Lesson 1 (Week 1):

COLLOQUIALISM
The learner demonstrates understanding of ways of determining word
Content Standard
meaning.

The learner transfers learning by using colloquialism in an appropriate

Performance
structure.
Standard

Learning The learners… Codes

Competencies
1) Select an appropriate colloquial or EN7V-I-e-22.2
idiomatic word or expression as a
substitute for another word or expression.

Specific Learning At the end of the lesson, the learners will be able to:
Outcomes 1) test their knowledge about colloquialism;
2) give importance of learning colloquial language; and
3) use the following colloquial pairs in a sentence.

INTRODUCTION
Colloquialism is an informal expression that is used more often in relaxed
conversation than in formal speech or writing. These develop in language through
years of casual communication between familiar speakers.
Colloquialisms are not “substandard or illiterate speech,” says Maity
Schrecengost. Rather, they are “idioms, conversational phrases, and informal speech
patterns often common to a particular region or nationality. Not found everywhere,
colloquialisms are words and phrases that we learn at home rather than at school,”
(Schrecengost 2010)
Etymology: From the Latin “colloquium”, meaning “conversation”

PRE-ACTIVITY
Learning Task 1:

Can you match the emotion with the colloquial phrase that expresses it? (6pts.)

Emotions Colloquialism
1. If you stop feeling angry or upset you … a. get carried away
2. If you get so excited that you exaggerate you b. freak out
… c. perks you up
3. If people really annoy you, they … d. get to you
4. If something makes you feel better, it … e. calm down
5. If you completely lose your temper, you … f. gets you down
6. If something really depresses you, it …

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 ANALYSIS
Learning Task 2:

Test your knowledge about colloquialism by analyzing the correct answer. (3pts.)
1. Choose the correct definition of colloquialism.
a. A set of words used by a certain social group.
b. Language that is used by people of a specific profession.
c. Informal language that is a part of a regional dialect.

2. Which of these is an example of colloquialism?

a. Her fleece was white as snow.
b. I’m gonna grab a soda.
c. It’s five o’clock in the afternoon.

3. Which of these Shakespeare quotes is an example of colloquialism?

a. Anon, good nurse. (Romeo and Juliet)
b. To be, or not to be. ( Hamlet)
c. All the world’s a stage. (As You Like It)

DISCUSSION
Colloquialism Definition

Colloquialism, like slang, is informal language. The only difference is that, colloquial is
considered part of the standard. It may add “humor” and “color” to your language.
Colloquialism is also known as colloquial language and is a form of speaking which uses
an informal tone and words. It is used in a casual context and is much easy to listen to and read
than a more formal text or conversation. When using colloquialism as a figure of speech, one
would expect to hear terms which are not technical and language which is idiomatic and not
specialist.
Colloquialism can be used as a literary device, and this is more common than you might
think especially inn pieces of work where the author wants to speak to the reader on a more
informal level. It can help a writer to make a point much easy to understand and can cause the
text to be less intimidating to read.
Depending on where you are in the world will depend on the colloquialisms you will hear
in every day speech. For example, English speaking countries such as the UK, USA, and
Australia all have very different colloquial expressions and what is used in one country, may
make no sense in another. Although, that being said, most English speaking countries have a
knowledge of the colloquialisms used in other countries and so would know what you were
referring to.

Colloquialism in Conversation

During your day to day conversations, you will probably notice that colloquial language is used
far more often than any sort of formal speech. We are now going to take a look at some
colloquialisms which you may come across during casual conversation.
 Y’all is used as a shortened version of ‘you all’. For example, “are y’all coming to the
movies this weekend?”
 Buzz off is used to tell someone to go away.
 Being blue is used to refer to being sad. For example, “my brother has been blue all
day.”

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  Frequent colloquialisms used are gonna and wanna which refer to the phrases ‘going to’
and ‘want to’. For example, “You’re gonna wanna see this!”
 To go nuts is colloquial language for going crazy. For example, “My dad is going to go
nuts when he sees what I’ve done to his car.”
 Being chicken means to be scared. For example, “Don’t be a chicken, just go and ask
him out.”
 Ain’t is colloquial language for is not. For example, “I ain’t going to read that book, it
looks boring.”
 The word ace is used to talk about something really good. For example, “Have you heard
her sing, she is ace.”
 The word cheers is often used colloquially in place of thank you. For example “Cheers
for picking up my breakfast from the take out cafe.”
 To take a rain check is a common colloquialism which means to cancel plans until a later
date. For example “I’m not feeling too great, can we take a rain check on lunch today?”
 To freak out is colloquial language meaning to get worked up. For example, “I am going
to totally freak out if I don’t pass this test.”
 Using the term ‘what’s the buzz’ is a colloquial way of asking if there is any news to
report.
 A more recent colloquialism is the word bae, which is used to refer to a boyfriend or
girlfriend, or indeed a spouse. For example “I’m really missing bae right now, he’s away
on vacation until next week.”

APPLICATION
Learning Task 3:

Today teenagers speak in a very informal way among themselves. (6pts.)

Match the colloquial and informal sentences on the left with their meanings on the right.

A. He is around the bend. 1. She is extremely tired.

B. She is very touchy. 2. He doesn’t like it.
C. She looks knackered. 3. She is a bit angry.
D. He’s a bit on edge. 4. He is crazy.
E. It’s not his cup of tea. 5. He’s saying silly things.
F. She’s a bit shirty. 6. She becomes easily offended.

Learning Task 4:

What is the importance of learning colloquial language? (5pts.)

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.

SUMMARY
 Colloquial language is something that you are going to come across very
frequently when speaking and reading in the English language. It is a way of
speaking that is casual and is used in many informal conversations. It is also used
in a literary context by writers when they wish to give the piece of writing a less
formal tone and is a great way to connect with the reader.

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 POST-ACTIVITY
Learning Task 5: The following sets of sentences contain colloquialism. Circle every
colloquial word or expression that you find. (10pts.)

1. I ain’t interested in joining the audition.

2. She’s gonna call you tomorrow.
3. They wanna go home early.
4. You gotta go now.
5. She’s very prim and proper about everything.
6. The rules are hard and fast; I can’t follow them.
7. He’s been running to and fro all day.
8. She’s sick and tired of her boss. I think she’s looking for a new job.
9. I need to learn the ins and outs of my father’s business.
10. We just had odds and ends for dinner.

Learning Task 6: Fill in the correct colloquial pair in each sentence. Choose from the boxed
list on the right. (8pts.)
Colloquial Pairs
1. She believes that, ________________ there is nothing we can
do to change anything. safe and sound
2. Janice is ______________ in everything. She hates a cluttered ins and outs
table. pros and cons
hard and fast
3. I’m afraid these rules are ________________. We can’t make
by and large
any exceptions. prim and proper
4. We just had _________________ for dinner. to and fro
5. Our parents were relieved when we arrived _______________ odds and ends
from our camping trip.
6. I’ve been running _____________________all day long. I’m exhausted!
7. You need to consider the ______________ before you make a decision.
8. As soon as you understand and learn the _________________ of the business,
you’ll be very successful.

Learning Task 7: Use the following colloquial pairs in a sentence. (5pts.)

1. safe and sound 5. down and out
2. prim and proper 6. length and breadth
3. tooth and nail

` REFERENCE
Essential English
Worktext in Literature and Language
2017 Edition Enhanced Version