Idioms And Collocations Questions Medium
An idiom and a collocation are both linguistic expressions, but they differ in terms of their structure and meaning.
An idiom is a phrase or expression that has a figurative meaning that is different from its literal interpretation. Idioms are often culturally specific and cannot be understood by simply analyzing the individual words within the phrase. For example, the idiom "kick the bucket" means to die, but it does not literally involve kicking a bucket. Idioms are fixed expressions that have a unique meaning that cannot be deduced from the meanings of its individual words.
On the other hand, a collocation refers to a combination of words that frequently occur together due to the natural patterns of a particular language. Collocations are based on the principle of word co-occurrence and are often influenced by grammar, syntax, and semantics. They are more flexible than idioms and can be understood by analyzing the meanings of the individual words within the phrase. For example, the collocation "strong coffee" refers to coffee that has a bold and intense flavor, and the meaning can be deduced by understanding the individual words "strong" and "coffee."
In summary, the main difference between an idiom and a collocation lies in their structure and meaning. Idioms have a figurative meaning that cannot be deduced from the literal interpretation of the words, while collocations are combinations of words that frequently occur together based on the natural patterns of a language.