Describing Things That Happen Very Fast
2022-06-05
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2The English language has several expressions that describe things that happen very fast.
3Today we will talk about several.
4Some involve body parts.
5And some involve acts of nature.
6Let's start with our bodies.
7There are some things we humans we do very quickly - namely our blinking eyes and beating hearts.
8Those bodily actions happen incredibly fast.
9So, we use "in the blink of an eye" and "in a heartbeat" to describe things that happen in no time at all.
10Here are some examples:
11She accepted the new job in a heartbeat. She didn't need to think about it at all.
12When he hit the lottery, all his money problems disappeared in the blink of an eye.
13Now, some may say that "blink of an eye" is redundant.
14After all, the only part of the body we can blink are the eyes.
15So just saying "blink" is enough.
16She blinked and her friend was gone! But when we use the expression, we always say the word "eye."
17We also don't think about blinking our eyes or beating our hearts - well, hopefully we don't.
18So, the expressions also mean that no thought was involved in the action.
19If something happens in the blink of an eye or in a heartbeat, it happens "in no time flat."
20This strange little phrase also means something happens in a very short amount of time.
21For example, my friend reached my house in no time flat. She wasted no time in getting here!
22Okay, now let's talk about the expressions from the natural world.
23If you are very fast, we might compare you to two powers in nature: wind and lightning.
24These two are usually used in the form of a simile.
25A simile compares things using "like" or "as."
26And we usually use them when describing a person's actions.
27So, we might say you move or run like the wind! Or we might say you are as fast as lightning.
28With lightning, we could also the words with a hyphen and say you are lightning-fast!
29Also, when lightning happens, it happens as a flash of lightning or bolt of lightning.
30Both these words, flash and bolt, are also used to describe fast things.
31If something happens in a flash, it happens at lightning speed.
32And if I bolt somewhere, I run very fast to get there.
33For example, when it started to rain, I bolted to my car!
34Now let's hear some friends use these expression together.
35They are waiting for a third friend in front of a movie theater.
36A: Hi! Thanks for coming to the movies with me.
37B: I love movies! As soon as you texted, I responded in a heartbeat.
38A: It's a good thing I came early and got tickets. They sold out in the blink of an eye. Hey, where's Steve?
39B: He had some work to finish up. So, he might be a bit late.
40A: Oh, look there he is now! Hey Steve! Looks like you ran all the way here.
41C: I was running FROM work not TO the movies. So, what's the name of the movie anyway?
42A: Lightning McGrady and the Race Against Time !
43B: Sounds great! I can't wait! Um ... what's it about?
44C: A fast man. Now, let's go inside and get a seat.
45A: He's not just fast. He's lightning-fast! When he runs, he can slow down time. Hey, who wants popcorn or a drink?
46B: There's no time! People are going in! You'll miss the trailers! And you love trailers!
47A: No problem. I'll be back in a flash!
48C: Hold on. I'll go buy drinks and popcorn. After all, you bought the tickets. Just save me a seat.
49A: Great Steve! Thanks!
50And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
51Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2The English language has several expressions that describe things that happen very fast. Today we will talk about several. Some involve body parts. And some involve acts of nature. 3Let's start with our bodies. 4There are some things we humans we do very quickly - namely our blinking eyes and beating hearts. Those bodily actions happen incredibly fast. So, we use "in the blink of an eye" and "in a heartbeat" to describe things that happen in no time at all. 5Here are some examples: 6She accepted the new job in a heartbeat. She didn't need to think about it at all. 7When he hit the lottery, all his money problems disappeared in the blink of an eye. 8Now, some may say that "blink of an eye" is redundant. After all, the only part of the body we can blink are the eyes. So just saying "blink" is enough. She blinked and her friend was gone! But when we use the expression, we always say the word "eye." 9We also don't think about blinking our eyes or beating our hearts - well, hopefully we don't. So, the expressions also mean that no thought was involved in the action. 10If something happens in the blink of an eye or in a heartbeat, it happens "in no time flat." This strange little phrase also means something happens in a very short amount of time. For example, my friend reached my house in no time flat. She wasted no time in getting here! 11Okay, now let's talk about the expressions from the natural world. 12If you are very fast, we might compare you to two powers in nature: wind and lightning. These two are usually used in the form of a simile. A simile compares things using "like" or "as." 13And we usually use them when describing a person's actions. So, we might say you move or run like the wind! Or we might say you are as fast as lightning. 14With lightning, we could also the words with a hyphen and say you are lightning-fast! 15Also, when lightning happens, it happens as a flash of lightning or bolt of lightning. Both these words, flash and bolt, are also used to describe fast things. 16If something happens in a flash, it happens at lightning speed. And if I bolt somewhere, I run very fast to get there. For example, when it started to rain, I bolted to my car! 17Now let's hear some friends use these expression together. They are waiting for a third friend in front of a movie theater. 18A: Hi! Thanks for coming to the movies with me. 19B: I love movies! As soon as you texted, I responded in a heartbeat. 20A: It's a good thing I came early and got tickets. They sold out in the blink of an eye. Hey, where's Steve? 21B: He had some work to finish up. So, he might be a bit late. 22A: Oh, look there he is now! Hey Steve! Looks like you ran all the way here. 23C: I was running FROM work not TO the movies. So, what's the name of the movie anyway? 24A: Lightning McGrady and the Race Against Time ! 25B: Sounds great! I can't wait! Um ... what's it about? 26C: A fast man. Now, let's go inside and get a seat. 27A: He's not just fast. He's lightning-fast! When he runs, he can slow down time. Hey, who wants popcorn or a drink? 28B: There's no time! People are going in! You'll miss the trailers! And you love trailers! 29A: No problem. I'll be back in a flash! 30C: Hold on. I'll go buy drinks and popcorn. After all, you bought the tickets. Just save me a seat. 31A: Great Steve! Thanks! 32And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. 33Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 34____________________________________________________________________ 35Words in This Story 36blink - v. to shut and open the eyes quickly 37lottery - n. a drawing of lots in which prizes are distributed to the winners among persons buying a chance 38redundant - adj. specifically : using more words than necessary 39compare - v. to represent as similar 40hyphen - n. a punctuation mark - used especially to divide or to compound words, word elements, or numbers 41flash - n. a sudden burst of light flash - v. to appear suddenly 42bolt - n. a lightning stroke 43trailer - n. a short promotional film composed of clips showing highlights of a movie due for release in the near future