What Is a Party?
2021-06-26
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1Hello! Summer in the United States is a popular season to hold outdoor celebrations.
2Today, we answer a question from Egypt about the word "party."
3Here's the question:
4This word "party" has many meanings.
5It changed according to the context. Please give me more details and examples.
6Taha, Egypt
7Dear Taha,
8That is a great word to learn.
9You probably learned first that "party" is a noun meaning a celebratory social event.
10When we have a party, we invite people to gather.
11Usually, we serve food and drinks.
12We might also play music, sometimes for dancing.
13We also sometimes set up games or other fun activities for our guests.
14Here is an example sentence using party defined that way:
15I'm having a Fourth of July party - would you like to come?
16During election campaigns, a political group may ask you to vote for its candidate for a government office.
17Such groups are also called parties.
18A party is a group of people working together for a political purpose. Here is an example:
19China's President Xi Jinping leads the country's Communist Party.
20A related word is "partisanship."
21It means loyalty to one's political party.
22When the two parties agree on something, it is called "bipartisanship."
23An example of this was last week's vote by every member of the U.S. Senate - in both parties - to make a new federal holiday.
24The U.S. Senate showed bipartisanship in a vote by all members to make June Nineteenth a federal holiday.
25When lawyers write a contract, they use "party" to describe the people or groups involved in the legal case.
26They may say,
27Both parties must agree to any changes in this contract.
28Another more formal use of "party" is to describe any one person or group.
29At a restaurant, the host may announce,
30A table is ready for a party of four.
31When 191 countries signed the Paris Agreement on climate change, they became "Parties to the agreement."
32The word "party" sometimes appears where you could also use "anyone" or "a person."
33Interested parties may now buy tickets for the school concert.
34I bought my car from a private party on the internet.
35In disasters, you may hear reports of a "rescue party" or a "search party" going to help the victims.
36After the earthquake, many countries sent special search and rescue parties to help find the victims.
37One note: these are all definitions of party as a noun.
38People also use it as a verb meaning celebrate. Listen to this example:
39When COVID-19 stops spreading, my friends and I are going to party together --- in person!
40Thanks for writing us, Taha!
41What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
42And that's Ask a Teacher.
43I'm Jill Robbins.
1Hello! Summer in the United States is a popular season to hold outdoor celebrations. Today, we answer a question from Egypt about the word "party." 2Here's the question: 3Question: 4This word "party" has many meanings. It changed according to the context. Please give me more details and examples. 5Taha, Egypt 6Answer: 7Dear Taha, 8That is a great word to learn. You probably learned first that "party" is a noun meaning a celebratory social event. When we have a party, we invite people to gather. Usually, we serve food and drinks. We might also play music, sometimes for dancing. We also sometimes set up games or other fun activities for our guests. Here is an example sentence using party defined that way: 9I'm having a Fourth of July party - would you like to come? 10A political party 11During election campaigns, a political group may ask you to vote for its candidate for a government office. Such groups are also called parties. A party is a group of people working together for a political purpose. Here is an example: 12China's President Xi Jinping leads the country's Communist Party. 13A related word is "partisanship." It means loyalty to one's political party. When the two parties agree on something, it is called "bipartisanship." An example of this was last week's vote by every member of the U.S. Senate - in both parties - to make a new federal holiday. 14The U.S. Senate showed bipartisanship in a vote by all members to make June Nineteenth a federal holiday. 15A legal term 16When lawyers write a contract, they use "party" to describe the people or groups involved in the legal case. They may say, 17Both parties must agree to any changes in this contract. 18Another more formal use of "party" is to describe any one person or group. At a restaurant, the host may announce, 19A table is ready for a party of four. 20When 191 countries signed the Paris Agreement on climate change, they became "Parties to the agreement." 21Just anyone can be a party 22The word "party" sometimes appears where you could also use "anyone" or "a person." 23Interested parties may now buy tickets for the school concert. 24I bought my car from a private party on the internet. 25A group with a purpose 26In disasters, you may hear reports of a "rescue party" or a "search party" going to help the victims. 27After the earthquake, many countries sent special search and rescue parties to help find the victims. 28One note: these are all definitions of party as a noun. People also use it as a verb meaning celebrate. Listen to this example: 29When COVID-19 stops spreading, my friends and I are going to party together --- in person! 30Thanks for writing us, Taha! 31What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 32And that's Ask a Teacher. 33I'm Jill Robbins. 34Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 35___________________________________________________________ 36Words in This Story 37host - n. a person who is entertaining guests socially or as a job 38concert - n. a public performance of music 39Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.