You Don't Have to Sing to 'Preach to the Choir'

 

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

On this program we explore words and expressions in the English language.

Today, we talk about a type of shared belief. Often in our lives, we come together with others because of a shared belief or purpose. That group can sometimes be called a choir¹.

A choir can describe a group of instruments of the same type, for example a brass² choir.

A choir can be used to describe an organized group of persons or things. For example, many rich, famous people travel with a choir of assistants.

A choir is also a group of organized singers in a church. This is the most common definition. For today's expression, we will focus on the church choir. The expression is "preaching⁴ to the choir."

Church leaders preach³. That's why they're called preachers. But the word "preach" is not only used in a church.

You can preach about something you believe to be good or necessary. However, people who preach to others, speak to them in an annoying way about the right way to behave. They may sound as if they think they know better. And books that try to teach a moral lesson could be criticized for being too preachy.

But now, let's get back to our expression "preaching to the choir."

One online dictionary gives this definition: If I am preaching to the choir, I am presenting an argument or opinion to people who already agree with it. So, I am not looking to convince them. Perhaps, I am just looking to feel good about my idea.

When you preach to the choir, you are sharing your opinion with people who already agree with you. They are already on your side. You don't need to convince them. So, sometimes it means you are wasting your breath, like in this example.

You know, we need a park in our neighborhood.

I couldn't agree more.

The empty property at the end of the street would be perfect. And it's near the woods. So, it'll be very quiet.

You don't have to sell me on your idea. I brought up that same idea years ago.

It would be great not just for the kids, but for everyone! It could be a gathering⁵ place and a place for community activities.

I already know all this! Now, you're just preaching to the choir. What you need to do is to talk to all the other neighbors on this street and get them on board. A few were against the idea years ago.

Here is another example. If I said to you that learning another language can be good for you in so many ways, and you should try it – you could say, "Anna, you are preaching to the choir! We're already doing that."

And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.

Words in This Story

annoying – adj. causing slight anger

moral – adj. of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior

convince – v. to cause (someone) to agree to do something

on board – verbal phrase to agree with something or someone : to be part of a team or organization

1 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

2 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

3 preach   

vi.传道，宣扬；vt. 讲道，说教

参考例句：

• Don't preach me a sermon,please.请不要对我讲大道理。
• They continue to preach their gospel of self-reliance.他们继续倡导自立的信条。

4 preaching   

n.讲道，讲道法v.布道( preach的现在分词 )；劝诫；说教；宣传

参考例句：

• The man was preaching the Gospel. 此人在传布福音。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These misguided people go around preaching up violence. 这些误入歧途的人到处鼓吹暴力。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。