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Par For The Course

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24 views7 pages

Par For The Course

Uploaded by

troy alolod
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Par for the Course

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning


English.

In news reports, you can hear about surprising events. You


can learn about new technologies, new plans, and big
changes.

But in today’s Words and Their Stories, we consider how to


talk about things that do not change — at least not very
much.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Babies cry
when they are hungry. Water turns to ice when the
temperature drops below freezing. These are things we
expect. In fact, we are so sure about them that we can bank
on them.

To bank on something means that you are not taking a


chance by saying something is going to happen or that
something is true. It is a stronger way of saying that you
can count on something.
And there are some days when we feel like nothing new
happened, where today seems almost the same as
yesterday. In such a situation, we can say same old, same
old, which is another way of saying “nothing new or
different happened.”

Now consider people’s behavior. Imagine you are planning


to spend time with a friend. You agree to meet your friend
at a local market, but when you arrive, your friend is not
there. After waiting almost an hour, you receive a message
on your phone. It says, “I’m so sorry! I forgot about our
meeting! Are you still there?”

At this point, you simply say to yourself, “par for the


course.”

In this example, par for the course means your friend’s


behavior was not surprising but expected. That is because
you know your friend often forgets things. But it also means
you are not pleased with the behavior. We mostly use par
for the course to express both that we do not like a situation
and that the situation is the same as what we expected.

We can use par for the course to talk about rules or policies
we don’t like, but also expect. For example, regarding a
competition, someone might say, “The rules are so unfair.
Unfortunately, that’s just par for the course.”

You can also use the expression in a neutral way—that is,


with neither a positive nor a negative feeling. This happens
when we are trying to make clear that people shouldn’t be
surprised by something or place too much importance on it.

For example, someone might say, “Security checks at


airports are par for the course.” Here, the speaker means,
“Because security checks are normal at airports, you
shouldn’t be surprised by them.”

The word “par” comes from Latin. It can mean “that which
is equal.”
Language experts suspect the expression par for the
course came from the game of golf, where “par” is the
expected score of a skilled player for part of the golf course,
or the whole course.

Next, we look at an expression in American English: Is that


a thing? This question asks if something is new or becoming
more common.

For example, imagine you travel far from your home. You
see a car with unusual lights on its wheels. You wonder if
that car is the only one with those special lights. But the
next day, you see another car with similar lights. In this
situation, you might ask someone who lives in the area, “Is
that a thing?” The person can tell you if the lights are
unusual, or if they are starting to become popular with
some people. If it’s a trend, the person can simply answer,
“Yeah, it’s a thing.”

We don’t ask “Is that a thing?” for something that is already


common or expected. For example, you would not say “Is
that a thing?” for an activity like brushing your teeth.

However, you could ask the question about a new health


trend.

For example, in 2023, a person might ask if something is “a


thing” about using virtual reality for health and fitness. That
is because the technology is still new and not used by most
people.

Was today’s Words and Their Stories the same old, same
old for you? I hope not!

Listen for the expressions from today’s program as you read


and listen to English. Then let us know what you find by
writing to us in the Comments section.

I’m Andrew Smith. And I’m Jill Robbins.

Andrew Smith wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.


Par for the Course

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning


English.

In news _______, you can hear about surprising events. You


can learn about new technologies, new plans, and big
changes.
But in today’s Words and Their Stories, we consider how to
talk about things that do not change — at least not very
much.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Babies cry
when they are hungry. Water turns to ice when the
_________ drops below ________. These are things we expect.
In fact, we are so sure about them that we can bank on
them.

To ____ __ _______ means that you are not taking a chance by


saying something is going to happen or that something is
true. It is a stronger way of saying that ____ ____ _____ __
__________.

And there are some days when we feel like nothing new
happened, where today seems almost the same as
yesterday. In such a situation, we can say ___ _____ , ___ _
____, which is another way of saying “nothing new or
different happened.”

Now consider people’s behavior. Imagine you are planning


to spend time with a friend. You _____ to meet your friend at
a ____ ______, but when you arrive, your friend is not there.
After waiting almost an hour, you receive a _______ on your
______. It says, “I’m so sorry! I forgot about our meeting!
Are you still there?”

At this point, you simply say to yourself, “ __ ____ ____


______.”

In this example, par for the course means your friend’s


behavior was not _______ but ________. That is because you
know your friend often _______ things. But it also means you
are not ______ with the behavior. We mostly use par for the
course to ______ both that we do not like a _______ and that
the situation is the same as what we expected.

We can use par for the course to talk about rules or ______
we don’t like, but also expect. For example, regarding a
_________, someone might say, “The rules are so _______.
Unfortunately, that’s just par for the course.”
You can also use the expression in a ______ way—that is,
with neither a ______ nor a ______ feeling. This happens
when we are trying to make clear that people shouldn’t be
surprised by something or place too much __________ on it.

For example, someone might say, “____ _______ at airports


are par for the course.” Here, the speaker means, “Because
security checks are normal at _________, you shouldn’t be
surprised by them.”

The word “par” comes from Latin. It can mean “that which
is _______.”

Language experts _______ the expression par for the


course came from the game of golf, where “par” is the
expected score of a skilled player for part of the _____
______, or the whole course.

Next, we look at an expression in American English: ____


____ ___ ________? This question asks if something is new or
becoming more common.

For example, ________ you travel far from your home. You
see a car with unusual lights on its wheels. You _______ if
that car is the only one with those special lights. But the
next day, you see another car with similar _______. In this
situation, you might ask someone who lives in the area, “Is
that a thing?” The person can tell you if the lights are
unusual, or if they are starting to become ______ with some
people. If it’s a _____, the person can simply answer, “Yeah,
it’s a thing.”

We don’t ask “Is that a thing?” for something that is already


______ or ________. For example, you would not say “Is that a
thing?” for an activity like ________ your ______.

However, you could ask the question about a new ______


_____.

For example, in 2023, a person might ask if something is “a


thing” about using _____ ______ for ______ and ______. That is
because the _________ is still new and not used by most
people.

Was today’s Words and Their Stories the same old, same
old for you? I hope not!

Listen for the expressions from today’s program as you read


and listen to English. Then let us know what you find by
writing to us in the Comments section.

I’m Andrew Smith. And I’m Jill Robbins.

Andrew Smith wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.

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