VOA慢速英语2019--How to Use Hop, Skip and Jump

 

Today on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from a Facebook friend.

Question:

Guadalupe writes, “Hello! Could you explain what are the differences between hop¹, jump and skip? Thank you!!”

Answer:

Hi, Guadelupe! What a fun question! We usually say the words in this order: “hop, skip, and jump.” This expression brings back memories of my childhood and when my children were young. Children are always moving and these verbs describe three actions they love to do. Let’s talk about their meanings and give examples of how English speakers use them.

Hop

We say a person hops² when they jump upward³ on one foot or make a series of jumps on one foot. When people hop, they usually stay in about the same place. For animals, we say they hop when they jump with two feet or all of their feet at one time. Think of how a bunny rabbit moves: The animal is hopping⁴.

Another use of the word “hop” comes from the 1960s. It can mean an informal dance for young people. American Bobby Darin sang about a girl who was the “queen of the hop.”

I got a girl they call the queen of the hop, oh well I love my queen...

And you have probably heard of the name “hip-hop.” That form of music first became popular in New York City in the 1980s.

Skip

Skip means to move forward in a light, playful way by stepping from one foot to the other with a hop or bounce⁵. Have you ever seen a young child moving so that one foot hits the ground and slides a little before they take another step? That is skipping, and children usually do it when they are happy.

In addition, “skipping rope” is a game where you hold a rope in both hands and move it under your feet with each step.

Jump

Finally, jump means to push the body into the air using one’s legs.

Children love jumping on beds. So adults teach them the song, “Five Little Monkeys,” which warns of what can happen when someone falls.

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed

One fell off and bumped⁶ his head

Mama called the doctor

And the doctor said

No more monkeys jumping on the bed...

Hop, skip or jump?

Now, a few final words of advice:

If you want to describe a quick movement in almost the same place with one foot or both feet together, use “hop.”

When you talk about forward movement with little hops and steps, use “skip.”

And when the movement goes farther⁷, use the word “jump.”

And that’s Ask a Teacher!

I’m Jill Robbins, and I’m hopping out of here!

Words in This Story

bunny – n. a young rabbit

slide – v. to move smoothly along a surface

1 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

2 hops   

跳上[下]( hop的第三人称单数 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• The sparrow crossed the lawn in a series of hops. 那麻雀一蹦一跳地穿过草坪。
• It is brewed from malt and hops. 它用麦精和蛇麻草酿成。

3 upward   

adj.向上的，上升的；adv.向上，上升

参考例句：

• The birds flew upward.鸟儿向上飞去。
• Prices have an upward tendency.价格有上升的趋势。

4 hopping   

n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The clubs in town are really hopping. 城里的俱乐部真够热闹的。
• I'm hopping over to Paris for the weekend. 我要去巴黎度周末。

5 bounce   

n.弹，反弹；冲劲，冲力；v.(使)弹起(跳起)

参考例句：

• She's got a lot of bounce.她浑身都是劲。
• The ball gave a high bounce.那球弹得很高。

6 bumped   

凸起的，凸状的

参考例句：

• In the dark I bumped into a chair. 我在黑暗中撞上了一把椅子。
• I bumped against an old friend in town today. 我今天在城里偶然碰见了一个老朋友。

7 farther   

adj.更远的，进一步的；adv.更远的，此外；far的比较级

参考例句：

• I can throw the ball farther than you can.这个球我能比你扔得远。
• The farther hill is five kilometres away.那座更远的小山在五公里以外。