Fall from grace
A fall from grace is when you have a good reputation, but you lose it. WeWork was a darling startup. Everyone loved it. They were going to change the way people worked forever—the whole idea of work was going to change because of WeWork! Gone are the days of the boring cubicle for the workers and the corner office for executives: now, we can all work in a well-designed space with comfortable furniture, networking events, and premium coffee. Once investors got a look at the financial situation behind this idealistic vision, they balked. More and more information came to light—more than I had time to talk about in this episode, let me tell you—more and more information came to light, and WeWork’s reputation was tarnished. The CEO once said he wanted to be the world’s first trillionaire—the first person in the world to be worth a trillion dollars. He was soon kicked out of his own company because it was hemorrhaging money. That is the definition of a fall from grace.
Harvey Weinstein is a perfect example of “fall from grace.” He was an acclaimed movie producer, one of the most powerful—and talented—movie producers in all of Hollywood. But a long string of sexual abuse allegations surfaced, and it soon became clear that Harvey Weinstein was a sexual predator. He was arrested and is now facing trial. He has experienced an epic fall from grace.
This happens to politicians. They have to resign as a result of a public revelation—corruption or some personal failing or other.
The important thing when using “fall from grace” is that the person or company has to be well-respected to begin with. You have to be able to fall from some high point. It means you have lost your high status, respect or prestige.
Some people say Justin Bieber suffered a fall from grace. As a teenager, he was on top of the world—the idol of young girls everywhere. And as he grew into his twenties, his reputation suffered as a result of some bad personal decisions. But it’s always possible to fall from grace, and then to bounce back. Justin Bieber might be a case of that.
Michael Vick—if you follow American football, you might recognize that name. He was a popular quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles, but he ran a dogfighting ring in his spare time. The image of setting up dogs to fight justifiably horrified the American public, which quickly turned against Michael Vick. He spent 21 months in jail. That was a fall from grace. But he bounced back. Some people will never forgive him, and that’s their right, but Michael Vick appears to have bounced back, learned from the error of his ways.
JR’s song of the week
All right, enough of that. On to cheerier subjects, JR’s song of the week. He has nominated “Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard” by Paul Simon as this week’s song. Do not, do not, do not look to this song for advice on how to speak properly. That goes for most songs, but especially this one. But that’s not why we listen to songs; we listen to be entertained and have fun, and this is a good song. It was Ju—in JR’s head all day, so check it out. “Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard” by Paul Simon.
That’s about it for today. WeWork desks—I checked—go for about $350 per month for a single, shared desk; close to $500 per month if you want your own reserved desk; and up to $800 or $1,000 per month for a solo office, here in Chicago. Just for perspective. I’ve been in some of the offices and they are nice. I’ll leave you with that.
If you’re serious about improving in English, then I encourage you to check out Plain English Plus+. One of the best features of Plain English Plus+ is our video lessons. With each episode—twice a week—we highlight one little piece of grammar or English usage and we show you how to use it in a video lesson. And if you think it’s just sitting back and watching—it’s not. You get to write your own sentences right from inside the video. These videos show you the ways to connect ideas, develop your thoughts, and sound more professional in your writing and speaking. If this sounds like what you need, then come check us out at PlainEnglish.com/Plus.
Don’t forget we’ll be back on Monday with another exciting episode of Plain English—see you then.
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