Eek! Ghosts in our Expressions
2021-10-31
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2In the United States, October 31 is Halloween - the night when magical, frightening creatures and ghosts, the spirits of those no longer with us, walk the land!
3Okay, not really. But it is fun to make believe.
4To mark the day when children dress up frightfully to collect candy from their neighbors, our program today will be haunted by ghost - expressions!
5For example, did you know that the word "ghost" is also used as a verb?
6But it does not mean to haunt a place.
7When you ghost an event, like a party, you leave without saying goodbye to anyone - even the host!
8You just disappear into thin air ... like a ghost!
9But unlike a ghost, you do reappear later, at work, for example, or your exercise class.
10Some people even ghost a relationship.
11They simply leave the person without any explanation.
12That could haunt someone for a long time.
13It could leave them wondering, "What happened? What did I do?"
14But dear listeners, I would never do that to you.
15We are in this English learning effort together.
16There is not a "ghost of a chance" I will leave.
17I will keep with it to the end.
18Did you catch our next ghost expression? If something doesn't have a ghost of a chance, it is extremely unlikely that it is going to happen.
19Our next ghost expression has to do with towns -- empty towns.
20If everyone leaves, a town becomes a "ghost town."
21It is a place that no longer has any people living in it or at least very few.
22It is abandoned.
23The businesses have all closed and the people no longer have a way to make a living. So, they leave.
24To me, an abandoned ghost town is a much sadder, emptier place than a town full of ghosts would be.
25Ghost-hunting tourists would probably enjoy visiting a town populated only by ghosts, especially on Halloween!
26But even a ghost town can be a good place for some workers. For example, writers.
27A writer just needs a computer.
28This would be especially good for ghostwriters.
29A "ghostwriter" writes books or stories for someone else using that person's name, not their own.
30Let's say one of the ghost-hunters wants to write a book about her ghost-hunting adventures.
31But she is not a very good writer.
32She could pay a ghostwriter to help her write her ghost stories!
33Now, let's imagine that their writing partnership did not go well.
34Maybe the ghostwriter did not get paid.
35And the ghost-hunter just ghosted!
36Then years later they run into each other again at a ghost convention.
37For the ghostwriter seeing the ghost-hunter is not a pleasant experience.
38It is like seeing a ghost from the past.
39A" ghost from the past" is something unwanted or haunting from your past that comes back to you.
40Here is another example.
41If that man or woman who ghosted you years ago, comes back into your life -- they would definitely be a ghost from the past - someone you don't want to see again.
42And that's all the time we have for this Words and their Stories.
43Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. Happy Halloween!
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2In the United States, October 31 is Halloween - the night when magical, frightening creatures and ghosts, the spirits of those no longer with us, walk the land! 3Okay, not really. But it is fun to make believe. 4To mark the day when children dress up frightfully to collect candy from their neighbors, our program today will be haunted by ghost - expressions! 5For example, did you know that the word "ghost" is also used as a verb? But it does not mean to haunt a place. 6When you ghost an event, like a party, you leave without saying goodbye to anyone - even the host! You just disappear into thin air ... like a ghost! But unlike a ghost, you do reappear later, at work, for example, or your exercise class. 7Some people even ghost a relationship. They simply leave the person without any explanation. That could haunt someone for a long time. It could leave them wondering, "What happened? What did I do?" 8But dear listeners, I would never do that to you. We are in this English learning effort together. There is not a "ghost of a chance" I will leave. I will keep with it to the end. 9Did you catch our next ghost expression? If something doesn't have a ghost of a chance, it is extremely unlikely that it is going to happen. 10Our next ghost expression has to do with towns -- empty towns. 11If everyone leaves, a town becomes a "ghost town." It is a place that no longer has any people living in it or at least very few. It is abandoned. The businesses have all closed and the people no longer have a way to make a living. So, they leave. 12To me, an abandoned ghost town is a much sadder, emptier place than a town full of ghosts would be. Ghost-hunting tourists would probably enjoy visiting a town populated only by ghosts, especially on Halloween! 13But even a ghost town can be a good place for some workers. For example, writers. A writer just needs a computer. 14This would be especially good for ghostwriters. A "ghostwriter" writes books or stories for someone else using that person's name, not their own. 15Let's say one of the ghost-hunters wants to write a book about her ghost-hunting adventures. But she is not a very good writer. She could pay a ghostwriter to help her write her ghost stories! 16Now, let's imagine that their writing partnership did not go well. Maybe the ghostwriter did not get paid. And the ghost-hunter just ghosted! Then years later they run into each other again at a ghost convention. For the ghostwriter seeing the ghost-hunter is not a pleasant experience. It is like seeing a ghost from the past. 17A" ghost from the past" is something unwanted or haunting from your past that comes back to you. Here is another example. If that man or woman who ghosted you years ago, comes back into your life -- they would definitely be a ghost from the past - someone you don't want to see again. 18And that's all the time we have for this Words and their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. Happy Halloween! 19Anna Matteo wrote this for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 20_______________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22haunted -adj. lived in or visited by ghosts; troubled or upset 23host -n. a person (especially a man) who is entertaining guests socially or as a job 24abandoned -adj. left by the owner; left without the needed protection or care 25tourist -n. a person who travels to a place for pleasure 26convention -n. a meeting of people for a common purpose