Phraseology lecture 13 phraseology and phraseological units

Communicative phraseological units, expressing statement:

• A proverb is a collection of words (phrase or sentence that states a general truth or gives advice:
• Idleness is the root of all evil.
• A penny saved is a penny gained.
• The pen is mightier than the sword.
• Ask no questions, hear no lies.
• Silence is something an answer.

Distinctive features of proverbs:

• Structural dissimilarity
• (cf: George liked her for she never put on airs (predicate).
• Big bugs like him care nothing about small fry like ourselves (a) subject, b) prepositional object).
• Proverbs, if viewed in their structural aspect, are sentences, and so cannot be used in the way in which phraseological units are used in the above examples.