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The thing with idioms....?



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Tue Apr 29, 2014 11:46 am
dhyan says...



Are idioms used in America different from those used in Britain? I've noticed that idioms used in american tv series like "suits" used tons of idioms, and i've not seen thier usage much in britain. If i were to write better, and being british do you think i should learn american idioms? Are they to be used internationally?

I have a book of 24000 american phrases and idioms explained with usage...

Can this book help? Shall i learn them?...
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Tue Apr 29, 2014 1:02 pm
lostthought says...



Well, if you are writing a story and it being in America- most likely yes.

But if you are doing it in your own setting, you don't have to add those idioms unless you have an American character who uses them.
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Tue Apr 29, 2014 1:18 pm
dhyan says...



What if i were to use american idioms in my speech? I live in Britain. Do you think people will understand them? I mean the simple ones like "A for effort", "money talks", "hang on"... these ones i think every British understands, but certain idioms are good to use after learning the meaning to them.

What i'm ultimately trying to say is that is it wrong to use american idioms internationally? For example for a person travelling around the world to preach or give motivation or inspirational talks? Or can i use them and maybe rephrase them so people understand them and get used to them?
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Tue Apr 29, 2014 5:05 pm
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Rosendorn says...



If you have an American character, then they should use American terms particular to their region no matter what place you're publishing. Like in the UK, people in different states have wildly different accents and turns of phrases, so you need to do research into that particular character's background to know what idioms they'd use.

Having characters speak in relation to their area of origin is part of writing realistic characters. Putting the backstory work into having a character speak in a way that at least sounds realistic to where they come from (regardless of where the book was published) is important, especially if you end up publishing internationally. You'll get quite a few (justified) critiques that your characters are unrealistic because an American from that area wouldn't talk like that.
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