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VOA慢速英语2020--Problem, Issue or Matter?

时间:2020-07-26 23:57:26

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(单词翻译)

This week, we answer a question from Noel from France. He writes,

Question:

"Can you explain the difference between matter, problem and issue? In English lessons these three words come often in the conversation and I am never sure which I have to use. Thank you in advance for the explanation and thank you very much for the daily news and lessons." -- Noel, France.

Answer:

Dear Noel,

As a learner of English you probably wonder: Why does the language have so many words with similar meanings? One reason is that some words are more common in formal or official settings1 than others. Let me start with "problem," the least formal of the words that you asked about.

Problem

"Problem" is a word that you can use in many different situations. A problem is a difficulty to overcome or a question to solve. We may say, for example:

The poor economy has caused social problems.

Or you could ask somebody this question if they look unhappy:

What's the problem?

There are many words that are close in meaning to problem, such as trouble or challenge.

Issue

A more formal word that sometimes has the same meaning as problem is "issue." It can mean a topic or subject. At meetings, "issue" is used for an important problem that people debate or talk about. You may hear political candidates2 use this word as in this example:

My opponent3 does not make clear statements on the issues.

We can also use "issue" to talk about things that a large number of people care about. For example:

Ocean scientists spoke4 on the environmental issue of plastic pollution.

Matter

"Matter" is a more formal way of saying topic or material. The word "matter" can have a more neutral5 or a positive meaning than problem or issue, as in:

We will discuss the matter of awards in the next meeting.

However, "matter" is also an informal way of saying "problem" when we ask a question like:

What's the matter?

How formal is the situation?

When you are trying to decide which of the three words to use, ask yourself: How formal is this situation? If it is informal, then use the word "problem." When talking about a political subject or a debate topic, you may use the word "issue." If the situation is more formal or a legal discussion6, or you are talking about something that is not a problem, use the word "matter."

And that is Ask a Teacher for this week.

Your questions

What question do you have about English? Send us an email at [email protected].

I'm Jill Robbins.

Words in This Story

challenge – n. a difficult task or problem; something that is hard to do

topic – n. a subject

positive – adj. related to the good qualities of someone or something


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1 settings 2e5d8aa3dfa8ef34ca5131d20f9dad51     
n.镶嵌( setting的名词复数 );环境;装置;(某事、戏剧、小说等的)背景
参考例句:
  • to study behaviour in laboratory and naturalistic settings 研究实验室里的以及仿自然环境中的行为
  • This machine has two settings: fast and slow. 这种机器有两种可调的速度:快速和慢速。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
2 candidates bef2e239e46f69022be77d801342fa6d     
n.报考者( candidate的名词复数 );申请求职者;攻读学位者;最后命运或结局如何已显然可见者
参考例句:
  • Employers must consider all candidates impartially and without bias. 雇主必须公平而毫无成见地考虑所有求职者。
  • one of the leading candidates for the presidency 总统职位的主要候选人之一
3 opponent HIoxQ     
n.对手,敌手,反对者;adj.敌对的,反对的
参考例句:
  • The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
  • After a fierce struggle,he got a beat on his opponent.经过殊死的较量,他占了对手的上风。
4 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
5 neutral c0Cyz     
adj.中立的,不偏不倚的;中性的
参考例句:
  • Behaviour is never culturally neutral.人的行为从来都受文化的影响。
  • They have maintained a consistently neutral stance.他们一直持中立态度。
6 discussion 2PBzj     
n.讨论,谈论;论述
参考例句:
  • It is certain he will come to the discussion.他肯定会来参加讨论。
  • After months of discussion,a peace agreement is gradually taking shape.经过几个月的商讨,和平协议渐渐有了眉目。

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