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Informal words or phrases generally used among a certain group of people are called slang. In the 21st century, some of slang words have become widely common among all speakers, such as computer technology slang or internet slang (geek, blog, photoshopped, etc.). Idioms are language units which are not meant to be understood literally but figuratively (e.g. to sit tight, to get the ball rolling, raining cats and dogs). Slang and idioms are an inalienable part of every language. They make our speech colorful and diversified. Therefore, English is not an exception. Young and adult learners keep on asking their teachers about slang phrases and “bad” words or idiomatic expressions. The ESL teachers are to understand that regional slang, idioms as well as swearings are vital components of the English language. It is important that students are aware of these language aspects or they can use them in suitable communicative situations and context, on the other hand, they will be able to distinguish what is thought to be an inappropriate language in polite society. Most of the time, slang and idioms are not considered to be a part of the curriculum, which means it depends on teacher’s initiative and enthusiasm whether to include these language phenomena to the lessons or not. An experienced teacher understands that colloquial English is of vital importance. Almost all conversations among native speakers contain slang or idiomatic expressions. That is the language your students would be exposed to outside the classroom. Learning slang and idioms is much more appropriate to students starting with the intermediate level. Exposing beginners to complex language aspects leads to misunderstanding and losing motivation. Students have to bear in mind that when words make up a phrase, they can have a totally different meaning from the literal connotation. It means that teachers should teach these language phenomena wisely in order to achieve success. Teaching slang and idioms is extremely important when dealing with English for Special Purposes courses. When we teach a future flight attendant we would include such phrases as ‘landing lips’, ‘blue juice’ and ‘concourse shoes’ to our syllabus. We will introduce some of the idiomatic expressions to students, who chose English for Sports, for example, ‘blow the competition away’, or ‘give something or someone a fair shake’. Students will feel more comfortable with this kind of vocabulary when they participate in real communicative situations and it is the teacher’s goal to make it possible. There are some peculiarities in teaching idioms and slang. First of all, these words have to be given in context so your students can totally understand colloquial situations they are used in. The teachers should be able to explain the meaning of each separate word and emphasize the fact that when these words make up a phrase, they have a completely different meaning. It is better to teach idioms and slang in oral form than in written, this way the teacher points out their belonging to spoken English. And it is a bad idea to give long lists of idioms and slang to your students. They will be confused and will lose their interest. To sum everything up, it is worth saying that idioms and slang is a vital element of English. If we want our students to speak fluently, we should let them be familiar with this language phenomenon during our lessons.
