How to Use Idiomatic Expressions in English to Talk about Arguments, Conversations, and Ideas
Native English speakers use a lot of metaphorical expressions in conversations. Knowing how to use these expressions will be very useful not only to boost your fluency but also to improve your listening comprehension. Further, from a cultural point of view understanding what images and associations these expressions evoke helps English language learners grasp whether an English expression sounds aggressive, soft and so on.
To perfect your English, you need to become confident in knowing how certain words make your counterpart feel. This will help you, as an English learner, learn how to use your second language as strategically as your first language. Basically, you will be able to use English vocabulary beyond a superficial, more utilitarian understanding of English.
As an English teacher, I always aim to go above and beyond to help my students and clients understand the English language on a much deeper level; always also with the goal in mind that cultural fluency is an important key to mastering a second language. So, today I will teach you how the theme of war serves as a common thread throughout the English vocabulary and expressions used to talk about arguments, conversations, and ideas.
That the metaphor of war is used in this context can tell you a lot about how debates, verbal arguments and so on are seen in U.S. culture; how there is a highly competitive edge to these types of interactions. In English, after all, we “win” arguments and can “win someone over” in a debate with persuasion.
Below you will find some examples. To help you understand the literal meaning behind the idiomatic expressions, I have added visuals to illustrate the images and associations that come with this vocabulary.