'Set in Stone'
2022-12-11
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language.
3We give examples and notes on usage.
4Some things in life change easily and often.
5They are fluid. They change and move as fluids do -- easily.
6When we are planning events or establishing rules and policies, sometimes it is good to keep things fluid or changeable.
7But some things are not easily moved or changed.
8They are fixed or inflexible.
9To describe these inflexible things, we can say they are set in stone.
10Things that are set in stone are very difficult or impossible to change.
11We can say that permanent rules, laws, and policies are set in stone.
12It often takes several difficult actions to change them.
13The dates of some events are also set in stone.
14For example, weddings take a lot of planning.
15Some people even start planning for their wedding a year or more ahead of time.
16You simply cannot tell friends and family that your wedding will happen sometime in June.
17You must find a space for the ceremony.
18You need to invite people and find out how many are coming.
19You need to decide on food, music, and flowers.
20And you must have money to pay workers to do different things.
21So, setting a wedding date in stone is the best way to make sure the wedding happens smoothly.
22Setting the date in stone means it cannot change.
23Or at least, changes would cause problems for people and possibly cost you a lot of money.
24We also use this expression with two other verbs: carve and write.
25So, you can say something is carved in stone or something is written in stone.
26The meaning stays the same.
27On the other hand, if a rule, date, or event could be changed easily, we can say it is penciled in.
28If you pencil something in, you are admitting that it is not set in stone.
29It may change and may be erased. When using this expression, however, you do not need to really use a pencil.
30So, when we say something is not carved, set, or written in stone, we mean it can be changed.
31For example, many workers were upset by some new office rules.
32So, the supervisor said, "If they don't work, we can always change them."
33In other words, the rules are not carved in stone.
34Before we end the program, here is one more example for set in stone.
35The editor used it when he sent back my edited story.
36He gave some changes but added, "These are just suggestions. They are not set in stone."
37It's good to have an editor with a sense of humor!
38And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories.
39Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language. We give examples and notes on usage. 3Some things in life change easily and often. They are fluid. They change and move as fluids do -- easily. When we are planning events or establishing rules and policies, sometimes it is good to keep things fluid or changeable. 4But some things are not easily moved or changed. They are fixed or inflexible. 5To describe these inflexible things, we can say they are set in stone. Things that are set in stone are very difficult or impossible to change. 6We can say that permanent rules, laws, and policies are set in stone. It often takes several difficult actions to change them. 7The dates of some events are also set in stone. 8For example, weddings take a lot of planning. Some people even start planning for their wedding a year or more ahead of time. 9You simply cannot tell friends and family that your wedding will happen sometime in June. You must find a space for the ceremony. You need to invite people and find out how many are coming. You need to decide on food, music, and flowers. And you must have money to pay workers to do different things. 10So, setting a wedding date in stone is the best way to make sure the wedding happens smoothly. Setting the date in stone means it cannot change. Or at least, changes would cause problems for people and possibly cost you a lot of money. 11We also use this expression with two other verbs: carve and write. So, you can say something is carved in stone or something is written in stone. The meaning stays the same. 12On the other hand, if a rule, date, or event could be changed easily, we can say it is penciled in. 13If you pencil something in, you are admitting that it is not set in stone. It may change and may be erased. When using this expression, however, you do not need to really use a pencil. 14So, when we say something is not carved, set, or written in stone, we mean it can be changed. 15For example, many workers were upset by some new office rules. So, the supervisor said, "If they don't work, we can always change them." In other words, the rules are not carved in stone. 16Before we end the program, here is one more example for set in stone. The editor used it when he sent back my edited story. He gave some changes but added, "These are just suggestions. They are not set in stone." 17It's good to have an editor with a sense of humor! 18And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 19Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 20______________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22inflexible - adj. incapable of change 23wedding - n. a wedding anniversary or its celebration 24carve - v. to cut with care or exactness 25erase - v. to rub or scrape out (something, such as written, painted, or engraved letters) : to remove written or drawn marks from 26sense of humor - noun phrase : a personality that gives someone the ability to say funny things and see the funny side of things