International Student Newsletter

Dear International Students,

Happy fall! We hope you have been acclimating to the new school year, creating new connections, and exploring everything that BU has to offer! As always, our goal with the newsletter is to share helpful information and resources to help you make the most of your experience at BU.

In the Announcements section, learn about the Howard Thurman Center’s weekly programming, including Stress ReLeaf, Crafts & Chats, and Book Club (the book for the fall semester is There’s a Revolution Outside, My Love: Letters from a Crisis). If you are a graduate or doctoral student and would like to meet people from different departments, consider joining BU Meetup- a BU Wellbeing program that allows graduate students to enjoy more casual interactions across academic units. Additionally, BU’s 12^th International Education Week will take place from November 6-10 and there will be many events on campus to celebrate BU’s global initiatives and diversity. Consider registering for the International Dress Showcase on November 9 and share and celebrate the traditional dress of your culture(s) and home country(ies)! Lastly, consider joining the new International Student Support Group, led by BU Student Health Services, which aims to help international students better understand the cultural adjustment process and share a sense of community and resources to enhance their experiences at BU. In the Student Experiences section, meet senior, Cici Yu (COM’24) who shares her experiences getting involved in activities outside of the classroom and what she learned about herself in this process. In Culture Corner, learn about the different types of idioms, when to use them, and why they can be challenging to language learners.

We hope you enjoy this content, and if you have any feedback or suggestions for future newsletters, please contact Kamelia Turcotte at kameliat@bu.edu.

Announcements

Upcoming Events

Student Experiences

Culture Corner

Idioms: What are they and how to use them?

Definition

An idiom (derived from the ancient Greek “idioma” which means “peculiar phraseology”) is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase. Idioms are phrases that are intuitive to fluent speakers (every language has its idioms) but might appear strange or challenging to language learners.

Types

There are four different types of idioms, including pure idioms, binomial idioms, partial idioms, and prepositional idioms.

• Pure idiom: This is a typical idiom, the meaning of which can’t be deduced by its individual components. For example, when someone says, “Spill the beans,” they’re asking someone to reveal a secret, not to pour out a can of beans.
• Binomial idioms: This idiom is a phrase that contains two words joined by a conjunction or a preposition. Examples include “by and large” (meaning: everything considered), and “dos and don’ts” (meaning: guidelines on what to do or avoid in a certain situation).
• Partial idioms: This idiom is one that’s been shortened into one part, with the second part generally being understood by fluent speakers. For example, people often use the partial idiom “when in Rome,” with the understanding that the other person knows the second part: “do as the Romans do.”
• Prepositional idioms: This idiom is a phrase that combines a verb and a preposition to create a verb with a distinct meaning. The phrase “agree on” is a prepositional idiom that combines the verb “agree” with the preposition “on” and is used to express that you share an opinion with someone.

Idiom examples

Examples of idioms in the English language include:

• Under the weather / Meaning: not feeling well
• A ball is in your court / Meaning: the decision is up to you
• Have (get) your ducks in a row / Meaning: get everything organized
• Pitch in / Meaning: contribute
• Up in the air / Meaning: something is unclear or uncertain
• Up the ante / Meaning: raise the stakes
• Take with a grain of salt / Meaning: accept something with a degree of skepticism
• Beat around the bush / Meaning: avoid saying something
• Play it by ear / Meaning: respond to circumstances as they develop without having a plan
• A square peg in a round hole / Meaning: a person in a situation unsuited to their character or abilities

Source and more information about the difference between idioms, proverbs, and euphemisms, when to use idioms and why they are challenging for language learners, can be found at What is an Idiom? Definition and Examples. The most common English idioms can be found here.

The Compass

There are over 250 academic, housing, community, and employment resources currently on the Compass and each issue we will highlight two.