VOA日常语法2024--Learn Indefinite Pronouns with 'Fast Car'

Learn Indefinite¹ Pronouns³ with 'Fast Car'

　　On today's Everyday Grammar, we are going to look at things that are different from each other: in other words, contrasts.

　　Let's start:

　　At the 2024 Grammy awards, one performance got the attention of many different sorts of music fans. It was the country music singer Luke Combs singing with singer and songwriter Tracy Chapman.

　　Together, they sang "Fast Car," a song that had helped Chapman win a Grammy Award in 1989 for Best Female⁴ Pop Vocal⁵ Performance. You can listen to the song on the Grammys website.

　　The song won the Country Music Association⁶ Awards prize for Country Song of the Year in 2023. Chapman is the first Black songwriter to win this award. Luke Combs recorded the song in 2023. He invited Chapman to sing it with him at the Grammy awards show in February.

　　The American Dream

　　In today's lesson, we will look at some of the words in the song and explore how they tell the story of two people. The two tried to find the American Dream: good jobs, a nice home, and children.

　　We will especially learn about the meanings of some indefinite pronouns and how they can be used to make contrasts.

　　In the beginning of the song, Chapman sings about going someplace in a fast car:

　　You got a fast car

　　I want a ticket to anywhere

　　Maybe we make a deal

　　Maybe together we can get somewhere

　　Anyplace is better

　　Starting from zero got nothing to lose

　　Maybe we'll make something

　　But me myself I got nothing to prove

　　Somewhere and anywhere

　　In this part, we hear pairs of contrasting words. The first pair is "anywhere" and "somewhere." She says she wants a "ticket to anywhere," which means there is no exact place she wants to go. A similar word appears in the line, "Anyplace is better." Then, she says that together, she and her friend with the fast car "can get somewhere." "To get somewhere" means to succeed or reach a goal.

　　Nothing and something

　　The next pair of contrasting words is "nothing" and "something." The first expression is that she has "nothing to lose." That means she will not suffer if what she tries to do fails. Again, speaking of what the young couple can do together, she sings, "Maybe we'll make something." When we use "something" as an indefinite pronoun², it can mean a thing that is quite good, as in the expression:

　　That's really something!

　　Moving on to the next part of the song, we find the singer is working at a low-paying job and wants to escape.

　　You got a fast car

　　And I got a plan to get us out of here

　　I been working at the convenience store

　　Managed to save just a little bit of money

　　We won't have to drive too far

　　Just ‘cross the border and into the city

　　You and I can both get jobs

　　And finally see what it means to be living

　　Dreams and reality

　　Tracy Chapman has said she wrote the song about the lives of her parents. As a young couple, they struggled to create the kinds of lives they dreamed of. Listen for the words in the next part that contrast their dream with the reality of living in a shelter – a place for people without a home in which to live:

　　I know things will get better

　　You'll find work and I'll get promoted

　　We'll move out of the shelter

　　Buy a big house and live in the suburbs⁷

　　Finally, we learn through Chapman's song that the young woman did not finish her education because she stayed home to take care of her sick father. The couple seems to continue to struggle in the last part of the song, but they have good memories of their younger years. Listen for the indefinite pronoun "someone" here. To "be someone" means to be an important person.

　　I remember we were driving driving in your car

　　The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk⁸

　　City lights lay out before us

　　And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder

　　And I had a feeling that I belonged

　　And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

　　Listening to Tracy Chapman's song, we find that indefinite pronouns can help express two ideas related⁹ to the American Dream: to "make something" and to "be someone."

　　How do you express your own dreams for the future? Email us at [email protected] or write to us in the comments.

　　Words in This Story

　　indefinite – adj. (grammar) not limiting or specifying¹⁰; not referring to a specific or previously¹¹ identified person or thing

　　pair –n. two of something

　　couple – n. two people who are married, living together, or in a romantic relationship

　　convenience (store) – n. a small market with a limited choice of foods and everyday items

1 indefinite   

adj.不明确的，模糊的，不定的，无限的

参考例句：

• The store will be closed for an indefinite period.这家商店将无限期关闭。
• He gave me an indefinite answer.他给了我一个含糊其辞的答复。

2 pronoun   

n.代词

参考例句：

• The relative pronoun is often dropped if it is the subject.关系代名词做受词时常被省略。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

3 pronouns   

n.代词( pronoun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Relative pronouns and adverbs introduce attributive clauses. 关系代词和关系副词引导定语从句。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "I", "you"and "he" are all personal pronouns. I，you和he都是人称代词。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

5 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

6 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

7 suburbs   

n.郊区，城郊( suburb的名词复数 )；四乡；隧；四郊

参考例句：

• The poor suburbs traditionally formed the bedrock of the party's support. 贫穷的郊区在传统上构成了支持该党的牢固基础。
• The new college will be located in the suburbs. 这所新建的学院将设在郊区。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 drunk   

adj.醉酒的；(喻)陶醉的；n.酗酒者，醉汉

参考例句：

• People who drives when they are drunk should be heavily penalised.醉酒驾车的人应受重罚。
• She found him drunk when she came home at night.她晚上回家时，经常发现他醉醺醺的。

9 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

10 specifying   

v.指定( specify的现在分词 )；详述；提出…的条件；使具有特性

参考例句：

• When we describe what the action will affect, we are specifying the noun of the sentence. 当描述动作会影响到什么时，我们指定组成句子的名词。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Procurement section only lists opportunistic infection drugs without specifying which drugs. 采购部分只说明有治疗机会性感染的药物，但并没有说明是什么药物。 来自互联网

11 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。