Special Saying for Mother's Day
2021-05-09
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1And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
2Mothers have been celebrated around the world since the days of ancient Greeks and Romans.
3In the United States, Mother's Day became a national holiday after an effort by Anna Jarvis "as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children."
4U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure in 1914 to officially set Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.
5Americans celebrate mothers by buying them gifts, taking them out for a meal, or surprising them with their favorite treat.
6Mother's Day cards, either bought or made, are a big part of this special day.
7Mothers are important in so many ways, too many to count.
8In some families, the mother is the leader.
9She is called the matriarch.
10The importance of mothers can be seen in words like mother tongue.
11This is the language you speak at home.
12And your mother country is the country where you were born.
13Sometimes, we also call this the motherland.
14Then there is Mother Nature, Mother Earth, and Earth Mother.
15We use these words to describe the beginning and the guiding force of the whole world - humans included.
16There is even a saying "necessity is the mother of invention."
17It means that new ways to do things are found or created when there is a strong need for them.
18In any culture, the worst thing you could do would be to insult someone's mother, especially calling her ugly.
19That could get you into a fight very quickly.
20In the U.S. a children's rhyme goes this way: "Step on a crack, break your mother's back."
21It means if you step on a crack, for example on the sidewalk, it will cause your mother's back to break.
22Nobody would want that.
23So, children turn this rhyme into a game and jump over cracks on the sidewalk.
24For this Mother's Day, we will learn another saying that uses the word mother: "Diligence is the mother of good luck."
25First, what does diligence mean? Diligence is careful and continued hard work.
26So, this saying means that hard work produces chances for success - not luck.
27Let's hear it used in this example:
28Did you hear the great news! Sam's book is going to be published this summer!
29That is wonderful. He is SO lucky.
30In his case, diligence is the mother of good luck.
31He spent two years non-stop writing that book.
32Oh. I guess, luck had little to do with it.
33So, if someone you know has had success after working diligently, you can use this saying.
34It's like telling them that their hard work has paid off.
35For example, if you got a great job using your wonderful English and a friend says to you, "Wow, you're really lucky."
36You can say, "Diligence is the mother of good luck."
37After all, your speaking English has nothing to do with good luck, but rather your hard work.
38And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
39Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. 2Mothers have been celebrated around the world since the days of ancient Greeks and Romans. 3In the United States, Mother's Day became a national holiday after an effort by Anna Jarvis "as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children." U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure in 1914 to officially set Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May. 4Americans celebrate mothers by buying them gifts, taking them out for a meal, or surprising them with their favorite treat. Mother's Day cards, either bought or made, are a big part of this special day. 5Mothers are important in so many ways, too many to count. In some families, the mother is the leader. She is called the matriarch. 6The importance of mothers can be seen in words like mother tongue. This is the language you speak at home. And your mother country is the country where you were born. Sometimes, we also call this the motherland. 7Then there is Mother Nature, Mother Earth, and Earth Mother. We use these words to describe the beginning and the guiding force of the whole world - humans included. 8There is even a saying "necessity is the mother of invention." It means that new ways to do things are found or created when there is a strong need for them. 9In any culture, the worst thing you could do would be to insult someone's mother, especially calling her ugly. That could get you into a fight very quickly. 10In the U.S. a children's rhyme goes this way: "Step on a crack, break your mother's back." It means if you step on a crack, for example on the sidewalk, it will cause your mother's back to break. Nobody would want that. So, children turn this rhyme into a game and jump over cracks on the sidewalk. 11For this Mother's Day, we will learn another saying that uses the word mother: "Diligence is the mother of good luck." 12First, what does diligence mean? Diligence is careful and continued hard work. So, this saying means that hard work produces chances for success - not luck. 13Let's hear it used in this example: 14Did you hear the great news! Sam's book is going to be published this summer! 15That is wonderful. He is SO lucky. 16In his case, diligence is the mother of good luck. He spent two years non-stop writing that book. 17Oh. I guess, luck had little to do with it. 18So, if someone you know has had success after working diligently, you can use this saying. It's like telling them that their hard work has paid off. 19For example, if you got a great job using your wonderful English and a friend says to you, "Wow, you're really lucky." You can say, "Diligence is the mother of good luck." 20After all, your speaking English has nothing to do with good luck, but rather your hard work. 21And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. 22Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 23Anna Matteo wrote this report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 24______________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26matriarch - n. a woman who controls a family, group, or government 27rhyme - n. one of two or more words or phrases that end in the same sounds 28crack - n. a thin line in the surface of something that is broken but not separated into pieces 29diligence - n. careful and continued hard work