Concetti Chiave
- Postponing involves delaying an event or task to a later date, often due to uncontrollable circumstances like weather conditions.
- Sometimes postponement is indefinite, meaning the event may not be rescheduled, while figuratively it can imply delaying an unavoidable outcome.
- Avoiding refers to staying away from something or someone, or refraining from a particular action to prevent an outcome.
- The phrase "avoid like the plague" indicates an extreme aversion or desire to stay away from something or someone perceived as harmful or undesirable.
- Examples illustrate how postponing and avoiding can manifest in everyday scenarios, highlighting their practical implications.
Definition of postponing
To postpone is to delay an event or occasion until a later time, usually due to circumstances beyond control like the weather. Postpone can also mean to put something in a position of less importance.
Ex: The city had to postpone its Christmas parade because of dangerous travel due to a snowstorm. Officials hope that the roads will be better next weekend.
Postponing something implies that the event will be rescheduled. Sometimes, an event is postponed indefinitely. In that case, it is not likely to be rescheduled. Postponing the inevitable is a figurative use of postpone. It means that you are delaying something that's going to happen anyway.
Ex: When Linda let all the others in her life¬saving class go before her to perform CPR on a live person, she was just postponing the inevitable. She would have to perform CPR eventually to get her certificate.
What does avoiding something or someone mean?
To keep away from something or someone is to avoid it. It also means to prevent from happening or refrain from doing something.
Ex: I avoided breaking my leg when I fell by twisting my body to one side. I could not avoid the bruises I got on my hip and shoulder.
Ex: I avoided doing my homework as long as I could, but my mother sat me down at the table in the kitchen and watched me while I completed it.
Avoiding like the plague
The expression, avoid like the plague, means that you find something or someone extremely unattractive or threatening. You might avoid your neighbor like the plague because he always wants to borrow your tools.
Ex: Even though she craves it, Beth avoids chocolate like the plague. It always makes her skin break out and gives her a rash.
Ex: When the elders of the village imposed punish Jonah for his bad behavior, the other members of the village started avoiding him like the plague.
Domande da interrogazione
- What does it mean to postpone an event, and what are some common reasons for doing so?
- How does the concept of avoiding differ from postponing, and what are some examples of avoidance?
To postpone an event means to delay it until a later time, often due to uncontrollable circumstances like weather conditions. For example, a city might postpone its Christmas parade because of a snowstorm, hoping conditions improve by the following weekend.
Avoiding involves keeping away from something or someone, or preventing something from happening, unlike postponing, which implies rescheduling. For instance, someone might avoid doing homework until they are compelled to complete it, or avoid injury by twisting their body during a fall.
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