Rules for writers, Tenth edition - Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers 2021
Take care with idioms
Find the exact words
Clarity
Idioms are speech forms that follow no easily specified rules. The English say “Bernice went to hospital,” an idiom strange to American ears, which are accustomed to hearing the in front of hospital. Idioms with prepositions (such as with, to, at, and of) sometimes cause trouble, especially when they follow certain verbs and adjectives. When in doubt, consult a dictionary.
UNIDIOMATIC |
IDIOMATIC |
agree to (an idea) |
agree with (an idea) |
angry at (a person) |
angry with (a person) |
different than (a person or thing) |
different from (a person or thing) |
off of |
off |
plan on doing |
plan to do |
sure and |
sure to |
try and |
try to |
FOR MULTILINGUAL WRITERS
Because idioms follow no particular rules, you must learn them individually. You may find it helpful to keep a list of idioms that you frequently encounter in conversation and in reading.
EXERCISE 18-2
Edit the following sentences to eliminate errors in the use of idiomatic expressions. If a sentence is correct, write “correct” after it. Revisions appear in the back of the book.
a. Queen Anne was so angry at Sarah Churchill that she refused to see her again.
b. Jean-Pierre is going to try and finish his sociology project this weekend.
c. The parade moved off of the street and onto the beach.
d. The experienced hikers plan on making the dangerous trek across the mountains.
e. Be sure to fill out the necessary forms before going to the DMV.