You Don't Have to Sing to 'Preach to the Choir'
2021-06-27
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2On this program we explore words and expressions in the English language.
3Today, we talk about a type of shared belief.
4Often in our lives, we come together with others because of a shared belief or purpose.
5That group can sometimes be called a choir.
6A choir can describe a group of instruments of the same type, for example a brass choir.
7A choir can be used to describe an organized group of persons or things.
8For example, many rich, famous people travel with a choir of assistants.
9A choir is also a group of organized singers in a church.
10This is the most common definition.
11For today's expression, we will focus on the church choir.
12The expression is "preaching to the choir."
13Church leaders preach.
14That's why they're called preachers.
15But the word "preach" is not only used in a church.
16You can preach about something you believe to be good or necessary.
17However, people who preach to others, speak to them in an annoying way about the right way to behave.
18They may sound as if they think they know better.
19And books that try to teach a moral lesson could be criticized for being too preachy.
20But now, let's get back to our expression "preaching to the choir."
21One online dictionary gives this definition: If I am preaching to the choir, I am presenting an argument or opinion to people who already agree with it.
22So, I am not looking to convince them.
23Perhaps, I am just looking to feel good about my idea.
24When you preach to the choir, you are sharing your opinion with people who already agree with you.
25They are already on your side.
26You don't need to convince them.
27So, sometimes it means you are wasting your breath, like in this example.
28You know, we need a park in our neighborhood.
29I couldn't agree more.
30The empty property at the end of the street would be perfect.
31 And it's near the woods. So, it'll be very quiet.
32You don't have to sell me on your idea.
33I brought up that same idea years ago.
34It would be great not just for the kids, but for everyone!
35It could be a gathering place and a place for community activities.
36I already know all this! Now, you're just preaching to the choir.
37What you need to do is to talk to all the other neighbors on this street and get them on board.
38A few were against the idea years ago.
39Here is another example.
40If I said to you that learning another language can be good for you in so many ways, and you should try it - you could say, "Anna, you are preaching to the choir! We're already doing that."
41And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
42Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2On this program we explore words and expressions in the English language. 3Today, we talk about a type of shared belief. Often in our lives, we come together with others because of a shared belief or purpose. That group can sometimes be called a choir. 4A choir can describe a group of instruments of the same type, for example a brass choir. 5A choir can be used to describe an organized group of persons or things. For example, many rich, famous people travel with a choir of assistants. 6A choir is also a group of organized singers in a church. This is the most common definition. For today's expression, we will focus on the church choir. The expression is "preaching to the choir." 7Church leaders preach. That's why they're called preachers. But the word "preach" is not only used in a church. 8You can preach about something you believe to be good or necessary. However, people who preach to others, speak to them in an annoying way about the right way to behave. They may sound as if they think they know better. And books that try to teach a moral lesson could be criticized for being too preachy. 9But now, let's get back to our expression "preaching to the choir." 10One online dictionary gives this definition: If I am preaching to the choir, I am presenting an argument or opinion to people who already agree with it. So, I am not looking to convince them. Perhaps, I am just looking to feel good about my idea. 11When you preach to the choir, you are sharing your opinion with people who already agree with you. They are already on your side. You don't need to convince them. So, sometimes it means you are wasting your breath, like in this example. 12You know, we need a park in our neighborhood. 13I couldn't agree more. 14The empty property at the end of the street would be perfect. And it's near the woods. So, it'll be very quiet. 15You don't have to sell me on your idea. I brought up that same idea years ago. 16It would be great not just for the kids, but for everyone! It could be a gathering place and a place for community activities. 17I already know all this! Now, you're just preaching to the choir. What you need to do is to talk to all the other neighbors on this street and get them on board. A few were against the idea years ago. 18Here is another example. If I said to you that learning another language can be good for you in so many ways, and you should try it - you could say, "Anna, you are preaching to the choir! We're already doing that." 19And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. 20Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 21Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 22_________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24annoying - adj. causing slight anger 25moral - adj. of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior 26convince - v. to cause (someone) to agree to do something 27on board - verbal phrase to agree with something or someone : to be part of a team or organization