Problems Happen When You Are 'Asleep at the Wheel'

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Problems Happen When You Are 'Asleep at the Wheel'

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning¹ English.

On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language. We give examples and notes on usage².

The United States is a very big country. So, getting from point A to point B can take a lot of time. Most people who live in the U.S. drive cars. So, it should come as no surprise that we have many car expressions.

Driving a vehicle is a big responsibility. After all, it is a heavy piece of machinery³ traveling at fast speeds. So, it is important to stay focused on the road.

You should pay close attention when driving. It is dangerous to drive when you are distracted⁴ or when you are tired. If you lose your focus, you could cause a crash.

The same could be said in other situations in life. And that brings us to our expression for today: to be asleep at the wheel.

This expression comes from the idea of someone falling asleep while driving a car. But as an idiom, it means someone is not paying attention or is focused on what they are doing. This can cause all kinds of problems.

If I am asleep at the wheel, I fail to see my responsibilities or duties. I am not paying attention to important issues for which I am responsible.

We often use this expression to describe a person who is not thinking about possible future problems. It can also be used when talking about a business or government that is not paying attention to problems waiting down the road.

Here is an example:

The government agency⁵ in charge of public health safety was asleep at the wheel on this issue.

Here is a workplace example:

Gabrielle was supposed to make sure all the contracts were signed by the deadline. But she fell asleep at the wheel and did not get her task done on time.

Anyone can fall asleep at the wheel and in any situation. Here is an example from the world of sports.

During an important game, the star goalie of the football team was asleep at the wheel. The other team was able to score easily.

In these examples, we used the verbs "to fall" or "to be" with this expression. Both are correct. And neither one is more common than the other. So, feel free to take your pick!

As we said earlier, this expression refers to someone who has fallen asleep while driving a vehicle. We have a similar expression that relates to someone falling asleep while operating a train.

That expression is "to fall asleep at the switch." Here, "switch" refers to the controls on the train. Note that "falling asleep at the switch" is less commonly used.

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

When it comes to teaching⁶ English, VOA Learning English promises not to fall asleep at the wheel. We will stay focused on helping⁷ you improve your language skills!

Words in This Story

point A to point B – idiomatic⁸ expression : to go from one place to another

distracted – adj. having one's thoughts or attention drawn⁹ away : unable to concentrate or give attention to something

idiom – n. an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar¹⁰ to itself either in having a meaning that cannot be derived¹¹ from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as up in the air for "undecided") or in its grammatically¹² atypical use of words (such as give way)

focus – n. a center of activity or interest

down the road – idiomatic expression : in the future

goalie – n. a player who defends the goal in any of various games (such as hockey, lacrosse, or soccer) : goalkeeper

switch – n. a device for making, breaking, or changing the connections in an electrical circuit

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 usage   

n.惯用法，使用，用法

参考例句：

• I am clear about the usage of this word at last.这个词的用法我算是弄明白了。
• The usage is now firmly established.这种用法现已得到确认。

3 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

4 distracted   

a.注意力分散的，思想不集中的

参考例句：

• When working, one should concentrate and not allow oneself to be distracted. 工作时要集中精力，不要分心。
• Noise outside distracted her mind from her studies. 门外的噪音使她心神不宁，无法集中注意力学习。

5 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

6 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。

9 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

10 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

11 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 grammatically   

adv.符合语法规则地

参考例句：

• This essay is grammatically smooth and readable. 这篇作文写得还顺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Grammatically, the Sanskrit paradigm exemplifies the concept of radical. 从语法的观点看，梵语的变格范例明确了词根的概念。 来自辞典例句