节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-07-18
难易度:Medium
关键字:tournament, stroke, refer, assume, British Open
We're swinging into golf idioms today.
And of course we learned that the British Open is this week.
This will take place over the next couple of days.
I don't know if you have a chance to watch it or not, but it should be a pretty
exciting tournament.
OK. Now I don't know if you're a golf fan or not, but you can still thank this
sport for giving us some English idioms.
One we are looking at right now is "par for the course." We've learned what this
means.
And if you make par for the course, that means you finish the course within the
set number of strokes.
All right. Now we're going to learn what it means in the English language.
Here we go.
Swing into Golf Idioms.
Likewise, in daily life, par for the course refers to things or people meeting
expectations.
For example, one could say, "Jane usually gets good grades.
Her high score today is par for the course.".
Above and below/under par.
Let's assume par for an 18-hole course is 72.
Using only 70 strokes would be two strokes under par while finishing in 74 would
be two strokes over par.
Finishing under par is good; above par is bad - in golf.
In daily life, however, something that's below par has failed to meet
expectations.
So avoid restaurants with service that's below par, and pick ones with above par
food.
We are learning a lot about the word "par" and how it is used in idioms in
English.
So let's go back to the beginning of this section: par for the course in
English.
Likewise, in daily life, par for the course refers to things or people meeting
expectations.
Now in this sentence here we see the word "refer." And that is from our Word
Bank.
What does it mean to refer to something, Gabe?
Well, that means you are talking about something.
So maybe it's not right in front of you, but you're talking about something else
in life.
You referring to it.
For instance, maybe you want to refer to something that was written in a book,
something that was written in a famous book.
You're referring to this when you're sharing a story.
So it's not your own story.
You're referring to something else.
That's right.
So you're talking about something that is related in some way and making a
connection between the two things.
So here par for the course refers to people or things that meet expectations,
so.
They do what you think they are going to do.
For example, one could say: Jane usually gets good grades.
So what does that mean, Gabe, if Jane usually gets good grades?
How can you use this phrase?
Well, if Jane usually gets good grades, then that means she is doing really
well. OK.
Her high score today is par for the course.
That means it's expected of her.
She always gets good grades, so of course her high score, her hundred percent is
par for the course.
Well, I want to take a look at a word earlier that we used.
It is the word "likewise." OK.
So likewise, in daily life, par for the course refers to this.
Likewise means in the same way.
In the same way that you use it in golf, it's used in daily life.
That's right.
And I think that in the example sentence we just used, "Jane usually gets good
grades.
Her high score today is par for the course," there's a little something that
Steve and Ken would like to tell us about in the Information Cloud.
As I talk with students, I sometimes make a mental note of words they
mispronounce.
If I hear them often enough, I'll write them down.
Let's look at a few.
The first is the adverb "usually," which I sometimes hear pronounced as your-ly.
It's a tough word to say correctly, even for some native English speakers.
"Usually" actually has two pronunciations.
Right.
You could say it with three syllables: usu-al-ly, or four syllables: us-u-al-ly.
But the important thing is to enunciate that ZH sound.
Right.
OK. While we're on the topic, let's mention another frequently mispronounced
word: ask.
Too often I hear people say aks.
Now we know it takes extra effort with the tongue to generate that K sound right
after the S...
We also know there are more and more people who are defending the X
pronunciation saying it's acceptable.
But as English teachers, we must insist on its standard pronunciation - ask.
OK. Finally, the word practice.
I sometimes hear it said pra-tiks.
You know, my guess is people mix up the two Cs.
You're probably right, Ken.
The first C has a hard "k" sound while the second a "s" sound.
Practice.
(Chinese).
All right.
I hope you do go to a restaurant that is above par next time you go out.
Let's take a look more closely at this idiom: above and below or under par.
Let's assume par for an 18-hole course is 72.
Before we continue this example, let's take a look at that word from our Word
Bank: to assume something.
Usually I use this word when I think about assuming something that I don't know
for sure, like:
I assume that our friend is coming soon.
I'm not sure.
But I assume he's on his way.
Here it's used a little bit differently.
It kind of means to pretend.
Let's pretend or let's say, for example, that the par is 72.
How could you use this word "assume," Carolyn?
Well, here it is being used kind of like example.
You can pretend that it is true, not that you actually think it is true, but
let's just say, let's assume, so.
Let's assume that we're going to the movies this weekend.
If that were true, what movie would you want to see?
Oh, good. I like that question.
There are many movies I would like to see.
And I like the phrase that Carolyn used just now.
She also said "Let's say." You could say that here, "let's assume" or "let's
say" when you're sharing an example about something.
OK. So let's assume the... the par for an 18-hole course is 72.
Using only 70 strokes would be two strokes under par while finishing in 74 would
be two strokes over par.
It seems simple enough.
That does seem simple enough.
And we find out which one is good and which one is not.
Finishing under par is good; above par is bad - in golf.
So only in golf you want to have a lower number of strokes.
You want to be below or under par, not above par.
That's right.
You see that dash there.
That means it's emphasizing.
It's only this way in golf.
You see, in daily life, however, something that's below par has failed to meet
expectations.
In golf, if it's below par, it's good.
In real life, if it's below par, it's bad.
That's right.
So avoid restaurants with service that's below par and pick ones with above par
food.
So if you ask someone how the restaurant was:
Oh. What did you think of their food?
Well actually, it was a bit below par.
Gabe, would you want to eat at that restaurant?
No, I would not want to eat at that restaurant.
The food was below par.
This makes me think of another word that is very similar.
Some people also say it was subpar because "sub" means below.
S-U-B-P-A-R.
The food was just so-so.
It was subpar.
That's right.
So we want to make sure that we go to places with above par food or above par
service.
Gabe, what did you think of the movie you watched last week?
Was it above or below par?
Now see, Carolyn, that was a great movie.
That movie was amazing.
Of course it was above par.
It met my expectations.
I would recommend it to anybody.
It was above par.
Well, that is great.
So if something is above par, then it is better than what you expected.
If it is below par, then it does not quite meet what you thought it would be.
That's right.
Well, friends, if you are curious about the usage of this word par and what this
means, there is more information in the sidebar on page 36 of your magazines.
So you can go there for more information.
Right now it's time for us to enjoy a review skit.
And then we'll visit Michelle in the Language Lab.
(Music).
Hey!
Isn't golf great?
Well... yes.
Are you a fan?
No, not really.
But golf has added some colorful phrases to the English language.
Such as?
Par for the course.
Do you know what that means?
Well, yes, of course.
Every golfer knows that.
Par for the course is the number of strokes it should take to play a game of
golf.
It's the expected number of strokes.
That's right.
And that phrase means the same in English.
If someone does what's expected, it's par for the course.
But wait.
Even if you're not talking about golf?
Right.
For example, students have lots of homework.
It's par for the course.
Students are expected to have a lot of homework.
Yeah, I get it.
Hey, tell me another English phrase that comes from golf.
OK. Under par and over par.
In golf, under par means your score is lower.
That's good.
Yes. A lower score in golf is good.
Over par means you took more strokes.
And that's bad.
Right.
But in English, it's the opposite.
The opposite?
Yeah.
Under par means you didn't do something as well as expected.
Huh?
And over par means you did better than expected.
What?!
Why is the meaning opposite in English?
Because English is confusing.
It's par for the course.
OK.
(Chinese).
And now I'll give the time back to our teachers.
Today we've been talking about a couple of different idioms in the English
language that come from the sport of golf.
We talked about something being par for the course as well as above or below or
under par.
But those aren't the only idioms in English that use the word "par," are they,
Gabe?
No. It's true.
Another one that I can think of is the phrase up to par.
That means if it is meeting someone's expectations just about right.
It's not above par.
It's not below par.
It is up to par.
That means it's OK.
It can be used it meets our expectations.
So it is right at where you expect it to be.
You might also say on par.
Is something on par with something else?
That just means is it the same or does it also meet your expectations.
That's right.
Maybe they can compete each other if they're on par.
I'm on par with you.
That means we can compete with each other and maybe have a good match.
Well, it's time for us to say goodbye.
But we will see you next time right here at Studio Classroom.