VOA词汇掌故2023--How Do You Stay 'In Shape'?

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

On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language. We give you definitions², examples, and notes on usage³.

Today, we talk about fitness⁴ and exercise. Keeping in shape is a common expression for staying physically⁵ fit!

What sort of exercise do you enjoy? How do you get in shape? If you are already in shape, how do you stay in shape?

I used to walk a lot for work and that kept me in good shape. Five days a week I would walk to the train station, walk to the office and then climb stairs. At lunch, my coworkers and I would take a walk outside. Our office is in a beautiful area of Washington, D.C., surrounded by museums and monuments. So that adds up to a lot of walking!

But then, in 2020 like so many others, I started working from home. I became worried that without all that walking, I would quickly get out of shape! So, I made time for more swimming and short walks around my neighborhood. Those two kept me in shape.

Using the word "shape" when talking about fitness and health makes sense. Sometimes, we can describe the human body in terms of size and shape. But we can also use the word "shape" to talk about our projects, our activities, our actions and behaviors.

So, shape up also means to correct bad behavior. For example, a boss might warn an underperforming employee to shape up. The boss may take this expression one step further. She or he might add a threat by saying shape up or ship out.

Talking about ships, we also describe things that are clean or running smoothly⁶ as shipshape. A ship that is orderly⁷ and clean runs more smoothly and is safer. Remember, on a ship, you can be very far away from help. So, keeping things in good order prevents accidents and big problems.

So, what happens if a situation or a project was in trouble but is now going well? Well, we can say things are shaping up. If it's not going well, we can say the project is in bad shape.

Now, let's hear two friends use some of these expressions.

A: Hey, how's the project going?

B: It's going well. Everything is shipshape now.

A: What do you mean ‘now'?

B: Well, last week we ran into some trouble. An employee wasn't pulling his weight and things weren't getting done.

A: What did you do?

B: I told him, "Shape up or ship out."

A: That's pretty harsh⁸!

B: Maybe, but he shaped up. Now he's a valuable member of the team. I think he was overworked and dealing⁹ with some personal issues.

A: We all run into trouble sometimes. Hey, talking about being overworked ... let's take a break in a bit. I need a walk!

B: Sounds good. The project is in good shape. But I have to make sure I stay in good shape too!

And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. We hope you enjoyed learning some "shape" expressions and verbal¹⁰ phrases.

Practice using them the next time you want to talk about getting or staying physically fit.

Words in This Story

fitness –n. physical health and strength

museum –n. a building where interesting or valuable things are collected, shown to the public, or studied

monument –n. a building, artwork or place dedicated¹¹ to the memory of a person or event

neighborhood –n. the people living near one another

to pull your weight –idiom to do a fair share of work

harsh –adj. something that is unpleasant or difficult to accept

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 definitions   

定义( definition的名词复数 )； 规定； 清晰（度）； 解释

参考例句：

• Write clear definitions in order to avoid ambiguity. 释义要写清楚以免产生歧义。
• Definitions in this dictionary are printed in roman type. 这本词典里的释义是用罗马体印刷的。

3 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。

4 fitness   

n.适合，适当，健康，健身

参考例句：

• They're doing exercises to improve their fitness.他们为增强体质而做体操。
• No one questions her fitness for the job.没人怀疑她能胜任这项工作。

5 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

6 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

7 orderly   

adj.有秩序的，整齐的，一丝不苟的，和平的；adv.有秩序地，有条理地，依次地；n.勤务兵，（医院的）勤务工

参考例句：

• It's an orderly room.这是个整洁的房间。
• The books are in orderly rows on shelves.书籍整齐地排列在书架上。

8 harsh   

adj.严厉（酷）的，刺耳的，刺目的，毛糙的

参考例句：

• The sunlight is very harsh.太阳光很刺眼。
• Although his words are harsh,there is positiveness in them.虽然他的话很苛刻，但有建设性。

9 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

10 verbal   

adj.口头的，用言辞的，用文字的，动词的

参考例句：

• Verbal statements are no guarantee.口说无凭。
• I delivered a verbal protest against their brutal acts.我对他们的暴行提出口头抗议。

11 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。