How to Use "Swimming" to Deal with Life's Situations
2024-09-22
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Swimming is a great exercise for staying healthy.
3But it can also be a life saving skill and help to keep you from drowning.
4However, in some bodies of water, swimming might be difficult.
5For example, in very deep, choppy or fast moving water swimming can be hard and even dangerous.
6Choppy water has many small, fast, close waves usually created by wind.
7Water currents and tides can be very strong.
8It is easier to swim with them and not so easy to swim against them.
9On today's show, we talk about several English expressions that use "swim" to describe different ways to face a situation -- especially danger, difficulty, or any hardship.
10Let's start with swimming in rivers.
11Let's say you jump in a river and swim downstream.
12That means you are swimming with the current of the water. This makes swimming easier and faster.
13So, the expression to swim downstream means using the easy way to get something done.
14However, when you swim upstream, you have to fight the flow of the water.
15In some rivers or other bodies of water, swimming upstream is nearly impossible.
16As an expression, swimming upstream means you take a more difficult path to do something.
17You make it harder for yourself.
18Here's an example:
19Dealing with money is not my strong suit.
20In fact, last year I was drowning in debt.
21Every month when bills arrived, I felt like I was swimming upstream.
22So I went to a financial advisor.
23Now I'm free of debt and staying on a budget.
24Now, if you are swimming in the ocean, sea, or other large body of water, you may be fighting the tide.
25Swimming against the tide is another expression.
26It means you are fighting against very powerful forces.
27And odds are you will not come out the winner.
28Swimming with the tide or current, is much easier.
29Again, this means you have taken an easier path.
30You have chosen an easier way to do something.
31All of these expressions can be used another way.
32They can also mean that you are going with or against popular opinions or viewpoints.
33If you are swimming with the tide or current or swimming downstream, you act the same way as the majority of others.
34You are going with the flow.
35That is another common expression - to go with the flow.
36People who go with the flow are easy-going.
37They take the popular path without protest.
38However, swimming upstream and swimming against the tide or current mean the opposite.
39You are rejecting a popular idea, behavior, or opinion.
40You are acting against the way the majority of people are acting.
41Swimming against the tide is harder.
42In a sense, you are an outsider or outcast.
43You do not have the support of the current or of other people.
44Here is an example.
45If all of your friends are getting married and moving to quiet areas, you may feel the urge to swim with the tide and do the same.
46Or you could swim against the tide and stay in your small apartment in the center of a busy city with lots of bars and restaurants nearby.
47And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
48Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Swimming is a great exercise for staying healthy. But it can also be a life saving skill and help to keep you from drowning. 3However, in some bodies of water, swimming might be difficult. For example, in very deep, choppy or fast moving water swimming can be hard and even dangerous. 4Choppy water has many small, fast, close waves usually created by wind. 5Water currents and tides can be very strong. It is easier to swim with them and not so easy to swim against them. 6On today's show, we talk about several English expressions that use "swim" to describe different ways to face a situation -- especially danger, difficulty, or any hardship. 7Let's start with swimming in rivers. Let's say you jump in a river and swim downstream. That means you are swimming with the current of the water. This makes swimming easier and faster. 8So, the expression to swim downstream means using the easy way to get something done. 9However, when you swim upstream, you have to fight the flow of the water. In some rivers or other bodies of water, swimming upstream is nearly impossible. 10As an expression, swimming upstream means you take a more difficult path to do something. You make it harder for yourself. 11Here's an example: 12Dealing with money is not my strong suit. In fact, last year I was drowning in debt. Every month when bills arrived, I felt like I was swimming upstream. So I went to a financial advisor. Now I'm free of debt and staying on a budget. 13Now, if you are swimming in the ocean, sea, or other large body of water, you may be fighting the tide. Swimming against the tide is another expression. It means you are fighting against very powerful forces. And odds are you will not come out the winner. 14Swimming with the tide or current, is much easier. Again, this means you have taken an easier path. You have chosen an easier way to do something. 15All of these expressions can be used another way. They can also mean that you are going with or against popular opinions or viewpoints. 16If you are swimming with the tide or current or swimming downstream, you act the same way as the majority of others. You are going with the flow. That is another common expression - to go with the flow. People who go with the flow are easy-going. They take the popular path without protest. 17However, swimming upstream and swimming against the tide or current mean the opposite. You are rejecting a popular idea, behavior, or opinion. You are acting against the way the majority of people are acting. 18Swimming against the tide is harder. In a sense, you are an outsider or outcast. You do not have the support of the current or of other people. 19Here is an example. If all of your friends are getting married and moving to quiet areas, you may feel the urge to swim with the tide and do the same. Or you could swim against the tide and stay in your small apartment in the center of a busy city with lots of bars and restaurants nearby. 20And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 21Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 22___________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24drown -v. to suffocate in a liquid and especially in water : 25choppy -adj. rough with small waves 26tide -n. the alternate rising and falling of the surface of the ocean that occurs twice a day and is caused by the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon occurring unequally on different parts of the earth 27strong suit -n. something in which one excels 28opposite -adj. being the other of a matching or contrasting pair : being in a position to oppose or cancel out 29outsider -n. a person who does not belong to a particular group 30outcast -n. one that is cast out or refused acceptance (as by society) 31Do you have a similar expression in your language? Let us know in the comments. Our comment policy is here. Or send us an email at LearningEnglish@voanews.com.