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The Pending Subject Newsletter

Every Thursday you will receive:

• Tips to improve your English
• English language content to keep you in touch with the language
• A weekly challenge to keep you progressing
• A quote to inspire your learning

Students often say to me they want to sound more 'native.' A fine way of doing that is to learn metaphors.

A metaphor is a comparison between two otherwise unrelated things. That’s the boring, standard definition of a metaphor. I prefer a more exciting description offered by Ward Farnsworth, dean of the University of Texas School of Law and author of three books on classical writing. According to Farnsworth: "A metaphor can make unfamiliar things familiar, invisible things visible, and complicated things easier to understand. It can produce amusement by putting a subject into unexpected company." It can, as Aristotle said: "Give life to lifeless things."

It can do all of the above, and yes, if English is not your mother-tongue, a metaphor well-employed can make you sound more native.

So how can you learn and incorporate metaphors into your English?

Let's take a look...

TIPS

1. Pay more attention to metaphors: Metaphors are everywhere: In books, music, movies, articles, and speeches. When you find one, look it up, see what it means, and if it is something that you think is important for and applicable to your world, write it down in your vocabulary notebook under the section- metaphors.
2. Categorise metaphors to help remember them: Metaphors often come in three groups: motion/physical/spacial. For example: Motion- She floated into the room. This means to enter casually, in a relaxed and elegant way. A person cannot float, only in water. Physical- She has a heart of gold. This means she is a good, generous person. A heart cannot be gold. Spacial- Real Madrid is flying high. This means they are doing very well. Real Madrid cannot fly though.
3. Avoid common metaphors: Some examples are: The ball is in your court. Bring to the table. Think outside the box. Try to make your own metaphors... Read below to find out how...

CONTENT

Warren Buffett used a series of metaphors at a 1995 Berkshire Hathaway meeting. A shareholder asked the question, “What are the fundamental rules of economics that you use to make money?” Buffett answered, “The most important thing we do is to find a business with a wide and long-lasting moat around it, protecting a terrific economic castle with an honest lord in charge of the castle."

Use this format to make your own metaphors:

A simple metaphor format is “A is B” like: “Time is money.” The format works well to express complex ideas.

Select a complex idea from your own subject area. Use the A is B format to explain it. Describe the comparison in conversational language. Complex idea:_____________(A) Familiar idea: _____________ (B)

A is B format: _____________is_____________

Example: Complex idea: A good investment/ Familiar idea: Castle with a moat.

A is B format: A good investment is an economic castle with a deep moat around it to deter competitors."

A CHALLENGE

This week, when you come into contact with the English language, learn a metaphor. If possible learn one every day. Categorise it.

A further challenge is to make your own using the A is B format...

You just need to start...

(A great place to start is the 5-5-5 Progress Plan).

AN INSPIRING QUOTE

"The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor; it is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others; and it is also a sign of genius, since a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of the similarity in the dissimilar." Aristotle.

If you really want to learn English, you can also read the How to (finally) learn English book:

​https://benpalmercoach.com/books/​

Out now on Amazon!

Find out more at https://benpalmercoach.com/​

Until next week,

Ben

PS: Keep learning!