Spin or Rotate?

2023-05-06

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1
  • Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "spin" and "rotate."
  • 2
  • Dear teacher,
  • 3
  • My name is Alex! I'm from Russia!
  • 4
  • Your content is a part of the learning English process for me, so I'd love to ask you a question about a couple English words that make me confused.
  • 5
  • What is the exact difference between "spin" and "rotate"?
  • 6
  • Thank you for your time,
  • 7
  • Aleksandr
  • 8
  • This is an interesting question, Alex. "Spin" and "rotate" as verbs both involve circular movement.
  • 9
  • They are synonyms, but there may be situations when one sounds better than the other.
  • 10
  • Let's start with "rotate."
  • 11
  • "Rotate" is a verb that means to turn in a circular motion around a center point.
  • 12
  • The verb can take a direct object or not.
  • 13
  • The earth rotates around the sun. (no direct object)
  • 14
  • I rotated the globe on the desk to find Helsinki, Finland. (direct object)
  • 15
  • When we think of "rotate," we might consider the action of "rotating" to be slower than "spinning."
  • 16
  • Rotate also has another meaning. "Rotate" can mean to take turns or to pass or change something in a series.
  • 17
  • We should rotate our car's tires every 5,000 to 7,000 miles.
  • 18
  • Now let's look at "spin."
  • 19
  • The verb "spin" also means to turn in a circular motion on a center point, much like "rotate."
  • 20
  • But we typically think of "spin" as being faster than "rotate."
  • 21
  • The dancer spins fast on one foot.
  • 22
  • "Spin" also has two other specific meanings as verbs. The first one means to make fiber into thread or yarn.
  • 23
  • She spins wool from sheep into yarn using a spinning wheel.
  • 24
  • The second meaning is when insects like spiders make thread from their bodies to create webs.
  • 25
  • In the book Charlotte's Web, Charlotte, the spider spins a web with the words "Some Pig" in it for her friend, Wilber.
  • 26
  • "Spin" can also be a noun with several meanings.
  • 27
  • Those meanings connect to the verbal meanings above.
  • 28
  • A "spin" is a fast turn.
  • 29
  • It can also mean a quick or fun ride in a vehicle.
  • 30
  • Let's take the car out for a quick spin!
  • 31
  • "Spin" can also mean mental confusion or physical dizziness.
  • 32
  • There was a popular song in the 1980s about this kind of spinning.
  • 33
  • A "spin" can also be presenting something in an unusual way.
  • 34
  • The restaurant puts a Mediterranean spin on popular American food dishes.
  • 35
  • Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Alex!
  • 36
  • What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
  • 37
  • And that's Ask a Teacher.
  • 38
  • I'm Faith Pirlo.
  • 1
  • Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "spin" and "rotate."
  • 2
  • Question:
  • 3
  • Dear teacher,
  • 4
  • My name is Alex! I'm from Russia! Your content is a part of the learning English process for me, so I'd love to ask you a question about a couple English words that make me confused.
  • 5
  • What is the exact difference between "spin" and "rotate"?
  • 6
  • Thank you for your time,
  • 7
  • Aleksandr
  • 8
  • Answer
  • 9
  • This is an interesting question, Alex. "Spin" and "rotate" as verbs both involve circular movement. They are synonyms, but there may be situations when one sounds better than the other.
  • 10
  • Let's start with "rotate."
  • 11
  • "Rotate" is a verb that means to turn in a circular motion around a center point.
  • 12
  • The verb can take a direct object or not.
  • 13
  • The earth rotates around the sun. (no direct object)
  • 14
  • I rotated the globe on the desk to find Helsinki, Finland. (direct object)
  • 15
  • When we think of "rotate," we might consider the action of "rotating" to be slower than "spinning."
  • 16
  • Rotate also has another meaning. "Rotate" can mean to take turns or to pass or change something in a series.
  • 17
  • We should rotate our car's tires every 5,000 to 7,000 miles.
  • 18
  • Now let's look at "spin."
  • 19
  • The verb "spin" also means to turn in a circular motion on a center point, much like "rotate." But we typically think of "spin" as being faster than "rotate."
  • 20
  • The dancer spins fast on one foot.
  • 21
  • "Spin" also has two other specific meanings as verbs. The first one means to make fiber into thread or yarn.
  • 22
  • She spins wool from sheep into yarn using a spinning wheel.
  • 23
  • The second meaning is when insects like spiders make thread from their bodies to create webs.
  • 24
  • In the book Charlotte's Web, Charlotte, the spider spins a web with the words "Some Pig" in it for her friend, Wilber.
  • 25
  • "Spin" can also be a noun with several meanings. Those meanings connect to the verbal meanings above.
  • 26
  • A "spin" is a fast turn.
  • 27
  • It can also mean a quick or fun ride in a vehicle.
  • 28
  • Let's take the car out for a quick spin!
  • 29
  • "Spin" can also mean mental confusion or physical dizziness. There was a popular song in the 1980s about this kind of spinning.
  • 30
  • A "spin" can also be presenting something in an unusual way.
  • 31
  • The restaurant puts a Mediterranean spin on popular American food dishes.
  • 32
  • Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Alex!
  • 33
  • What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
  • 34
  • And that's Ask a Teacher.
  • 35
  • I'm Faith Pirlo.
  • 36
  • Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.
  • 37
  • __________________________________________________________________
  • 38
  • Words in This Story
  • 39
  • synonyms - n. a word that is similar in meaning to another word
  • 40
  • globe - n. model of the earth
  • 41
  • tire - n. a rubber ring that usually contains air and that fits around the wheel of a car or bicycle
  • 42
  • yarn - n. thread used for knitting, weaving, or sewing
  • 43
  • wool - n. the soft, thick hair of sheep and some other animals
  • 44
  • web - n. a net made from silk threads woven together by a spider
  • 45
  • __________________________________________________________________
  • 46
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  • 47
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