Is a Situation a Condition?
2021-06-25
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1Today we look at two words that may cause some difficulty for English learners.
2Both can help us describe what is happening in a place or with a person.
3"Situation" and "condition" often appear to have the same meaning.
4However, looking closer, you will find that they cannot always be used for the same purpose.
5The confusion grows when one word is used to define the other.
6The Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary uses the word "condition" in its definition of "situation" as "all of the facts, conditions, and events that affect someone or something at a particular time and in a particular place."
7Recently, the word "situation" is appearing in news reports about reopening businesses and social events after the coronavirus health crisis. For example,
8Maryland's situation is getting better as it reports the second day with no COVID deaths.
9Actors in movies often use the word "situation" to warn of a problem, as Will Smith did playing Agent J in the 2002 movie, Men in Black:
10We're the Men in Black. We have a situation, and we need your help.
11There are older, much less common uses of the word "situation" that mean the way something is placed or to be employed somewhere.
12I found a situation in one of the city's biggest companies.
13Moving on to "condition," we find that the basic meaning is "the state in which something exists."
14This can refer to a person, or in the plural, to their surroundings.
15We use the preposition "in" when describing a person's physical state or health.
16He is in serious condition at Washington Hospital Center.
17But the meaning changes a little when the word is plural.
18They found the refugees were living in poor conditions; they had no running water or electricity.
19To describe someone's health or fitness, you can add "in" to say:
20She has been training hard, so she is in good condition for the race.
21But to describe someone who is not as fit as they should be, you would use the preposition "out," as in this statement:
22The runner is out of condition because of his injury last month.
23"Conditions" can also mean "something that you must do or accept in order for something to happen."
24In a contract, for example, there are often conditions for continuing the agreement.
25Conditions for this contract are that the place of business remains open and the employee is under age 65.
26We use the preposition "on" when an action depends on another action, as in this example:
27The employee spoke to a reporter on condition of anonymity.
28The next time someone asks you to report on your situation, you will know that you can include the word "condition" in your answer. Here's an example:
29A: What is your situation?
30B: I'm in an excellent situation under very good conditions.
31We will leave you with a song that brings us back to describing our heath.
32This 1968 song warns of drug use leading to bad health and bad conditions.
33This is Kenny Rogers and the First Edition:
34... eight miles high
35I tore my mind on a jagged sky
36I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in
37Yeah, yeah, oh yeah
38What condition my condition was in...
39And that's Everyday Grammar!
40I'm Jill Robbins.
1Today we look at two words that may cause some difficulty for English learners. Both can help us describe what is happening in a place or with a person. 2"Situation" and "condition" often appear to have the same meaning. However, looking closer, you will find that they cannot always be used for the same purpose. The confusion grows when one word is used to define the other. 3The Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary uses the word "condition" in its definition of "situation" as "all of the facts, conditions, and events that affect someone or something at a particular time and in a particular place." 4Recently, the word "situation" is appearing in news reports about reopening businesses and social events after the coronavirus health crisis. For example, 5Maryland's situation is getting better as it reports the second day with no COVID deaths. 6Actors in movies often use the word "situation" to warn of a problem, as Will Smith did playing Agent J in the 2002 movie, Men in Black: 7We're the Men in Black. We have a situation, and we need your help. 8There are older, much less common uses of the word "situation" that mean the way something is placed or to be employed somewhere. 9I found a situation in one of the city's biggest companies. 10Describing conditions 11Moving on to "condition," we find that the basic meaning is "the state in which something exists." This can refer to a person, or in the plural, to their surroundings. We use the preposition "in" when describing a person's physical state or health. 12He is in serious condition at Washington Hospital Center. 13But the meaning changes a little when the word is plural. 14They found the refugees were living in poor conditions; they had no running water or electricity. 15To describe someone's health or fitness, you can add "in" to say: 16She has been training hard, so she is in good condition for the race. 17But to describe someone who is not as fit as they should be, you would use the preposition "out," as in this statement: 18The runner is out of condition because of his injury last month. 19Legal terms 20"Conditions" can also mean "something that you must do or accept in order for something to happen." In a contract, for example, there are often conditions for continuing the agreement. 21Conditions for this contract are that the place of business remains open and the employee is under age 65. 22We use the preposition "on" when an action depends on another action, as in this example: 23The employee spoke to a reporter on condition of anonymity. 24The next time someone asks you to report on your situation, you will know that you can include the word "condition" in your answer. Here's an example: 25A: What is your situation? 26B: I'm in an excellent situation under very good conditions. 27We will leave you with a song that brings us back to describing our heath. This 1968 song warns of drug use leading to bad health and bad conditions. This is Kenny Rogers and the First Edition: 28... eight miles high 29I tore my mind on a jagged sky 30I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in 31Yeah, yeah, oh yeah 32What condition my condition was in... 33And that's Everyday Grammar! 34I'm Jill Robbins. 35Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this lesson for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 36_________________________________________________ 37Words in This Story 38anonymity - n. the quality or state of being unknown to most people; the quality or state of being anonymous 39particular -adj. describing the specific thing being talked about and not others 40refer to -v. to talk about; to write about; to mention 41Use "situation" or "condition" in a sentence. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.