VOA慢速英语--Are You Crazy About English?

 

English speakers express likes and dislikes in so many ways. By now, you’ve learned¹ how to use words such as like, enjoy, love, or even hate. For example:

She really likes the new professor.

We enjoy restaurants by the water.

I love traveling to distant places.

They hate cold weather and snow.

These are simple and common ways to express likes and dislikes. But fluent speakers of English use other ways, too.

Some are a little more nuanced and less direct. Today, we’ll show you four phrases you can start using as soon as you like.

To be into…/ not be into...

Let’s start with to be into. This phrase is very informal. And American English speakers often include the adverb really in it. To be really into something means you like it a lot.

One structure for using this phrase is subject + to be + like/dislike word or phrase + noun². Listen:

I'm really into karaoke. I sing in front of crowds every chance I get.

But, what if you wanted to express that someone is really into doing something? The structure changes a little. Listen:

I’m really into singing pop songs from the ‘80s.

Here, it’s subject + to be + like/dislike word or phrase + gerund (and sometimes) + noun. The gerund in this example is singing and songs is the noun.

All the phrases you’ll hear today can be used with either of these two structures.

The negative form of the phrase – to not really be into – often doesn’t exactly mean someone has a strong dislike for something; it may just mean the person has little or no interest in it. Listen:

He’s not really into baseball. But he loves soccer. Maybe you guys can catch a soccer game?

To be a fan of…/ not be a fan of…

Let’s move on to the next one. Like the phrase to be really into, to be a fan of something means you like it a lot. Americans usually add the adjective³ ‘big’ or ‘huge’ to this phrase.

One thing to note: you may have heard people say they are fans of a sports team or of a movie star. These are common ways to use ‘fan.’ But you can be a fan of just about anything. Listen:

I’m a big fan of sushi. I know a great Japanese place we can go to.

Notice this example uses the first structure we discussed.

Also, with this phrase, sometimes the word fan comes after the thing that you like. Listen:

I’m a big sushi fan. I know a great Japanese place we can go to.

When we use the negative form – not a big fan of – it expresses a stronger emotion than saying you’re not really into it. Listen:

I’ve never been a huge fan of shopping at supermarkets. They’re too crowded. I prefer to order my groceries online.

Notice that this example uses have been, which is a tense of the verb to be. It also uses the second structure we discussed earlier.

For the rest of the program, you can examine the sentence structure yourself. Remember, all the phrases today follow one of the two patterns.

To be crazy about… / not be crazy about…

Now, let’s talk about the phrase to be crazy about. This phrase’s positive and negative forms have very different uses.

In American English, we use the positive form much less frequently. And, it is mainly used to express strong romantic feelings for someone. Listen:

He’s crazy about her. I think he’s going to ask her to marry him.

We also sometimes use it for activities such as sports or the arts:

My kids are crazy about football. They’re going to football camp this summer.

An older way of saying the phrase used the preposition⁵ for instead of about:

He’s crazy for opera. He buys tickets every season, no matter how much they cost.

Now, to the negative – we almost always use the negative form for non-romantic things. It means the same as to not be a fan of. Listen:

I’m not crazy about mowing⁷ lawns⁹. I usually pay someone to do the job for me.

To be fond of…/ not be fond of…

Our last phrase for today – to be fond of – is mostly used for food and people. This phrase is generally more common in British English. But its negative form is fairly common in the United States.

To be fond of means having a liking¹⁰ or love for someone or something. Listen:

She’s been fond of that boy since they were babies.

The negative form means you don’t like something. Listen:

Mark has never been fond of vegetables. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him touch a salad – ever!

Of course, there are many more ways to express likes and dislikes in English. But learning¹¹ these four phrases is a good start.

Don’t forget that you can still freely¹² use the words you’ve already been using - like, enjoy, love and others. These new phrases just give you more options.

And if you’re a big fan of learning English, well then, give them a try!

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

nuanced – adj. characterized¹³ by subtle¹⁴ shades of meaning or expression

karaoke – n. a form of entertainment in which a device¹⁵ plays the music of popular songs and people sing the words to the songs they choose

gerund – n. an English noun formed from a verb by adding -ing

fan – n. a person who likes and admires someone or something in a very enthusiastic way

groceries – n. food sold by a grocer⁴

pattern – n. the regular and repeated way in which something happens or is done

mow⁶ – v. to cut something, such as grass, with a machine or blade¹⁶

lawn⁸ – n. an area of ground, such as the ground around a house, that is covered with short grass

fond – adj. feeling or showing love or friendship

salad – n. a mixture of raw green vegetables

1 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。

2 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。

3 adjective   

n.形容词；adj.形容词的，用作形容词的

参考例句：

• Don't apply that adjective to me.不要用那个字眼来形容我。
• The adjective loose has several senses. 形容词loose有几个义项。

4 grocer   

n.食品商；杂货商

参考例句：

• Go down to the grocer's and get some sugar.去杂货店给我买点糖来。
• That grocer always overcharges.那个杂货商总是要高价。

5 preposition   

n.介词

参考例句：

• You should cancel this preposition in the sentence.你应该删去句子中的这个介词。
• We use different preposition to talk about time,days,months and seasons.我们用不动的介词来谈论时间，日，月和季节等。

6 mow   

v.割（草、麦等），扫射，皱眉；n.草堆，谷物堆

参考例句：

• He hired a man to mow the lawn.他雇人割草。
• We shall have to mow down the tall grass in the big field.我们得把大田里的高草割掉。

7 mowing   

n.割草，一次收割量，牧草地v.刈，割( mow的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The lawn needs mowing. 这草坪的草该割了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• "Do you use it for mowing?" “你是用它割草么？” 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

8 lawn   

n.草地，草坪，上等细麻布

参考例句：

• The lawn was crawling with ants.草坪上爬满了蚂蚁。
• They are lying on a grassy lawn.他们躺在绿草如茵的草坪上。

9 lawns   

n.草地，草坪( lawn的名词复数 )；上等细棉布（或麻布）

参考例句：

• carefully tended lawns set in a girdle of trees 树木环绕、精心修整的草坪
• Every one was moving their lawns. 大家都在割自家草坪上的草。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

11 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。

12 freely   

adv.自由地，随便地，无拘无束地

参考例句：

• She was unable to keep back her tears,and wept freely.她抑制不住泪水，痛痛快快地哭了起来。
• A liquid flows freely and has no fixed shape.液体能自由流动，无固定形态。

13 characterized   

adj.[医]具有特征的v.是…的特征( characterize的过去式和过去分词 )；以…为特征；描述（人或物）的特性；使…具有特点（或最引人注目的特征）

参考例句：

• Mozart's music is characterized by its naivety and clarity. 莫扎特的音乐特色是纯朴兴清澈。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The world situation is characterized by turbulence and intranquility. 世界局势动荡不安。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 subtle   

adj.难于觉察或描述的，精巧的

参考例句：

• Her whole attitude had undergone a subtle change.她的整个态度发生了微妙的变化。
• There's a subtle hint of garlic in the sauce.调味汁里稍微有一点蒜味。

15 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

16 blade   

n.刀刃，刀片；叶片

参考例句：

• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。
• He is a good blade.他剑术高明。