Grammar and Optimism
2023-11-03
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1How do we talk about events or actions that make us happy or hopeful about the present and future? In other words, how do we talk about optimism?
2In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore a point of connection between grammar and hopeful ideas about the future.
3You will learn how to understand the difference between closely related words - and how to use them in sentences.
4Let's start with some important terms.
5Today's lesson begins with a noun: optimism.
6It is a feeling or belief that good things will happen in the future.
7The online Etymology Dictionary traces the roots of the word "optimism" to 1759.
8The word first appeared in translations from the French writer Voltaire.
9We also have a closely related noun that appeared in English at about the same time: optimist.
10An optimist is a person with a hopeful way of looking at things.
11The two nouns differ by only one letter.
12Optimism ends in an -m and suggests a general feeling or belief.
13Optimist ends with a -t and means a person with a hopeful world view.
14From optimist, we can add an -ic ending to get an adjective.
15Optimistic describes a person who is hopeful about the future or expects good things to happen.
16From optimistic, we can add an -ally ending to get an adverb: optimistically.
17This word describes or modifies verbs.
18So, we have a family of words.
19We have two nouns: optimism and optimist.
20From the noun optimist, we can add more letters to get the adjective, optimistic, and the adverb, optimistically.
21Now, how do we use these words in everyday discussions?
22It is important to remember that some words are commonly used together.
23You might think of these as high-frequency structures, or word groups you see or hear a lot in speech and writing.
24What are some of these high-frequency structures?
25Let's start with optimism.
26Google's Ngram Viewer tells us that the most commonly used word before "optimism" is the short word "of."
27For example, we might say the following:
28At that time, people in the streets were happy; the economy was strong. A feeling of optimism was in the air.
29What about the noun "optimist"?
30Once again, Google's Ngram Viewer tells us that another short word is commonly used before the noun "optimist."
31In this case, the short word is "an."
32So, you are likely to hear or read something like this:
33I am an optimist.
34Or
35She is an optimist.
36What about the adjective "optimistic?" Once again, Google's Ngram Viewer tells us that the short word "an" is the most commonly used word before "optimistic."
37So, you are likely to hear or read something like the following:
38He gave an optimistic answer.
39Finally, we have the adverb "optimistically."
40What is the most commonly used word before it? In this case, we have the verb "said."
41You are likely to hear or read something like this:
42The traffic doesn't look too bad, she said optimistically.
43Now let's take some time to work with these ideas.
44Fill in the blank with the correct word - either noun, adjective, or adverb.
45She spoke ____________ about the country's economic outlook.
46The correct word is the adverb optimistically.
47The sentence is "She spoke optimistically about the country's economic outlook."
48We know that the adverb is needed because it is modifying or describing the verb "spoke." How did she speak? She spoke optimistically.
49Now let's consider another example. Fill in the blank.
50Tom is always so hopeful. He's an _________ at heart.
51The correct answer is the noun optimist.
52The full statement is "Tom is always so hopeful. He's an optimist at heart."
53We know that the answer is optimist because the words coming before optimist suggest a noun phrase.
54When we see the short word "an," that tells us that a noun or noun phrase is coming.
55In today's report, we explored a few closely related words.
56We also learned about commonly used structures.
57There are, of course, other ways to talk about hopeful views or ideas about the future.
58But that will have to be the subject of another lesson.
59I'm John Russell.
1How do we talk about events or actions that make us happy or hopeful about the present and future? In other words, how do we talk about optimism? 2In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore a point of connection between grammar and hopeful ideas about the future. You will learn how to understand the difference between closely related words - and how to use them in sentences. 3Let's start with some important terms. 4History and relationships 5Today's lesson begins with a noun: optimism. It is a feeling or belief that good things will happen in the future. 6The online Etymology Dictionary traces the roots of the word "optimism" to 1759. The word first appeared in translations from the French writer Voltaire. 7We also have a closely related noun that appeared in English at about the same time: optimist. 8An optimist is a person with a hopeful way of looking at things. 9The two nouns differ by only one letter. Optimism ends in an -m and suggests a general feeling or belief. Optimist ends with a -t and means a person with a hopeful world view. 10From optimist, we can add an -ic ending to get an adjective. Optimistic describes a person who is hopeful about the future or expects good things to happen. 11From optimistic, we can add an -ally ending to get an adverb: optimistically. This word describes or modifies verbs. 12So, we have a family of words. We have two nouns: optimism and optimist. From the noun optimist, we can add more letters to get the adjective, optimistic, and the adverb, optimistically. 13Usage 14Now, how do we use these words in everyday discussions? 15It is important to remember that some words are commonly used together. You might think of these as high-frequency structures, or word groups you see or hear a lot in speech and writing. What are some of these high-frequency structures? 16Let's start with optimism. 17Google's Ngram Viewer tells us that the most commonly used word before "optimism" is the short word "of." 18For example, we might say the following: 19At that time, people in the streets were happy; the economy was strong. A feeling of optimism was in the air. 20What about the noun "optimist"? 21Once again, Google's Ngram Viewer tells us that another short word is commonly used before the noun "optimist." In this case, the short word is "an." 22So, you are likely to hear or read something like this: 23I am an optimist. 24Or 25She is an optimist. 26What about the adjective "optimistic?" Once again, Google's Ngram Viewer tells us that the short word "an" is the most commonly used word before "optimistic." 27So, you are likely to hear or read something like the following: 28He gave an optimistic answer. 29Finally, we have the adverb "optimistically." What is the most commonly used word before it? In this case, we have the verb "said." You are likely to hear or read something like this: 30The traffic doesn't look too bad, she said optimistically. 31Quiz 32Now let's take some time to work with these ideas. 33Fill in the blank with the correct word - either noun, adjective, or adverb. 34She spoke ____________ about the country's economic outlook. 35The correct word is the adverb optimistically. The sentence is "She spoke optimistically about the country's economic outlook." 36We know that the adverb is needed because it is modifying or describing the verb "spoke." How did she speak? She spoke optimistically. 37Now let's consider another example. Fill in the blank. 38Tom is always so hopeful. He's an _________ at heart. 39The correct answer is the noun optimist. The full statement is "Tom is always so hopeful. He's an optimist at heart." 40We know that the answer is optimist because the words coming before optimist suggest a noun phrase. When we see the short word "an," that tells us that a noun or noun phrase is coming. 41Closing thoughts 42In today's report, we explored a few closely related words. We also learned about commonly used structures. 43There are, of course, other ways to talk about hopeful views or ideas about the future. But that will have to be the subject of another lesson. 44I'm John Russell. 45John Russell wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 46_________________________________________________ 47Words in This Story 48optimism - n. a feeling or belief that good things will happen in the future 49trace -v. to follow the path of something 50translate - v. to change words from one language into another language