HANOI UNIVERSITY

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
******

AN ANALYSIS OF IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION

IN ADELE’S SONG LYRICS ON THE ALBUM
”25” AND ITS APPLICATION IN TEACHING
IDIOMS TO EFL STUDENTS

Supervisor: Ms. Nguyen Thanh

Loan

Students: Hà Hoàng Hiệp-

2007010098

Bùi Minh Việt Long-

2007010172

Vũ Công Tú-2007010342

Class: Lexicology 09

Hanoi, 28/12/2022
 GROUP WORK CONTRIBUTION FORM

Group: 11

Topic: An analysis Idiomatic Expression in Adele song lyrics in Album “25” and Its
Application in Teaching Idioms to EFL Students

Name Contribution Comments

(%)

1 100%
Hà Hoàng Hiệp

2 Bùi Minh Việt Long 100%

3 Vũ Công Tú 100%

Group leader

Hà Hoàng Hiệp
 I. INTRODUCTION
1. Background information of the research
Language is the primary means of communication, and communication almost always
occurs within some sort of social environment. Language as a tool of communication is
extremely valuable and adaptable. It can meet human communication requirements in
every setting. However, every language in the world has expressions that cannot be
translated literally. These phrases can be used to communicate feelings that cannot be
expressed in their terms, and sometimes require more than one word to explain. That is
when the term idiom is used to describe these phrases, Idiom may be found in all forms of
literature across the world, some of which are in the text of journals, textbooks, children's
books, newspapers, and even advertisements. In addition, idioms may be heard in spoken
materials like movie dialogue or song lyrics. Furthermore, Harmer Jeremy (2015) listed
five reasons for the enormous development of English: Colonial History, economics,
information exchange, travel, and popular culture or pop culture such as movies or,
especially, songs. In mastering a foreign language, songs are an invaluable media for
students. Thus, the paper is eager to examine the use of song in teaching idioms EFL
students

2. Formulation of the Research

The three following principal questions serve as the basis for this paper
proposal:
- What types of idioms are used in Adele’s song lyrics?

- What are the meanings of the idioms found in Adele’s song lyrics?

- What are the related teaching applications of the idioms found in Adele’s
song lyrics to EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students?

II. LITERATURE REVIEW

1.Conceptual Foundation
1.1 The Concept of Idiomatic Expression
According to James R Hufford, an idiomatic expression is a multi-word phrase whose overall
meaning is characteristic and largely unpredictable, reflecting the meaning of the speaker. It
cannot be derived by combining the literal senses or individual words in each phrase according
to the usual semantic rules of language. McCarthy and O’Del (2003) defined an idiom as a
phrase with unclear meaning based on specific terms. It signifies that the meaning of an idiom
is literally non-literal rather than literal. Thus, contextual meaning is the most optimal method
to comprehend idioms.
To summarize, an idiomatic expression is composed of two or more words or a multi-word
phrase with a non-literal, distinctive, unexpected expression. The paper put heavy emphasis
on the idioms part.

1.2 Types of idioms

1.2.1 Other researchers’ theory
Linguists and researchers have attempted to construct a classification of idioms based
on different criteria. According to McCarthy and O’Dell (2017) give classification to the
English idiom types focusing on their combinations, as it is shown in the following table:

Forms Examples Meanings

Verb + O Kill two birds with one stone Produce two useful results by
just doing one action
Prepositional phrase In the blink of an eye In an extremely short time
Compound A bond of contention Something which people
argue and disagree over
Simile (as + adj + as or like + As dry as a bond Very dry indeed
n)
Binomial (word + and + Rough and ready Crude and lacking
word) sophistication
Trinomial (word + word + Cool, calm and collected Relaxed, in control, not
and + word) nervous
Whole clause or sentence To cut a long story short To tell the main points, but
not all the fine details

On the other hand, Palmer (1976) states that common types of idioms are phrasal verb,
prepositional verb, and partial idioms. To begin with, Phrasal verb is a fairly generic sort of
phrase in English that is commonly referred to as the phrasal verb. It is the result of combining
verbs with adverbs. For example: make up, put down, give up. Next, Prepositional verb is the
series of verb and preposition, adverb and preposition. Some common examples are: look after,
go for. Last, a partial idiom occurs when one of the phrases has a common meaning and the
other has an unexpected one: The idea cut the tree, I drank the bread.

1.2.2 Adam Makkai’s theory

Next, according to Adam Makkai's theory (1972), there are two sorts of idiom
categorization. They are lexemic and sememic idioms. Focusing mainly on lexemic idioms,
there are six categories of classification:

Phrasal Verbs Idiom: It is an idiomatic formation made up of a verb and one or two literal
particles (adverb or preposition). For example, make up, turn out, bring up.
Tournure Idioms: A tournure idiom, is broader than a verb phrase in the sense that it contains
at least three vocabulary terms that are vocabulary elsewhere. For example: to break it up, to
hit the book, fly off the handle

Irreversible Binomials Idioms: It is an idiomatic form that consists mostly of a nominal made
up of adjective and noun, noun and noun, or adverb and preposition. For example, pepper and
salt, coffee and cream, rough and tumble.

Phrasal Compound Idioms: It is a structure of idiom that contains a primarily nominal made up
of adjective and noun, noun and noun or adverb and preposition. For example, hot dogs, high-
handed, blackmail.

Incorporating Verbs Idioms: It is an idiomatic construction using compound verbs. We used to

use this phrase in our everyday discourse subconsciously. The idiom is a formal or incorporated
phrase. Idioms with verbs have noun-verb, adjective-noun, noun-noun, and adjective-verb
patterns. Typically, the word is separated by (-) and becomes a verb. For example, food-hunt.

Pseudo Idioms: It is an idiomatic construction composed of compound words or phrases, one

of which is slang or one or more lexons are forbidden. It might deliver any misinformation to
an unwary listener. Chit-chat, hanky-panky, and hocus-pocus are some examples.

Classifications of McCarthy and O’Dell and Palmer cannot be claimed to capture the
phenomena of idioms in its whole since they describe it in a single dimension, using syntactic
features as the only relevant criterion. In our opinion, Makkai's (1972) research on idiom is
regarded the most extensive treatment of this issue in English. Thus, the paper follows
Makkai’s theory.

1.3 The Concept of Song Lyrics

Derived via Latin lyricus from the Greek λυρικός (lurikós) lyric was mainly associated with
Greek lyric poetry- a form of poetry accompanied by a lyre(an ancient Greek instrument). The
notion of music was firmly alluded to “lyric”, only until 1876, in Stainer and Barrett's 1876
Dictionary of Musical Terms. The modern definition of lyrics was introduced as “blank verse
intended to be set to music and sung”. Thus, Lyrics is a set of words, consisting of verses and
choruses, which makes up songs.

Overall, song lyrics is a collection of words that can be constricted in poetry phrases,
sentences, or compositions with musical accompaniment. Additionally, Song lyrics is a
powerful tool, especially in the modern era. The implementation of song in EFL classrooms
has been found to prompt positive result (Peacock, 1997, Jolly, 1975)

1.4 The Importance of Idioms to EFL students

The phenomenon of idioms occurs pervasively and frequently in both academic and
non-academic settings (Bortfeld, 2003; Lundblom & Woods, 2012). Focusing on EFL
classrooms, Elkilic (2008) mentioned that English is abundant with idioms and learning them
constitutes the soul of the language. Moreover, researchers further attested that mastering idiom
on a broad-spectrum, is an indication of native-like command of the language (Clarke &
Nation, 1980; Cowie & Mackin, 1975; Fernando, 1996; Schmitt, 2000; Wray, 2000). Thus, the
integration of idioms in the syllabus of EFL classrooms is urgently needed.

1.5 Difficulty in learning idioms for EFL students

Idioms pose a sizable challenge to EFL students in their journey of acquiring a
language. In fact, Idioms are “notoriously difficult” (Celce-Murcia & Larsen Freeman, 1999,
p. 39). Difficulties in comprehension originate directly from the characteristic of idioms., as
the majority of the figurative meanings are unpredictable (Cooper, 1999) and culturally-
specific. Idioms obey certain grammatical constraints, and this can often confuse EFL students.
Moreover, the inadequate exposure to idioms in EFL classroom also hinders EFL learners from
fully grasping these idiomatic expressions(Irujo,1986. In Addition, Researchers concurred that
idioms are often neglected in EFL classroom material (Khan & Can Daşkin, 2014; Wray, 2000)

1.6 The concept of teaching idioms using song lyrics

Though, the students participated in the case study exhibited strong desire to learn
idioms, they showed poor “idiomatic competence” and “limited knowledge of the frequently
used idioms” (Tran, 2013). However, in EFL education environment, idiom teaching has not
received adequate attention (Tran, 2012; Vasiljevic, 2011). Therefore, song lyrics can
potentially serve as an innovative and beneficial pedagogical method in teaching of idioms for
EFL students.

Nevertheless, the attitude towards songs in an educational context is rather doubtful

(Murphey, 1992). As a result, Within the EFL contexts, the paper aims to carefully examine
the teaching application of idiomatic expressions (mainly idioms) found in song lyrics by
Adele.

1.7 Adele and Album”25”

Adele, an English pop singer-songwriter, was one of her generation’s most successful singers,
known for her deep, expressive vocals and classically composed compositions. Possessing
powerful vocals and immense range, she’s also a talented songwriter with most of the songs
composed on her own.

The title is a reflection of life and ideas at the age of 25. Adele calls it a "healing record".
Adele's “self-desire, craving for nostalgia,” and “melancholy as time passes" are expressed on
the album's lyrics, which deal with parenthood and regret. The paper chose Adele's album “25”
as the subject of this assignment because it satisfies the criteria proposed in vocal,
accompaniment music and speed.

1.8 Review of Previous Study

With regard to the main topic, the paper is going to discuss related researches that serves as
building blocks for our research:

The first is research by Afifatun Ni’mah (2019), titled “Idiomatic Expressions in The Album
Lyrics of Justin Bieber Purpose and Its Contribution to Teaching Idiom.” The researcher
explored idioms in an Album by Justin Bieber, in conjunction with the application to teaching
idioms. The data is analyzed in a qualitative descriptive with the utilization of Palmer’s theory
(1977) to classify the 25 found idioms in three categories: Afifatun Ni’mah concluded that
these idioms contribute to the development of new learning method and the construction of
positive classroom environment. Similarities can be observed in the methodology as the paper
also make use of the documentation method along with analysis of descriptive qualitative.
Nevertheless, despite having similar focus around the teaching of idioms, the paper revolves
around the context Adele song lyrics. In addition, by implementing the theory of Makkai (1972)
in the classification of idioms, the paper access a more detailed analysis as the classification of
idioms is established on 6 separate categories.

Lastly, the paper also reviewed “An Analysis of Figurative Languages in Adele’s Song Lyrics
on the Album Entitled 21 and Its Application in Language Teaching” by Syaifur Rochman.
Even though the researchers shared similar aim in exploring the application in language
teaching, the main focus was on figurative language in the Album 21. Our paper presents a
distinction in focusing on the idiomatic expression

II.METHODOLOGY

1. Research Design

The research method will be focusing on the use of qualitative analysis and
documentation method. Investigating and comprehending the meaning that individuals or
groups assign to a social or human situation can be done through qualitative research. This
research will use descriptive-qualitative study, which is a method to reveal and comprehend
something behind phenomena which does not be known anymore. This may also be used to
acquire information on something that only a few individuals are aware of. The descriptive
research design was selected by the writer since it provides a description of each idiom in
Adele's lyrics song and then determines the meaning of each of them.

III.FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

1.Findings
With the foundation of Makkai’s theory, the paper presents the classification of idioms
found in the song lyrics in the album “25” by Adele. In the data description, eleven
songs were examined.
Table 1.1 Data of idiom expression found on Adele’s song lyrics

No Types of Song title Idiom Meaning

Idioms
1 Hello To Go over Inspect, consider, or
examine anything in detail
Phrasal
Tear you apart To force two persons,
Verb Idiom
presumably lovers, to part
ways reluctantly
 Run out of time Having used up the most
of the given time and
having no time remaining
Send my I’m giving you up To stop chasing someone
lover to Set me free To liberate someone or
your new something from another
lover person or entity
You could keep up To keep something in
good shape
Takes me back To reminisce about the
past
Keep holding on To carry on with
something
When Let me photograph you To keep memories
we’re in this light
young Find the way out To find the way out of any
situation
Remedy If you are gonna let me To let someone down
down because of an act or action
What are you waiting To remain where one is
for deferring action until a
specific time or until
anything else occurs
Water I grew up To mature or to spend
under the one's youth and
bridge adolescence
Growing out To vanish as a result of
regular growth
River Lea Blame it on To hold someone or
something accountable for
something wrong
Take your eyes off me To turn away from
someone or something
Carry on To continue doing
something
Fall apart To fragment, separate, or
disintegrate
Walk around To stroll
Love you Don’t get me wrong Misunderstand someone,
in the dark especially by imputing
malice.
Seek something To look for or seek
something
 Tears down my wall To entirely ruin by
knocking down or
shattering into pieces
Million Go over Inspect, consider, or
years ago examine anything in detail
Tear you apart To force two persons,
presumably lovers, to part
ways reluctantly
All I ask Run out of time Having used up the most
of the given time and
having no time remaining
Sweetest Fall into your gravity To readily or smoothly fall
deviation or sink into something
2 Hello I must have called a Calling repeatedly
thousand times
Break your heart To bring someone great
emotional pain and
suffering
Setting the tone To create a specific mood
or character for something
Give me the light To provide joy or
enlightenment
Miss you Bring your heart I’ll To offer more than
Bring my soul someone else provides to
another
We play in the dark Do something despite your
lack of knowledge.
Tournure
Send my Let go all of our ghost To be unable to recall
idiom
love prior memories
You couldn’t handle the Inability to accept an
hot heat rising extremely deep and
emotional sensation
When Let me photograph you To recover or cause
we’re in this light recovery of awareness or
young from something unpleasant
Remedy When pain cuts you Having a deep scar
deep
Just look and you will To observe what happened
see as a result of any activity
without taking any action
I can bring you to your To force someone to give
knees up
 Water To be keeper To keep an eye on
under the something
bridge Water under the bridge This statement is typically
used to refer to events or
circumstances that have
occurred in the past and
are thus no longer
considered significant or a
subject of worry
Love you Take your eyes off me To turn away from
in the dark someone or something
Love you in the dark To love while knowing
nothing
Million Stand the reflection to see what people are
years ago saying
My life is flashing by People have heard about a
life narrative
3 Irreversible Hello When we’re younger to have lots of time to
binominal and free enjoy themselves before
idioms they realize they are
becoming old
Miss you I want your heavens To have a partner who has
and your oceans both a good and a terrible
side
Million Watch and cry To see doing nothing as a
year ago result of and regretting that

After analysis the idioms used in Adele's song lyrics, the paper discovered that there
were only three sorts of idioms. There are Phrasal verb idioms, Tournure idioms, and
Irreversible Binomial idioms. In contrast, the paper was unable to locate Compound Idiom,
Incorporating Verb Idiom, and Pseudo Idiom during the investigation. These are the sorts of
idioms utilized in Adele's song lyrics.

2 Analysis

Here is our more specific explanation of the idioms used in Adele's lyrics. We selected two
idioms in each of Makkai's classifications.

2.1 Phrasal Verb Idiom

a. Go over

The first term "go over" was discovered by us. This phrase is characterized as a verb phrase
idiom. This sentence appears in the song "Hello". The formula "verb + preposition" is used in
this sentence. The word "go" is the verb. The word "over" serves as the preposition. Going
through is to inspect, review, or investigate the particulars of anything. While this song is about
a lady who longs to return home, it also addresses the individuals she has injured and those she
has left behind. That makes sense conceptually.

b. Put on

This phrase is characterized as a verb phrase idiom. This line appears in the song "Send My
Love". The formula "verb + adverb" is used in this sentence. The term "put" is the verb. The
word "on" is used as an adverb. The definition of self-dressing is keeping someone. This song,
on the other hand, is about one individual who has been left behind for the benefit of others.
This song is about despair or pain.

2.2 Tournure Idiom

a. Called a thousand time

In addition to the verb phrase, we discovered another form of idiom in this song. Because it
contains the necessary definite and undefined article "a," the song "Hello" can be included as
a tournure idiom. With the message called out repeatedly, and this is the contextual meaning

b. We play in the dark

In this the song “Miss You”, “we play in the dark” with
form leading the verb is not followed by direct object but by “preposition + noun
or nothing’’. Its meaning is to perform anything with no knowledge.

2.3 Irreversible Binomial Idiom

a. Look and you will see

In this song “Remedy”, the phrase "look and you will see" incorporates the phrase "B function
as a result of A".

b. I want your heaven and ocean

In this song of “Miss You”, there are 1 idiom is "I want your heaven and ocean" with meaning
"to have a nice side and the bad side of the lover".

These idioms being used in song provide valuable context to EFL students. The use of melody
in songs also contribute to strength cognitive ability. The complex and taxing task of teaching
idioms to EFL students, can enjoy fruitful result by the implementation of song lyrics.
Nevertheless, further researches are needed to fully provide reliable song usage.
V. CONCLUSION:

The research carried out questions to answer what types of idioms are found in Adele’s album
and its application in teaching.

To sum up, after analyzed Adele’s song lyric in which contains ten songs, the total idioms
found in the album “25” are 47 idioms. It contains 26 phrasal verb idiom, 18 tournure idiom
and 3 irreversible binomial idioms. The idiomatic expressions found in Adele’s album mostly
are representing sorrow, misery, and pain. Some other are representing love and wishes.

Additionally, the idiomatic expression found in Adele’s album can also be applied in English
teaching and learning material.

Word count: 3218

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