VOA日常语法2024--Symbols of Easter

Symbols of Easter

　　Spring has begun in the northern half of the Earth. For Christians², a major springtime holiday is Easter. This year, Easter falls on March 31. In this week's Everyday Grammar, we learn how to talk about holidays and the foods, objects and activities connected to them.

　　Easter eggs

　　On Easter Sunday, families with children follow the tradition of coloring eggs and hiding them for an egg hunt. Some of the eggs are just one color. But others are painted in great detail. The Easter eggs symbolize³ new life and rebirth.

　　The Easter Bunny

　　There is a mythical⁴ animal we talk about at Easter, the Easter Bunny. Bunnies, or rabbits, stand for fertility⁵ in some cultures. That is because rabbits reproduce⁶ easily and often.

　　In the days and weeks before Easter, toy bunnies are found in stores. So are plastic eggs that parents fill with candies to give their children on Easter morning.

　　The American President even hosts an Easter egg "roll" at the White House on the Monday after Easter. The child who rolls their egg the farthest distance without breaking it is the winner.

　　Lamb

　　Lamb is often served at Easter meals. For Christians, lamb represents Jesus Christ¹, who Christians call the Lamb of God. Another food that is common at Easter is ham. Pigs symbolized⁷ good luck in Europe in the time before Christianity.

　　You might have noticed three ways we have talked about the connections people make between the foods and symbols of Easter. They involved two transitive verbs and a phrasal verb. First, we used "symbolize," which means to be a representation⁸ or expression of something. We said that eggs symbolize new life.

　　Next is "stands for," a phrasal verb. We said that bunnies stand for fertility. In this case, "stands for" also means to be a representation of something.

　　Finally, we used "represents" to explain the importance and meaning of lamb.

　　Take a closer look at symbol

　　Let's look a bit more at how to use these words.

　　"Symbolize" is the verb form of the noun⁹ "symbol." A symbol is an object, action or event that expresses a quality or idea. Let's compare the verb and noun form. We will start with an example using "symbolize."

　　The lion symbolizes¹⁰ courage.

　　The sentence has this structure:

　　Noun phrase + symbolize + noun

　　Now let's look at how to use "symbol."

　　The lion is a symbol of courage.

　　The sentence has this structure:

　　Noun phrase + BE + a symbol of + noun.

　　Please note that even though our two example sentences have different structures, the meaning is the same.

　　Of course, you can create much more complex sentences and examples when using "symbolize" or "symbol." But for this lesson, we will keep things simple.

　　Stand for

　　Next, let's take a closer look at "stand for." This phrasal verb has a few different meanings. But in our description of Easter, we used "stand for" in the same way we use "symbolize." That is right -- it means to be a representation – or symbol - of something. Here is another example:

　　The color yellow often stands for happiness and joy.

　　Represent

　　Finally, we have "represent." This verb has many meanings. In this lesson, "represent" means to serve as a symbol or sign of something. Let's look at this word in another example sentence.

　　Wedding rings represent a married couple's love.

　　Today, we have learned¹¹ three verbs you can use to describe holiday celebrations: symbolize, stand for and represent.

　　Let's quickly compare our three verbs. All of them are transitive verbs, meaning they take a direct object. And they can all be used in a simple structure:

　　Noun or noun phrase + verb (or phrasal verb) + noun or noun phrase

　　For example:

　　Red symbolizes love

　　Red stands for love

　　Red represents love

　　Now it's your turn

　　Try to use all three verbs to tell us about a holiday that you celebrate. What do the foods or activities of the day symbolize, stand for or represent? You can email us at [email protected]

　　Words in This Story

　　symbolize – v. used to show one thing represents or is similar to another because it is typical of that thing

　　mythical – adj. something or someone that exists only in stories; not true

1 Christ   

n.基督，救世主，耶稣

参考例句：

• I regarded him as the Christ.我把他当作救世主。
• Christ preached that we should love each other.基督在布道中说人们应该互爱。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

4 mythical   

adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的

参考例句：

• Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认，他是一个神话般的人物。
• Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。

5 fertility   

n.肥沃；繁殖力

参考例句：

• A green manure is a crop grown mainly to improve soil fertility.种植绿肥作物主要是为使土壤更加肥沃。
• She is taking drugs to increase her fertility.她为了增强她的生殖能力而在服药。

6 reproduce   

v.生育，繁殖，复制，重做

参考例句：

• The machine can reproduce a key in two minutes.这机器能在两分钟内复制一把钥匙。
• The picture will reproduce well.这照片会印得很清楚。

7 symbolized   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• For Tigress, Joy symbolized the best a woman could expect from life. 在她看，小福子就足代表女人所应有的享受。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• A car symbolized distinction and achievement, and he was proud. 汽车象征着荣誉和成功，所以他很自豪。 来自辞典例句

8 representation   

n.表现某人（或某事物）的东西，图画，雕塑

参考例句：

• The painting is a representation of a storm at sea.这幅画描绘的是海上的暴风雨。
• All parties won representation in the national assembly.所有政党在国民大会中都赢得了代表资格。

9 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

10 symbolizes   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The use of light and dark symbolizes good and evil. 用光明与黑暗来象征善与恶。
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace. 她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。