Post on 15-Dec-2015
Lesson 1
Animal Imagery in Language
Organization
• Introduction• Body 1• Body 2• Body 3• Body 4• Conclusion
Introduction
Topic sentence:
Animal imagery can be found in many English expressions, and it has given color to this language.
Examples:
In Chinese--
1. What are swallows traditionally seen as?
In Chinese, swallows are traditionally seen as lucky.
2. What do snakes represent?
Snakes represent evil and danger in Chinese.
3. What are cranes said to symbolize?
Cranes are said to symbolize long life.
Body 1: animal-related
expressions
1. What does “as quiet as a mouse” commonly used to describe?
It’s commonly used to describe someone quiet.
2. Please make a sentence by using “as quiet as a mouse”. (Not from the textbook!)
3. What would be a good choice for a simile if a person makes a lot of noise?
An elephant would be a good choice for a simile if a person makes a lot of noise.
4. If a person uses “a white elephant” to describe a car, what does he/she mean? Why?
It means that the car is expensive but useless.
It’s because a white elephant costs a lot but cannot be used for work.
5. Please make a sentence by using
“a white elephant.”
Body 2
6. What’s another elephant-related expression?
Another elephant-related expression is “jumbo jets.”
7. Where did the word “jumbo” come from?
Originally, “jumbo” was the word for “elephant” in an African language.
8. What’s the origin of the word “jumbo” ?
It was taken as the name of the first circus elephant in the U.S.A. “Jumbo” gradually became a common name for elephants.
9. What’s the meaning of the word “jumbo” nowadays for English speakers?
For English speakers, it seems that “jumbo” has come to share the meaning of the word “big” nowadays.
10. What are called “jumbo jets”?
Huge jet planes are called “jumbo jets.”
11. What does it mean when a person is “as proud as a peacock?”
It means he/she is too proud of himself/herself.
Body 3
12. What do you mean when you call someone a chicken?
You mean that the person is a coward and doesn’t have enough courage to do something.
13. What do bees have a close relation to?
Bees have a close relation to diligence in English.
14. What can you call a friend who’s always working or busy with something?
You can say he/she is “a busy bee” or is always “as busy as a bee.”
15. What makes English an interesting
language aside from the above expressions?
Many sayings that include animal imaginary make English an interesting language as well.
Body 416. What’s the meaning of “When the cat’s away,
the mice will play.”? 貓兒不在, 老鼠翻天
Without supervision, people will do as they please, especially in disregarding or breaking rules.
When the cat's away, the mice will play - You Tube
17. What’s the meaning of “Let sleeping
dogs lie”?
不要去惹正在睡覺的狗 (勸告別招惹別人，以免自找麻煩 )
If someone is told to let sleeping dogs lie, it means that they shouldn't disturb a situation as it would result in trouble or complications.
18. What’s the meaning of “There is a black sheep in every flock”?
到處都有害群之馬 (羊 )
Someone who is the black sheep doesn’t fit into a group or family because their behavior or character is not good enough.
19. What’s the meaning of “March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb”?
三月初的天氣若像獅子般寒冷嚴峻，那麼我們就可以預期，三月底的天氣會如羔羊般舒適溫馴
The weather in early march is rough and cold, but towards the end of the month the weather becomes calm, warm and peaceful .
Conclusion
Concluding sentence: The use of animal imagery not only
makes a language more fun to learn, but also helps learners understand more about a language’s culture.
More Proverbs about Cats
“Like a cat on hot bricks”
熱鍋上的螞蟻
If someone is like a cat on hot bricks, they are very nervous or excited.
“Like the cat that got the cream” 非常滿足愉悅之意
If someone looks very pleased with themselves and happy, they look like a cat that go
t the cream.
“Let the cat out of the bag”
意外地透露了秘密
If you accidentally reveal a secret, you let the cat out of the bag.
“Curiosity killed the cat”
用來奉勸人不要「打爛沙鍋問到底」
We use this expression to suggest to people that excessive curiosity is not necessarily a good thing, especially where it is not their bus
iness.
Cat got your tongue?啞口無言
If someone asks if the cat has got your tongue, they want to know why you are not spea
king when they think you should.
More animal-related sayings
"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.“
It is better to have something that is certain than take a risk to get more, where you might lose everything.
"If you call one wolf, you invite the pack.“
One bad habit will lead to many.
“If you run after two hares, you will catchneither.”
You cannot do two things successfully at the same time.
“Raining cats and dogs.”
When it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining very heavily.
“Birds of a feather flock together.”
People join forces with others who have common interests.
“An elephant does not get tired carrying histrunk.”
We cannot evade our responsibilities or duties.
Linkshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6US4d2OqtEM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw0FU733zzg
That’s my cat!