Weather Metaphor - Quan Trọng

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.
net/publication/292185857
Teaching Conceptual Metaphors to EFL Learners in the European Space of

Higher Education
Article in European Journal of Applied Linguistics · January 2016

DOI: 10.1515/eujal-2015-0036
CITATIONS READS
19 4,044
1 author:
Regina Gutiérrez Pérez

Universidad Pablo de Olavide
6 PUBLICATIONS 85 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
All content following this page was uploaded by Regina Gutiérrez Pérez on 21 February 2018.
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

MOUTON EuJAL 2016; aop
Regina Gutiérrez Pérez*

Teaching Conceptual Metaphors to EFL
Learners in the European Space of Higher
Education
DOI 10.1515/eujal-2015-0036
Abstract: The CEFR encourages a more effective international communication.

Given that effective communication in a L2 involves the ability to use metaphors,
this figure becomes of prime importance to the teaching of languages. The present
study applies a methodology for teaching English metaphors and idioms follow-
ing the tenets of Cognitive Linguistics (CL). It argues the importance of “metapho-
ric competence”, and, by a conceptual metaphor awareness method, it advoca-
tes the usefulness of teaching metaphors and idioms and its explicit inclusion in
a language syllabus aimed at increasing proficiency in L2. This conceptual basis
for language is almost entirely unavailable to L2 learners in course books and
reference materials. This paper reviews the scope of metaphor and metaphoric
competence in the context of second-language teaching and learning, and pro-
vides some tips on how to teach metaphors and idioms effectively in a foreign
language context. By analizing the systematicity and experiential basis of the
expressions subject of study, it offers some pedagogical suggestions and teaching
material that can facilitate the acquisition of idiomatic expressions by raising
awareness of the conceptual metaphors that underlie them.
Keywords: Cognitive Linguistics (CL), Conceptual Metaphor, Metaphoric Compe-

tence, Idioms, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Zusammenfassung: Der GER fördert eine effektivere internationale Kommunika-

tion. Da die effektive Kommunikation in einer L2 beinhaltet die Fähigkeit, Me-
taphern zu verwenden, wird diese Figur von höchster Bedeutung für den Sprach-
unterricht. Die vorliegende Studie legt eine Methodik für das Unterrichten von
Englischen Metaphern und Idiome nach den Grundsätzen der Kognitiven Linguis-
tik (KL). Es wird argumentiert, die Bedeutung der “metaphorischen Kompetenz”,
und, durch eine konzeptuelle Metapher Bewusstsein Methode, es befürwortet den
Nutzen der Lehr Metaphern und Idiome und ihre ausdrückliche Einbeziehung in
*Corresponding author: Regina Gutiérrez Pérez, Pablo de Olavide University – Philology and
Translation Department, Ctra. Utrera, km.1, Sevilla 41013, Spain, E ˗ mail: rgutper@upo.es
Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

Authenticated | rgutper@upo.es author's copy
Download Date | 2/25/16 3:36 PM
2 Regina Gutiérrez Pérez MOUTON
einer Sprache Lehrplan bei zunehmenden Kenntnisse in L2 ausgerichtet. Diese

konzeptionelle Grundlage für die Sprache ist fast vollständig nicht verfügbar L2
Lernende in Kurs Bücher und Referenzmaterialien. In diesem Papier werden den
Umfang der Metapher und metaphorische Kompetenz im Rahmen der zweiten
Sprache Lehren und Lernen, und bietet ein paar Tipps, wie man Metaphern und
Idiome effektiv in einer Fremdsprache Kontext zu lehren. Durch die Analyse der
Systematik un experimenteller Basis der Ausdrücke Thema der Studie, bietet es
einige pädagogische Anregungen und Unterrichtsmaterialien, die zu erleichtern
können der Erwerb der Redewendungen durch Sensibilisierung der konzeptuelle
Metaphern, die ihnen zugrunde liegen.
Stichwörter: Kognitive Linguistik (KL), konzeptuelle Metapher, metaphorische

Kompetenz, Idiome, Gemeinsamen Europäischen Referenzrahmen für Sprachen
(GER).
Resumen: El MCER promueve una comunicación internacional más efectiva.

Dado que una comunicación efectiva en una L2 conlleva la habilidad de usar
metáforas, esta figura es de suma importancia para la enseñanza de las lenguas.
El presente estudio aplica una metodología para enseñar metáforas y modismos
ingleses siguiendo los principios de la Lingüística Cognitiva (CL). Argumenta la
importancia de la “competencia metafórica” y, a través de un método de concien-
ciación sobre la metáfora conceptual, aboga por su utilidad en la enseñanza de
lenguas y su explícita integración en un temario de lengua que tiene como
objetivo aumentar el dominio de una L2. Este artículo revisa el ámbito de la
metáfora y de la competencia metafórica en el contexto de enseñanza y aprendi-
zaje de una segunda lengua, y proporciona algunas indicaciones sobre cómo
enseñar metáforas y modismos de una manera eficaz en un contexto de lengua
extranjera. A través del análisis de la sistematicidad y la base experiencial de las
expresiones objeto de estudio, ofrece algunas sugerencias pedagógicas y material
docente que facilita la adquisición de expresiones idiomáticas despertando con-
ciencia sobre las metáforas conceptuales que subyacen en ellas.
Palabras clave: Lingüística cognitiva (CL), metáfora conceptual, competencia

metafórica, modismos, Marco común europeo de referencia para las lenguas
(MCER).
1 Introduction
The Council of Europe has been active in the area of languages for over fifty years
now. Its language education policies aim to promote plurilingualism, linguistic

MOUTON Teaching Conceptual Metaphors to EFL Learners 3
diversity, mutual understanding, democratic citizenship, social cohesion and

social rights.
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
(Council of Europe 2001) was developed by the Council of Europe to promote
transparency and coherence in language learning and teaching in Europe. It
provides a common basis for the elaboration of syllabuses, curriculum guidelines,
textbooks, examinations, teacher training programmes, etc. It allows the different
partners involved in planning and assessing language progress and proficiency to
coordinate their efforts and relate examinations to one another (Martyniuk 2006:
1). Its descriptive scheme is a tool for reflecting on what is involved not only in
language use, but also in language learning and teaching. For example, under-
standing idioms and idiomatic expressions are found throughout the scales of the
CEFR, a few noted:
– In the self-assessment grid for level C2, under the Interaction column, it
states: “I can take part effortlessly in any conversation or discussion and
have a good familiarity with idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms…”
(2001:27).
– In 4.4.2.1., aural reception (listening) activities for overall listening compre-
hension, for C1 it says: “Can recognize a wide range of idiomatic expressions
and colloquialisms, appreciating register shifts” (2001:66).
– In 4.4.3.1., overall spoken interaction, the C2 description is: “Has a good
command of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms with awareness of
connotative levels of meaning” (2001:74).
– The C1 descriptor for Sociolinguistic Appropriateness also mentions it as
important: “Can recognize a wide range of idiomatic expressions and collo-
quialisms, appreciating register shifts; […] Can follow films employing a
considerable degree of slang and idiomatic usage” (2001:122).
However, the term “metaphor”, as Nacey (2013) points out, only appears three
times in the whole document, two of which are metalinguistic uses. The other is
part of the description of lexical competence (5.2.1.1), which includes, inter alia,
“phrasal idioms, often: semantically opaque, frozen metaphors” (2001:110). This is
an outdated view of metaphor simply as a rhetoric device or a figure of speech. The
contemporary understanding of metaphor, that of Lakoff and Johnson’s (1980)
Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) (see Section 2), which states that metaphor is
a pervasive form of language and an intrinsic part of our conceptual system, does
not appear in the CEFR. According to Nacey, “the framework downgrades the
importance of metaphor for language users” (2013: 60). This figure has a “periph-
eral role in the language classroom, mainly limited to the study of idioms and
proverbs” (2013:61).

The ability to use or learn language is based on the following competences:

– General competences of a language user/learner
– Knowledge (savoir)
– Skills and know-how (savoir-faire)
– Existential competence (savoir-être)
– Ability to learn (savoir-apprendre)
– Communicative language competences of a language user/learner
– Linguistic
– Pragmatic
– Sociolinguistic
The CEFR (2001) does not mention conceptual competence. However, the ability
to turn cognitive schemata into linguistic and communicative structures is
considered fundamental in foreign language teaching. Language is not only
made up of sounds, morphemes and syntactic relations, but also by metaphoric
and conceptual networks. Learners need to acquire the specific concepts of a
foreign language in order to be able to identify and use the metaphors associated
to those concepts. Through conceptual competence, made up of metaphoric,
reflexive and cultural competences, the speaker can interact with other speakers,
transfer reality and thinking, and integrate other communicative codes such as
gestures and grimaces (Danesi 2004). A competent speaker, from the conceptual
point of view, should be able to understand and create metaphors in a given
linguistic community. In fact, a true indication that a learner has achieved
mastery in a foreign language is his/her ability to metaphorize (Danesi 1992a:
193).
Littlemore (2001: 461) suggests that four components make up metaphoric
competence: the original character of metaphor production, mastery of metaphor
comprehension, the ability to figure out the meaning of a metaphor and speed in
doing so. It is considered to be an essential component of communicative compe-
tence (Danesi 1986: 3; Littlemore and Low 2006b: 269). Thus, “figurative instruc-
tion arises as an indispensable feature of all skills a L2 learner needs to master in
order to acquire a high level of foreign language proficiency” (Andreou and
Galantomos, 2008a: 73).
Given that “effective communication in a second language involves the
ability to use … metaphors” (Littlemore 2001), this figure becomes of prime
importance to the teaching of languages. We therefore advocate for explicit class-
room attention to this figure, on the grounds that it is an integral part of language.
The main contribution of this paper is to provide some ideas about how to foster
second language (L2) learners’ metaphorical awareness. By developing this type
of awareness, learners become more autonomous in this area of vocabulary

learning, in tune with the tenets of the European Space of Higher Education
(ESHE).
2 Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT)

Traditionally, students were taught to learn the meanings of idioms by heart and,
therefore, these would be difficult to remember in a long term period. The con-
temporary view of metaphor could be rather beneficial for foreign language
instruction, in particular, for vocabulary acquisition (Boers and Lindstromberg
2008), since learning about common metaphorical patterns can simplify its acqui-
sition. Many publications (Achard and Niemeier 2004; Bérendi 2006; Cameron
and Low 1999; Cooper 1999; Kövecses 2001; Low 1988; MacLennan 1994; Macmil-
lan English Dictionary Dictionary for Advanced Learners 2002) and empirical
studies (Beréndi 2005; Boers 1997, 2000a, 2000b; Boers and Demecheleer 1997,
1998; Csábi 2004; Danesi 1992b; Littlemore 2002, 2004a, 2004b, 2004c) support
this claim. Also, several publications have shown the benefits of the design of
activities pointing out the metonymical and metaphorical motivation underlying
a figurative sense (Bérendi, Csábi and Kövecses 2008; Boers 2000a; Boers and
Demecheleer 1998; Charteris-Black 2000; Deignan, Gabrys and Solska 1997; Her-
rera and White 2000; Kövecses and Szabò 1996; Lazar 1996, 2003; Lindstromberg
1997; Ponterotto 1994; Tyler and Evans 2004). However, this appealing alternative
to approach L2 lexis is not reflected in English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
materials (Amaya Chávez and MacArthur 2006; Littlemore and Low 2006a).
One of the main tenets of Cognitive Linguistics is that the figurative meanings
of polysemous words1 are not arbitrary, but motivated by people’s recurring
bodily experiences in the real world. This principle has changed the understand-
ing of the phenomenon of polysemy, since, as Lakoff and his followers argue, the
different senses of a polysemous word are not the result of arbitrary historical
development, but can be traced to an underlying conceptual metaphor or meto-
nymy. In an experimental study, Csábi finds that “motivation for the meanings of
polysemous words and the idioms in which they occur promotes better learner
performance” (2004: 250).
In the realm of Cognitive Linguistics metaphors are “devices that allow us to
understand one domain of experience in terms of another” (Lakoff and Johnson
1 “The study of polysemy has a venerable tradition in Cognitive Linguistics. Since the pioneering
work of Dirven (1981), Radden (1981), Brugman (1983), Lindner (1983), and Vandeloise (1984), the
Lexical Network approach to spatial prepositions has proved to be one of the most important
contributions of the cognitive paradigm” (Glynn 2009: 77).

1980: 117). In Metaphors we live by, Lakoff and Johnson (1980) made clear that
metaphor is not just a figure of speech, as was claimed by the traditional theory,
but a figure of thought that pervades our everyday language. This conception of
metaphor highlights its cognitive function to understand and structure experience.
The Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) states that there is, on the one hand,
conceptual metaphor, for example the well-known metaphor “LOVE IS A JOUR-
NEY” (Kövecses 2002: 5; Lakoff and Johnson 1980; Lakoff 1993), and, on the other
hand, metaphorical linguistic expressions which are manifestations or instantia-
tions of that conceptual metaphor, such as:
– Look how far we’ve come
– Our marriage is on the rocks
– We are just taking off
– This relationship is a dead-end street
– They are derailed
– This relationship is foundering
The journey can be undertaken by car (“This relationship is a dead-end street”),

by train (“They are derailed”), by boat (“Our marriage is on the rocks”; “This
relationship is foundering”), by plane (“We are just taking off”), etc. In Lakoff and
Johnson (1980: 44–45), “love”” is understood in terms of a “journey”, and a set of
systematic correspondences is established: “The lovers correspond to the travel-
lers”, “The love relationship corresponds to the vehicle”, “The lovers’ common
goals correspond to their common destinations on the journey”, and “Difficulties
in the relationship correspond to impediments to travel”. Conceptual metaphors
underlie metaphorical linguistic expressions. So, metaphor surpasses the mere
linguistic sphere, since it is the main mechanism through which we comprehend
abstract concepts.
Our knowledge about journey allows us to understand the correspondences
established between journeys and love. The relationship between these domains
is unidirectional, since a domain is usually conceived in terms of another and not
the other way round (Lakoff 1993: 245). Besides, there is a series of conceptual
implications (entailments), which are the result of those basic correspondences.
In this sense, if love is conceptualized as a journey and the vehicle corresponds to
the relationship, then our understanding about the vehicle can help us under-
stand love relationships:
If the vehicle breaks down, we have three choices: (1) we get out and try to reach our
destination by some other means; (2) we try to fix the vehicle; or (3) we stay in the vehicle
and do nothing. Correspondingly, if a love relationship does not work, we can (1) leave the
relationship; (2) try to make it work; or (3) stay in it (and suffer) (Kövecses 2005: 7).

Likewise, the meanings of many idioms2 are not arbitrary but partially composi-
tional motivated by three mechanisms: metaphor, metonymy, and conventional
knowledge (Kövecses 2002: 201). Thus, the expression “You are wasting your
time” is a linguistic manifestation of the conceptual metaphor TIME IS MONEY;
the idiom “heart to heart”, used to express sincerity3, is motivated by the concep-
tual metonymy THE HEART STANDS FOR THE PERSON, belonging to the metony-
mic model “THE BODY PART FOR THE PERSON”; finally, the idiom “to put one’s
hands in one’s pockets”, which means “deliberately do nothing”, is explained by
the common knowledge about the function of the hand: most human activities are
carried out with this body part. Therefore, if we put our hands in our pockets, we
stop performing any activity.
Teaching idiomatic expressions should be compulsory in order to develop
a desired proficiency for language learners. Wray (1999), Fernando (1996), and
Schmitt (2000) suggest that mastering of idioms is required for successful lan-
guage learning and native-like command of the foreign language. Moreover, Wray
(2000) points out that one important component of successful language learning
is the mastery of idiomatic forms of expressions, including idioms, collocations
and sentence frames. Students need to be sensitized about the pervasiveness
of metaphor in language before they are asked to apply this figure. In addition,
sayings, proverbs, phrasal verbs, idioms, etc., which at first sight may seem
unrelated to any conceptual domain, can be added in the vocabulary.
Language learners may find it easier to learn metaphors if they are taught
to think about the metaphors in their native language and compare them with their
usage and meanings in a foreign language. This is the reason why metaphor
deserves a special attention in teaching and learning idiomatic expressions. Even
though there is no complete predictability in the meaning of idioms, there is a great
deal of systematic conceptual motivation given that most idioms are based on
conceptual metaphors and metonymies (Kövecses 2002), as we have previously
2 This ambiguous term has been defined taking into account different criteria according to
semantic, lexical,syntactic, functional, and lexicographical approaches (Moon 1998: 9–18). The
chapters on Metaphor and Meaning in Ortony (1993 [1979]) are of interest for language teachers, in
order to distinguish between idioms and fixed expressions and metaphorical utterances, a
distinction that tends to be blurred after Lakoff and his followers. The chapter by Reddy (1993:
164–201), contains an appendix with “metalingual resources”, including phrasals and preposi-
tional verbs.
3 Cf. Gutiérrez Pérez, R. (2008, 2010) for a detailed analysis of heart metaphors and metonymies.
The author (2008: 49) states that “The “Idealized Cognitive Model” of the heart is composed of
several metaphors (and submetaphors derived from them) and metonymies, which are many
times related, and constitute the cognitive folk model of the heart as the seat of emotions, mainly”.
In 2000, Kövecses also published an interesting book on metaphor and emotion.

exemplified in the expressions pertaining to the conceptual metaphor “LOVE IS A

JOURNEY”. In the same line, Boers (2003: 231) points out that “applying the notion
of conceptual metaphor offers motivation and coherence to whole clusters of
figurative idioms which at first sight appear to be arbitrary and unrelated”. The
researcher also suggests (2000) that the organization of teaching vocabulary
around metaphoric themes may positively contribute to the learning process when
two languages share many features in terms of conceptual metaphors.
Teaching idiomatic expressions in relation to conceptual metaphors can
facilitate learning vocabulary as categories provide a framework for lexical or-
ganization, and organized vocabulary is known to be easier to learn than random
lists. By categorizing idioms according to conceptual metaphors, a metaphoric
awareness can be developed. This method is highly recommended to complement
traditional ways of teaching vocabulary in a systematic way. For instance, the
expressions “from the bottom of one’s heart”, “to speak from the heart”, and “in
one’s heart of heart” belong to the conceptual metaphor “THE HEART IS SINCER-
ITY”4.
The easiest metaphoric expressions are the ones that correspond to the same
conceptual foundation and equivalent linguistic forms both in the native and
target languages (e.g. “to have a big heart”), as a study by Charteris-Black (2002:
104) on university students has proved. However, this is not always the case.
According to Cornell (1999), while learning idioms can be facilitated through
association with a metaphoric theme shared by two languages, it also raises the
risk of erroneous direct translation. For example, an English native speaker may
translate the expression “learn by heart” as “*aprender de corazón” into Spanish,
which does not exist. The equivalent does not have a figurative sense in Spanish,
since it is translated as “aprender de memoria”. Conversely, the Spanish “dedo
corazón” cannot be translated as “*heart finger”, but as “middle finger”. Boers
(2000a: 563, in Kömür and Cimen 2009: 214) states that “learners of a distant
language can have comprehension problems due to cross-cultural differences in
conventionalized metaphoric themes. Sometimes, the perceived closeness of L1
and the target language may prompt learners to (over-) use transfer strategies
resulting in erroneous direct translation”. Therefore, students should be encour-
aged to note where correspondences exist between the L1 and L2, and differences
between the L1 and L2 should be highlighted.
Lakoff argues that our thought processes operate over “Idealized Cognitive
Models” (ICMs) of the world. ICMs are said to be “directly embodied with respect
4 Cf. Barcelona (2000) about the difficulty of drawing boundaries between metaphor and meto-
nymy. Ruiz de Mendoza has also published widely on metaphor and metonymy (1997, 2000, etc.)

to their content … [usually] with respect to use,” and they “structure thought
and are used in forming categories” (1987: 13). As opposed to abstract classical
categories, they are said to be derived from our everyday interactions with the
world. The concept of ICM is understood as a complex structure which can be
composed of several metaphors and metonymies which can be related and can
constitute folk theories of specific abstract fields, as proven in Gutiérrez Pérez
(2008, 2010). In the same line, Dobrovol’skij (1995) proposes to use basic cate-
gories (taxa, in his terminology), what in Gutiérrez Pérez studies corresponds to
the target domains of “love”, “kindness”, “generosity”, “sadness”, “worry”, “in-
telligence”, etc., since they are basic level concepts, in the sense of Rosch (1973,
1975, 1977, 1978; Rosch and Mervis 1975; Rosch et al. 1976).
This section has reviewed the significance of application of the CMT tenets
in L2 teaching and learning. Given that gaining control over conceptual meta-
phors can enable language learners to deal successfully with idioms in the target
language, this paper suggests activities that can facilitate its acquisition by
raising awareness of the conceptual metaphors that underlie them.
3 Teaching procedure
Idioms are one of the major stumbling blocks in learning an L2/Foreign Language
(FL). For this reason in this paper we will try to provide some tips on how to teach
metaphors and idioms effectively in a foreign language context within the frame-
work of cognitive linguistics.
Andreou and Galantomos (2008a:73) claim that “the first stage, when learn-
ing materials are designed, is to define goals that are expected to be brought
about”. In the literature, three basic types are mentioned: overall, specific and
immediate (Rogers 1986: 146–148). The overall objective of every learning pro-
gramme is the achievement of communicative competence and communication
in general. Communicative competence is defined as “everything that a speaker
needs to know in order to communicate appropriately within a particular commu-
nity” (Saville-Troike 2006: 134, in Andreou and Galantomos, ibid.). Specific goals
refer to shorter-terms goals, which in our case is the development of L2 learners’
conceptual fluency (Danesi 1995: 5), that is to say, metaphoric competence
(Danesi 1992a: 190; Littlemore and Low 2006a: 79). It is understood as the “skills
needed to work effectively with metaphor” (Low 1988). It is important to decom-
pose the specific goal of the attainment of metaphoric competence into separate
and manageable units, that is, to plan everyday learning activities in order to
enhance figurative lexis acquisition in one abstract domain at a time (Andreou
and Galantomos 2008a: 73). Thus, the aim of a class (immediate goal) could be to

teach idioms and metaphors that English native speakers use to convey, for
instance, the concept of time or the emotion of happiness.
One of the books selected for instruction at Pablo de Olavide University
(Seville, Spain) in the Degree of Translation and Interpreting is Idiom Organiser
(Wright 2002). It includes the following conceptual metaphors: TIME IS MONEY,
BUSINESS IS WAR, SEEING IS UNDERSTANDING, LIFE IS A JOURNEY, LIFE IS
GAMBLING, A COMPANY IS A SHIP, MOODS ARE WEATHER, THE OFFICE IS A
BATTLEFIELD, A PROJECT IS A RACE, ECONOMICS IS FLYING, ORGANIZATIONS
ARE GARDENS, and PEOPLE ARE LIQUID. The other book selected is Meanings
and Metaphors (Lazar 2003). Through a variety of activities such as sentence
completion, fill in the blanks, multiple choice questions, matching and answering
the written questions communicatively, the selected metaphor type is introduced
and practiced. The interactive vocabulary activities enable the students to en-
hance their language learning much more effectively than traditional ways of
teaching words.
3.1 Instruction of idioms
Students are first told what conceptual metaphors are, and how it is possible to
generate plenty of idioms out of conceptual metaphors. To show them what it
means for a concept to be metaphorical and how such a concept structures
everyday language, students are given examples of metaphorical expressions
related to the concept of IDEA which belongs to the conceptual metaphor
IDEAS ARE FOOD. This metaphor is reflected in English by the following
expressions:
There are too many facts here for me to digest them all.
I just can’t swallow that claim.
That argument smells fishy.
Let me stew over that for a while.
That’s food for thought.
This is the meaty part of the paper.
All this paper has in it are raw facts, half-baked ideas, and warmed-over theories.
The teacher explains that we can talk about “ideas” in terms of “food”. We
actually digest, bake or swallow “ideas.” “Ideas” are partially structured by the
concept of “food.” Though there is no physical eating, there is an abstract eating.
Therefore, the IDEAS ARE FOOD metaphor is one that we live by in English; this is
the ordinary way of talking about “ideas”.

Each unit of the book Idioms Organiser (Wright 2002) deals with a conceptual
metaphor such as TIME IS MONEY. Firstly, students are instructed that conceptual
metaphors usually employ a more abstract concept as target and a more physi-
cal or concrete as their source. The domain of “time” (abstract) is understood in
terms of the domain of “money” (concrete). We draw metaphorical expressions
from the source domain in order to understand the target domain, and this reflects
the way we think. In today’s society, time is conceived in terms of money, since it
is something valuable. In the domain of “money”, there are literal words such as
spare, spend, save, waste, run out of, etc. When talking about “time,” the same
words could be used metaphorically. We have expressions like “I think I’m
running out of time”, “If you want to get to college quicker, save time: don’t drive,
buy a bike!”, “I hate airports. You waste so much time just queuing” – to name a
few. Then, students practice the various idioms generated from the concrete
domain of money through a series of exercises, as we will show in the next section
with respect to the conceptual metaphors “MOODS ARE WEATHER”.
3.2 Instruction of the conceptual metaphor

“MOODS ARE WEATHER”
Unit 7 of Idiom Organiser (Wright 2002) deals with the metaphor MOODS ARE
WEATHER. To practice this metaphor, we follow the exercises proposed by Wright
(2002) and some by Lazar (2003). By analizing the systematicity and experiential
basis of the expressions subject of study, we offer some pedagogical suggestions
and teaching material that can facilitate the acquisition of idiomatic expressions
by raising awareness of the conceptual metaphors that underlie them. We try to
demonstrate the pervasiveness of concepts related to “weather” that indicate a
concrete “mood” in everyday communication. We also offer other conceptual
metaphors associated to weather.
Students are better able to internalize the knowledge by having well-orga-
nized materials such as production exercises and comprehension activities. In
this regard, the following activities can be included (Andreou and Galantomos
2008b: 20; Rahmani Samani and Abad Branch 2012: 254):
– gap-filling
– matching
– multiple choice
– completion activities
– metaphoric themes recognition
– making sentences using idioms
– telling stories based on pictures

– retelling and add-on stories

– idiom notebooks and flashcards
– association of idioms with mental images
– hypothesizing and learning the origin of the idioms
– using idioms dictionaries
– playing idiom games
– replacing marked expressions with idioms
– real life questions
– puzzles
– completing a story or a paragraph
All of these instructional activities can facilitate retention of metaphors by provid-

ing a motivating environment that engages students in the language learning
process.
We try to engage L2 learners in communicative activities as much as possible.
In the proposed exercises (cf. appendix), the main tasks undertaken are the follow-
ing:
– looking up the meanings of the metaphors and idioms in their idiom diction-
aries
– filling in and completing the exercises with the appropriate metaphors and
idioms
– engaging in communicative activities
– writing their own sentences and paragraphs using the metaphors and idioms
and submitting them to the teacher
– translating the metaphorical sentences into their L1 if possible
After working with the proposed exercises, students can reach the following
conclusions:
– Talking about moods in terms related to weather is systematic and forms a
coherent network of metaphorical expressions. If expressions are divided into
two groups, one describing bad weather and the other describing good weath-
er, it can be proved that there is systematicity when we talk about moods in
terms of weather. For example, the expressions “to feel (a bit) under the weath-
er”, “to look gloomy” and “to be dull” refer to a bad mood, whereas expressions
like “to warm up”, “to brighten up” and “a sunny smile” refer to a good mood.
– The expressions have a common experiential basis related to weather condi-
tions. Good weather is associated to a cheerful mood (summer, vacations,
sun, beach, etc.). In contrast, bad weather equates to a gloomy mood (staying
in, cold, work, etc.). Thus, weather constitutes a clear experiential basis for
conceptual metaphors.

– The teacher can also point out that the structure of the metaphor MOODS ARE
WEATHER is partial, i.e., not all words related to bad weather can be used to
talk about a sad mood, for example: floe, downpour, and drizzle are not found
in expressions with this meaning.
3.3 More conceptual metaphors associated to weather
Once students have internalized the mechanism of the metaphor “MOODS ARE
WEATHER”, a step forward is to present other metaphors related to weather. In
most of them, the source domain of “weather conditions” is used to talk about
“presence or absence of problems” (target domain). Different parts of speech are
used to form metaphorical expressions: adjectives (hazy, stormy, gloomy, frosty),
nouns (shower, cloud, wind), and verbs (breeze, brighten up, cloud over, cool). The
appendix collects exercises dealing with metaphors such as:
– STORM IS AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR
– STORM IS HARD TIMES
– CLOUD IS PRESENT OR FORTHCOMING PROBLEMS
– CLOUD IS CONFUSION
– WHIRLWIND IS SUDDEN ACTION
– SHOWER IS TOO MUCH OF SOMETHING
– SNOW IS LACK OF TIME
– HAIL IS AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR
– BREEZE IS CONFIDENT BEHAVIOUR
– FOG IS CONFUSION
– SUNNY IS CHEERFUL
– WARMTH IS AFFECTION
– COLD/FROST/ICE IS LACK OF AFFECTION/UNFRIENDLINESS
– HAZE IS CONFUSION
– WET IS LACK OF ENTHUSIASM OR ENERGY
These metaphors are instantiated by the following idiomatic expressions, phrasal

verbs, collocations and polysemous words:
– STORM IS AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR
To storm into
To storm out of the room/ exam
A stormy relationship/ meeting
To take something by storm
A storm of controversy/ protest/ criticism/ bad publicity

– STORM IS HARD TIMES

A storm is gathering/ breaks
– CLOUD IS PRESENT OR FORTHCOMING PROBLEMS
To cast a cloud over something
A cloud on the horizon
– CLOUD IS CONFUSION
To leave under a cloud
To cloud
To cloud one’s vision/ judgement/ mind/ thoughts
– WHIRLWIND IS SUDDEN ACTION
A whirlwind tour/ romance
– SHOWER IS TOO MUCH OF SOMETHING
To be a shower
To shower someone with praise/ compliments/ gifts
– SNOW IS LACK OF TIME
To be snowed under (with work)
– HAIL IS AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR
A hail of abuse/ bullets/ stones
– BREEZE IS CONFIDENT BEHAVIOUR
To breeze in
A breezy smile/ manner
To breeze into a room/ house
To breeze though a difficult situation/ an exam
– FOG IS CONFUSION
Not to have the foggiest idea
– SUNNY IS CHEERFUL
A sunny smile/ person
– WARMTH IS AFFECTION
To warm to someone
A warm welcome
– COLD/FFROST/ICE IS LACK OF AFFECTION/UNFRIENDLINESS
To be cold
A frosty look/ reception
An icy look/ voice/ contempt
– HAZE IS CONFUSION
To be hazy about
A hazy memory
– WET IS LACK OF ENTHUSIASM OR ENERGY
To be wet

The expressions contained in this section show again a common experiential

basis related to weather conditions. Storm, cloud, whirlwind, shower, snow, hail,
fog, cold, frost, ice, haze and wet have negative connotations, while breeze, sun,
and warmth have positive ones.
4 Conclusion
As acknowledged in numerous studies and in our own teaching experience,
foreign language learners encounter difficulties using metaphorical expressions in
everyday language. In this study, efforts have been made to provide an effective
way for teaching metaphorical expressions following the tenets of CL, since the
teaching of conceptual metaphors can accelerate the learning of idioms and long-
term retention of them. If they are classified according to conceptual metaphors,
the possibility of learning them better and remembering them in the long run will
be higher. It has also been suggested that students may find it easier to learn
English metaphors if they are encouraged to think about metaphors in L1 and
compare them to English ones. The book Idioms Organiser (Wright 2002) is a good
example.
The present paper has reviewed the scope of metaphor and metaphoric compe-
tence in the context of second-language teaching and learning, and has provided
some tips on how to teach metaphors and idioms effectively in a foreign language
context. Specifically, we have focused on the metaphor “MOODS ARE WEATHER”
and other conceptual metaphors associated to weather. For that purpose, exercises
which contain idiomatic expressions, phrasal verbs, collocations and polysemous
words have been selected and classified according to those conceptual metaphors.
We acknowledge that the approach described here is intellectually demand-
ing. However, our own experience with intermediate and advanced students in
English (B2 and C1 levels according to the CEFR) at Pablo de Olavide Universi-
ty (Seville, Spain) has led us to believe that this can be an enjoyable and motivat-
ing practice, and that the increased awareness developed can help learners to
become more autonomous in this area of vocabulary learning, keeping in line
with the guidelines of the European Space of Higher Education (ESHE), which
pursues a more critical, reflective and autonomous learner which is the centre of
a lifelong learning process.
Figurative language is not peripheral and of trivial importance but rather it is
ubiquitous in everyday, conventional language. We therefore advocate explicit
inclusion of the conceptual competence in the CEFR, since to be “conceptually
fluent in a language is to know how that language reflects or encodes its concepts
on the basis of metaphorical structuring” (Danesi 1992b: 490).

References
Achard, M. and Niemeier, S. (eds.). 2004. Cognitive Linguistics, Second Language Acquisition,
and Foreign Language Teaching. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Andreou, G. and Galantomos, L. 2008a. Designing a conceptual syllabus for teaching metaphors
and idioms in a foreign language context. Porta Linguarum, 9: 69–77.
Andreou, G. and Galantomos, L. 2008b. Teaching idioms in a foreign language context: prelimin-
ary comments on factors determining Greek idiom instruction. Metaphorik.de, 15: 7–26.
Amaya Chávez, E. and MacArthur, F. 2006. Analysis of the treatment of the polysemous senses of
hand, cool, and run in twenty-four EFL text books. Paper presented at RaAM 6, Researching
and Applying Metaphor: Ten Years On. Leeds, UK.
Barcelona, A. 2000. Metaphor and Metonymy at the Crossroads: A Cognitive Perspective. Berlin:
Mouton de Gruyter.
Beréndi, M. 2005. Metaphor in Vocabulary Teaching. A Cognitive Linguistc Approach. Unpublised
doctoral thesis. Pécs: JPTE.
Beréndi, M. 2006. Metaphors in Foreign Language Teaching. In R. Benczes and S. Csábi (eds.),
The Metaphors of Sixty. Papers Presented on the Occasion of the 60th Birthday of Zoltán
Kövecses (pp. 62–70). Budapest: ELTE.
Beréndi, M., Csábi, S. and Kövecses, Z. 2008. Using conceptual metaphors and metonymies in
vocabulary teaching. In F. Boers and S. Lindstromberg (eds.), Cognitive Linguistic Ap-
proaches to Teaching Vocabulary and Phraseology (pp. 65–100). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Boers, F. 1997. “No Pain, No Gain” in a Free Market Rhetoric: A Test for Cognitive Semantics?
Metaphor and Symbol, 12/4: 231–241.
Boers, F. 2000a. Metaphor Awareness and Vocabulary Retention. Applied Linguistic, 21.4: 553–
571.
Boers, F. 2000b. Enhancing metaphoric awareness in specialized reading. English for Specific
Purposes, 19: 137–147.
Boers, F. 2003. Applied linguistics perspectives on cross-cultural variation in conceptual meta-
phor. Metaphor and Symbol, 18.4: 231–238.
Boers, F. and Demecheleer, M. 1997. A Few Metaphorical Models in (Western) Economic Dis-
course. ELT Journal, 52.3: 197–204.
Boers, F. and Demecheleer, M. 1998. A Cognitive Semantic Approach to Teaching Prepositions.
ELT Journal, 52.3: 197–204.
Boers, F. and Lindstromberg, S. 2008. How cognitive linguistics can foster effective vocabulary
teaching”. In F. Boers and S. Lindstromberg (eds.), Cognitive Linguistic Approaches to
Teaching Vocabulary and Phraseology (pp. 1–61). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Brugman, C. 1983. The Story of Over: Polysemy, Semantics, and the Structure of the Lexicon. Trier:
LAUT.
Cameron, L. and Low, G. 1999. Metaphor. Language Teaching, 32: 77–96.
Charteris-Black, J. 2000. Metaphor and Vocabulary Teaching in ESP Economics. English for
Specific Purposes, 19: 149–165.
Charteris-Black, J. 2002. Second language figurative proficiency: A comparative study of Malay
and English. Applied Linguistics, 23(1): 104–133.
Cooper, T. C. 1999. Processing of Idioms by L2 Learners of English. Tesol Quarterly, 32/2: 233–262.
Cornell, A.1999. Idioms: an approach to identifying major pitfalls for learners. IRAL, 37.1: 1–21.
Council of Europe. 2001. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,
Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge: CUP.

Cowie, A. et al. 1993. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford UP.
Csábi, S. 2004. A Cognitive Linguistic View of Polysemy in English and its Implications for Teaching.
In M. Achard and S. Niemeier (eds.), Cognitive linguistics, second language acquisition, and
foreign language teaching (pp. 233–256). Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
Danesi, M. 1986. The Role of Metaphor in Second Language Pedagogy. Rassegna Italiana di
Linguistica Applicata, 18.3: 1–10.
Danesi, M. 1992a. Metaphor and Classroom Second Language Learning. Romance Language
Annual, 3: 189–194.
Danesi, M. 1992b. Metaphorical Competence in Second Language Acquisition and Second
Language Teaching. In J.E Alatis (ed.) Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and
Linguistics (pp. 489–500). Washington, D.C: Georgetown UP.
Danesi, M. 1995. Learning and teaching languages: The role of ‘conceptual fluency. International
Journal of Applied Linguistics, 5.1: 3–20.
Danesi, M. 2004. Metáfora, pensamiento y lenguaje. Sevilla: Kronos.
Deignan, A., Gabrys, D. and Solska, A. 1997. Teaching English Metaphors Using Crosslinguistic
Awareness-Raising Activities. ELT Journal, 51.4: 352–360.
Dirven, R. 1981. Metaphors of spatial relations. In J. Hasler (ed.), Anglistentag Trier 1981
(pp. 63–91). Frankfurt: Lang.
Dobrovol’skij, D. 1995. Kognitive Aspekte der Idiom-Semantik. Studien zum Thesaurus deutscher
Idiome. Tubinga: Gunter Narr.
Fernando, C. 1996. Idioms and idiomaticity. Oxford: Oxford UP.
Glynn, D. 2009. Polysemy, syntax, and variation: A usage-based method for Cognitive Semantics.
In V. Evans and S. Pourcel (eds.), New directions in Cognitive Linguistics (pp. 77–104).
Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Gutiérrez Pérez, R. 2008. A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Heart Metaphors. Revista Alicantina de
Estudios Ingleses, 21: 25–56.
Gutiérrez Pérez, R. 2010. Estudio cognitivo-contrastivo de las metáforas del cuerpo. Análisis
empírico del corazón como dominio fuente en inglés, francés, español, alemán e italiano.
Peter Lang: Frankfurt am Main.
Herrera, H. and White, M. 2000.Cognitive Linguistics and the Language Learning Process: A Case
from Economics. Estudios Ingleses de la Universidad Complutense, 8: 55–78.
Kömür, S. and Cimen, S. 2009. Using conceptual metaphors in teaching idioms in a foreign
language context. ILKE, 205–222.
Kövecses, Z. 2000. Metaphor and Emotion. Language, culture and body in human feeling.
Cambridge: CUP.
Kövecses, Z. 2001. A cognitive linguistcs view of learning idioms in an FLT context. In M. Piitz and
R. Dirven (eds.), Applied Cognitive Linguistics II: Language Pedagogy (pp. 87–116). Berlin/
New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
Kövecses, Z. 2002. Metaphor: A practical introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP.
Kövecses, Z. 2005. Metaphor in Culture. Universality and Variation. Cambridge: CUP.
Kövecses, Z. and Peter Szabó 1996: Idioms: A View from Cognitive Semantics. Applied Linguistics
17.3: 326–355.
Lakoff, G. and Johnson, M. 1980. Metaphors we live by. Chicago: Chicago UP.
Lakoff, G. and Johnson, M. 1987. Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal
about the Mind. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
Lakoff, G. and Johnson, M. 1993 [1979]. The contemporary theory of metaphor. In A. Ortony (ed.),
Metaphor and Thought, 2nd edn. (pp. 202–251). Cambridge: CUP.

Lazar, G. 1996. Using Figurative Language to Expand Students’ Vocabulary. ELT Journal 50.1:
43–51.
Lazar, G. 2003. Meanings and Metaphors. Activities to Practise Figurative Language. Cambridge:
Cambridge UP.
Lindner, S. 1983. A Lexico-Semantic Analysis of English Verb-Particle Constructions. LAUT: Trier.
Lindstromberg, S. 1997. English Prepositions Explained. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Low, G. 1988. On teaching metaphor. Applied Linguistcs, 9.2: 125–147.
Littlemore, J. 2001. Metaphoric Competence: A Language Learning Strength of Students With a
Holistic Cognitive Style? TESOL Quarterly, 35.3: 459–491.
Littlemore, J. 2002. Developing metaphor interpretation strategies for students of economics: a
case study. Les Cahiers de l’APLIUT, 22, 4: 40–60.
Littlemore, J. 2004a. The effect of cognitive style on vocabulary learning strategy preferences.
Iberica, The Academic Journal of AELFE7: 5–32.
Littlemore, J. 2004b. What kind of training is required to help language students use metaphor-
based strategies to work out the meaning of new vocabulary? Documentao de Estudos em
Linguistica Teorica e Aplicada DELTA20 (2): 265–279.
Littlemore, J. 2004c. Interpreting metaphors in the language classroom. Les Cahiers de l’A-
PLIUT23, 2, 57–70.
Littlemore, J. and Low, G. 2006a. Figurative Thinking and Foreign Language Learning. NewYork:
Palgrave McMillan.
Littlemore, J. and Low, G. 2006b. Metaphoric Competence, Second Language Learning, and
Communicative Language Ability. Applied Linguistics, 27.2: 268–294.
Martyniuk, W. 2006. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teach-
ing, assessment (CEFR) – a synopsis. Available at: http://lrc.cornell.edu/events/ past/200
5–2006/martyniuk.doc
MacLennan, C. 1994. Metaphors and prototypes in the learning teaching of grammar and
vocabulary. IRAL 32/2: 97–110.
Moon, R. 1998. Fixed Expressions and Idioms in English. A Corpus-Based Approach. Oxford:
Oxford UP.
Nacey, S. 2013. Metaphors in Learner English. John Benjamins: Amsterdam/ Philadelphia.
Ortony, A. 1993 [1979]. Metaphor and Thought. Cambridge: CUP.
Ponterotto, D. 1994. Metaphors We Can Learn by. English Teaching Forum, 32.3: 2–7.
Radden, G. 1981. Die übertragenen Bedeutungen der englishen Raumpräpositionen. In G. Rad-
den and R. Dirven (eds.), Kassusgrammatik und Fremdsprachendidaktik (pp. 133–179).
Trier: Wissenschaftlicher.
Rahmani Samani, E. and Abad Branch, N. 2012. The Effect of Conceptual Metaphors on Learning
Idioms by L2 Learners. International Journal of English Linguistics, 1: 2: 249–256.
Reddy, M. 1993 [1979]. The conduit metaphor. In A. Ortony (ed.), Metaphor and Thought
(pp. 164–201). Cambridge: CUP.
Rogers, A. 1986. Teaching Adults. Berkshire: Open UP.
Rosch, E. 1973. On the Internal Structure of Perceptual and Semantic Categories. In T. E. Moore,
(ed.), Cognitive Development and the Acquisition of Language (pp. 111–144). New York:
Academic Press.
Rosch, E. 1975. Cognitive representations in semantic categories. Journal of Experimental Psy-
chology: General, 104: 192–233.
Rosch, E. 1977. Human categorization. In N. Warren, (ed.), Studies in Cross-Cultural Psychology.
Vol. 1. (pp. 3–49). New York: Academic Press.

Rosch, E. 1978. Principles of categorization. In E. Rosch and B. B. Lloyd, (eds.), Cognition and
Categorization (pp. 27–48). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Rosch, E. and Mervis, C. 1975. Family resemblances: Studies in the internal structure of cate-
gories. Cognitive Psychology, 7: 573–605.
Rosch, E., Mervis, C., Gray, W., Johnson, D., and Boyes-Braem, P. 1976. Basic objects in natural
categories. Cognitive Psychology, 8: 382–439.
Ruiz de Mendoza, F. J. 1997. Metaphor, metonymy and conceptual interaction. ATLANTIS. Revista
de la Asociación Española de Estudios Anglonorteamericanos, 19/1: 281–295.
Ruiz de Mendoza, F. J. 2000. The role of mappings and domains in understanding metonymy. In
A. Barcelona (ed.), Metaphor and Metonymy at the Crossroads (pp. 109–132). Berlin/New
York: Mouton de Gruyter.
Rundell, M. and Fox, G. 2002. Macmillan English Dictionary Dictionary for Advanced Learners.
Oxford: Macmillan Education.
Saville-Troike, M. 2006. Introducing Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
Schmitt, N. 2000. Vocabulary in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
Tyler, A. and Evans, V. 2004. Applying Cognitive Linguistics to Pedagogical Grammar: The Case of
Over. M. Achard and Niemeier, S. (eds.), Cognitive Linguistics, Second Language Acquisi-
tion, and Foreign Language Teaching (pp. 257–280). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Vandeloise, C. 1984. L’Espace en Français. Paris: Seuil.
Wray, A. 1999. Formulaic language in learners and native speakers. Language Teaching, 32:
213–231.
Wray, A. 2000. Formulaic sequences in second language teaching: Principles and practice.
Applied Linguistics, 21.4: 463–489.
Wright, J. 2002. Idioms organizer: Organized by metaphor, topic, and key word. Boston (MA),
USA: Thomson.
APPENDIX 1
Activities to practice the metaphor “MOODS ARE WEATHER” and other con-
ceptual metaphors associated to weather.
– Activity 1
Literal meanings
Words which describe weather are often used to talk about people and
their moods or emotions. Use these words to complete the following defini-
tions:
shower storm breeze frosty hazy gloomy cloud over cool
1. Another word for a light or moderate wind is a ……………

2. 10 minutes of light rain is a ……………
3. When the sun is not clear it is……………

4. When the temperature drops to just below zero it is ……………

5. A day with lots of dark cloud is ……………
6. Sometimes even the sunniest skies can …………… and the day turns dull.
7. When the wind gets very strong, get ready for a ……………
8. Spring days can be quite warm, but it is usually …………… in the evening.
– Activity 2
Underline the correct word in the sentences below:
1. It was obvious that Charles was angry. He came storming/breezing into the
room, threw the contract on the table and demanded to know why he had not
been consulted.
2. It was obvious from the way Peter breezed/stormed in this morning that Mary
had said yes to his proposal.
3. I think I drank too much last night at dinner. I’m afraid I’m feeling a bit under
the sky/ weather this morning.
4. They used to be crazy about each other, but I think their relationship has
cooled/frozen recently.
5. Meeting Jane’s parents for the first time was a bit worrying, but they gave me
a very sunny/warm welcome. Her mother was lovely.
6. The car broke down on the way to my husband’s parents. We were two hours
late for Sunday lunch. You can imagine we got a very frosty/ wet recep-
tion.
7. Ladies and gentlemen, can I start by thanking you for giving me such a warm/
hot welcome.
8. What’s the matter? Cheer up! You look a bit foggy/ gloomy.
9. I wish Dave was more dynamic. He always seems to be half sleep – he’s a bit
damp/ wet, really.
10. My students really annoy me sometime – particularly when they never do
their homework. They really are a shower/ storm!
– Activity 3
Match the following adjectives to their moods:
1. frosty 2. warm 3. hazy 4. stormy 5. gloomy
a. angry b. unfriendly c. sad d. confused e. friendly
– Activity 4
Fill in the correct word in the dialogues below:
clouded cloud hazy brighten up warmed up warmed wind

1 Did you hear about David?

→ No. Why did he leave so suddenly?
Well, apparently, he left under a …………… Someone found out that he
had been stealing from the company expense account!
2. How was the office party?
→ A bit slow at first, but it soon …………… when the boss left!
3. So, you met my old friend Larry yesterday. What do you think of him?
→ A great guy! Yes, I …………… to him straightaway.
4. Have you replied to that letter from the bank?
→ Not yet. Can you help me? I’m a bit …………… about what to do, actually.
5. Did you have a good time last night?
→ Not really. Jill had some bad news which …………… the whole evening.
6. Well, is it going to be a week sightseeing in Belgium or a fornight in Bali?
→ Let’s throw caution to the …………… Two weeks in the sun! We can worry
about paying for it when we come back!
7. Liz seemed a bit depressed this morning.
→ Oh, she’ll soon …………… when I tell her she’s being sent to Paris!
– Activity 5
Discuss in pairs when was the last time you felt a bit under the weather?
– Activity 6
Put the following pairs of words into the sentences below:
a. stormed, room d. soon, when
b. feeling, weather e. given, frosty
c. gave, welcome f. hazy, do
1. The party …………… warmed up …………… Mark’s brother arrived.

2. We were …………… a very …………… reception.
3. They …………… me a very warm …………… .
4. He …………… into the …………… and shouted at me!
5. I’m a bit …………… about what to …………… next.
6. I’m …………… a bit under the …………… this morning.
– Activity 7
Breezy cold dull foggy frosty hazy icy stormy sunny warm wet
These adjectives all have metaphorical, as well as literal meanings. Suggest some
metaphorical meanings for them. Check them in a dictionary.

– Activity 8
Use the adjectives in activity 1 to complete this conversation. (One of the adjec-
tives should be used more than once).
Happy holidays
Characters:
Anne: a woman of about 40. Pleasant, enthusiastic, cheerful and friendly with
1 …………… and a2 …………… smile.
Peter: Anne’s husband. In contrast to her, he does not show his feelings easily, and
can sometimes seem rather 3 …………… .
ANNE: So, have you had any more thoughts about where we should go on
holidays this year?
PETER: (with a4 …………… look) I’ve told you, Anne, I’ve been far too busy to think
about it.
ANNE: I Know you have, darling, but I do think we need to start planning.
PETER: Oh all right. Well, what about Greece? They always give us such a
5 …………… welcome on the island – they really are friendly people.
ANNE: It’s just the heat, though, in the summer. I really find it unbearable.
PETER: Well, what about Italy then? Although I suppose that could be hot too! I
know we went about 20 years ago, but I’ve only got a 6 …………… memory of it. All
I can remember was the food and that museum in Florence. Can you remember
what I was called? You know, the one with those wonderful paintings?
ANNE: I haven’t got the 7 …………… idea what it was called, Peter! I found it rather
8 …………… to tell you the truth.
PETER: (in a 9 …………… voice) You should show more interest in art, dear. Life
isn’t just about animals and the countryside.
ANNE: But that’s what I’m most interested in! In fact, what about a camping
holiday this year?
PETER: Ugh! It’s so uncomfortable.
ANNE: Oh Peter, don’t be so 10 ……………! Can’t you be a bit more enthusiastic? If
we went camping, we’d be so close to nature.
PETER: (with 11 …………… contempt) Too close, as far as I’m concerned.
ANNE: Oh dear! Why does our relationship always become so 12 …………… when
we have to decide about holidays?
– Activity 9
Write the rest of Anne and Peter’s conversation

– Activity 10
Rehearse Anne and Peter’s conversation by reading it aloud a few times. Then act
it out!
– Activity 11
Read the sentences. Are they true or false? Explain why.
1. The opposite of a “warm welcome” is “a frosty reception”
2. “A stormy meeting” is one in which people cannot agree with each other, and
become angry and emotional with each other.
3. A person who is “wet” is strong and decisive.
– Activity 12
Choose one of the following and either act it out for other students or write down
a short conversation to illustrate it. The other students guess which one you have
chosen.
1. a sunny smile
2. a warm welcome
3. a frosty look
4. a frosty reception
5. an icy look
6. a breezy manner
7. a stormy relationship’
– Activity 13
Think of weather words in your own language. Are any of them used to talk about
things which are not weather? Compare these uses with English.
– Activity 14
Underline the words or expressions connected with the weather in these
sentences.
1. Since we sent out the advertising brochure we have been really snowed under
with work.
2. We were all enjoying the party very much until my dear brother arrived to
cast a cloud over it.
3. The musical has taken the city by storm, and it’s impossible to get tickets for
it.
4. Now that they have finally moved into their new home, the only cloud on the
horizon is her cousin’s illness.
5. The storm was gathering for months, and it eventually broke when the two
candidates in the election admitted taking bribes.

Complete these definitions of the phrases in 6–10 with one word.

6. to be snowed under: to have too much to do and not enough…………. to do it.
7. to cast a cloud over something: to make people feel less optimistic or………….
abouta situation.
8. to take something by storm: to be very popular or…………. in a very short
time.
9. a cloud on the horizon: something that threatens to cause…………. in the
future.
10. a storm is gathering/breaks: there is a threat of…………./………… happens.
– Activity 15
Complete the sentences with the words in the box. (Some words can be used more
than once).
abuse bullets compliments controversy criticism difficult situation exam gifts

house judgement mind praise protest romance room stones thoughts tour
1. If you shower presents, …………., …………. or …………. on somebody, you give

somebody a lot, in a rather extravagant way.
2. If something clouds your vision, your …………., your …………. or your …………. it
makes it/them unclear, possibly because you have very strong feelings about
something.
3. If you breeze into a …………. or a …………. You walk in quickly and confidently.
4. If you breeze through an …………. or some other …………., you cope with it
successfully without looking as if you were worried or anxious about it.
5. If you storm out of the …………. or the …………. or even an …………., you leave it
in a fast, noisy way that shows how angry you are.
6. A hail of …………. or …………. can hurt or injure you physically, while a hail of
…………. can hurt you psychologically.
7. A whirlwind …………. or a whirlwind …………. is one that happens quicker than
usual, possibly too quickly.
8. A strong intense reaction, usually resulting from a particular situation or
event, and which causes a lot of trouble, is often described as a storm of bad
publicity, …………., …………. or ………….
– Activity 16
Choose one of the following and act it out for the class. They should guess
which one you are acting out.
– To shower somebody with praise
– To storm out of the room

– To be snowed under with work

– To go on a whirlwind tour
– To cast a cloud over the occasion
– To shower somebody with gifts
– To breeze into a room
– To scream a hail of abuse at somebody
– Activity 17
Think about recent events and choose two or three of these ideas. Tell
another student about:
– a storm that gathered and broke (in public life)
– something that took the country by storm (e.g. a new craze/ a new film)
– a whirlwind tour (e.g. by a pop star)
– a storm of controversy (e.g. over a new law/ over a book)
– a storm of protest (e.g. over a new highway/ over a television programme)
– a hail of abuse (e.g. at footballers who lost a match/ at a bank manager who
defrauded his customers)
Answer key
1: 1 breeze, 2 shower, 3 hazy, 4 frosty, 5 gloomy, 6 cloud over, 7 storm, 8 cool
2: 1 storming, 2 breezed, 3 weather, 4 cooled, 5 warm, 6 frosty, 7 warm, 8 gloomy,
9 wet, 10 shower
3: 1b, 2e, 3d, 4a, 5c
4: 1 cloud, 2 warmed up, 3 warmed, 4 hazy, 5 clouded, 6 wind, 7 brighten up
5: Encourage students to do this in pairs before you go over it with the whole
class.
6: 1d, 2e, 3c, 4a, 5 f, 6b
7: To help students speculate about the metaphorical meanings of the words, give
them an example of one of the adjectives, e.g. stormy. Ask them to think about the
literal meaning, and then to guess what it could mean figuratively. Some of the
meanings will be easier for students to guess than others, e.g. those words
involving ideas of “hot” and “cold” (e.g. frosty, sunny, icy, cold, warm) might be
easier to guess than e.g. breezy and wet. Encourage students to use dictionaries to
check the words they find especially difficult.
8: When doing feedback, encourage students to make connections between the
literal and figurative meanings of the words. Also, encourage them to note down
important collocations for the words, e.g. an icy voice/icy contempt, or any
idiomatic expressions, e.g. not to have the foggiest (idea) about something.
1 breezy, 2 sunny, 3 cold, 4 frosty, 5 warm, 6 hazy, 7 foggiest, 8 dull, 9 icy, 10 wet,
11 icy, 12 stormy

9: Before students write the rest of the conversation, brainstorm some ideas with
them, e.g. Do Anne and Peter finally agree on a holiday? Do they go on separate
holidays?
Ask students to complete the conversation, while you monitor unobtrusively,
helping with any grammar, vocabulary, etc.
10: This can be done in stages:
– Students practice reading aloud the conversation (with their ending) in pairs.
– Students read the conversation aloud a second time with more expression
and intonation, closely following stage directions like in an icy voice.
– Students use gestures, etc. to act out the conversation, but still reading their
scripts.
– Students act out the conversation, with improvisations allowed, without the
scripts.
11: 1 T, 2 T, 3 F
12: Explain to students that in this activity they should convey the meaning of
the phrase, without mentioning the phrase itself. For example, to illustrate a
frosty reception they can act out somebody giving somebody else a frosty recep-
tion through body language, facial expressions and polite but cold language,
without mentioning the phrase itself.
13: Students brainstorm in pairs/groups before reporting their cross-cultural
comparisons to the whole class.
14: Explain to students that the rest of activities in this unit focus on how weather
vocabulary can be used to describe different feelings, behavior or situations.
Ask students to complete the activity in pairs, using their literal knowledge of the
vocabulary to help them understand the metaphorical meanings of the words. Do
an example with them to illustrate this.
1 snowed under 2 to cast a cloud over 3 taken … by storm 4 the only cloud on the
horizon 5 the storm was gathering…broke 6 time 7 positive/happy 8 successful 9
problems 10 trouble/trouble
15: Explain to students that this activity practices common collocations (words
with go together) for weather vocabulary. Encourage them to learn these colloca-
tions as set phrases.
Ask students to check the meanings of the words in a dictionary if necessary,
and/or by discussing the words in pairs.
1 compliments, gifts, praise 2 judgement, mind, thoughts 3 house, room 4 exam,
difficult situation 5 house, room, exam 6 bullets, stones, abuse 7 romance, tour 8
controversy, criticism
16: Give students some time to think of their “act”. Make it clear that they should not
actually mention any of the phrases in 3, but should demonstrate their meaning.

Alternatively, ask students to write a short conversation which illustrates the

phrase.
17: Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs. Monitor unobtrusively, noting
down any errors for future correction.
Note: When the weather is breezy, the wind is fairly strong, but pleasant and refreshing. Thus, in
English the metaphorical meaning of breezy suggests a person who is confident, relaxed and
optimistic. Wet, on the other hand, has come to mean a weak and spineless person, who lacks
enthusiasm and energy.

View publication stats

Weather Metaphor - Quan Trọng

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Weather Metaphor - Quan Trọng

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

Teaching Conceptual Metaphors to EFL Learners in the European Space of

Article in European Journal of Applied Linguistics · January 2016

Regina Gutiérrez Pérez

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Regina Gutiérrez Pérez*

Abstract: The CEFR encourages a more effective international communication.

Keywords: Cognitive Linguistics (CL), Conceptual Metaphor, Metaphoric Compe-

Zusammenfassung: Der GER fördert eine effektivere internationale Kommunika-

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

einer Sprache Lehrplan bei zunehmenden Kenntnisse in L2 ausgerichtet. Diese

Stichwörter: Kognitive Linguistik (KL), konzeptuelle Metapher, metaphorische

Resumen: El MCER promueve una comunicación internacional más efectiva.

Palabras clave: Lingüística cognitiva (CL), metáfora conceptual, competencia

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

diversity, mutual understanding, democratic citizenship, social cohesion and

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

The ability to use or learn language is based on the following competences:

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

2 Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT)

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

The journey can be undertaken by car (“This relationship is a dead-end street”),

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

exemplified in the expressions pertaining to the conceptual metaphor “LOVE IS A

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

3.1 Instruction of idioms

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

3.2 Instruction of the conceptual metaphor

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

– retelling and add-on stories

All of these instructional activities can facilitate retention of metaphors by provid-

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

3.3 More conceptual metaphors associated to weather

These metaphors are instantiated by the following idiomatic expressions, phrasal

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

– STORM IS HARD TIMES

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

The expressions contained in this section show again a common experiential

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

shower storm breeze frosty hazy gloomy cloud over cool

1. Another word for a light or moderate wind is a ……………

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

4. When the temperature drops to just below zero it is ……………

clouded cloud hazy brighten up warmed up warmed wind

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

1 Did you hear about David?

1. The party …………… warmed up …………… Mark’s brother arrived.

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

Complete these definitions of the phrases in 6–10 with one word.

abuse bullets compliments controversy criticism difficult situation exam gifts

1. If you shower presents, …………., …………. or …………. on somebody, you give

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

– To be snowed under with work

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

Brought to you by | Pablo de Olavide University

Alternatively, ask students to write a short conversation which illustrates the