An idiom is a group of two or more words which we have to treat as a unit in learning a language. We cannot arrive at the meaning of the idiom just by adding together the meaning of the words inside it. [to carry out = execute]
Phrase is a group of words usually without predicate especially preposition with the word. [with blue eyes]
A fixed or set expression that cannot be determined from the individual parts.
Examples
| Alarm bells start to ring | Alarm bells start to ring when I found out that he still lived with his mother. |
|---|---|
| ABC | Nancy does not know even the ABC of Maths. |
| And so on | He dances, sings and plays music and so on. |
| As usual | I had my cup in the morning, as usual. |
| Albatross around your neck | The company that he founded in 1990 is now an albatross around his neck. |
| All told | There were 100 people there, all told. |
| All in all | As his father is no more, Mr.David himself is all in all in his family. |
| All over | Michael has travelled all over the world. |
| All along | There are trees all along the road. |
| All for | I am all for it |
| At last | At last, we got at the conclusion |
| At best | At best he is a good master. |
| At bottom | Nodobout, he is a strict but a helping man at bottom. |
| At times | He comes here, at times. |
| At ease | After the work was over, I was really at ease. |
| At hand | My exam is at hand. |
| At a time | Give me 100$ at a time. |
| At heart | Robert looks rough and tough but he is kind at heart. |
| At sight | A bank draft is payable at sight. |
| At sixes and sevens | All the books were at sixes and sevens. |
| At once | Go there at once. |
| As if | Robert talks as if he is my boss. |
| As for | As for his appointment so many letters have come |
| As a rule | As a rule, the first letter of a proper noun is always capital. |
| As a result of | As a result of police firing, three persons were killed at Paris on 25th of December, 2012. |
| As long As | As long as you believe in God you will be happy. |
| At home | You will surely feel there at home. |
| AS well as | Robert as well as David have gone. |
| Act on | This medicine will act on the heart. |
| Act for | Stella acted for me while I was ill. |
| Account for | You will have to account for every rupee you spent. |
| On account of | One account of illness, she did not cook today. |
| On no account | On no account I believe in what she says. |
| Turn to account | If you are offered with chance by the boss, turn to account. |
| All the same | No doubt Sarah has been busy, all the same she should have written. |
| Agree with | Hope you will agree with me that Sarah is a good girl. |
| Alma mater | She has been offered the position of Professor of international economic policy at princeton, her alma mater. |
| Be out of the ark | My grandfather’s hat was stright out of the ark. |
| Go bananas | He will go bananas if he sees the room in this state. |
| Have your hands full | It is no use asking Rosy for help, she is got her hands-full looking after the kids. |
| The green-eyed monster | Do you think his criticisms of Robert are valid or is it just a case of the green-eyed monster? |
Defining relative clause
When a clause defines the noun it qualifies it is known as a defining relative clause.