BINOMIALS WITH 'OR'.

Do you remember what a BINOMIAL is? It is a phrase joined by a conjunction or a preposition which has a (relatively)fixed order. In other words, these pairs of words tend to appear in a sentence in the same order. We say “sooner or later’; we don’t say ‘later or sooner”. 

Generally speaking, binomials make an expression that most often cannot be immediately understood even if we know the meaning of the two words in isolation. Therefore, you should learn the expression as a whole (‘a chunk’). Take for instance the binomial ‘chalk and cheese’, which means “totally different”. If I say that two people are like chalk and cheese, I mean that they are completely different. Im sum, you may know the meaning of ‘chalk’ and ‘cheese’, but the two words in isolation don’t make any sense. 

However, the difficulty understanding the binomial may vary from one language to another. Why am I saying so? Because most of the binomials I’ve chosen to show you in today’s lesson have their equivalent expressions in Portuguese.

In today’s post, I’ve brought a short list of binomials linked by ‘OR’, so note that the words are antonyms. 

1. sooner or later. ( = it might take some time, but it will happen in the future) e.g You’ll have to tell him that you are pregnant sooner or later. 
2. take it or leave it ( = accept or refuse it without discussion) . e.g ’That's my final offer. Take it or leave it. 
3. Believe it or not ( accept it as true or not) e.g This is the best hotel in town, believe it or not. 
4. All or nothing ( everything you want or nothing). eg. For me, it is all or nothing.
5. more or less. (=almost) e.g The class is more or less the same as it was last term. 
6. life or death. e.g This is a matter of life or death.
7. give or take (= a little more or less; approximately). e.g A: I guess you lived in New York for 2 years. ; B: Yes, 2 years, give or take.

For Portuguese Speakers

Have you realized that the binomials form 1 to 6 have the same meaning and order in Portuguese? 

1. sooner or later ( =mais cedo ou mais tarde)

2. take it or leave it ( =é pegar ou largar)

3. believe it or not (= acredite se quiser)

4. all or nothing ( tudo ou nada)

5. more or less (= mais ou menos) 

6. life or death ( =vida ou morte)

The only binomial that, for me, is completely idiomatic is  7. “give or take”. Do you agree with me?