Task Test Your Knowledge of Colloquialism Choose the correct colloquialism definition: A

Task 1. Test Your Knowledge of Colloquialism
1. Choose the correct colloquialism definition:
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 statements is true?
A. The colloquialisms that J. D. Salinger used in “Catcher in the Rye” help to illustrate the mindset of his narrator and make him understandable to the average American reader.
B. Shakespeare used colloquial language by creating many new words that we use today.
C. Not even speakers of the Scottish dialect would immediately understand the colloquial language that Irvine Welsh employs in “Trainspotting.”

4. 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)

Task 2. Read the following examples attentively. Then try to find your own examples of colloquialism.
Colloquialism Examples
Colloquialism In Conversation
During you 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 .”
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. “