English phraseological units: make your speech more beautiful. English phraseological units with translation - examples and meanings

How often have you come across expressions in English that simply didn’t make sense when translated into Russian? For example, when you heard the phrase “horse around,” you probably thought of a horse first. In reality, it was about fooling around.

And there are many such examples that can be given. Such expressions are called idioms, and the British use them quite often. By remembering the most common ones, you can make your speech brighter and more lively.

So, let's look at some idioms that are most often found in English speech. Let's divide them by topic.

Weather

"When two Englishmen meet, they first talk about the weather." This saying of Samuel Johnson, expressed several centuries ago, is still relevant today. It is not surprising that a considerable part of the idioms is related to the topic of weather.

• rain cats and dogs- pour like a bucket
• face like thunder- darker than the clouds
• storm in a teacup- a storm in a teacup, much ado about nothing
• chase rainbows- chasing the unattainable
• lightning-fast- lightning fast
• have one's head in the clouds- have your head in the clouds
• be snowed under- be overloaded with work
• be under the weather- feel unwell
• twist in the wind- languish
• under the cloud- under suspicion
• as right as rain- All right
• for a rainy day- for a rainy day
• bolt from the blue- out of the blue
• throw caution to the winds- stop being careful
• weather the storm- survive difficult times
• sail close to the wind- walk on the edge of an abyss
• on cloud nine- on the seventh heaven
• shoot the breeze- chat about trifles
• in a fog- confused
• go down a storm- succeed

Money

An equally popular topic of interest is, of course, money. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the most common “money” idioms.

• a piece of the pie- share
• gravity train- Easy Money
• bring home the bacon- provide for family, prosper
• make ends meet- make ends meet
• hit the jackpot- hit the jackpot
• be in the red- to be in debt
• make a bundle- make a lot of money
• bet your bottom dollar- guarantee something
• look like a million dollars- look your best
• cost a pretty penny- cost a lot of money
• go Dutch- pay your share
• nest egg- stash
• golden handshake- large severance pay
• cheapskate- miser
• be flushed with money- bask in luxury
• at all costs- at any cost
• live beyond one's means- live beyond your means
• break the bank- spend a lot
• cost a fortune- cost a fortune
• on the breadline- below the poverty line

Time

"Time is money". This famous saying can often be heard among the English. It confirms their extremely careful attitude to time. It’s not for nothing that many idioms are dedicated to him.

• once in a blue moon- very rarely
• behind the times- outdated
• time flies- time flies
• the big time- big success
• around the clock- around the clock
• dwell on the past- live in the past
• have the time of one's life- have a great time
• crack of dawn- at sunrise
• run out of time- run out
• in the blink of an eye- in an instant
• like clockwork- without interruption
• for donkey's years- since time immemorial
• pressed for time- be in a hurry
• give someone a hard time- reprimand
• be ahead of time- get ahead
• to have a whale of a time- have a great time
• go with the times- to keep up with the times
• on the spur of the moment- from a swoop
• in broad daylight- in broad daylight
• catch unawares- take by surprise

Animals

There are hardly any people who love pets more than the British. Therefore, animals occupy a place of honor not only in English homes, but also in speech.

• monkey business- meaningless work
• smell a rat- smell bad
• top dog- winner
• cash cow- source Money, Milch cow
• eager beaver- hard worker, business sausage
• black sheep - White crow
• elephant in the room- I didn’t even notice the elephant, that’s obvious
• when pigs fly- when the cancer hangs down
• like a cat on a hot tin roof- to be out of place
• in the doghouse- out of favor
• be as busy as a bee- work like a bee
• let a cat out of the bag- let the cat out of the bag
• horse around- fool around
• as poor as a church mouse- poor as a church mouse, penniless
• lion's share of something- lion's share
• eat like a horse- have a voracious appetite
• have a tiger by the tail- challenge fate
• hear it straight from the horse's mouth- from the original source
• butterflies in the stomach- neither alive nor dead
• like water off a duck's back- like water off a duck's back

Food

Despite the fact that English cuisine does not shine with variety, the number of idioms dedicated to food is considerable. We present you the most common “delicious” idioms.

• egghead- smart ass
• big cheese- influential person
• couch potato- slacker
• tough cookie- hooligan
• top banana- leader
• bad apple- scoundrel
• eat one's words- take back your words
• the apple of one's eye- the apple of my eye
• hard nut to crack- a difficult task, a tough nut to crack
• in a nutshell- in brief
• have an egg on one's face- look stupid
• as cool as a cucumber- cold-blooded
• be full of beans- be energetic
• as slow as molasses- very slow
• chew the fat- sharpen laces
• sell like hot cakes- be selling like hot cakes
• take something with a pinch of salt- not to trust
• bite off more than one can chew- overestimate your capabilities
• cry over spilled milk- grieve about the irreparable
• hot potato- actual topic

We hope that these idioms will help you diversify your speech. And our school’s teachers will be happy to explain to you all the intricacies of their use.

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

Friends, we have repeatedly mentioned how important the role English plays in the modern world and how necessary it is for a person, how important not only “dry” knowledge of grammar is, but also “living” one. speaking practice . What is the most important thing in communication? Passion, emotions, gestures. This, of course, is in addition to the essence that needs to be conveyed to the interlocutor. Plus – perception of the information provided and understanding of sometimes incomprehensible expressions that native speakers often use.

Once upon a question “Krista, where are you going?” the unperturbed Krista replied: “I’m going to see a man about a horse”. You can't even imagine our surprise! It turned out that this is a stable expression that is used as a way to report one’s absence without specifying the reason.

In order not to blush in front of your interlocutor, betraying ignorance or incorrectly interpreting his words, get an idea of ​​what phraseological units mean at the English intensive course in Kyiv

Speech is the main way people interact. To convey the meaning of the topic of conversation, mood, attitude to certain circumstances, quotes that are appropriate in a particular situation, proverbs and sayings, and phraseological units are used. The use of figurative expressions highlights widely thinking man who thinks outside the box and has a certain amount of knowledge.

If you follow publications on our blog, you probably remember interesting articles TOP 20 catchphrases in English And 25 proverbs in English that are worth knowing. In them we only partially touched on the topic of set expressions. Today we will look in more detail at what English phraseological units are and how they are translated into Russian.

Phraseologisms in English: what is it?

A phraseological unit is a special speech turn, an unchanging phrase that is not taken literally and is not always translated literally. For example:

• Around the clock(literal translation “around the clock”) - used in the meaning of “24 hours”, “day”.
• It is not my cup of tea(“this is not my cup of tea”) – has the meaning “this is not for me” (something inappropriate or unacceptable for a person).

Phraseologisms are divided into several categories:

1. Phraseological units (idioms) are speech patterns whose meaning does not correspond to the meaning of the words used: a bull in a china shop- a bull in a china shop. By itself, this expression does not mean anything, but in context it can describe a clumsy person.
2. Phraseological combinations are expressions in which one word is used freely, and the second is associated with the first: a bosom friend- bosom friend. The word "friend" is widely used, and only in combination with it is the word "bosom" used.
3. Phraseological expressions are ready-made speech patterns that consist of words with a free meaning; they practically do not resemble phraseological units. At the same time, like the previous categories of phraseological units, they are always used precisely and without the use of any synonyms: live and learn- Live and learn.

Interesting phraseological units (idioms) in English with translation

Many English set expressions have analogues in the Russian language, that is, the direct translation of English phraseological units is simple and understandable. For example:

• Bite your tongue– Bite your tongue (meaning to ask/order someone to be silent).
• It takes two to tango– It takes two to tango (meaning: two are responsible for a particular event).

Some phraseological units of the English language are used in Russian not just with a slightly different translation, they are modified, although they have the same meaning. For example:

• Buy a pig in a poke(buy a pig in a poke) - in Russian we use the expression “buy a pig in a poke” to mean buying something without knowing anything about the product.
• Аs cool as a cucumber(cold as a cucumber) - in Russian we use the expression “calm as a boa constrictor” in relation to a calm, one might even say, imperturbable, cold-blooded person.

Well, in order to better understand the material, we offer a selection of phraseological units in English with translation and explanation. Please use it!

A piece of cake– A piece of pie (have you heard the expression “It’s like eating a piece of pie”? So this means some very easy and simple thing).

A heart-to-heart talk– Heart-to-heart conversation (confidential conversation, discussion of something personal, disclosure of secrets).

When hell freezes– When hell freezes over (that is, never).

Neither here nor there- Neither there nor here (as they say about something inappropriate).

To promise the moon– Promise the moon (which means promising something impossible).

Just what the doctor ordered– What the doctor ordered (that is, what is needed).

It's still all up in the air– It’s still up in the air (an unresolved matter).

Butter the boss up– To butter up the boss (well, you get it, right? To suck up).

Have a frog in the throat– To have a frog in the throat (the meaning of the phraseological unit is the inability to speak due to strong excitement).

A flight of fancy– Flight of fancy (imagination, coming up with something new).

Make a flying visit– Make a passing visit (drop in for a minute).

Smell a rat– Smell something wrong (feel something wrong in something).

Turn over a new leaf– Turn the sheet over (start all over again).

A penny for your thoughts– Penny for your thoughts (this is a way to find out what a person is thinking about).

Cry over spilled milk– Crying over spilled milk (means complaining about something long lost).

Elvis has left the building– Elvis leaves the building (this means the end)

Make a long story short- Do long story short (cut a long story and talk to the point).

Come to the point– Get to the point (do not spend time on details, but speak specifically.

Miss the boat– Miss the ship (miss any chance).

A crying shame- Blatant injustice (this is how they are indignant against something dishonest).

Having imbued with simple expressions, you will make your speech more expressive, you will be able to surprise your friends and acquaintances with interesting phrases, easily communicate with native speakers and read between the lines if necessary!

Come to Native English School and demonstrate your new knowledge. Surprise us interesting phraseological units, which are not used in the article. After all, the English language is so diverse... We look forward to taking the express course in spoken English!

Learning a foreign language is always a difficult, and for some, even an impossible task. But, we always strive to achieve high results instantly. Unfortunately, it's not that simple.

When learning English, like any other language, it is not enough to just learn the words or memorize the grammar. In order to learn a language and communicate freely with native speakers, it is necessary, first of all, to understand their so-called linguistic logic, their way of thinking. After all, despite all the correctness of the chosen words and grammar, you may not be understood at all. Simply because “they don’t speak English that way.”

Most often we get into trouble when using phraseological units. And, in order to make your life a little easier (at least in learning English), we would like to present to your attention the 10 most commonly used phraseological units in English and their alternative in Russian.

• It’s not my cup of tea. Literal translation: "This is not my cup of tea." In principle, this is a completely normal and even understandable phrase. Only if there really is a cup nearby. But in English this phrase is most often used to mean "It's not my taste." For example: “He is not my cup of tea” - “It’s not my taste.”
• Kill two birds with one stone. As you may have guessed, we are not talking about the deliberate killing of innocent birds. This is an alternative to the well-known Russian expression “Kill two birds with one stone.” That is, solve two problems at once with one action.
• To hear something straight from the horse’s mouth. Literally: “To hear something straight from the horse’s mouth.” Agree, it sounds a little strange. “Hear firsthand” is an alternative to this expression in Russian.
• The last straw. Literally: "The last straw." Any ideas on this? That's right, this is "The Last Straw".
• Speak of the Devil. Literally: "Speak of the devil." In Russian speech, this phrase sounds like “Easy in sight.”
• Don't pull my leg. The equivalent of this phrase is the well-known phrase “Don’t fool me.”
• Keep your chin up. Literally translated as “Keep your chin up.” Although you and I say “Keep your nose up!” when we want to cheer someone up.
• To be in the blue. As for me, this is the most incomprehensible expression in the English language. And to understand why the British say “to be in blue” (and this is how, in my opinion, this phrase is translated) is unrealistic. After all, the meaning of this phrase is “to fail.”
• Piece of cake."Piece of Pie" is a literal translation of the phrase, which actually means "As simple as shelling pears."
• To get into hot water. This phraseological unit in Russian corresponds to the expression “Get in trouble.”

As you can see, if you want to use phraseological units of the English language, it is not enough to simply translate the words of a phrase that is so familiar in Russian. After all, English has its own set expressions that you should know. I hope we were able to help you improve your English. But we advise you to seek help from specialists to achieve better results. Yes, you can study

INTRODUCTION

Phraseology is the most living, vibrant and original part of the vocabulary of any language. The overwhelming majority of the phraseology of the Russian and English languages ​​belongs to various functional styles and has expressive coloring. All phraseological units are distinguished by their national identity and can acquire expressive meaning in the context. Therefore, there is every reason to consider phraseology one of the expressive means of language and consider it from a stylistic point of view.

English is an international language, and it is very rich in idiomatic expressions, proverbs and sayings, which are constantly found in literature, newspapers, films, radio and television programs, as well as in the everyday communication of native speakers. English idioms are very diverse and quite complex for those learning English. There are no languages ​​known to science that are completely devoid of idioms, phraseological units, proverbs and sayings. But the English language surpassed everyone.

Many stable phrases and sayings are easily translated into Russian, while others need explanation. Also in the English language there are idioms and proverbs that, when translated into Russian, sound differently, but their meaning remains the same.

Thus, we decided to refute the hypothesis about the advisability of memorizing idiomatic expressions by heart, and determined the goal of our research - to study phraseological units of the English and Russian languages ​​for methods of translation and search for correspondences in English and Russian. The goal involves solving the following tasks:

Carry out an analysis of phraseological units in English and Russian;

Determine the features of the translation of phraseological units of the English language;

Construct conclusions from the study.

The object of study of this work is phraseological units of the English and Russian languages. The subject of the study is the peculiarities of translating English phraseological expressions and phrases into Russian. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that the translation of phraseological units has received a lot of attention in theoretical works and translation manuals, but a unified system for their translation has not been invented.

In our research, we used research methods such as descriptive, comparative and structural analyzes of phraseological expressions in English and Russian; survey, research.

CHAPTERI. ENGLISH PHRASEOLOGISTS AND THEIR PLACE IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

1.1. The concept of "idiom" in English

At a certain stage of language learning, the need to master idioms begins to become acutely felt - speech without them, even correct ones, is dry and lifeless, and is often perceived as student-like. A very common mistake is to attribute idioms only colloquial speech, and sometimes confuse them with slang. The importance of idioms lies in the fact that they exist in any layer of speech (literary, colloquial, etc.), permeate and fill the entire language.

Idioms are expressions whose meaning is not equal to the meaning of their constituent words. An idiomatic expression is a phrase whose meaning is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to guess by looking at the meanings of individual words. If translated literally, it would be nonsense. The word "idiom" comes from the Greek "idioma", which means "peculiarity", "originality".

The translation of phraseological units has received a lot of attention in theoretical works, in translation manuals, and in many publications on comparative linguistics. The research results indicate that the study of the entire phraseological system can be successful only with a thorough analysis of its individual subsystems, which have general and specific features inherent in the entire system as a whole.

1.2. Regional value of English phraseological units

There is no doubt that by becoming acquainted with a foreign language, assimilating, studying it, a person simultaneously penetrates into a new national culture, receives enormous spiritual wealth stored in the language being studied. In particular, a Russian schoolchild, student, ordinary man in the street, mastering foreign language, V in this case English, gets a highly effective opportunity to join the national culture and history of the people of Great Britain.

Phraseology, as an integral part and a kind of treasury of any language in the world, can especially strongly contribute to this familiarization.

Phraseologisms and phraseological combinations reflect centuries-old history English people, the originality of its culture, way of life, traditions.

Therefore, phraseological units are highly informative units of the English language.

What is a phraseological unit? The work is devoted to clarifying this, as well as the types and reasons for the emergence and transformation of phraseological units.

The regional value of phraseological units consists of three components.

Firstly, phraseological units reflect the national culture in a dismembered way, in units of its composition. Some of these words belong to the number without equivalents.

Secondly, English phraseological units reflect the national culture comprehensively, with all their elements taken together, that is, their phraseological meanings.

Finally, thirdly, phraseological units reflect the national culture with their prototypes, since genetically free phrases described certain customs, traditions, features of life and culture, historical events and much more.

Most idiomatic expressions were created by the people, so they are closely related to the interests and daily activities of ordinary people.

Many phraseological units are associated with beliefs and legends. However, most English phraseological units arose in professional speech.

Sport has always played an important role in the lives of the inhabitants of Foggy Albion.

The British are proud that many sports originated in their country and then spread throughout the world.

The national British games are football, cricket, horse racing, and billiards.

Many phraseological units are associated with horse racing, cockfighting, and boxing. They are characterized by humor, worldly wisdom, their content is our world, environment, and the atmosphere - insightful, solid, unromantic common sense.

The focus is on luck and money. The satisfaction brought by wealth and success is expressed in many phraseological units.

Thus, English phraseological units can give us the key to the national character of the people of Great Britain, to their culture, history and political life.

CHAPTERII. FEATURES OF TRANSLATING ENGLISH PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS INTO RUSSIAN LANGUAGE

2.1. Classification of phraseological units translation techniques

In order to theoretically talk about methods of translating phraseological units, it is necessary to divide the entire phraseology of a given language according to some reasonable criterion into groups, within the boundaries of which one or another technique, one or another approach to the transfer of phraseological units would be observed. Many authors take linguistic classifications as a starting point, built mainly on the indecomposability of phraseological units and the unity of its components.

1) non-phraseological translation , as the name shows, conveys meaning using lexical, rather than phraseological, means of the translating language. They usually resort to it only after making sure that none of the phraseological equivalents or analogues can be used.

2) lexical translation applicable, as a rule, in cases where a given concept is designated in one language by a phraseological unit, and in another by a word. Mostly idioms lend themselves to such translation, i.e. combinations denoting objects or concepts.

3) descriptive translation phraseological units comes down, in essence, to the translation not of the phraseological unit itself, but of its interpretation, as often happens in general with lexical units that do not have equivalents in the target language. These can be explanations, comparisons, descriptions, interpretations - all means that convey as clearly and short form content of phraseology.

4) contextual and selective translation: Speaking about the methods of translating phraseological units and the choice between them, it remains to touch upon two more concepts: contextual translation and selective translation. Most often, we remember contextual translation in the absence of equivalents and analogues, i.e. in the case when a phraseological unit has to be conveyed by non-phraseological means.

5) tracing is a way of translating a lexical unit of the original by replacing it components their lexical correspondences in the target language, which copy the structure of the source lexical unit. For example: The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach – “pathToheartmenliesthroughhisstomach”.

6) specification - is a replacement of a word or phrase source language with a broader subject-logical meaning; a word or phrase of the target language with a narrower meaning. As a result of applying this transformation, a unit of the source language expresses a generic concept, and a unit of the target language expresses the specific concept included in it.

7) generalization - this is the replacement of a unit of the source language, which has a narrower meaning, with a unit of the target language with a broader meaning. The created correspondence expresses a generic concept that includes the original specific one. A unit of the translated language expresses a generic concept, and a unit of the source language expresses a specific concept.

8) syntactic assimilation (literal translation) is a method of translation in which the syntactic structure of the original is transformed into a similar structure of the target language. Syntactic assimilation can lead to complete correspondence of the number of linguistic units and the order of their arrangement in the original and translation.

9) grammatical substitutions is a method of translation in which a grammatical unit in the original is transformed into a unit of the target language with a different grammatical meaning.

10) antonymic translation is a lexical-grammatical transformation in which the replacement of an affirmative form in the original with a negative form in the translation, and vice versa, is accompanied by the replacement of a lexical unit of the source language with a unit of the target language with the opposite meaning [Kunin, 1996].

The types of interlingual transformations considered clearly show that English is a flexible and expressive language. Thanks to the use of translation transformations, a more complete translation into the native language is carried out.

2.2. Features of the translation of English phraseological units

Translation of phraseological units, especially figurative ones, presents significant difficulties. This is explained by the fact that many of them are bright, emotionally rich phrases that belong to a certain speech style and often have a pronounced national character. When translating stable combinations of words, one should also take into account the peculiarities of the context in which they are used. Many English phraseological units are characterized by polysemy and stylistic diversity, which complicates their translation.

From the translator's point of view, phraseological units are divided into two groups: phraseological units that have equivalents in the target language, and those without equivalent phraseological units.

Equivalents can be full or partial. Full equivalents are equivalents that coincide with English phraseological units in meaning, lexical composition, imagery, stylistic orientation and grammatical structure. There are few similar matches. This group includes phraseological units of an international nature, based on mythological legends, biblical legends and historical facts (tobeornottobe- to be or not to be). Partial equivalent does not mean any incompleteness in the transfer of meaning, but only contains lexical, grammatical or lexico-grammatical discrepancies, if any same value the same stylistic orientation (tobeasredasabeetroot- be red like a tomato;tobeashungryasahunter- be hungry like a wolf). Therefore, in terms of the degree of translation adequacy, a partial equivalent is equivalent to a full equivalent. But it should be noted that, despite the presence of a full or partial equivalent, stable combinations of words sometimes have to be translated literally, for example, when the image contained in a phraseological unit is not indifferent to the understanding of the text, and replacing it with another image interferes with the understanding of the text, or deprives it brightness and expressiveness.

Taking into account the specifics of the translation of phraseological units, very often when translating them, overtone translation (according to the terminology of A. V. Kunin) or contextual replacement (according to the terminology of Ya. I. Retzker) is used. “Overtonal” translations are a kind of occasional equivalent used to translate phraseological units only into in this context. It should be taken into account that the occasionality of a given equivalent is determined solely by the features of the context, and that in another context a similar translation may not be “overtone”, but a full or partial equivalent. Finding an “overtone translation,” as opposed to using a ready-made equivalent, is a creative process.

Many English phraseological units do not have equivalents in Russian. This primarily applies to phraseological units denoting realities that do not exist among us. When translating such phraseological units, tracing and descriptive translation are used. Tracing makes it possible to convey to the Russian reader a living image of an English phraseological unit, which is impossible when using a free non-figurative phrase, which is a Russian explanation of the meaning of an English phraseological unit (tocutalongstoryshort- in short).

In addition to tracing, descriptive translation is used, that is, the translation of a phraseological unit using a free combination of words. It is especially convenient for conveying phrases of a terminological nature that do not allow literal translation. A descriptive translation is inferior to the original in terms of brightness, although it correctly conveys its meaning.

Based on the above, the translation of phraseological units presents significant difficulties. Does not exist ready-made recipes for translation of phraseological units. Therefore, a detailed study of various groups of phraseological units and the development of methods and techniques for their translation are necessary.

2.3. Translation of figurative and non-figurative phraseological units

When translating phraseological units with a figurative basis, certain patterns can be established. Mainly, this refers to phraseological unities with a “derivable” internal form. Thus, four different ways of transmitting them can be distinguished, namely:

1) with full preservation of the foreign language image;

2) with a partial change in imagery;

3) with a complete replacement of imagery;

4) with the removal of imagery.

The first method conveys phraseological units of very different structures, but having an international character: frozen metaphors and periphrases, proverbs and sayings, catchphrases, as well as borrowings. For example:deadletter– “dead letter”;bluestocking- “blue stocking”;thelion’ sshare– “lion’s share”;bodyandsoul- “soul and heart”;intheseventhheaven- "on the seventh sky";toplaywithfire– “play with fire”;togildthepill- “gild the pill.”

In all of the above examples, the image is preserved unchanged in the translation.

With the second method, the figurative basis of phraseological units in translation is preserved, but with certain changes of a lexical or grammatical nature. One of the components of the phrase can be replaced: a figurative component - with another, close to it, or an auxiliary component - with any one. For example: inthedeadofnight- “deep at night”;inbroaddaylight- “in broad daylight”;cannonfodder ( foodforpowder) – “cannon fodder”;adiamondofthefirstwater- “a diamond of pure water.”

The image is preserved, but the form of the grammatical expression changes. For example: singular in English, plural – in Russian: to have the news at first hand – “learn the news first hand”; to give a free hand - “untie your hands, provide freedom of action.”

The English infinitive is replaced by a verb in personal form when translating phraseological units into Russian: nottolieonabedofroses – “(his path) is not strewn with roses”; tomakeone’ smouthwater- "mouth watering".

The most interesting from a creative point of view are phraseological units, when translating them one has to completely replace their figurative basis. A complete replacement of the image may be associated with the preservation of expressive coloring, which is often even more important than the transfer of the functional and stylistic affiliation of a phraseological unit. But such a requirement is far from always feasible. In every language, phraseology is the most distinctive part of the vocabulary, and a large number of phraseological units retain a certain national flavor. This national identity is reflected simultaneously on both the stylistic and expressive side of the phraseological unit.

A complete replacement of the figurative basis can be considered adequate if it accurately conveys the meaning of the statement and corresponds to the expressive and stylistic nature of phraseological units and the general tone of the original.

Translating phraseological units with the removal of imagery is not the best way out of the situation, as it is associated with a loss of expressiveness: askeletoninthecupboard- “family secret”. Of course, “skeleton in the closet” is unacceptable in any context. It follows from this that the translator should best replace the translation with the removal of imagery with a more suitable type of translation.

Phraseological units devoid of imagery, in which emotional-expressive meaning is combined with a subjective assessment of reality, are distinguished by complex semantics. These phraseological units are at the same time modal-introductory words and expressions. As a rule, they are ambiguous. In English these are phraseological units likeforthatmatter; forthatmatterofthat; ifanything.

The difficulty of understanding and translating these phraseological units lies, firstly, in the fact that, as phraseological units, they cannot be analyzed, and secondly, they are single-vertex, and their core component usually loses its lexical meaning. And finally, and most importantly, this category of phraseological units is particularly influenced by context. Therefore, the semantic range of such phraseological units is extremely wide.

2.4 Analysis of the results of the study conducted with students in grades 5-8

Among students in grades 5-8 studying English, we conducted a small study on the topic “Features of translating English phraseological units into Russian” with the goal of finding out what difficulties students have when translating English phraseological units into Russian and what translation techniques they most often use apply.

To do this, we gave students cards with phraseological units, including both equivalent and non-equivalent ones, and asked them to translate them into Russian. We noticed that students coped with some phraseological units easily, but some caused difficulties for the children. After the students completed the task, we asked them to put into one pile those phraseological units that the children could easily cope with. And in the other - phraseological units, the guys have difficulties. To our surprise, the first pile contained equivalent phraseological units, and the other pile contained non-equivalent ones. We then asked these students the following questions:

Have you had any difficulties translating English phraseological units into Russian? Which?

What translation techniques did you use when translating English phraseological units into Russian?

What suggestions would you give to scientists doing research on this issue?

The results were as follows:

Almost 90% of the students surveyed have particular difficulties when translating with phraseological units from the second pile (without equivalent ones).

Since it was more difficult to find an equivalent from the Russian language for these phraseological units, we had to look at the structure of the sentence, the lexical and grammatical structure of the phraseological expression.

Translation techniques depend on the lexical composition and grammatical structure of the phraseological expression.

Based on this, students use one of the methods of classifying the translation of English phraseological units into Russian.

The same 90% of students surveyed would like to see a unified system for translating English phraseological units into Russian: a translation dictionary, reference books, etc.

Thus, from our study we can conclude that translating English phraseological units can cause some difficulties not only for students, but also for experienced teachers. The choice of translation techniques depends on the grammatical and lexical structure of the phraseological unit. Of great importance would be the creation of reference books and dictionaries for the translation of English phraseological units into Russian, which would greatly facilitate the work of both students, teachers, and translators.

CONCLUSION

The English language, from the point of view of the presence of phraseological units and phraseological units in its extensive system, is perhaps one of the richest languages. Phraseologisms occupy a huge layer in its structure. All events taking place in Great Britain are reflected in phraseology: political life, sports, cultural events, everyday life - this is just an incomplete list of topics reflected in English phraseological units. Many become obsolete, but they are invariably replaced by new, lively, bright and witty ones. So, we can say with confidence that the phraseological system of the English language will develop every day, acquire new shapes, enrich itself and enrich the inner world of every individual resident of Foggy Albion.

Summarizing the above, it should be said that, despite the complexity and versatility of the meanings and forms of phraseological units and the presence of some difficulties in using phraseological units in live colloquial speech, they are perhaps the most striking tool for expressing human emotions and feelings.

The percentage of the presence of phraseological units in a language is closely related to the indicator of the development of the culture of a particular people, since phraseological units and their etymology are an expression of this very culture.

Traditions and customs are considered the unspoken founders of the emergence of phraseological units in speech.

But you cannot continue to use all phraseological units without exception in lively colloquial speech. Many of them become outdated over time, and their use may seem ridiculous. This is especially true for those who study a foreign language.

From our research we can conclude that the translation of phraseological units presents significant difficulties. There are no ready-made recipes for translating phraseological units. Therefore, a detailed study of various groups of phraseological units and the development of methods and techniques for their translation are necessary. Currently, a fairly large number of studies are devoted to phraseological units of various groups. Also great value has the organization of the results of such work and the publication of various kinds of dictionaries and reference books. This will greatly facilitate the work of teachers and students.

LITERATURE

1. Amosova N.N. Fundamentals of English phraseology - L.: Nauka, 1989. - 97 p.

2. Zakharova M.A. Strategy of speech use of figurative phraseological units of the English language. – M.: Infra-M, 1999.-151 p.

3.Kunin A.V. Phraseology of modern English. – M.: International relations, 1996. - 183 p.

4. Savitsky V.M. English phraseology: Problems of modeling. – Samara, 1993. – 219 p.

5. Worell A. J. English idiomatic expressions. – M.: fiction, 1999. - 117 p.

APPLICATION

Reasons for the appearance of 7 English phraseological units

English version

Russian variant

Reasons for appearance

Hobson's choice

No choice

Named after a certain Hobson, the owner of a paid stable in Cambridge in the 16th century, who obliged his clients to take only the horse closest to the exit.

Confusion worse confounded

Complete chaos

The expression was created by J. Milton in Paradise Lost.

Jam tomorrow

Waiting for the promised 3 years

ExpressioncreatedL. Carroll: “The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday - but never jam today.”

Under the rose

By secret

The rose is a symbol of silence in Dr. Rome

Baker's dozen

Baker's dozen

According to the old English custom, bread merchants received from bakers, who feared punishment for underweight, 13 loaves instead of 12, and the 13th went towards the income of the merchants.

Cut somebody off with a shilling

Disinherit

The testator left one shilling to the disinherited to prove that the disinheritance was deliberate.

Soap opera

Soap opera

Sentimental melodrama for housewives: many of these films were sponsored by soap production campaigns.

Interesting Origin idioms

1. The rule of thumb - means that this is the first and most important rule that must be obeyed and which is based on experience.

As a general rule of thumb, you need to drink 2 liters of water a day.

According to numerous sources, the origins of this idiom go back to 1782, when Judge Sir Francis Buller passed a law that a man had the right to beat his wife with a stick, as long as the stick was no thicker than his thumb. This is where the expression came from - the rule of thumb or “the rule of thumb”.

2. One sandwich short of a picnic - this is what they say about someone who is crazy or stupid.

Please don’t trust Eric, he is one sandwich short of a picnic.

There are several expressions that say that someone or something is lacking something. They all mean one thing: the one who lacks, or is crazy or stupid. However, the expression “one sandwich short of a picnic” is a fairly new expression. It was first used in the BBC's Lenny Henry Christmas Special in December 1987, where he parodied Michael Jackson and remade his song "Bad" as "I'm Mad". You can listen to the song below, pay attention to the words of the last verse:

"He's mad, mad, one brick short of a load

“He’s mad, mad, one sandwich short of a picnic”

3. Drop in a bucket – This idiom's predecessor is “drop in the ocean”, which means the same thing. INRussianlanguageThere issimilarexpression – « a dropVsea».

The company donated two thousand dollars for a cause, but this is just a drop in a bucket.

Interestingly, this idiom is first used in the Bible in Isaiah 40:15.

“Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he takes up the isles as a very little thing.”

Whether this word was used for the first time in the Bible is unknown, but it is known that it appears for the first time in written literature there.

4.Love is blind – Loveblind.

I can’t believe I dated him for so long, love is blind.

A huge number of idioms and catchphrases in the English language were invented by William Shakespeare. The first use of this idiom was noticed in his such famous works like: “The Two Veronese”, “King Henry V”, “The Merchant of Venice”.

Here is an interesting quote from William Shakespeare's play "The Two Gentlemen of Verona":

“VALENTINE I have loved her ever since I saw her; and still I

see her beautiful.

SPEED If you love her, you cannot see her.

VALENTINE Why?

SPEED Because Love is blind. O, that you had mine eyes;

or your own eyes had the lights they were wont to

have when you chide at Sir Proteus for going

ungartered!

5. As keen as mustard – fullenergy, enthusiasm.

You can ask Steve to help you, he is always as keen as mustard.

In England, roast beef has been loved for a long time. To this day, there is a tradition in England - the whole family gathers for lunch to eat the Sunday roast, which includes fried potatoes and beef. And they eat beef with mustard.

There is even a song about beef by Richard Leveridge, known since 1735, in which he sings about how healthy it is:

When mighty Roast Beef was the Englishman’s food

It ennobled our brains and enriched our blood.

Our soldiers were brave and our courtiers were good

Oh the Roast Beef of old England and old English Roast Beef

Since ancient times, it was also believed that mustard could heal all ailments. You are probably familiar with these grandmother's recipes: if you are frozen or have a cold, you need to steam your feet in mustard or make a compress from it. Of course, such recipes were also popular in the UK. Mustard was considered a seasoning that adds energy and strength, and heals various ailments. This is why mustard is associated with energy and health. This is where the expression “keen as mustard” comes from.

6. it's raining cats and dogs

verbatim: rain of dogs and cats

meaning: it’s pouring like buckets

This phraseological unit, which vividly illustrates the weather in England, originates in “ACompleteCollectionofPoliteandIngeniousConversation” Jonathan Swift:

I know Sir John will go, though he was sure it would rain cats and dogs.

Table of relevant idiomatic expressions

in English and Russian languages

English version

Russian variant

A friend in need is a friend indeed

A friend in need is a friend indeed

A hand's breadth escape

On the brink of death

Agree like cats and dogs

Lead a cat and dog life

As like as two peas

Similar as 2 drops of water

As you make your bed so you must lie on it

What goes around comes around

Be on nettles

Sit on pins and needles

Better late than never

Better late than never

Black as a crow / a raven / jet / soot

Black as coal

Call things by their proper names / Call a spade as spade

Calling a spade a spade

Close as on oyster

Silent as the grave

Disappear / vanish / melt into thin air

Melted like snow in spring

Drag through the mud

Trample into the mud

East or West home is best

Being a guest is good, but being at home is better

Every man for himself

Your shirt is closer to your body

First catch your hare

They're counting chickens in the fall, don't say "hop" until you jump.

Keep a tight rein on somebody

Holding someone under a tight rein

Like a bolt from the blue

Like a bolt from the blue

Like cat on hot bricks

Like on hot coals

Like father, like son

The apple never falls far from the tree

Make a mountain out of a molehill

Making a mountain out of a molehill

Milk and roses

Blood with milk

Mint of money

Chickens don't eat money

More haste, less speed

If you hurry, you will make people laugh

Never put off tell tomorrow what you can do today

Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today

No smoke without fire

There is no smoke without fire

Out of sight, out of mind

Out of sight, out of mind

Set one's cap at somebody

Turn someone's head

So many men, so many minds

How many people, so many opinions

Speech is silver, but silence is gold

The word is silver, silence is gold

Strike while the iron is hot

Strike iron. While it's hot

Talk of the devil and he is sure to appear

Easy to find

Time is money

Time is money

Two heads are better than one

One head it's good, but two better

You know a man by his friends

Tell me who your friend is and I will tell you who you are

English idioms and phraseological units - English idioms and phraseological units

English phraseological unit (phraseological unit/phrase) - is a stable, lexically indivisible and integral in meaning construction (phrase or sentence).

Quite often the meaning of a phraseological unit is equated to the meaning of an English idiom, which is not entirely correct. Although deepening into the subtleties of terminology for learning English is not always useful and takes a lot of time, it would not be a bad idea to understand this issue. English phraseology is a general concept. And the English idiom is quotient.

Idioms and phraseological units of the English language are divided into several types

Same as in the section with English proverbs and sayings, this section contains Russian phraseological units (including idioms), which are displayed in alphabetical order based on the principle of having an English equivalent. All of them are provided with literal translations and will be useful for those interested in English culture. The first line contains a Russian phraseological unit, the second - its English equivalent, followed by its literal translation. This method of presentation greatly simplifies the memorization process and eliminates cramming, since it allows you to create a direct association of English and Russian phraseological units. Explanations of their meanings are also provided for phraseological units.

English idioms with translation