Two Flowers to Describe Quiet, Shy People
2020-07-19
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Flowers add so much to our world.
3They feed the bees and other pollinators.
4They are beautiful. Some smell so good that they are used in perfume, lotion and other body products.
5Many parents name their daughters after flowers.
6Popular ones are Daisy, Rose, Lily, Jasmine, Heather, Holly and Violet.
7On today's program we are going to talk about that last one - Violet.
8The name Violet is found in an English expression.
9A shrinking violet describes someone who is very shy.
10Shrinking violets are not bold.
11They are afraid to speak their minds.
12When faced with a difficult situation, a shrinking violet seems to get smaller.
13They shrink away from the problem.
14Another adjective to describe a shrinking violet is modest.
15They do not like to be the center of attention.
16However, we often use this expression to describe people who are the opposite of modest, shy and fearful.
17And we often say it a special way.
18We say that someone is "no shrinking violet" instead of saying "not a shrinking violet."
19Let me give an example.
20My friend Olga loves to perform. She is a great singer.
21And she's no shrinking violet! If there is a party, you don't need to ask her twice to sing for a crowd.
22Just give her a microphone and an audience and she is ready to perform!
23Now that I think of it, she doesn't even need a microphone ... or an audience.
24She's also no shrinking violet when it comes to sharing her thoughts.
25You always know where you stand with Olga.
26To know where you stand with someone means you know how they feel about things - and how they feel about you.
27They share their thoughts and feelings freely.
28Now, let's talk about another flower - the wallflower.
29If you look up "wallflower" in the dictionary, you might get confused.
30Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary says wallflowers are hardy herbs often grown for their showy, sweet-smelling flowers.
31They are even able to grow in extremely small cracks in walls.
32That is where they get their name - wallflower.
33In nature, wallflowers may be "showy" - or have a very noticeable appearance.
34But strangely, people who are described as wallflowers are not showy.
35In fact, a person who is a wallflower is the opposite!
36Like shrinking violets, these people are also quiet and shy.
37At a party, a wallflower can be found standing against the wall, watching the fun from a distance.
38They stay apart from other people - waiting for someone to talk to them or ask them to dance.
39And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories.
40Practice using these two expressions: shrinking violet or wallflower.
41Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Flowers add so much to our world. They feed the bees and other pollinators. They are beautiful. Some smell so good that they are used in perfume, lotion and other body products. 3Many parents name their daughters after flowers. Popular ones are Daisy, Rose, Lily, Jasmine, Heather, Holly and Violet. 4On today's program we are going to talk about that last one - Violet. 5The name Violet is found in an English expression. A shrinking violet describes someone who is very shy. 6Shrinking violets are not bold. They are afraid to speak their minds. When faced with a difficult situation, a shrinking violet seems to get smaller. They shrink away from the problem. 7Another adjective to describe a shrinking violet is modest. They do not like to be the center of attention. 8However, we often use this expression to describe people who are the opposite of modest, shy and fearful. And we often say it a special way. We say that someone is "no shrinking violet" instead of saying "not a shrinking violet." 9Let me give an example. 10My friend Olga loves to perform. She is a great singer. And she's no shrinking violet! If there is a party, you don't need to ask her twice to sing for a crowd. Just give her a microphone and an audience and she is ready to perform! Now that I think of it, she doesn't even need a microphone ... or an audience. 11She's also no shrinking violet when it comes to sharing her thoughts. You always know where you stand with Olga. To know where you stand with someone means you know how they feel about things - and how they feel about you. They share their thoughts and feelings freely. 12Now, let's talk about another flower - the wallflower. 13If you look up "wallflower" in the dictionary, you might get confused. Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary says wallflowers are hardy herbs often grown for their showy, sweet-smelling flowers. They are even able to grow in extremely small cracks in walls. That is where they get their name - wallflower. 14In nature, wallflowers may be "showy" - or have a very noticeable appearance. But strangely, people who are described as wallflowers are not showy. In fact, a person who is a wallflower is the opposite! 15Like shrinking violets, these people are also quiet and shy. At a party, a wallflower can be found standing against the wall, watching the fun from a distance. They stay apart from other people - waiting for someone to talk to them or ask them to dance. 16And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. Practice using these two expressions: shrinking violet or wallflower. 17Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 18Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. The song at the beginning is Bishop Allen singing "Shrinking Violet." The song at the end is Diana Krall singing "Wallflower." 19________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21pollinator - n. something such as an insect that gives (a plant) pollen from another plant of the same kind so that seeds will be produced 22perfume - n. a liquid substance that you put on your body in small amounts in order to smell pleasant 23lotion - n. a thick liquid product used on the skin especially for healing or as a cosmetic 24bold - adj. not afraid of danger or difficult situations 25modest - adj. not too proud or confident about yourself or your abilities : not showing or feeling great or excessive pride 26opposite - n. someone or something that is completely different from someone or something else 27twice - adv. two times : on two occasions 28hardy - adj. able to live through difficult conditions (such as a cold winter or a drought) 29lonely - adj. sad from being apart from other people