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Q: Every coin has 2 sides...
I've heard this mentioned before, but I just need reminding.
Is it a Chinglish phrase?
A student told me if they write this in their English test they gain marks. Is this true?
Its similar to 'pros and cons', or the advantages/disadvantages, kind of thing?
I haven't got a f**king clue to be honest!
10 years 31 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
i die a bit inside every time i hear that idiom (over)used. 
Seriously, i wish someone would PLEASE tell students NOT to use idioms unless they know how to use them correctly. I would interpret this one as meaning 'there are opposing views to this question', and even then it is not an idiom used that regularly at home.
'Pro life and pro choice. Both are opposite sides of the abortion coin.'
I am not sure about marks, but it is English idiom.
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/two+sides+of+the+same+coin
One of my students used this as an excuse for never coming to class.
He failed, so when we met to "retest" I asked him why didnt he come to class. He smugly said "every coin has to sides".
When I asked him what does that have to do with his skipping my class, he looked very confused. Even repeated the sentence a couple of more times. Seems like he genuinely did not understand why I did not accept his explanation.
So, I failed him again.
What it has to do with marks, I would imagine that in a Chinese test of English proficiency, the fact that he used an idiom (even if incorrectly) gives him additional points for using idioms, even if used incorrectly.
GuilinRaf:
Which may explain why some people who boast that they passed CET 6 often times cannot understand oral/spoken English.
i die a bit inside every time i hear that idiom (over)used. Seriously, i wish someone would PLEASE tell students NOT to use idioms unless they know how to use them correctly. I would interpret this one as meaning 'there are opposing views to this question', and even then it is not an idiom used that regularly at home.
Every coin has two sides and there can be two ideas for every problem. But a coin also has edges, there can be other answers in between.
Yes, I've heard it. I don't think it's exactly a pros and cons thing, I've heard used to suggest that you should consider both sides of a story/argument before judging.
