal verbs and proverbs: discussions
and interactive exercises

Idioms are expressions or groups of words peculiar to a certain language, a person or a group of people and which have meanings different from the individual meaning of the words that make up each expression.The English language has its own unique set of idioms which can be confusing, fascinating or amusing for ESL and EFL students. Related to idioms are phrasal verbs and proverbs (wise sayings).

Listed below are links to discussions and interactive exercises in idioms, phrasal verbs and proverbsfrom the best ESL and EFL resources on the Internet. Clicking the blue links will take you to the specific pages where the discussions and activities are, while clicking the website name will take you to the home page. Take time to browse these excellent websites; they are consistently good and fast loading. Besides the activities and exercises listed below, these sites generously offer, free of charge, a tremendous range of valuable resources for ESL and EFL teachers and students.

In answering the interactive exercises, you should follow carefully the prompts and directions. You should read each sentence or part aloud before clicking the answer you think is right. After the correct answer is displayed, think it over as to why it is the correct answer. (Please take note that the correct answer may depend on whether the exercise comes from an American English or a British English website.) After doing so, read the complete sentence again aloud with the correct answer.

To train yourself to think in English, try to recite the sentences with the correct answers from memory and at your full speaking volume. Or you can ask a friend to read out loud the sentences with the correct answers and you repeat them without looking at the computer screen.

[01] Self-Study Idiom Quizzes, from Activities for ESL Students

Numerous interactive quizzes on Idioms, Phrasal Verbs and Expressions, and Slang (with medium and difficult categories)

[02] Idiom Pages, from Answers.com

Contains, among others, idiomatic words and phrases, common proverbs and metaphors, defined and illustrated with sample sentences or quotations; produced in consultation with the editors of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

[03] Phrasal Verb Exercises, from Churchill House School of English Language

[04] Activities in idioms and phrasal verbs, from english-at-home.com

Phrasal verbs with "down"
Phrasal Verbs using "in"
Phrasal verbs with "off"
Phrasal verbs with "on"
Phrasal Verbs using "out"
Phrasal verbs with "up"
Three-part phrasal verbs

[05] Idioms, from English Corner (Rod Rodgers)

Note: Macromedia Flash player required

Idiom Games
Phrasal Verbs (Two-Word Verbs)
American Slang
Common Similes
English Proverbs

[06] American Idioms, from English Daily

[07] Idiom Buster, from english-the-international-language.com

English Idioms – Set 1
English Idioms – Set 2
English Idioms – Set 3

[08] Paint by Idioms, from Funbrain

[09] Idioms, from Interlink Language Center

Multiple choice questions, match the meaning of an idiom.
#1, #2 , #3, #4

[10] Eye on Idioms, from Read Write Think

[11] Online test, from Spanish-English Idioms

[12] Dictionary of American Idioms, from Sky-Net-Eye

More than 8000 idiomatic words and phrases of American English

[13] English Idioms & Quizzes, from The Idiom Connection

Note: Idioms from from A to Z, and from Animal Idioms to Proverbs & Sayings; representative sets of idioms are listed below.

Education & School Idioms
Head & Mind Idioms
Heart Idioms
Relationship & Love Idioms
Sports Idioms

[14] Idiom Dictionary, from The Free Dictionary by Farlex

Compiled from the Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms and the Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms with explanations of over 7,000 idioms current in British, American and Australian English

[15] Dictionary of English Idioms and Idiomatic Terms, and Dictionary of English Phrasal Verbs, from Using English

With 2,256 English idiomatic expressions with definitions, and 2,172 current multi-word verbs with definitions and examples;
Note - members get more; sign up for free and gain access to many more idioms and slang expressions. Register now.

[16] Exercises on idioms, phrasal verbs and collocations, from English Gateway

Day to Day
Workplace
Getting Personal idioms on party, love and attraction, family, wedding, and entertainment.
Idiomania

Notes:

Spoken English Learned Quickly offers free downloads of lessons and books (Learning Spoken English, a 450-page Student Workbook and an Instructor’s Guide) to your computer, iPod, Blackberry, MP3 player or PDA; Lessons on vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and verb tenses using spoken English exercises; Complete lessons contain enough recorded audio lesson material for two hours of study a day, five days a week for nine months.

Typical English mistakes by speakers of other languages, by Language Project, (approved by the British Council; more examples available upon registration): Arabic speakers; Chinese speakers; Japanese speakers; Korean speakers; Portuguese speakers; Spanish speakers; Czech speakers; French speakers; German speakers; Greek speakers; Italian speakers; Polish speakers; Russian speakers; Swedish speakers; Turkish speakers.

English for the medical professional, from HospitalEnglish.com (free resources for medical professionals (doctors, nurses, physical therapists, radiologists, physician assistants, pharmacists, etc) studying English and medical printables for teachers; with medical vocabulary builders and pronunciation guide, patient counseling activities, disease state directors, healthcare professional articles, medical flashcards, hospital lesson plans, and ESP worksheets)

Olympics ESL exercises and activities, from ESLTower.com (prepare and motivate your English class for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games through printable vocabulary puzzles, quizzes, flashcards, game cards and exercises related to Olympic Games, sports and countries)

Olympic sports
“Olympic Sports” Dictionary Hunt
"Olympic Sports" Wheel Search Puzzle
"Olympic Sports" Matching Quiz
Olympic Games word puzzle
What we do in sports crossword verbs puzzle
Olympics Games word puzzle
"Olympic Sports" Spelling Quiz
"Olympic Sports" Multiple Choice Quiz
Olympic Sports Vocabulary Game Sheet
Sports and Olympics - Word Puzzle
Countries, Sports and Athletes