FIXED EXPRESSION

BY A.K.MOHAMED ARSHATH
 INTRODUCTION

 Fixed expressions are groups of words used together to express a particular idea or concept that is
more specific than the individual words.
 As the word 'fixed' suggests, the order and pattern of these words usually do not change
 Fixed expressions often have literal meanings instead of figurative words
 so they express ideas in a standard way and are quite straightforward to understand
 Rather than using only literal, logical words and phrases, we choose to use expressions that paint word
pictures and create humorous mental images. In this way, our languages and communications become
richer and more robust
 EXAMPLES OF FIXED EXPRESSIONS

 “All of a sudden” and “out of nowhere” are fixed expressions that mean something happened very
quickly and unexpectedly
 Example It seemed to happen all of a sudden - I felt dizzy and I just collapsed.
 Example Their team came out of nowhere and won the state championship.
 ‘I must admit’ is used to express something that you feel guilty or embarrassed about, or to show
that someone else impresses you more than you expected.
 For example I must admit, I’m not very good at this sort of thing.
Types of fixed expression

 Expressions in English can be either fixed or semi-fixed.

 With fixed expressions, the word order and pattern usually do not change.
 Semi-fixed expressions maintain the same word order, but some parts can be changed
- depending on the context or situation - to portray a slightly different meaning
Fixed example

Fixed expression Meaning

Introducing a
On the other hand
contrasting/opposing view
All of a sudden Suddenly
It's been a while since you've
Long time no see
seen someone
A piece of clothing that fits
One size fits all
everyone
Few and far between Infrequent
EXAMPLE FOR SEMIFIXED

 Take the phrase 'I haven't seen you for ages.‘

 The word order must stay the same, but the noun 'ages' can be changed depending on the
length of time that has passed.
 . For example, you could say:
 'I haven't seen you for days/weeks/months/years.'
 These all refer to the fact that it has been a while since you have seen someone but are
altered to reflect different time frames that are more specific to certain situations.
 For example 'I haven't seen you for 2 years
exceptions

 Although the word patterns of fixed expressions usually do not change, there are
exceptions!
 For example, take the following expression:
 'Last but not least.'
 This is used to say that, although someone/something is mentioned last, they are no less
important
 However, there are different variations of this phrase. Another way to say this is
 'Last but certainly not least.'
FIXED EXPRESSIONS AND IDIOMS

 Fixed expressions and Idioms are often confused for one another, as they are both groups
of words used together to convey a specific meaning.
 Idioms are groups of words used together to express a complete idea that cannot be
understood by looking at the words individually.
 Idioms tend to have figurative meanings, so they are not supposed to be taken literally.
 For example 'it's raining cats and dogs.‘
 This does not literally mean that cats and dogs are falling from the sky! Instead, it refers to
heavy rain.
Fixed expressions and collocations

 Fixed expressions and Collocations are also similar as they are both commonly used and
retain a specific word order.
 Collocations are groups of familiar words that are frequently used together in a certain
order.
 For example 'how tall are you?' instead of 'how high are you?'
 Collocations are therefore different from fixed expressions as they focus on how words are
used together and do not carry a more specific meaning than the individual words used
Thank you