1) Intercultural Expression Corner
Task Objective:
This task is designed to help students learn the meaning, functions and contexts of useful expressions used in oral communication (formal, semi-formal, or casual) at a deeper level through multimodal expressions and intercultural explorations (minimum 2 posts required)
Task Instructions:
1. Quotation: select 1 or 2 idiomatic/colloquial expression(s) that you think useful to explore more.
2. Meaning & usage: Explain the meaning and usage of the expression (e.g., what does it mean? when do you use it?) providing a clear explanation or example of the social context when the expression is often used.
3. Plurilingual and intercultural understanding: Provide an equivalent expression in your L1 or other languages that you know with an example of the context wherein the expression is used.
4. Application: Make a dialogue script using the expression with your own words/ your own original thoughts.
5. Multimodal practice: Visualize the expression by linking relevant images or videos
6. Activation: Act out in a short dialogue with the expression (1 min video performance)
Forum engagement expectations:
Students should reply to others’ posts by sharing your creation of a sample dialogue using the expression, and /or sharing a similar expression in English and/or other languages (minimum 2 replies required). Any form of comments (written, audio or video) is acceptable. Additionally, you could also share a related visual or video resource to learn more about the expression.
N.B. Please avoid selecting racially, sexually, and religiously inappropriate expressions
Idiomatic and colloquial expressions that you can consider (but not limited to):
on the one hand … on the other hand
in the hands of (someone)
go hand in hand with
rule of thumb
on the face of it
bear in mind
a step further/back
come into play
driving force
the balance of power
gold standard
golden age
along the lines of
the bottom line
in (the) light of
in its own right
last resort
Piece of cake
Hard nut to crack
Not my cup of tea
Blow my mind
Hands down
Part and parcel
Over the moon
Against the clock
To sit on the fence
To nail on the head
(come) rain or shine
Chip off the old block
be sick to death of something/doing something
The last straw
When the pigs fly
A tooth for a tooth
By the skin of one’s teeth
Speak of the devil
Play the devil’s advocate
a piece/slice of the pie
a smart cookie
as easy as pie
as flat as a pancake
as sweet as pie
bread and butter
bread and water
cookie-cutter
daily bread
half baked
to sugar-coat
to use your loaf

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