Idiomatic phrases are learned through experience and exposure to the English language, so it’s difficult for non-native speakers of English to know these phrases right off the bat. Idiomatic phrases are words that are commonly associated with each other.

Some common idiomatic usage errors are:

  • There isn’t hardly a single day that passes without a long lecture from Mom. → There is hardly a single day that passes without a long lecture from Mom.
  • Not only does sugar increase the risk of diabetes, it can also increase the risk of heart disease. → Sugar increases the risk of not only diabetes but also heart disease.
  • Many types of tea help with health issues; case and point, peppermint tea can help with indigestion. → Many types of tea help with health issues; case in point, peppermint tea can help with indigestion.
  • The new course on atomic physics peaked my interest. → The new course on atomic physics piqued my interest.
  • Make sure you do your do diligence before going to that interview. → Make sure you do your due diligence before going to that interview.
  • Please carry to the next page. → Please carry over to the next page.
  • Don’t tell him because he could care less. → Don’t tell him because he couldn’t care less.
  • How he talked about himself was quite self-depreciating. → How he talked about himself was quite self-deprecating.
  • Greg finished up in second place. → Greg ended up in second place.
  • Yvonne’s bakery is considered as the best in town. → Yvonne’s bakery is considered to be the best in town.

Idiomatic phrases are learned through years of consuming English content, whether it be from books, movies, or TV shows. If you’re not sure if your text has idiomatic errors or not, you can always learn while checking your sentence at Engram. People tend to learn faster when they learn about something in context instead of memorizing from a huge list.

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