Don't Get Caught in a 'Whirlwind'
2021-05-16
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1Now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
2When we talk about weather, a whirlwind is a very strong wind that moves in a spinning or swirling motion.
3Whirlwinds can cause great damage to trees, buildings, and other types of property.
4They can be violent.
5But they can also happen in a limited area and for a limited time.
6We can use whirlwind to describe things in our lives, too.
7These things happen in a confused rush.
8For example, a whirlwind day is filled with back-to-back activities.
9And all those activities happen very quickly.
10It is a frenzy! Let's say your life has suddenly become very busy.
11You can say, "Lately, my life has been a whirlwind!"
12This can be good or bad.
13In life, whirlwinds involve many quickly changing events and feelings.
14Again, it is hard to keep track of everything that is happening.
15Sometimes we use whirlwind with other words, such as activity.
16For example, during elections the senator's office was always a "whirlwind of activity."
17 You can also make that activity specific.
18You can say, "The office was a whirlwind of political activity."
19Let's say you had a day filled with a whirlwind of meetings.
20You had SO many meetings that the day is a blur.
21All the meetings happened quickly and seemed to run together.
22You can also use this word as an adjective.
23It describes something that is like a whirlwind especially in speed or force.
24So, if you find success as a singer, you may find yourself having a whirlwind, world-wide tour one day.
25One day, you may also find yourself in a whirlwind romance.
26This type of romance happens fast and is very exciting.
27Whirlwind romances usually are good subjects in movies.
28In real life, they may happen fast, seem crazy, and then end just as fast - like a weather whirlwind.
29(That is quite a tongue twister -- weather whirlwind!)
30Here's another example.
31I don't really like shopping - unless it's for food.
32But once, I had to go shopping to prepare for a friend's wedding.
33I had to buy a fancy dress, fancy shoes, and other fancy things to look, you know, fancy.
34I went to a big department store and was a whirlwind of careless shopping.
35After I left, every area was a mess!
36A whirlwind can also describe something that happens violently and causes damages.
37Let's say I have friend who is beautiful, but is also a bit of a mess.
38Things always seem to go a little crazy with Cornelia.
39But you can't tell men that.
40They just don't listen.
41So, I've stopped trying.
42When men want to date her, I've learned just to mind my own business and watch the craziness happen.
43So, a whirlwind can be both a good or bad rush of activity.
44We here at VOA Learning English are a whirlwind of English teaching programs.
45Hopefully for you ... that's a good thing.
46Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo!
1Now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. 2When we talk about weather, a whirlwind is a very strong wind that moves in a spinning or swirling motion. Whirlwinds can cause great damage to trees, buildings, and other types of property. They can be violent. But they can also happen in a limited area and for a limited time. 3We can use whirlwind to describe things in our lives, too. These things happen in a confused rush. For example, a whirlwind day is filled with back-to-back activities. And all those activities happen very quickly. It is a frenzy! Let's say your life has suddenly become very busy. You can say, "Lately, my life has been a whirlwind!" 4This can be good or bad. 5In life, whirlwinds involve many quickly changing events and feelings. Again, it is hard to keep track of everything that is happening. 6Sometimes we use whirlwind with other words, such as activity. For example, during elections the senator's office was always a "whirlwind of activity." You can also make that activity specific. You can say, "The office was a whirlwind of political activity." 7Let's say you had a day filled with a whirlwind of meetings. You had SO many meetings that the day is a blur. All the meetings happened quickly and seemed to run together. 8You can also use this word as an adjective. It describes something that is like a whirlwind especially in speed or force. So, if you find success as a singer, you may find yourself having a whirlwind, world-wide tour one day. 9One day, you may also find yourself in a whirlwind romance. This type of romance happens fast and is very exciting. Whirlwind romances usually are good subjects in movies. In real life, they may happen fast, seem crazy, and then end just as fast - like a weather whirlwind. (That is quite a tongue twister -- weather whirlwind!) 10Here's another example. I don't really like shopping - unless it's for food. But once, I had to go shopping to prepare for a friend's wedding. I had to buy a fancy dress, fancy shoes, and other fancy things to look, you know, fancy. I went to a big department store and was a whirlwind of careless shopping. After I left, every area was a mess! 11A whirlwind can also describe something that happens violently and causes damages. Let's say I have friend who is beautiful, but is also a bit of a mess. Things always seem to go a little crazy with Cornelia. But you can't tell men that. They just don't listen. So, I've stopped trying. When men want to date her, I've learned just to mind my own business and watch the craziness happen. 12So, a whirlwind can be both a good or bad rush of activity. We here at VOA Learning English are a whirlwind of English teaching programs. Hopefully for you ... that's a good thing. 13Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo! 14Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 15__________________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17spin - v. to turn or cause to turn round and round rapidly 18swirl - v. to move in circles or to cause (something) to move in circles 19rush - v. to move or do something very quickly or in a way that shows you are in a hurry 20frenzy - n. great and often wild or disorderly activity 21track - v. to follow and find (someone or something) especially by looking at evidence 22blur - v. something that is difficult to remember 23tour - n. to make a journey or trip through an area or place 24romance - n. to have or try to have a romantic relationship with (someone) 25crazy - adj. wild and uncontrolled 26fancy - adj. not plain or ordinary : very expensive and fashionable