Words and Their Stories

Source: learningenglish.voanews.com

Tags: special-english

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2. Bed Expressions 6:15
3. ‘Heyday’ Is The Best of Times 3:52
4. Don’t Sweat It and Other Sweaty Expressions 6:45
5. What Does It Mean To Be ‘On the Nose?’ 5:25
6. Expressions for Getting Things Done 5:16
7. Start Off on the Right Foot 5:47
8. Summer Fun with Family Expressions 4:30
9. What ‘Strikes a Chord’ with You? 5:15
10. Time to Get ‘Back on That Horse’ 5:37
11. It’s Time for Your ‘Day in the Sun’ 5:09
12. You Don’t Have to Sing to ‘Preach to the Choir’ 4:37
13. Funny, Or Not So Funny, Things Dad Say 6:29
14. ‘Stepping-Stone’ Is a Way Up and Out 4:12
15. Falling ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ 4:57
16. Deciding by a ‘Flip of a Coin’ 5:24
17. What Happens When Insects Get in Our Idioms? 6:32
18. Don’t Get Caught in a ‘Whirlwind’ 5:14
19. Special Saying for Mother’s Day 5:04
20. What It Means to Be a ‘Stick in the Mud’ 5:21
21. Be Brave: ‘Go Out on a Limb’! 4:48
22. Time to ‘Get Your Hands Dirty’ 4:48
23. ‘Climbing the Ladder’ to Success 4:44
24. Making Things ‘from Scratch’ 5:36
25. What Is NIMBY? 5:41
26. ‘Green-Eyed Monsters’ and Other Uses of ‘Green’ 6:43
27. Is There a ‘Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow’? 4:49
28. When You ‘Raise the Bar,’ Things Get Hard 4:44
29. ‘One-Trick Pony’ Has Limits 4:52
30. Freeze! 6:27
31. ‘Carrying a Torch for Someone’ Can Hurt A Lot 6:10
32. Very Busy People ‘Burn the Candle at Both Ends’ 4:24
33. Get What You Want… With Honey! 4:25
34. Be Careful When You ‘Pin Your Hopes on Something!’ 4:13
35. Short-lived Success Is a ‘Flash in the Pan’ 4:46
36. Some Say ‘There’s No Smoke Without Fire’ 3:46
37. Let’s ‘End on a High Note’ 5:07
38. Shenandoah and Its Native American Roots 5:07
39. 2020 Is Definitely ‘One for the History Books’ 5:45
40. Idioms About Sports 5:35
41. Fauci, Kamala Among Famous Names on Mispronounced Words List 4:01
42. Does the ‘Carrot-and-Stick’ Approach Come From Donkeys? 4:36
43. Three Words to Describe COVID-19 4:56
44. ‘Let’s Eat!’ Thanksgiving Dinner Idioms 7:14
45. ‘No Smoke Without Fire’ 3:55
46. Want to Know a Secret? Maybe You’ll ‘Get Wind of It’ 5:10
47. ‘Once in a Blue Moon’ 4:23
48. Jack-o’-Lantern: Why Is It Named ‘Jack’? 5:43
49. Hard Nuts to Crack 5:11
50. It’s Not the End of the World 3:52
51. Do You Have a Sprinter or Marathon Mentality? 5:04
52. Why Do We ‘Pay Through the Nose’ for Costly Things? 5:06
53. Deer Caught in Headlights 4:39
54. Go Ahead: ‘Steal My Thunder’ 5:22
55. Test Your World With Two Science Terms 6:28
56. ‘Make Hay While the Sun Shines’ 4:51
57. Keep on the ‘Sunny Side’ 5:09
58. Ways We All Can ‘Go Off the Deep End’ 4:31
59. It Really Is a ‘Small World’ 5:12
60. The World Needs More Tree Huggers 4:34
61. Two Flowers to Describe Quiet, Shy People 5:13
62. ‘Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice’… Or Does It? 4:59
63. ‘Rolling Stones Gather No Moss’ 4:37
64. Don’t ‘Bite the Hand That Feeds You’ 5:38
65. Father’s Day Expressions 6:00
66. ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ Is Good Advice 5:00
67. Danger! ‘Snake in the Grass’ 4:54
68. Feeling ‘Under the Weather’? 6:32
69. Take Time to ‘Stop and Smell the Roses’ 5:14
70. The Language of an International Health Crisis 9:30
71. Spring Up Like Mushrooms! 5:58
72. Don’t Waste Time ‘Barking up the Wrong Tree’ 6:11
73. How Fast Is ‘Two Shakes of a Lamb’s Tail’? 4:11
74. Learn the Cause of ‘Cabin Fever’ 5:56
75. ‘Breathing Room’ Reduces Stress 5:19
76. Where ‘Quarantine’ Comes From 5:44
77. We Can Thank Cows for ‘Vaccine’ 4:38
78. ‘When the Cat’s Away, the Mice Will Play!’ 3:56
79. ‘An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure’ 6:18
80. ‘Beware the Ides of March’ 5:01
81. If You Are Feeling Blue, Are You Calm, Strong, or Sad? 6:03
82. Why Is 2020 Called a Leap Year? 3:59
83. Wearing Clothes Made From Goat Hair, and Other Ways to Show You Are Sorry 5:13
84. ‘Stir-Crazy’ Is Not a Way of Cooking 4:18
85. Quit or Join the ‘Rat Race’? 5:20
86. What Is Pettifogging? 3:49
87. Is It Good to Be an ‘Eager Beaver?’ 5:31
88. The Tortoise and the Hare 7:30
89. Don’t ‘Bite Off More Than You Can Chew’ 7:06
90. You Look Like the ‘Cat That Ate the Canary’ 5:01
91. ‘It Will Not Wash’ Has Nothing to Do With Cleaning 5:00
92. A Dime a Dozen 5:29
93. Take a Moment to ‘Count Your Blessings’ 6:34
94. ‘Spoon-feeding’ Not Just for Babies 5:20
95. Read Someone Like a Book or Write a Book on Something 4:30
96. I Have a ‘Bone to Pick With You’ 5:05
97. Autumn Years and Other Phases of Life 6:42
98. Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch 6:10
99. Loose Lips Sink Ships 5:32
100. ‘Explosive’ People Are Dangerous 5:36
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The program “Words and Their Stories” explains English words and expressions with clear examples. Today it taught the phrase **strike a chord**, which comes from music: a chord is a group of notes played together, and to strike a note means to hit it. When we say something “strikes a chord,” we mean it makes us feel something strong or familiar, either positive (a happy memory) or negative (a sad feeling). We can add words like “deep,” “positive,” “negative,” “sympathetic,” or “responsive” to describe the kind of feeling, and we usually use “with” (e.g., “struck a chord with voters”). The phrase can also be used without “with,” simply to say that an event caused a strong emotional reaction, such as a movie that “really struck a chord.”

  • strike
    • Definition: To cause an emotional reaction or feeling in someone, especially by mentioning or presenting something that relates to them.
    • Example: The love song struck a deep chord with James.
  • chord
    • Definition: A metaphorical expression meaning a feeling or idea that connects with a person’s emotions or experiences.
    • Example: A teacher’s advice can strike a responsive chord with students.
  • resonate
    • Definition: To have an effect that is familiar or meaningful to someone, creating a sense of connection.
    • Example: The story resonated with the audience because it reminded them of their own struggles.
  • positive
    • Definition: Describing a chord that brings good feelings or thoughts when it strikes someone.
    • Example: The uplifting anthem struck a positive chord with the crowd.
  • responsive
    • Definition: Relating to a chord that elicits a thoughtful or attentive reaction from listeners or readers.
    • Example: Her presentation struck a responsive chord with the committee members.
  1. According to the passage, what does the phrase “strike a chord” generally mean?
    1. to play a musical note loudly
    2. to cause a feeling of familiarity
    3. to damage a musical instrument
    4. to write a song
  2. Which adjective is mentioned as describing a positive type of chord?
    1. deep
    2. responsive
    3. positive
    4. sympathetic
  3. In the examples given, which group could a teacher’s advice strike a chord with?
    1. voters
    2. students
    3. musicians
    4. colleagues
  4. According to the text, why might someone say something “struck a familiar chord”?
    1. to emphasize that it is highly familiar
    2. ecause the phrase always requires “familiar”
    3. to indicate it is unfamiliar
    4. to describe a musical performance
  5. The passage states that the expression can be used without the word “with.” Which sentence illustrates this usage?
    1. That movie must have really struck a chord.
    2. A love song struck a deep chord with James.
    3. A politician’s speech can strike a sympathetic chord with voters.
    4. A teacher’s advice can strike a responsive chord with students.
  • Do you think the expression “strike a chord” is useful in everyday conversation? Why or why not?
  • Can you remember a song that struck a chord with you? What feeling did it give?
  • Why does the author say adding the word “familiar” to “strike a chord” is unnecessary?
  • How does the meaning change when we say something “struck a deep chord” versus “struck a negative chord”?
  • Should politicians try to strike a chord with voters by using emotional language, or should they focus only on facts? Explain your view.
  • Is it better to use the expression “strike a chord with” or just “strike a chord”? Which do you prefer and why?
  • If you could create a new word to replace “strike a chord,” what would it be and how would you use it in a sentence?
  • Rewrite the ending of the story where the movie did not strike a chord with anyone. How would the ending sound?
  • Have you ever heard a teacher’s advice that struck a chord with you? What was the advice?
  • What effect does the repeated use of the word “with” have on the listener’s understanding of the expression? Provide an example.
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0:00 / 5:15 -5:15

100
2 years, 6 months and 25 days ago Level: Intermediate (B1)

What ‘Strikes a Chord’ with You?

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language. We give examples that show how to use them. And sometimes we explain where they come from.

Today, our expression comes from music. A chord is three or more musical notes sounded at the same time. The word “strike” means to hit. But when we play a note on a musical instrument, we can also say we struck a note.

So, our expression for today is to strike a chord .

In its most general definition, to strike a chord means something relates to you somehow. It resonates with you. If something strikes a chord with you, it is familiar to you in some way, for better or for worse.

Something can strike a positive chord. It is familiar to you in a good way. It creates good feelings or thoughts. For example, a love song struck a deep chord with James. It is the song he sang to his wife at their wedding. Or maybe the song was playing on the radio when she left him. In that case, the song would strike a negative chord with James.

As you can see from those examples, you can add other words to describe what type of chord is being struck – a deep chord, a negative chord.

Here are some other examples.

A teacher’s advice can strike a responsive chord with students. And a politician’s speech can strike a sympathetic chord with voters. Those two words – sympathetic and responsive – are commonly used with this expression.

You might hear people say something “struck a familiar chord.” But to me, this sounds a bit unnecessary. If something strikes a chord, it means it is familiar in some way. So, we don’t need to add the word “familiar” to the expression. But I have heard it used that way before. Maybe it means something is really familiar.

Sometimes we use to strike a chord this way: If something creates strong feelings or thoughts, it strikes a chord. And that “something” could be unfamiliar to the person.

Here is another situation where we use this expression: If something strikes a chord with you, you approve of it. You agree with it. For example, during the election the politician’s position on the economy and jobs must have struck a chord with voters because she won easily.

Let’s talk for a minute about sentence structure.

If you look back at our examples, most if not all of them use the word “with” – with James, with students, with voters. But you can use this expression without the word “with.” In this way, “strike a chord” means it caused a strong emotional reaction to something. For example, that movie must have really struck a chord. Everyone came out of the theater crying.

Hopefully learning English continues to strike a chord with all of you … a positive one!

And that’s the end of this Words and Their Stories. Until next time … I’m Anna Matteo.

Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

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