Most idioms are unique and fixed in their grammatical structure. The expression to sit on the fence cannot become to sit on a fence or to sit on the fences.However, there are many changes that can be made to an idiom.
Some of these changes result in a change in the grammatical structure that would generally be considered to be wrong.
To be broken literally means that something is broken.
The lamp is broken so i cannot easily read my book.
To be broke is grammatically incorrect but it has this idiomatic meaning of to have no money.
I broke and i cannot go to a movie tonight.
There can also be changes in nouns, pronouns or in the verb tenses.
i sat on the fence and did not give my opinion.
Many people are sitting on the fence and do not want to give their opinion.
Adjective and Adverbs can also be added to an idiomatic phrase.
The politician has been sitting squarely in the middle of the fence since the election.
It is for these reasons that it is sometimes difficult to isolate the actual idiomatic expression and then find it in a dictionary of idioms.
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Some of these changes result in a change in the grammatical structure that would generally be considered to be wrong.
To be broken literally means that something is broken.
The lamp is broken so i cannot easily read my book.
To be broke is grammatically incorrect but it has this idiomatic meaning of to have no money.
I broke and i cannot go to a movie tonight.
There can also be changes in nouns, pronouns or in the verb tenses.
i sat on the fence and did not give my opinion.
Many people are sitting on the fence and do not want to give their opinion.
Adjective and Adverbs can also be added to an idiomatic phrase.
The politician has been sitting squarely in the middle of the fence since the election.
It is for these reasons that it is sometimes difficult to isolate the actual idiomatic expression and then find it in a dictionary of idioms.
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