Spin or Rotate?
2023-05-06
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "spin" and "rotate."
2Dear teacher,
3My name is Alex! I'm from Russia!
4Your content is a part of the learning English process for me, so I'd love to ask you a question about a couple English words that make me confused.
5What is the exact difference between "spin" and "rotate"?
6Thank you for your time,
7Aleksandr
8This is an interesting question, Alex. "Spin" and "rotate" as verbs both involve circular movement.
9They are synonyms, but there may be situations when one sounds better than the other.
10Let's start with "rotate."
11"Rotate" is a verb that means to turn in a circular motion around a center point.
12The verb can take a direct object or not.
13The earth rotates around the sun. (no direct object)
14I rotated the globe on the desk to find Helsinki, Finland. (direct object)
15When we think of "rotate," we might consider the action of "rotating" to be slower than "spinning."
16Rotate also has another meaning. "Rotate" can mean to take turns or to pass or change something in a series.
17We should rotate our car's tires every 5,000 to 7,000 miles.
18Now let's look at "spin."
19The verb "spin" also means to turn in a circular motion on a center point, much like "rotate."
20But we typically think of "spin" as being faster than "rotate."
21The dancer spins fast on one foot.
22"Spin" also has two other specific meanings as verbs. The first one means to make fiber into thread or yarn.
23She spins wool from sheep into yarn using a spinning wheel.
24The second meaning is when insects like spiders make thread from their bodies to create webs.
25In the book Charlotte's Web, Charlotte, the spider spins a web with the words "Some Pig" in it for her friend, Wilber.
26"Spin" can also be a noun with several meanings.
27Those meanings connect to the verbal meanings above.
28A "spin" is a fast turn.
29It can also mean a quick or fun ride in a vehicle.
30Let's take the car out for a quick spin!
31"Spin" can also mean mental confusion or physical dizziness.
32There was a popular song in the 1980s about this kind of spinning.
33A "spin" can also be presenting something in an unusual way.
34The restaurant puts a Mediterranean spin on popular American food dishes.
35Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Alex!
36What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
37And that's Ask a Teacher.
38I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "spin" and "rotate." 2Question: 3Dear teacher, 4My name is Alex! I'm from Russia! Your content is a part of the learning English process for me, so I'd love to ask you a question about a couple English words that make me confused. 5What is the exact difference between "spin" and "rotate"? 6Thank you for your time, 7Aleksandr 8Answer 9This is an interesting question, Alex. "Spin" and "rotate" as verbs both involve circular movement. They are synonyms, but there may be situations when one sounds better than the other. 10Let's start with "rotate." 11"Rotate" is a verb that means to turn in a circular motion around a center point. 12The verb can take a direct object or not. 13The earth rotates around the sun. (no direct object) 14I rotated the globe on the desk to find Helsinki, Finland. (direct object) 15When we think of "rotate," we might consider the action of "rotating" to be slower than "spinning." 16Rotate also has another meaning. "Rotate" can mean to take turns or to pass or change something in a series. 17We should rotate our car's tires every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. 18Now let's look at "spin." 19The verb "spin" also means to turn in a circular motion on a center point, much like "rotate." But we typically think of "spin" as being faster than "rotate." 20The dancer spins fast on one foot. 21"Spin" also has two other specific meanings as verbs. The first one means to make fiber into thread or yarn. 22She spins wool from sheep into yarn using a spinning wheel. 23The second meaning is when insects like spiders make thread from their bodies to create webs. 24In the book Charlotte's Web, Charlotte, the spider spins a web with the words "Some Pig" in it for her friend, Wilber. 25"Spin" can also be a noun with several meanings. Those meanings connect to the verbal meanings above. 26A "spin" is a fast turn. 27It can also mean a quick or fun ride in a vehicle. 28Let's take the car out for a quick spin! 29"Spin" can also mean mental confusion or physical dizziness. There was a popular song in the 1980s about this kind of spinning. 30A "spin" can also be presenting something in an unusual way. 31The restaurant puts a Mediterranean spin on popular American food dishes. 32Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Alex! 33What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 34And that's Ask a Teacher. 35I'm Faith Pirlo. 36Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 37__________________________________________________________________ 38Words in This Story 39synonyms - n. a word that is similar in meaning to another word 40globe - n. model of the earth 41tire - n. a rubber ring that usually contains air and that fits around the wheel of a car or bicycle 42yarn - n. thread used for knitting, weaving, or sewing 43wool - n. the soft, thick hair of sheep and some other animals 44web - n. a net made from silk threads woven together by a spider 45__________________________________________________________________ 46Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 47Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.