a look back

We are writing this post on election day, November 6, 2012.  People are at the polls. Nobody knows the outcome of this election. But the campaigning is over and thus we see internet articles such as this one:

Look Back at the Debates

Pretty soon it will be the end of 2012 and we will see headlines, "A LOOK BACK AT 2012".  We will find this just like at the end of 2011 we found this:

A Look Back at Photos that Rocked the World in 2011

and at the end of 2010, before that,

A Look Back At 2010, The Year Digital Grew Up - Business Insider

and in December of 2009 we found -

A Look Back at 2009

The interesting thing about this is that it is being used as a noun in all these headlines, a look back, and derives from the verb, (to) look back.

So now in the last months of 2012, when you look back at this year, what stands out? What stands out in the area of politics? Science? Art? Your life?

Take a look back and tell us (or write for your own use) what you see!

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undecided

It's time for another presidential election and as usual some people have already decided who they are going to vote for, and others have not.  Those who have not yet decided whom they are going to vote for have a special name: THE UNDECIDED.

As the New York Times has written,

Meet the Undecided,

a reference to those who have not yet decided whether to vote for President Barak Obama or for Mitt Romney.

Where does this adjective come from? We have "the poor" or "the hungry" or "the early risers" or other nouns that derive from adjectives. But from "the hungry" we don't say "the hungries" or from "the confused" we don't say"the confuseds" and yet these and other headlines were written:

Deciding the undecideds: Tough for Obama, Romney

The Undecideds

This article above has the following quote:  They have already made up their minds, leaving the outcome to a slim margin of those identified as either “undecideds” or “independents.”

Here we see the article straight out using the past participle adjective form of the verb "(to) decide" as a plural noun: (to be) independent --> (an) independent --> the independent --> now a plural count noun: (the) independents.

Another strange nots is that I have never heard the positive version: "the decided".

Searching for the Undecided Voter

In the next few months we shall see what happens to "the undecided." Will they make a choice? Or will they remain undecided, and not vote for a candidate for President?

Read the following article,

Poll finds swath of voters undecided, unexcited

and then let's discuss this again in November, comparing data.

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(to) bear down on (something or someone)

Here's important news for many people:

Isaac Gains Hurricane Strength, Bears Down on Gulf Coast

Anybody who is in the hurricane's path had better beware, and prepare.  Most of the time when this term is used, it's in reference to a hurricane or severe storm.

Isaac grows stronger as it bears down on Florida Keys, hurricane watch extended to New Orleans
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Here's another example:

Typhoon Tembin Bears Down On Taiwan 

But not always.

Currency crisis, economic weakness bear down on Europe's car industry

But the effect is the same:  Watch out, European car industry, because it's going to be feeling the full weight of the currency crisis and the weak economy for a while.***

(to) hold up under pressure

The 2012 Olympics are here, and the excitement is on, and so is the pressure. Some athletes say they don't feel the pressure; they're just having fun. But not all athletes react the same on the big stage.  Here's a headline about the U.S.A.'s female gymnasts:

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Olympics 2012: U.S. women hold up under the pressure and  win team gymnastics gold for first time since ‘96 in Atlanta
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Here we see this phrase again:

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Huskies hold up under pressure

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In this article, notice the word "adversity".

If you were being interviewed for a job, how would you answer the following question:

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How do you hold up under pressure of deadlines?
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This expression, of course, applies not only to holding up mentally and psychologically.  See the following website:

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Bridge Construction Set
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If you have difficulty holding up under pressure, read this piece of advice:

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5 Tips for Holding Up Under Pressure
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How do you rate holding up under pressure?  Do you have any special tricks or strategies for holding up under pressure?

(to) have it all

Here's a nice expression that was popularized by the women's liberation movement of the 1960's and 1970's. 

Today's headline is this:

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If Marissa Mayer can 'have it all,' can you?
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Here's another headline with a slightly different take on the matter:

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Women (and Men) Can Have It All
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And this:

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Women Can't Have It All Because
Nobody Can Have It All

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But the expression doesn't only refer to women (and men).  See our next headline:

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Why America Can't Have It All
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Reading these articles, what do you think that "having it all" means? 

With reference to women, can a woman "have it all"?

Can a man "have it all"? 

Can America "have it all"?

And who defines what "having it all" means?

Making a Choice: Which is worse?

One English structure that really stymies learners of English is the structure that provides for the person to make a choice.

One person asks:

Which is Worse: Making a Mistake or Losing an Opportunity?

You have to make a choice. You choose "making a mistake" or "losing an opportunity".  If you choose "making a mistake", you are saying that making a mistake is worse than losing an opportunity. If you say "losing an opportunity", then you are saying that losing an opportunity is worse than making a mistake. 

What do you think: Which is worse: Making a mistake or losing an opportunity? Why?

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Here's one more:

Regular Soda or Diet Soda: Which is Worse For Your Health? 

 

Again, you have to choose one. Do you think that regular soda is worse for your health than diet soda, or that diet soda is worse for your health than regular soda? You must choose one.


What do you think? Which is worse for your health: regular soda or diet soda?  Why?

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In all cases, when somebody asks you a question of this nature, you need to choose one.

Which is more difficult for you: listening or speaking?

 

(to be) better off

Here's one of the most common expressions in English. You'll likely hear this in every avenue of life.

In 1980, Governor Ronald Reagan made this phrase so popular while he was campaigning for President of the United States:

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Are you better off than you were four years ago?

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Politicians have been asking this question to the public ever since then!

Here is an example from current online headlines: 

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Assignment: Economy: Are you better off?

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The idiom "better off" follows the "be" verb:  I am better off, she is better off, he was better off, we will be better off, etc.  It indicates a comparative state that would be better than another state so there is always a measure of comparision.

Here's one:

As a married couple, are we better off filing for taxes "jointly" or "separately"?

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A married person contemplating may say he or she is better off single than married. Thus, we hear many song lyrics "I'm better off alone" and so on and so forth.  There is a sad story online:

I’m Better Off Without My Dad

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So in a sentence, you would be better off this way THAN that way, and so on. You're better off knowing a lot of idioms and how to use them correctly than not knowing them and not understanding others when they speak opr write, and not being able to use them to express yourself, for sure.

It's a fun and interesting expression! Explore how it's used in English,and use it!!

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