Hope Springs Eternal
2022-03-27
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1And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
2Spring has come to many places around the world.
3Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we celebrate the first day of spring on the vernal equinox.
4In 2022, spring began on March 20.
5With new life starting to show in nature, it is easy to see why this season has meant hope and new beginnings to many people through history.
6As a verb, the word "spring" can mean to come forth with energy.
7For example, when you "spring into action," you start a project or task with a lot of positive energy.
8Here is another way to use "spring" as a verb.
9If you "spring" news or information on someone, you tell them something without preparation.
10For example, the other day a good friend told me she would be moving to a new city by the end of the week!
11I can't believe she sprung such important news on me.
12And that brings us to our expression for today's show: hope springs eternal.
13"Hope springs eternal" means that people can always find a reason to hope, even in the bleakest situations.
14Here, the word "bleak" means to not have much hope.
15Eternal means to last or exist forever, without end or beginning.
16So, there is a dreamy quality to this expression.
17It is actually considered a proverb, a short well-known saying containing a wise thought.
18The wise thought here is that we human beings never stop hoping or believing that things will get better.
19Even when common sense tells us that something will not happen -- we still think it will.
20For example, a group of friends tried to start a business together.
21Their first three tries failed. But that did not stop them from trying again.
22You know what they say: Hope springs eternal!
23Here is another example. Even though a woman lost her job, her car, and her apartment all in one month, she still kept a positive attitude.
24She still had good health and good friends.
25She asked them for a little help and then started to rebuild her life.
26For her, hope springs eternal is more than a proverb. It is her life's motto.
27People who use or believe in this proverb as optimists.
28They optimistically believe in a brighter tomorrow.
29A pessimist, the opposite of an optimist, probably won't use "hope springs eternal" very often ... if at all.
30Language experts say the proverb "Hope springs eternal" comes from a shortened line from Alexander Pope's 1732 poem An Essay on Man.
31He wrote: "Hope springs eternal in every human breast."
32And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. 2Spring has come to many places around the world. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we celebrate the first day of spring on the vernal equinox. In 2022, spring began on March 20. 3With new life starting to show in nature, it is easy to see why this season has meant hope and new beginnings to many people through history. 4As a verb, the word "spring" can mean to come forth with energy. 5For example, when you "spring into action," you start a project or task with a lot of positive energy. 6Here is another way to use "spring" as a verb. If you "spring" news or information on someone, you tell them something without preparation. For example, the other day a good friend told me she would be moving to a new city by the end of the week! I can't believe she sprung such important news on me. 7And that brings us to our expression for today's show: hope springs eternal. 8"Hope springs eternal" means that people can always find a reason to hope, even in the bleakest situations. Here, the word "bleak" means to not have much hope. 9Eternal means to last or exist forever, without end or beginning. So, there is a dreamy quality to this expression. 10It is actually considered a proverb, a short well-known saying containing a wise thought. The wise thought here is that we human beings never stop hoping or believing that things will get better. Even when common sense tells us that something will not happen -- we still think it will. 11For example, a group of friends tried to start a business together. Their first three tries failed. But that did not stop them from trying again. You know what they say: Hope springs eternal! 12Here is another example. Even though a woman lost her job, her car, and her apartment all in one month, she still kept a positive attitude. She still had good health and good friends. She asked them for a little help and then started to rebuild her life. For her, hope springs eternal is more than a proverb. It is her life's motto. 13People who use or believe in this proverb as optimists. They optimistically believe in a brighter tomorrow. A pessimist, the opposite of an optimist, probably won't use "hope springs eternal" very often ... if at all. 14Language experts say the proverb "Hope springs eternal" comes from a shortened line from Alexander Pope's 1732 poem An Essay on Man. He wrote: "Hope springs eternal in every human breast." 15And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 16Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 17__________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19vernal equinox - n. the equinox in spring, on about March 20 in the northern hemisphere and September 22 in the southern hemisphere 20positive - adj. having a real or beneficial effect or result 21eternal - adj. lasting forever : having no beginning and no end 22bleakest - adj. lacking in warmth, life, or kindliness 23proverb - n. a short well-known saying containing a wise thought 24motto - n. a short expression of a guiding rule of conduct 25optimist - n. a person who is inclined to be hopeful and to expect good outcomes 26pessimist - n. a person who is inclined to expect poor outcomes 27opposite - adj. being in a position to contrast with or cancel out