VOA慢速英语2021--Is a Situation a Condition?

 

Today we look at two words that may cause some difficulty for English learners. Both can help us describe what is happening in a place or with a person.

"Situation" and "condition" often appear to have the same meaning. However, looking closer, you will find that they cannot always be used for the same purpose. The confusion¹ grows when one word is used to define² the other.

The Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary uses the word "condition" in its definition of "situation" as "all of the facts, conditions, and events that affect someone or something at a particular time and in a particular place."

 Is a Situation a Condition?

Is a Situation a Condition?

Recently, the word "situation" is appearing in news reports about reopening businesses and social events after the coronavirus health crisis³. For example,

Maryland's situation is getting better as it reports the second day with no COVID deaths.

Actors in movies often use the word "situation" to warn of a problem, as Will Smith did playing Agent J in the 2002 movie, Men in Black:

We're the Men in Black. We have a situation, and we need your help.

There are older, much less common uses of the word "situation" that mean the way something is placed or to be employed somewhere.

I found a situation in one of the city's biggest companies.

Describing conditions

Moving on to "condition," we find that the basic meaning is "the state in which something exists." This can refer to a person, or in the plural⁴, to their surroundings. We use the preposition "in" when describing a person's physical state or health.

He is in serious condition at Washington Hospital Center.

But the meaning changes a little when the word is plural.

They found the refugees⁵ were living in poor conditions; they had no running water or electricity.

To describe someone's health or fitness⁶, you can add "in" to say:

She has been training hard, so she is in good condition for the race.

But to describe someone who is not as fit as they should be, you would use the preposition "out," as in this statement:

The runner is out of condition because of his injury last month.

Legal terms

"Conditions" can also mean "something that you must do or accept in order for something to happen." In a contract, for example, there are often conditions for continuing the agreement.

Conditions for this contract are that the place of business remains⁷ open and the employee is under age 65.

We use the preposition "on" when an action depends on another action, as in this example:

The employee spoke⁸ to a reporter on condition of anonymity⁹.

The next time someone asks you to report on your situation, you will know that you can include the word "condition" in your answer. Here's an example:

A: What is your situation?

B: I'm in an excellent situation under very good conditions.

We will leave you with a song that brings us back to describing our heath. This 1968 song warns of drug use leading to bad health and bad conditions. This is Kenny Rogers and the First Edition:

... eight miles high

I tore my mind on a jagged sky

I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in

Yeah, yeah, oh yeah

What condition my condition was in...

And that's Everyday Grammar!

Words in This Story

anonymity – n. the quality or state of being unknown to most people; the quality or state of being anonymous¹⁰

particular –adj. describing the specific thing being talked about and not others

refer to –v. to talk about; to write about; to mention

1 confusion   

n.困惑，迷乱，混淆，混乱，骚乱

参考例句：

• His answers to my questions have only added to my confusion.他对我的问题的回答只是使我更加困惑不解。
• His unexpected arrival threw us into total confusion.他的突然来访使我们完全不知所措。

2 define   

vt.解释，下定义，阐述，限定，规定

参考例句：

• Please define the words.请解释这些字的意义。
• It's hard to define exactly what has changed.很难解释清楚到底发生了什么变化。

3 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

4 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

5 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

6 fitness   

n.适合，适当，健康，健身

参考例句：

• They're doing exercises to improve their fitness.他们为增强体质而做体操。
• No one questions her fitness for the job.没人怀疑她能胜任这项工作。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

10 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。