Let's 'End on a High Note'
2021-01-03
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2To say 2020 was difficult, is probably the understatement of the year.
3The coronavirus pandemic turned 2020 into a really tough year.
4It affected our lives in many ways and made other serious issues even more difficult to address.
5There was also social and political unrest in the United States and other places around the world.
6All of this added up to one big, stressful year called 2020.
7In fact, if 2020 were a song, it probably would be filled with low, depressing notes.
8In English, "low notes" are unpleasant things that happen during an event, any event.
9So, if something ends on a low note, it ends in an unpleasant way.
10For example, once I took a fun vacation.
11But it ended on a low note.
12On the last day, all my money was stolen.
13Then my flight home was delayed.
14So, I had to sleep in an airport for two days!
15Here is another example.
16A friend of mine used to be a good student.
17But then something changed.
18His high school years ended on a low note.
19He barely passed his classes and got into a fight with his teacher.
20Thankfully, life, music, and English also have high notes!
21In English, a "high note" is something pleasant or enjoyable.
22So, to end something on a high note is to end it with something pleasant.
23It can also mean to end something at the best possible point -- for example, at the point when something is most successful.
24Anything can be a high note, if you choose it to be.
25For example, 2020 was a disaster.
26But for me it ended on a high note.
27One cold night in late December, I saw an owl in a tree near my house.
28I love owls but had never seen one so close before!
29That was a high note for me.
30Here is another example.
31Once I attended a wedding in Siena, Italy.
32The event was beautiful, the food delicious.
33After the wedding, I traveled to Rome to visit a friend's mother.
34She was an older woman with many great stories, and she was a great cook!
35That trip definitely had many high notes, but it ended on the highest note!
36Hopefully, all of us were able to end 2020 on a high note.
37How do we use high and low note? Well, we can end something on a high note.
38We can also "finish something on a high note."
39And you can "go out on high note" or "leave on a high note."
40Keep in mind, all these examples also work for "low note."
41But let's keep our attention on the positive!
42Practice using these expressions.
43What was a high note from your 2020?
44And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories.
45For this program, let's go out on a high note.
46Until next time...I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2To say 2020 was difficult, is probably the understatement of the year. 3The coronavirus pandemic turned 2020 into a really tough year. It affected our lives in many ways and made other serious issues even more difficult to address. There was also social and political unrest in the United States and other places around the world. 4All of this added up to one big, stressful year called 2020. In fact, if 2020 were a song, it probably would be filled with low, depressing notes. 5In English, "low notes" are unpleasant things that happen during an event, any event. So, if something ends on a low note, it ends in an unpleasant way. 6For example, once I took a fun vacation. But it ended on a low note. On the last day, all my money was stolen. Then my flight home was delayed. So, I had to sleep in an airport for two days! 7Here is another example. A friend of mine used to be a good student. But then something changed. His high school years ended on a low note. He barely passed his classes and got into a fight with his teacher. 8Thankfully, life, music, and English also have high notes! 9In English, a "high note" is something pleasant or enjoyable. 10So, to end something on a high note is to end it with something pleasant. It can also mean to end something at the best possible point -- for example, at the point when something is most successful. 11Anything can be a high note, if you choose it to be. 12For example, 2020 was a disaster. But for me it ended on a high note. One cold night in late December, I saw an owl in a tree near my house. I love owls but had never seen one so close before! That was a high note for me. 13Here is another example. Once I attended a wedding in Siena, Italy. The event was beautiful, the food delicious. After the wedding, I traveled to Rome to visit a friend's mother. She was an older woman with many great stories, and she was a great cook! That trip definitely had many high notes, but it ended on the highest note! 14Hopefully, all of us were able to end 2020 on a high note. 15How do we use high and low note? Well, we can end something on a high note. We can also "finish something on a high note." And you can "go out on high note" or "leave on a high note." 16Keep in mind, all these examples also work for "low note." But let's keep our attention on the positive! 17Practice using these expressions. What was a high note from your 2020? 18And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. 19For this program, let's go out on a high note. 20Until next time...I'm Anna Matteo. 21Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. The first song is the production music "Blurred Horizon. The other is an aria sung by the Queen of the Night in the second act of Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute." 22__________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24understatement - n. a statement that makes something seem smaller, less important, etc., than it really is 25stressful - adj. full of or causing stress : making you feel worried or anxious 26depressing - adj. causing someone to feel sad or without hope : causing depression 27barely - adv. almost not 28delicious - adj. appealing to one of the bodily senses especially of taste or smell