Let's Celebrate Our Earth!

 

Now, the VOA Learning¹ English program Words and Their Stories.

On this program we explain common expressions that we use in everyday life.

The world celebrates Earth Day every year on April 22. It is a day to think seriously about how our lifestyles and daily habits affect the earth.

Well, today we celebrate our shared Mother Earth with a show about earth expressions. To which, you might say, “What on earth took you so long?!”

Well, we think every day should be earth day!

So, let’s start with the simple yet common expression on earth. We use “on earth” to make strong feelings like surprise, shock, anger, disgust² even stronger. And we use it a lot.

Here are some examples.

How on earth am I supposed to read this entire book in one night?

What on earth are you cooking? It smells awful!

Why on earth didn’t you come to the party? It was awesome³!

I did not know what on earth she was talking about.

We often use “on earth” in connection with choices.

For example: “Why on earth are you going to the dance with him! He has a police record! You should go with a nice guy instead.”

To the ends of the earth, I follow my star. To the ends of the earth, just to be where you are.

The earth sometimes comes up when a person wants to make big promises to someone they care about.

When you say you will go to the ends of the earth for someone, it means you will do as much as possible to help them. For example, when the wife became sick, the husband went to the ends of the earth to find the best doctor to help her.

A mother or father may promise to move or Heaven and Earth to help their children. “To move Heaven and Earth” simply that means that you are willing to work very hard.

Now, there is a wide mix of places on Earth: oceans and deserts, jungles and plains, valleys and mountains. Some places are, at times, easier to live in than others. And the word “earth” comes in handy⁴ to describe them.

We could call a place that is beautiful, peaceful with endless natural resources a heaven on earth.

However, “heaven on earth” could describe any place that has everything a person needs to be happy. Let’s say you love books and reading above all else. A well-stocked library would most likely be your heaven on earth.

But maybe you prefer being outdoors. A perfect outing for you would be hiking in the mountains and swimming in a clear lake. That would be your heaven on earth.

Unfortunately, there is also a hell⁵ on earth.

A “hell on earth” is a place or situation where things are so bad you feel as if you are in, well, hell. A war zone or a place destroyed by a natural disaster can become a “hell on earth.”

But you probably know this already. It is hardly earth-shattering news.

When something shatters⁷, it breaks into many small pieces. Something would have to be terribly powerful to shatter⁶ the earth. So, when something is “hardly earth-shattering,” it is not surprising. We mostly use this phrase in the negative form. You can also say more simply that something is not earth-shattering.

We use “earth” in many expressions that describe not only places, but people.

Down-to-earth people are reasonable and dependable. We can also call them grounded, an adjective⁸ that goes well with the word "earth." Flighty people are the opposite. You can’t depend on them. They change their minds often and are very unpredictable.

The expression salt of the earth comes from the Bible⁹, the Christian¹⁰ holy book. It describes a very good person. For example, my neighbors are always helping¹¹ out people in need. I can call them salt of the earth type people.

Now let’s hear some of these expressions used in a conversation between two co-workers.

A: Where on earth have you been?! I haven’t seen you for weeks!

B: I was on vacation. And it was fabulous¹²!

A: Lucky you. Where did you go?

B: I vacationed on a beautiful tropical¹³ island. For two whole weeks, I was surrounded by bright white sand, sunny skies and a calm blue ocean.

A: Sounds like heaven on earth.

B: It was! How was your week?

A: Well, the office was short on staff. So, I had to stay late every night.

B: Oh. That sounds awful.

A: It was hell on earth.

B: Well, I’m back now. How can I help?

A: First, I would check in with Rashma. She was promoted while you were on vacation.

B: She was?

A: Well, it’s hardly earth-shattering news. I mean, she is the hardest-working person here.

B: That’s true. I just thought that Angie would have been promoted first. She’s so down-to-earth and everyone likes her.

A: Oh, Angie’s great -- a real salt of the earth woman. But Rashma has moved heaven and earth to help this company.

B: That’s true. Why on earth she’s still here is beyond me. I thought she would have her own company by now!

We will end this program with one more “earth” expression. When you promise someone the earth, you promise to give them whatever they could possibly want. Naturally, we use this in an exaggerated¹⁴ way. No one can give another person the earth!

You know, if I write a country song, I already know what I’ll name it: “He promised me Earth, but all I got is dirt.”

And that’s the end of Words and Their Stories. I’m Anna Matteo.

How do you use "earth" in your language? Let us know in the Comments Section.

I feel the earth move under my feet

I feel the sky tumbling¹⁵ down, a'tumbling down

I feel the earth move under my feet

I feel the sky tumbling down, a'tumbling down

Words in This Story

shatter – v. to break at once into pieces : to damage badly : ruin

negative – adj. harmful or bad : not wanted

temporarily – adv. continuing for a limited amount of time : not permanent

practical – adj. relating to what is real rather than to what is possible or imagined

realistic – adj. able to see things as they really are and to deal with them in a practical way

grounded – adj. used to describe a person who is sensible¹⁶ and has a good understanding of what is really important in life

flighty – adj. not serious or dependable : likely to forget things or to change opinions, plans, etc., without reason

exaggerated – v. to make (something) larger or greater than normal

fabulous – adj. very good

tropical – adj. of, relating to, occurring in, or used in the tropics¹⁷

tropics – n. the part of the world that is near the equator¹⁸ where the weather is very warm

surround – v. to be on every side of (someone or something)

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 disgust   

n.使厌恶，使反感；vt.恶，反感

参考例句：

• The food at the hotel filled him with disgust.旅馆的食物使他作呕。
• My immediate reaction was just disgust.我当时的第一反应就是反感。

3 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

4 handy   

adj.方便的；手边的，近便的；手巧的

参考例句：

• A few more traveler's checks may come in handy on holiday.多带几张旅行支票，度假时会有用的。
• She is a handy girl who can turn her hand to anything.她是个心灵手巧的姑娘。

5 hell   

n.地狱，阴间；用以咒骂或表示愤怒，不满

参考例句：

• It's a hell of a hike from Sydney to Perth.从悉尼到珀斯的徒步旅行简直苦死了。
• The boss really gave me hell today.老板今天着实数落了我一通。

6 shatter   

n.碎片，乱七八糟的状态；vt.打碎，破掉，散开；vi.打破，脱落

参考例句：

• I must shatter your hopes.我必须打破你的幻想。
• This power is strong enough to shatter complacency.这种力量足以打破自满情绪。

7 shatters   

砸碎( shatter的第三人称单数 )； 大大扰乱； 毁坏； 使极为惊愕难过

参考例句：

• Something like that really shatters your confidence. 那样的事情会让人的信心严重受挫。
• His hands are unsteady and he drops the bottle, It'shatters. 他的手哆哆嗦嗦，酒瓶从手里掉了下来，摔成碎片。

8 adjective   

n.形容词；adj.形容词的，用作形容词的

参考例句：

• Don't apply that adjective to me.不要用那个字眼来形容我。
• The adjective loose has several senses. 形容词loose有几个义项。

9 bible   

n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• This dictionary should be your Bible when studying English.学习英语时，这本字典应是你的主要参考书。

10 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

13 tropical   

adj.热带的，热带的，炎热的

参考例句：

• You must grow these tropical flowers in a glasshouse.你必须把这些热带花卉种在温室里。
• This disease is widespread in tropical areas.这种疾病在热带地区蔓延很广。

14 exaggerated   

adj.言过其辞的

参考例句：

• Inevitably, the press exaggerated the story. 新闻界照例又夸大了这件事。
• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated. 他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。

15 tumbling   

n.摔跤，翻跟头，翻筋斗adj.歪斜状的v.倒塌( tumble的现在分词 )；翻滚；突然摔倒；恍然大悟

参考例句：

• His eyes were fastened on the boiling, tumbling waves. 他的眼睛凝视着汹涌的波涛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The earthquake sent buildings tumbling into one another like failing dominoes. 地震使大楼哗啦啦倒塌，就像正在倾倒的骨牌一般。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 sensible   

adj.可察觉的，意识到的，实用的；n.可感知物

参考例句：

• Are you sensible of the dangers of your position? 你觉察到你处境中的危险了吗？
• He was sensible enough to mind his own business.他颇有见识，不去管闲事。

17 tropics   

(名)热带

参考例句：

• The disease is thought to have originated in the tropics. 这种疾病据说起源于热带地区。
• I went to the tropics for the first time last year. 我去年第一次去了热带地区。

18 equator   

n.赤道，（平分球形物体的面的）圆

参考例句：

• Singapore is near the equator.新加坡位于赤道附近。
• The United States is north of the equator.美国位于赤道以北。