VOA名师答疑2023 Spin和Rotate?的区别

Spin or Rotate?

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "spin" and "rotate."

Question:

Dear teacher,

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.

What is the exact difference between "spin" and "rotate"?

Thank you for your time,

Aleksandr

Answer

This is an interesting question, Alex. "Spin" and "rotate" as verbs both involve circular movement. They are synonyms¹, but there may be situations when one sounds better than the other.

Let's start with "rotate."

"Rotate" is a verb that means to turn in a circular motion around a center point.

The verb can take a direct object or not.

The earth rotates around the sun. (no direct object)

I rotated the globe on the desk to find Helsinki, Finland. (direct object)

When we think of "rotate," we might consider the action of "rotating" to be slower than "spinning."

Rotate also has another meaning. "Rotate" can mean to take turns or to pass or change something in a series.

We should rotate our car's tires every 5,000 to 7,000 miles.

Now let's look at "spin."

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."

The dancer spins fast on one foot.

"Spin" also has two other specific meanings as verbs. The first one means to make fiber² into thread or yarn³.

She spins wool from sheep into yarn using a spinning wheel.

The second meaning is when insects like spiders make thread from their bodies to create webs.

In the book Charlotte's Web, Charlotte, the spider spins a web with the words "Some Pig" in it for her friend, Wilber.

"Spin" can also be a noun with several meanings. Those meanings connect to the verbal meanings above.

A "spin" is a fast turn.

It can also mean a quick or fun ride in a vehicle.

Let's take the car out for a quick spin!

"Spin" can also mean mental confusion or physical dizziness. There was a popular song in the 1980s about this kind of spinning.

Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.

Words in This Story

synonyms – n. a word that is similar in meaning to another word

globe – n. model of the earth

tire – n. a rubber ring that usually contains air and that fits around the wheel of a car or bicycle

yarn – n. thread used for knitting, weaving, or sewing

wool – n. the soft, thick hair of sheep and some other animals

web – n. a net made from silk threads woven together by a spider

1 synonyms   

同义词( synonym的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• If you want to grasp English, you must carefully discriminate synonyms. 如果你想掌握好英语，你必须仔细区分同义词。
• Study the idioms and synonyms l wrote down before your test. 学考试前我给你写的习惯用语和同义字。

2 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

3 yarn   

n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事

参考例句：

• I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。
• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。