Which term defines an expression that cannot be understood if taken literally?

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Multiple Choice

Which term defines an expression that cannot be understood if taken literally?

Idioms are expressions whose meaning isn’t found in the literal reading of the words. The phrase described is one you can’t understand by interpreting the words literally, because its meaning is figurative and conventional rather than a direct, surface-level definition. For example, “spill the beans” means to reveal a secret, not literally dumping beans. This kind of non-literal meaning is the hallmark of idioms. The other terms don’t fit because they relate to how we process language rather than to figurative meaning. Graphophonic concerns the relationship between sounds and letters in decoding; intrinsic phonics refers to a teaching approach that emphasizes phonics from within the language’s structure; latent simply means hidden or not obvious.

Idioms are expressions whose meaning isn’t found in the literal reading of the words. The phrase described is one you can’t understand by interpreting the words literally, because its meaning is figurative and conventional rather than a direct, surface-level definition. For example, “spill the beans” means to reveal a secret, not literally dumping beans. This kind of non-literal meaning is the hallmark of idioms.

The other terms don’t fit because they relate to how we process language rather than to figurative meaning. Graphophonic concerns the relationship between sounds and letters in decoding; intrinsic phonics refers to a teaching approach that emphasizes phonics from within the language’s structure; latent simply means hidden or not obvious.

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