Visual Vocab Link: http://www.learningchocolate.com/
29.11.11
Dictionary with Example Sentences LInk
Link to dictionary with example sentences: Newbury Dictionary
Academic vocabulary roots link
Academic vocabulary roots link: http://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/506.HTM
15.11.11
Easily Confused or Misused Words
Easily Confused or Misused Words
Some words sound so similar, it's easy to confuse or misuse them when writing. Computer spell check won't catch these mistakes! Use this list as a reference whenever you're unsure about which word fits in the context.
- affect / effect
- Effect is usually a noun that means a result or the power to produce a result: “The sound of the falling rain had a calming effect, nearly putting me to sleep.” Affect is usually a verb that means to have an influence on: “His loud humming was affecting my ability to concentrate.” Note that effect can also be a verb meaning to bring about or execute: “The speaker's somber tone effected a dampening in the general mood of the audience.”
- all right / alright
- Although alright is widely used, it is considered nonstandard English. As the American Heritage Dictionary notes, it's not “all right to use alright.”
- all together / altogether
- All together is applied to people or things that are being treated as a group. “We put the pots and pans all together on the shelf.” All together is the form that must be used if the sentence can be reworded so that all and together are separated by other words: “We put all the pots and pans together on the shelf.” Altogether is used to mean entirely: “I am altogether pleased to be receiving this award.”
- allusion / illusion
- Allusion is a noun that means an indirect reference: “The speech made allusions to the final report.” Illusion is a noun that means a misconception: “The policy is designed to give an illusion of reform.”
- alternately / alternatively
- Alternately is an adverb that means in turn; one after the other: “We alternately spun the wheel in the game.” Alternatively is an adverb that means on the other hand; one or the other: “You can choose a large bookcase or, alternatively, you can buy two small ones.”
- beside / besides
- Beside is a preposition that means next to: “Stand here beside me.” Besides is an adverb that means also: “Besides, I need to tell you about the new products my company offers.”
- bimonthly / semimonthly
- Bimonthly is an adjective that means every two months: “I brought the cake for the bimonthly office party.” Bimonthly is also a noun that means a publication issued every two months: “The company publishes several popular bimonthlies.” Semimonthly is an adjective that means happening twice a month: “We have semimonthly meetings on the 1st and the 15th.”
- capital / capitol
- The city or town that is the seat of government is called the capital; the building in which the legislative assembly meets is the capitol. The term capital can also refer to an accumulation of wealth or to a capital letter.
- cite / site
- Cite is a verb that means to quote as an authority or example: “I cited several eminent scholars in my study of water resources.” It also means to recognize formally: “The public official was cited for service to the city.” It can also mean to summon before a court of law: “Last year the company was cited for pollution violations.” Site is a noun meaning location: “They chose a new site for the factory just outside town.”
- complement / compliment
- Complement is a noun or verb that means something that completes or makes up a whole: “The red sweater is a perfect complement to the outfit.” Compliment is a noun or verb that means an expression of praise or admiration: “I received compliments about my new outfit.”
- comprise / compose
- According to the traditional rule, the whole comprises the parts, and the parts compose the whole. Thus, the board comprises five members, whereas five members compose (or make up) the board. It is also correct to say that the board is composed (not comprised) of five members.
- concurrent / consecutive
- Concurrent is an adjective that means simultaneous or happening at the same time as something else: “The concurrent strikes of several unions crippled the economy.” Consecutive means successive or following one after the other: “The union called three consecutive strikes in one year.”
- connote / denote
- Connote is a verb that means to imply or suggest: “The word ‘espionage’ connotes mystery and intrigue.” Denote is a verb that means to indicate or refer to specifically: “The symbol for ‘pi’ denotes the number 3.14159.”
- convince / persuade
- Strictly speaking, one convinces a person that something is true but persuades a person to do something. “Pointing out that I was overworked, my friends persuaded [not convinced] me to take a vacation. Now that I'm relaxing on the beach with my book, I am convinced [not persuaded] that they were right.” Following this rule, convince should not be used with an infinitive.
- council / councilor / counsel / counselor
- A councilor is a member of a council, which is an assembly called together for discussion or deliberation. A counselor is one who gives counsel, which is advice or guidance. More specifically, a counselor can be an attorney or a supervisor at camp.
- discreet / discrete
- Discreet is an adjective that means prudent, circumspect, or modest: “Her discreet handling of the touchy situation put him at ease.” Discrete is an adjective that means separate or individually distinct: “Each company in the conglomerate operates as a discrete entity.”
- disinterested / uninterested
- Disinterested is an adjective that means unbiased or impartial: “We appealed to the disinterested mediator to facilitate the negotiations.” Uninterested is an adjective that means not interested or indifferent: “They seemed uninterested in our offer.”
- elicit / illicit
- Elicit is a verb that means to draw out. Illicit is an adjective meaning unlawful. “No matter how hard I tried to elicit a few scandalous stories from her, she kept all knowledge of illicit goings-on discreetly to herself. ”
- emigrant / immigrant
- Emigrant is a noun that means one who leaves one's native country to settle in another: “The emigrants spent four weeks aboard ship before landing in Los Angeles.” Immigrant is a noun that means one who enters and settles in a new country: “Most of the immigrants easily found jobs.” One emigrates from a place; one immigrates to another.
- farther / further
- Farther is an adjective and adverb that means to or at a more distant point: “We drove 50 miles today; tomorrow, we will travel 100 miles farther.” Further is an adjective and adverb that means to or at a greater extent or degree: “We won't be able to suggest a solution until we are further along in our evaluation of the problem.” It can also mean in addition or moreover: “They stated further that they would not change the policy.”
- few / less
- Few is an adjective that means small in number. It is used with countable objects: “This department has few employees.” Less is an adjective that means small in amount or degree. It is used with objects of indivisible mass: “Which jar holds less water?”
- figuratively / literally
- Figuratively is an adverb that means metaphorically or symbolically: “Happening upon the shadowy figure, they figuratively jumped out of their shoes.” Literally is an adverb that means actually: “I'm not exaggerating when I say I literally fell off my chair.” It also means according to the exact meaning of the words: “I translated the Latin passage literally.”
- flammable / inflammable
- These two words are actually synonyms, both meaning easily set on fire. The highly flammable (inflammable) fuel was stored safely in a specially built tank. Use nonflammable to mean not flammable.
- flaunt / flout
- To flaunt means to show off shamelessly: “Eager to flaunt her knowledge of a wide range of topics, Helene dreamed of appearing on a TV trivia show.” To flout means to show scorn or contempt for: “Lewis disliked boarding school and took every opportunity to flout the house rules.”
- foreword / forward
- Foreword is a noun that means an introductory note or preface: “In my foreword I explained my reasons for writing the book.” Forward is an adjective or adverb that means toward the front: “I sat in the forward section of the bus.” “Please step forward when your name is called.” Forward is also a verb that means to send on: “Forward the letter to the customer's new address.”
- founder / flounder
- In its primary sense founder means to sink below the surface of the water: “The ship foundered after colliding with an iceberg.” By extension, founder means to fail utterly. Flounder means to move about clumsily, or to act with confusion. A good synonym for flounder is blunder: “After floundering through the first half of the course, Amy finally passed with the help of a tutor.”
- hanged / hung
- Hanged is the past tense and past participle of hang when the meaning is to execute by suspending by the neck: “They hanged the prisoner for treason.” “The convicted killer was hanged at dawn.” Hung is the past tense and participle of hang when the meaning is to suspend from above with no support from below: “I hung the painting on the wall.” “The painting was hung at a crooked angle.”
- historic / historical
- In general usage, historic refers to what is important in history, while historical applies more broadly to whatever existed in the past whether it was important or not: “a historic summit meeting between the prime ministers;” “historical buildings torn down in the redevelopment.”
- i.e. / e.g.
- The abbreviation e.g. means for example (from Latin exempli gratia): “Her talents were legion and varied (e.g., deep sea diving, speed reading, bridge, and tango dancing).” The abbreviation i.e. means that is or in other words (from Latin id est): “The joy of my existence (i.e., my stamp collection) imbues my life with meaning.”
- it's / its
- It's is a contraction for it is, whereas its is the possessive form of it: “It's a shame that we cannot talk about its size.”
- laid / lain / lay
- Laid is the past tense and the past participle of the verb lay and not the past tense of lie. Lay is the past tense of the verb lie and lain is the past participle: “He laid his books down and lay down on the couch, where he has lain for an hour.”
- lend / loan
- Although some people feel loan should only be used as a noun, lend and loan are both acceptable as verbs in standard English: “Can you lend (loan) me a dollar?” However, only lend should be used in figurative senses: “Will you lend me a hand?”
- lightening / lightning
- Lightening is a verb that means to illuminate; lightning is a noun referring to the electrical charges the cause flashes of light during storms: “The lightning struck, lightening the sky.”
- nonplussed
- Meaning perplexed or bewildered, nonplussed is very often thought to mean just the opposite—calm, unruffled, cool-as-a-cucumber. A common mistake is to think the word means not “plussed,” but no such word exists. Nonplussed originates from the Latin non (no) and plus (more, further), and means a state in which no more can be done—one is so perplexed that further action is impossible. “The lexicographer grew increasingly agitated and nonplussed by the frequency with which she noted the misuse of nonplussed.”
- passed / past
- Passed is the past tense and past participle of pass. Past refers to time gone by; it is also a preposition meaning beyond. “In the past decade, I passed over countless opportunities; I was determined not to let them get past me again.”
- penultimate
- Meaning “next to last,” penultimate is often mistakenly used to mean “the very last,” or the ultimate: “The perfectionist was crestfallen when he was awarded the penultimate prize; the grand prize went to another.”
- precede / proceed
- The verb precede means to come before. Proceed means to move forward. “He preceded me into the room; once I caught up with him I proceeded to tell him off.”
- principal / principle
- Principal is a noun that means a person who holds a high position or plays an important role: “The school principal has 20 years of teaching experience.” Principal is also an adjective that means chief or leading: “The necessity of moving to another city was the principal reason I turned down the job offer.” Principle is a noun that means a rule or standard: “They refused to compromise their principles.”
- stationary / stationery
- Stationary is an adjective that means fixed or unmoving: “They maneuvered around the stationary barrier in the road.” Stationery is a noun that means writing materials: “We printed the letters on company stationery.”
- their / there / they're
- Their is the possessive form of they; there refers to place; and they're is the contraction of they are. “They're going there because their mother insisted they become proficient in Serbo-Croatian.”
- venal / venial
- Venal is an adjective that means corruptible; venial is an adjective that means a slight flaw or offense: “In the Catholic church, a venial sin is one that is minor and pardonable, whereas a mortal sin is a serious transgression involving more venal or depraved behavior.”
- who's / whose
- Who's is the contraction of who is. Whose is the possessive form of who. “Who's going to figure out whose job it is to clean the stables?”
- your / you're
- Your is the possessive form of you; you're is the contraction you are. “If you're planning on swimming, then be sure to bring your life vest and flippers.”
Read more: Easily Confused or Misused Words — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0200807.html#ixzz1doTekXB6
Irregular Verbs in English
List of Irregular Verbs in English
The following is a partial list of irregular verbs found in English. Each listing consists of the present/root form of the verb, the (simple) past form of the verb, and the past participle form of the verb.
| Present | Past | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| be | was, were | been |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| bring | brought | brought |
| build | built | built |
| burst | burst | burst |
| buy | bought | bought |
| burst | burst | burst |
| catch | caught | caught |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| come | came | come |
| cut | cut | cut |
| deal | dealt | dealt |
| do | did | done |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| feed | fed | fed |
| feel | felt | felt |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forbid | forbade | forbidden |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | gotten |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grow | grew | grown |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| hold | held | held |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| know | knew | known |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| leave | left | left |
| let | let | let |
| lie | lay | lain |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| meet | met | met |
| pay | paid | paid |
| quit | quit | quit |
| read | read | read |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| run | ran | run |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| seek | sought | sought |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| shine | shone | shone |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sit | sat | sat |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| spend | spent | spent |
| spring | sprang | sprung |
| stand | stood | stood |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| swim | swam | swum |
| swing | swung | swung |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tear | tore | torn |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| understand | understood | understood |
| wake | woke (waked) | woken (waked) |
| wear | wore | worn |
| win | won | won |
| write | wrote | written |
DICTIONARIES -- Well-Known English Dictionaries
Well-Known English Dictionaries
- Your Dictionary. The #1 Online Dictionary gives you definitions, thesaurus entries, spelling, pronunciation, and etymology results.
- Cambridge International Dictionaries. Online dictionaries of English, idioms, and phrasal verbs.
- Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Provides a free online dictionary, thesaurus, audio pronunciation, word games, and word of the day.
- Newbury House dictionary of American English. Over 40,000 entries with simple, clear definitions, and a wealth of sample sentences and idioms.
- Dictionary.com. Largest free online dictionary and audio pronunciation.
- Vocabulary. The world's fastest, smartest dictionary: Start typing a word and you'll see the definition.
Bilingual Dictionaries
- English-Chinese Dictionary.Type in an English word and get its meaning in Chinese.
- Chinese-English Dictionary.Type in Chinese and get its meaning in English.
- English<>Spanish Dictionary. Compilation of general and academic terminology that students and professionals encounter.
- Dictionary of Spanish. With over 54,000 entries. You can enter English word to find Spanish word or enter Spanish word to find English word. You can also hear the pronunciation of the word.
- English-French Dictionary. The dictionary contains over 75,000 terms. You can search for an English word or a French word.
- English-German Dictionary. Nearly 230,000 entries. A service provided by LEO - Link Everything Online.
- English-Japanese Dictionary. Typing in an English word and get definitions in Japanese.
- English-Korean Dictionary. Typing in an English word and get definitions in Korean.
Visual Dictionaries
- Picture Dictionary. A completely free, online multilingual picture dictionary designed for ESL students.
- Visual Dictionary Online. 20,000 terms with contextual definitions, developed by terminology experts.
- Visual Dictionary. To learn by way of image with thematic, clear and precise pages, with concise and rigorous texts.
Dictionaries of Proper Nouns
- A Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Nouns, including a list of common names for English speakers, names of 50 states, and 43 Presidents.
- Pronunciation of Names of People and Places. English Pronunciation Guide to the Names of People, Places, and Stuff.
- Pronunciation of Words and Phrases. Type in a word or phrase to listen to its pronunciation, including proper nouns.
Acronym
- Acronym Finder. The world's largest and most comprehensive dictionary of acronyms and abbreviations.
- Acronym. A big acronym database. New acronyms are constantly added by users.
- Acronym Guide. A Directory of Common Acronyms and Abbreviations by Topic.
Thesaurus
- Online Thesaurus. Excellent thesaurus, a dictionary of synonyms by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC.
- thesaurus.com. Quickly find accurate and up-to-date synonyms, antonyms, and related words.
- Visual Thesaurus. An online thesaurus and dictionary of over 145,000 words that you explore using an interactive map.
Homonym
- Homonym. The list contains homonyms as well as homophones with definintions for each word.
Other Dictionaries
- Answers. Search for definitions, pronunciation, and even translation.
- Word Reference. You can get definitions in different languages, by Michael Kellogg of WordReference.com.
- WordNet Search. An online lexical reference system whose design is inspired by current psycholinguistic theories of human lexical memory.
- Netlingo. It contains hundreds of words and definitions that describe the technology and community world of the Web.
- Online Dictionary of Computing. It contains over 13,000 hypertext links to different terms.
- Meta Dictionary. This site searches through over 400 dictionaries for the word you type in.
- The Phrase Finder. Typing a word and getting a list of phrases.
- A Multi-Purpose Dictionary. It is a dictionary where you can find rhymes, synonyms, match consonants, and even search for pictures for the word you type in.
- Free Online Dictionary – Comprehensive English dictionary with word definitions, synonyms, and antonyms.
ACADEMIC CALENDAR
ACADEMIC CALENDAR
FALL 2011
Testing................................................................................................................................August 17
Registration and Academic Advising ............................................................................August 18-19
Classes begin.....................................................................................................................August 22
Orientation..........................................................................................................................August 27
Labor Day (Holiday) ...................................................................................................... September 5
Last day classes may be added/dropped without academic penalty............................ September 6
Veterans Day (Holiday) ................................................................................................ November 11
Fall recess ............................................................................................................... November 22-26
Classes resume .......................................................................................................... November 28
Final examinations ................................................................................................... December 5-10
Fall semester ends ....................................................................................................... December 10
SPRING 2012
Testing.............................................................................................................................. January 11
Registration and Academic Advising .......................................................................... January 12-13
Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday (Holiday) ......................................................................... January 16
Classes begin................................................................................................................... January 17
Orientation ....................................................................................................................... January 21
Last day classes may be added/dropped without academic penalty .............................. January 30
Presidents’ Day (Holiday)................................................................................................February 20
Spring recess .................................................................................................................March 13-17
Classes resume ................................................................................................................. March 19
Final examinations ............................................................................................................... May 1-7
Spring semester ends ............................................................................................................. May 7
Commencement .................................................................................................................... May 26
SUMMER 2012
Testing ................................................................................................................................... May 31
Registration and Academic Advising ....................................................................... May 31 - June 1
Classes begin ......................................................................................................................... June 4
Orientation .............................................................................................................................. June 9
Independence Day (Holiday).....................................................................................................July 4
Seven-week summer session ends .......................................................................................July 21
FALL 2012
Testing................................................................................................................................August 15
Registration and Academic Advising ............................................................................August 16-17
Classes begin.....................................................................................................................August 20
Orientation..........................................................................................................................August 25
Labor Day (Holiday) ...................................................................................................... September 3
Last day classes may be added/dropped without academic penalty............................ September 4
Veterans Day (Holiday) ................................................................................................ November 12
Fall recess ............................................................................................................... November 20-24
Classes resume .......................................................................................................... November 26
Final examinations ..................................................................................................... December 3-8
Fall semester ends ......................................................................................................... December 8
Dictionaries
from http://esl.fis.edu/learners/advice/dic.htm
Reasons for using a dictionary
A dictionary is a very important tool for anyone who is learning a new language. With a good dictionary you can do the following:- look up the meaning of an English word you see or hear
- find the English translation of a word in your language
- check the spelling of a word
- check the plural of a noun or past tense of a verb
- find out other grammatical information about a word
- find the synonym or antonym of a word
- look up the collocations of a word
- check the part of speech of a word
- find out how to say a word
- find out about the register of a word
- find examples of the use of a word in natural language
To be a good dictionary user, however, it is not enough to know what to use the dictionary for. You must also decide which is the best dictionary for any of the purposes listed above. As well as this, you need to be able to find what you are looking for quickly; you need to be sure that you have found what you were looking for; and, most importantly, you need to know when to use your dictionary.
Knowing which dictionary to use
Electronic dictionaries are the best choice for ESL students. Most of them contain native-language equivalents and explanations, as well as definitions and example sentences in English. They can speak the English word to you, and they are easy to carry around. However, they are expensive and easy to lose, so put your name on yours!A cheaper possibility, if you are going to work at the computer, is to use an online dictionary. A very good one for ESL students is the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Alternatively, if you open Google and type, for example, define: superstitious, you will get a long list of different definitions of superstitious.
A good monolingual dictionary is recommended for students who already have a high standard of English and want to learn about word use.
Finding words quickly
This is a skill that you need to practise. Ask someone to write down 5 words and see how long it takes you to find them. Of course, you will need to know the English alphabet perfectly, so practise this too. Use the guide words at the top of each dictionary page; and keep practising until you can find any word within 10 seconds. You should also practise finding words in your own language in your bilingual dictionary. If you use an electronic dictionary, take some time at home to learn how it works and, again, practise finding words quickly.Finding the right meaning of an English word
Very often when you look up a new English word, you find that it has more than one meaning. If you are not sure which one is correct, here’s what you can do:- First, check through all the meanings and find the one that makes most sense in the context where you found the word. (Very often, many of the different meanings are similar and this should be enough to give you a good idea what the word means.)
- Second, if you really want to make sure, think what the word is in your own language and look it up in a bilingual dictionary. If one of the English translations is the original word you looked up, then you can be satisfied that you have found the right meaning.
Finding the right spelling
Another problem you may have is when you want to check your spelling but you can’t find the word you’re looking for. What can you do?- If you are sure of the first few letters, just look down the page until you find the right spelling. (Again, it is helpful to check the meaning is the one you expect.)
- If you are not sure of the first few letters, try some other possibilities. You know for example that some words that start with an -n sound have k as their first letter; e.g. knife,knight. So if you can't find the word under N, try looking in the K pages.
- If you still can’t find the word, think what it is in your language and look it up in your bilingual dictionary.
[Advice on using the computer spellcheck]
Finding the right English translation of a word in your language
When you look up a word in your own language in a bilingual dictionary, you will probably find that there is more than one English translation. If you are not sure which to use, you could try aback translation. This means that you look up the English translations one by one in a monolingual dictionary. If a word has a definition that matches the word in your language, you are safe to use it.Knowing when to use the dictionary
If you look up every new word you see or hear, you will spend your whole day with the dictionary in your hand. That’s no good! You have to be clever and choose the right words to check and the right time to do it. Try to follow the advice below and you will become a much more efficient language learner:- When you find a new word while reading, finish the sentence (better: the paragraph). If you haven’t guessed the meaning and it still seems important, then you can look it up. To avoid interrupting your reading for too long, you should find its meaning in your own language using a bilingual dictionary.
- When you hear a new word in class (or the teacher has written it on the board), wait and continue listening. What the teacher says next may help you to understand the word. If you look in your dictionary, you will not hear what comes next, and this will make understanding the lesson more and more difficult.
If you think the word is very important, you could copy it from the board or write how you think it is spelled. Then later you could ask the teacher or another student what it means.
"If you look up every new word you see or hear, you will spend your whole day with the dictionary in your hand."
8.11.11
7.11.11
18.10.11
Suffixes -- Common Suffixes
Common Suffixes
| Noun Suffixes | ||
| Suffix | Meaning | Example |
| -acy | state or quality | privacy |
| -al | act or process of | refusal |
| -ance, -ence | state or quality of | maintenance, eminence |
| -dom | place or state of being | freedom, kingdom |
| -er, -or | one who | trainer, protector |
| -ism | doctrine, belief | communism |
| -ist | one who | chemist |
| -ity, -ty | quality of | veracity |
| -ment | condition of | argument |
| -ness | state of being | heaviness |
| -ship | position held | fellowship |
| -sion, -tion | state of being | concession, transition |
| Verb Suffixes | ||
| -ate | become | eradicate |
| -en | become | enlighten |
| -ify, -fy | make or become | terrify |
| -ize, -ise | become | civilize |
| Adjective Suffixes | ||
| -able, -ible | capable of being | edible, presentable |
| -al | pertaining to | regional |
| -esque | reminiscent of | picturesque |
| -ful | notable for | fanciful |
| -ic, -ical | pertaining to | musical, mythic |
| -ious, -ous | characterized by | nutritious, portentous |
| -ish | having the quality of | fiendish |
| -ive | having the nature of | creative |
| -less | without | endless |
| -y | characterized by | sleazy |
Cognitive Study of “Anger” Metaphors in English and Chinese Idioms Peilei Chen
www.ccsenet.org/ass Asian Social Science Vol. 6, No. 8; August 2010
Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 73
A Cognitive Study of “Anger” Metaphors
in English and Chinese Idioms
Peilei Chen
Foreign Language School, Henan University of Technology
Zhengzhou 450052, Henan, China
E-mail: englishplay@sina.com
Abstract
Anger is one of the basic human emotions. This paper takes the metaphorical expressions of “anger” in English
and Chinese idioms as the objects of research. The effort is made to find the differences and similarities between
English and Chinese metaphorical systems of emotional concepts and the causes of these differences and
similarities so as to help people further understand the nature of emotional metaphors.
Keywords: Cognition, Anger, Metaphor, English, Chinese, Idioms
Metaphor is a panhuman capability to cognize the world. Every language in the world has similar root metaphors
based on common human experience, which actually bear universality in concept. Cognition of new concepts
through novel metaphor shows that human beings get to know new things through those root metaphors. When a
particular metaphor is said to be universal, it is likely that it is universal conceptually rather than linguistically.
Particular instantiation of that conceptual metaphor may still vary because specific cultural models in different
languages may indicate different choices of linguistic realization. Metaphors of emotions in the language are
most typical examples to show how abstract concepts are structured by more concrete concepts metaphorically,
for emotions are highly unstructured concepts. Idioms of “anger” in English and Chinese are good examples to
prove that there are same metaphorical concepts of emotions in English and Chinese languages, and on the other
hand, metaphors are greatly nation-specific and culture-loaded.
1. Similarities of “Anger” Metaphors in English and Chinese Idioms
Anger is another basic human emotion. According to psychologists, when an individual’s wish is not met, and
the behavior to fulfill this wish is frustrated again and again, stress accumulates and the emotional experience of
anger is produced. When the individual knows the source of frustration, people or things, he will normally show
angry reactions toward it.
1.1 ANGER IS HEAT
In the view of Lakoff (1980) and Kovecses (1986), one basic physiological effect of anger is increased body heat.
Given the general metonymic principle that the physiological effects of an emotion stand for the emotion, we get
a typical conceptual metaphor in English to express anger: ANGER IS HEAT. It has two versions: one is
ANGER IS FIRE, the other is ANGER IS HOT FLUID IN A CONTAINER. The metaphorical concept ANGER
IS FIRE is present in both English and Chinese. In English we can find it in the following idioms: add fuel to the
fire, to blaze up, to blaze out, hot under the collar to flash/ shoot fire.
The Chinese equivalent for anger is 发火 or 恼火. In Chinese we also have such expressions: 怒火中烧, 火冒
三丈, 七窍生烟.
1.2 ANGER IS PSYSIOLOGY REACTION
Another conceptual metaphor is ANGER IS THE PSYSIOLOGY REACTION OF ANGER in English and
Chinese idioms. They share something in common in the respect of parts of human body when conveying anger.
These shared parts are eyes, hair, face, and hands:
Eyes: to look daggers at someone, to throw one’s eyes up, 怒目而视 (to stare at somebody in anger), 横眉怒目
(straightened eyebrows and irritated eyes) and 目光如炬 (one’s eyes flash fire as a torch).
Hair: to get in somebody’s hair, to lose one’s hair, 令人发指 (to make one’s hair stand up in great anger) and 怒
发冲冠 to be so angry that one’s hackles rise; to bristle with fury).
www.ccsenet.org/ass Asian Social Science Vol. 6, No. 8; August 2010
74 ISSN 1911-2017 E-ISSN 1911-2025
Face: to look black, as black as sin / thunder to turn red in the face, 勃然大怒, 勃然变色 (to burst into anger;
to fly into a rage), 疾颜厉色 (with sudden outpouring and fierce looks; with hasty words and a stern
countenance), 怒形于色 (to show anger on one’s face; with an angry look ) and 怫然作色 (to take a distorted
look out of anger).
Hands: to grab for altitude, to shake one’s fist at somebody 拍案而起 (to slap the table and rise at a sudden),
拂袖而去 (to flick the sleeves and go away), 戟指怒目(pointing and staring at somebody).
ANGER IS FIRE and ANGER IS THE PHYSIOLOGY REACTON OF ANGER come from the same physical
structures and the same physiology reactions of human beings when they are angry. In the metaphorical
mechanism, emotional changes can be reflected through physiology reactions of emotions. When one person is
angry, his body becomes hot, then his face and head, then the pressure in his body becomes higher to make his
vessels swell, then there are some other body reactions such as quivering, clenching teeth, stamping feet, etc; at
last his sense organs are affected, such as 两眼发黑, 头昏眼花 etc. So we have the similar expressions in both
languages.
1.3 ANGER IS THUNDER
ANGER IS THUNDER. An angry person reminds both English and Chinese people of a natural
phenomenon--thunder, as they are equally alerting and threatening. In English idioms they describe a man in
anger as black as thunder, with a face like thunder; and in Chinese we say 大发雷霆 (to burst into a rage; an
explosion of rage),暴跳如雷 (to stamp with rage; to stamp about in a frenzy), 雷霆之怒 (as powerful as a
thunderbolt).
2. Differences between “Anger” Metaphors in English and Chinese Idioms
2.1 ANGER IS SOMETHING HOT IN A CONTAINER
Both in English and Chinese, anger is compared to something hot in a container. But in the basic English cultural
model, anger is more often hot fluid (blood). The English feel something strange with their blood when they are
in anger. Their blood may be “up”, “hot / warm” and “boiling”. We might as well bear it in mind that when an
English speaker mentions his blood, you may just keep away from him because that implies he is not in a good
mood. (However; in Chinese the conceptual metaphor is BOILING BLOOD IS ENTHUSIASM: when a Chinese
feels his blood is hot and boiling (热血沸腾, he is actually fairly emotional and ambitious). Human body is the
container of emotions, so ANGER IS HOT FLUID IN A CONTAINER, e.g. (to be) in hot (warm) blood, to make
somebody’s blood boil. Therefore, anger has every characteristics of heated fluid in a container. One thing we
know about hot fluids is that, when they start to boil, the fluid goes upward: one’s blood is up, to get (have) one’s
blood up, to get somebody’s blood up. We also know that intense heat produces steam and creates pressure on the
container. When the pressure on the container becomes too high, the container explodes. In an explosion, parts of
the container go up in the air: to go up in the air, blow one’s top, hit the ceiling / roof.
In Chinese the conceptual metaphor ANGER IS HOT AIR IN A CONTAINER is more common, which can be
found in idioms:气势汹汹, 怒气冲冲, 杀气腾腾, 肝气郁结, 气冲牛斗, 气急败坏.
These different features stem from the different views of world of two cultures and languages. Stanli, a
philosopher in the ancient West, considers water to be the source of the universe. Therefore, it’s no wonder that
in English anger is compared to fluid in a container. But in traditional Chinese culture, qi (air) is the source of the
universe. In Chinese classical philosophy, qi (air) is the basic form of physical existence and the source of life. In
the oldest Chinese medical work “黄帝内经”, it is pointed out that all diseases originate from the malfunction of
qi (百病生于气也, 怒则气上, 喜则气缓, 悲则气上, 恐则气下, 惊则气乱, 思则气结……). And the
philosopher Wang Chong in the East Han Dynasty said all things in the universe have evolved from qi (天地合
气, 万物自生. “论衡·自然”). Qi is so pervasive in Chinese culture and language that we can find various forms
of it in idioms and idiomatic expressions: qi signifying weather, e.g.天气睛朗, 秋高气爽; qi signifying destiny,
e.g.好运气, 气数己尽; qi signifying physical condition, e.g.有气无力, 元气大伤; qi signifying spirit and
morale, e.g.勇气可嘉, 血气方刚, 英雄气概, 气派不凡, 暮气沉沉, 喜气洋洋, 颐指气使; qi referring to
people’s personality and characteristics, e.g.气度非凡, 气量狭小, 脾气暴躁, 气宇轩昂; qi in art and aesthetics,
e.g.气韵, 荡气回肠; and qi signifying power and momentum, e.g.气势雄伟, 一鼓作气, 气吞山河 etc.
We can also explain why Chinese language prefers “fire” and “qi (air)” in “anger” metaphors with another
important theory in Chinese classical philosophy--Yin Yang theory. According to this theory, all the things in
universe are generally divided into two categories: Yin and Yang, which are mutually promoted, restrained and
are interchangeable. The qi (air) and fire belong to the category Yang which is related to “hot”; water and other
fluids belong to the other category Yin which is related to “cold”. So it’s easier to understand why the Chinese
www.ccsenet.org/ass Asian Social Science Vol. 6, No. 8; August 2010
Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 75
choose fire and qi (air) as the metaphorical concept for anger, while English choose fire and hot fluid, because in
English there’s no such conceptual system as “qi (air) is the source of the world” nor the metaphorical system
about air.
In Chinese anger is hot air and are usually rented to liver and lung, e.g 他肝火很旺. 他肺都气炸了. This is
because in traditional Chinese medical science there are such views: anger is harmful to the liver (怒则伤肝); the
lung dominate all the air in one’s body (肺主一身之气).
2.2 ANGER IS HUMAN BODY PARTS
Apart from idioms related to the shared human body parts mentioned, some idioms can convey wrath only in
English or Chinese. In English, people can express anger with ears. An American in anger can not only be put up
on his ear or be on his ears, he can even walk off on his ears. In Chinese, besides the eyebrows we have idioms
related to the teeth and breast to express anger:
Eyebrows: 柳眉倒竖 (to raise her slender eyebrows in anger), 横眉立目 (to face others with frowning brows
and angry eyes), 直眉瞪眼 (to stare in anger).
Teeth: 咬牙切齿 (to clench one’s teeth in bitter hatred; to grind one’s teeth with anger).
Breast: 义愤填膺 (to be filled with rightful indignation; anger filled one’s breast).
Compared with English, Chinese does not express anger with so many human body parts and the movements
shown in the idioms are not so dynamic and exaggerative. The eyebrows and vital energy are still of our major
interest in idioms to convey emotions. Even when they are angry, Chinese people usually first try to hide their
true feelings. Then when they feel rather uncontrollable, they express it on the face, and most possibly, on the
brows and eyes. And when the last straw comes, they might take advantage of the limbs. Roughly speaking,
Chinese people tend to create idioms to convey anger in some passive way because gentleness and obedience
have been regarded as great virtues for thousands of years.
2.3 ANGER IS AGGRESSIVE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
In English idioms we can encounter a conceptual metaphor ANGER IS AGGRESSIVE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR.
In the idiom like a bear with a sore head angry persons are compared to bears, which are notoriously
bad-tempered. English speakers also molded some idioms from cocks. The hackles are the long feathers on the
neck of the domestic cock which rise when it is angry and preparing for a fight. They noticed that the cocks were
angry with the hackles up, so they could make someone’s hackles rise by ruffling his, feathers. In the idiom to
snap (bite) off somebody’s head, a person shouting angrily is compared to an animal jumping down a victim’s
throat. And the idioms to hump one’s back and to cross somebody’s bows remind us of a fierce beast ready to
attack its enemy.
3. The Cultural Specificity of “Anger” Metaphors in Idioms
Because of the difference in cultures, emotional metaphors in English and Chinese have respective
characteristics. The difference lies in the two peoples’ geographic environments, personalities, value, concepts,
thinking modes and views of the world, which are reflected in their idioms conveying emotions.
People in the ancient west considered water to be the source of the universe. So in the metaphorical concept
ANGER IS HOT FIUID IN A CONTAINER anger is compared to hot liquid. But in traditional Chinese culture,
qi (fair) .is the source of the universe and the source of life. So we have the metaphor ANGER IS HOT AIR IN A
CONTAINER. Qi is so pervasive in Chinese culture and language that we can find various forms of it in Chinese
idioms.
English people are rather frank and direct in manner. To express their emotions, they often apply obvious
movements of the whole body or of the four limbs that can be seen from a long distance away. From the different
parts of human body or movements applied we may reach a conclusion that English idioms have a tendency
towards outwardness. English speakers do not think the liver, the gall and the intestines have anything to do with
human’s psychology. In any possible cases in which the Chinese might think of other internal parts, they just turn
to the heart.
In Chinese traditional culture, modesty, sedation, gentleness and obedience have been regarded as great virtues
for thousands of years. So compared with English people, the Chinese people are relatively reserved and tend to
suppress their feelings. Much more attention is paid to concrete and inwardness by Chinese people, who tend to
express their emotions with movements of rather smaller parts of the body such as eyebrows, inner organs, and
even the invisible soul and vital energy. Of course, we also have the actions of beating breast and stamping, but
they are not of dominant tendency to be discussed. The Chinese always relate the changes of human moods to
www.ccsenet.org/ass Asian Social Science Vol. 6, No. 8; August 2010
76 ISSN 1911-2017 E-ISSN 1911-2025
the five internal organs, i.e. heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys, which have their deep resources from
traditional Chinese medical science. Vocal organs are also involved in both English and Chinese idioms, but they
appear in different directions.
The England is an island country surrounded by ocean, and life of the British people is closely related to things
like boat and water. China is an inland country with agricultural culture. These geographic features are reflected
in their idioms.
Images of animals in idioms are also very different in English and Chinese idioms. There is the conceptual
metaphor ANGER IS AGGRESSIVE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR in English. An angry person is compared to a bear,
a cock or a cat humping its back. The Occidentals used to look on hare or chicken as the synonym of coward,
while in Chinese mouse is used to refer to a coward. Though dog appears frequently in English and Chinese
idioms, the two peoples have contrary opinions about it. People in the west are very fond of dogs, which are
treated as man’s best friend and are applied to refer to all kinds of people, while the images of dog often have a
derogatory meaning in Chinese idioms.
References
Dai, Mingzhao. (1996). An Introduction to Cultural Linguistics. Beijing: Language and Literature Press.
Lakoff, G & M. Johnson. (1980). Metaphors We Live By. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Lakoff, G.. (1993). The Contemporary Theory of Metaphor. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Lan, Chun. (2005). A Study of Cognitive Linguistics and Metaphor. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and
Research Press.
Ning, Yu. (1998). The Contemporary Theory of Metaphor: A Perspective from Chinese. Amsterdam/Philadelphia:
John Benjamin’s Publishing Company.
Ye, Yiqian. (1991). General Psychology. Shanghai: East China Normal University Press.
11.10.11
Food Idioms
Food Idioms
from http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/idioms-food.htm| Idiom | Meaning | Example Sentence | |
| apple of one's eye | a person that is adored by someone | Baby Jessica is the apple of her father's eye. | |
| (have a) bun in the oven | be pregnant | I don't think Jan will come to the bar because she has a bun in the oven. | |
| bad egg | a person who is often in trouble | I don't want my little brother hanging around with the bad eggs on the street. | |
| big cheese | very important person (VIP) | I thought I was just going to interview the secretary, but they let me talk to the big cheese himself. | |
| bread and butter | necessities, the main thing | Just explain the bread and butter of your report. You don't have to go into details. | |
| bring home the bacon | earn the income | My husband has had to bring home the baconever since I broke my leg. | |
| butter someone up | be extra nice to someone (usually for selfish reasons) | We'll have to butter Angie up before we tell her the news about the broken vase. | |
| (have one's) cake and eat it too | want more than your fair share or need | Rick wants to have his cake and eat it too. He wants to be single but he doesn't want me to date anyone else. | |
| carrot top | person with red or orange hair | Simon is the first carrot top I've ever gone out with. | |
| cheesy | silly | I love reading cheesy romance novels because I don't have to think. | |
| cool as a cucumber | very relaxed | I thought I was afraid of flying, but I was cool as a cucumber all the way to England. | |
| cream of the crop | the best | We hired the cream of the crop to entertain us at the Christmas party. | |
| (don't) cry over spilled milk | get upset over something that has happened and cannot be changed | The mirror is broken and we can't fix it. There's no need to cry over spilled milk. | |
| cup of joe | cup of coffee | Let's stop for a cup of joe before we head to work. | |
| (not my) cup of tea | something you enjoy (usually used negatively) | Opera isn't exactly my cup of tea. | |
| egg someone on | urge someone to do something | The gang tried to egg us on but we didn't want to fight. | |
| freeze one's buns off | be very cold | I froze my buns off at the ice rink. | |
| full of beans | have a lot of (silly) energy | The kids were full of beans after the circus. | |
| gravy train | extremely good pay for minimal work | The unionized grocers have been enjoying thegravy train for twenty years. | |
| (have something) handed to someone on a silver platter | receive without working for something | The professor's daughter had her college diplomahanded to her on a silver platter. | |
| hard nut to crack | difficult to understand (often a person) | Angelo is a hard nut to crack when something is bothering him like this. | |
| hot potato | a controversial or difficult subject | Choosing a location for our new store is a hot potato right now. | |
| in a nutshell | simply | In a nutshell, I'm having a bad day. | |
| nuts about something, someone | like a lot | I'm nuts about classical music these days. | |
| out to lunch | crazy or mad | Harry has been out to lunch ever since he lost his job. | |
| one smart cookie | a very intelligent person | Your daughter is one smart cookie. She reads much higher than her grade level. | |
| peach fuzz | small amount of hair growth | Except for a bit of peach fuzz, the baby came out bald. | |
| piece of cake | very easy | The exam was a piece of cake. | |
| put all of ones eggs in one basket | rely on one single thing | Even though I'm majoring in Art, I'm taking a maths course because my Dad says I shouldn'tput all of my eggs in one basket. | |
| souped up | made more powerful or stylish | The car was souped up with shiny rims and a loud stereo. | |
| sell like hot cakes | bought by many people | The new Harry Potter books sold like hot cakes. | |
| spice things up | make something more exciting | I wanted to spice things up in the office, so I bought some red and gold paint. | |
| spill the beans | reveal the truth | On Monday, I'm going to spill the beans about my travel plans. | |
| take something with a pinch (grain) of salt | don't consider something 100% accurate | Take Mandy's advice with a pinch of salt. She doesn't always do her research. | |
| use your noodle | use your brain | You're going to have to really use your noodleon this crossword puzzle. It's an extra difficult one. | |
Questions about Idioms? Ask them in EnglishClub's Vocabulary Forum!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)