ADYNATON: IDIOMS of IMPOSSIBILITY

Adynaton or plural Adynata is a figure of speech in the form of a hyperbole taken to such extreme lengths as to create a complete impossibility. Every language has some sort of idiomatic expression of impossibility and my task has been to ask my students to make up original impossible  tasks and realities. It helps to try to see the  world the other way round or from a different perspective. Let´s see some fossilized adynata:

WHEN FROGS GROW HAIR ( Spanish)
   "        PIGS FLY  (ENGLISH)
   "       THE LOUSE SNEEZES(Ukraine)
   "       HELL FREEZES OVER
   "      THE GARDEN IS FULL OF DUCKS HOLDING PASTRY IN THEIR  HANDS(Turkish)
   "     THE WILLOW BEARS GRAPES (Serbian)
   "    THE SUN RISES IN THE WEST(Chinese)
   "    SALT BLOSSOMS (Algeria)
   "    DOGS BARK WITH THEIR TAILS(German)
    "   THE OWL´S TAIL BLOSSOMS  (Latvia)
    "   THERE ARE TWO WEDNESDAYS IN A WEEK(Denmark)
    "   THE PIG CLIMBS THE PEAR TREE IN YELLOW SLIPPERS(Bulgarian)
    "    THE CRAWFISH WHISTLES IN THE MOUNTAIN (Russian)
    "    CHICKENS HAVE TEETH (France)
    ON THE AFTERNOON OF ST. NEVER´S DAY (Portugal)
WHEN THE CROW FLIES UPSIDE DOWN (India)
    "       GYPSY CHILDREN ARE STREAMING FROM THE SKY (Hungary)
    "     ST. JOHN LOWERS A FINGER(Colombia)
    "     GEESE PISS (Italy)
    "  FLAGPOLES BLOSSOM (Finnish)
    "  IT´S SNOWING RED(Hungarian)
    "   CATS GROW HORNS (Malay)
    "    FISH CLIMB POPLAR TREES (Turkish)
    " TWO THURSDAYS IN THE SAME WEEK(Swedish)
    IN THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND AND NEVER(Seychelles)

REMEMBER IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING.
 WHAT WERE ONCE UTOPIAS ARE REALITIES NOWADAYS....
 USE YOUR IMAGINATION
DRAWING FROM SONGS SUCH AS "AS" by STEVIE WONDER:
UNTIL THE RAINBOW BURNS THE STARS OUT IN THE SKY
             THE OCEAN COVERS EVERY MOUNTAIN
             DOLPHINS FLY AND PARROTS LIVE AT SEA
            WE DREAM OF LIFE AND LIFE BECOMES A DREAM
           THE DAY IS NIGHT AND NIGHT BECOMES THE DAY
                               THE EARTH STARTS TURNING RIGHT TO LEFT.
ONE CAN EXPECT AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN PHILOSOPHERS
SOONER THAN BETWEEN CLOCKS

WHAT MY STUDENTS WROTE:

WHEN MY JUMPER  SHOUTS( Johana Luján)

WHEN TRUE GIRLS  ENJOY FRIED CHICKEN (Teresa Segovia)

WHEN FISH WALK(Thalia Jiménez)

WHEN STUDENTS KEEP MUM AT SCHOOL(Taña Oslikova)

WHEN THE SUN DOES NOT SHINE (Paula Valverde)

  "         FIRE DOES NOT BURN (Iván Pérez Ruiz)

  "         THE TIP OF A PENCIL ERASES INK(Nicolás Gutiérrez Guerreiro)

  "          THE MATHS TEACHERS STOP SHOUTING AT US (C.S.L.)

  "          THERE ARE FREE ELECTIONS IN A DICTATORSHIP(Nicolás Viñolo)

  "         YOU CAN GO UP AND DOWN SIMULTANEUSLY.(Sergio Moreno)

   "         RUCKSACKS SWIM AND CAN FEED IN WATER(Miguel Carlos Galvez)

   "        I GROW GREEN HAIR(Demián Puchol)

    "       THE TEACHERS DO NOT ORDER HOMEWORK( Francisco Ortega Palomas)

    "       FLOWERS SPEAK (Julia S.M.)

    "       SHARKS FLY (Álvaro Gómez)

    "       PABLO IGLESIAS WINS THE ELECTIONS (Iker Velasco Yeo)

    "      BOOKS SPEAK (Natalia López Ortega)

    "       WATER IS GREEN (Mario Rivas)

    "     ..........................................................

    WORD  SEARCH(1º B & D)

R  M  C  L  M  T  C  A  C  J

A  F  M  M  F  M M C  G  A

A  G  C  M G  R   J  L  G  G

N  F  G  G  N  L  O  S  M  C

A  P  R  J   R  T   P  P  M  I

P  R  F  D  P  M  R  Z  T   R

I   C  S  L   P  S   F   T   S  H

J  S  M  P  V  F   N   V  P  O

A G M  T  F  J   L   E  M  M

T  O  F  O P  J  M   I   V   Y   

Think of an advert in which adynaton is used.Make up your own adynaton ad.