Go to great lengths
Today’s English expression is to “go to great lengths.” To go to great lengths is to make an extraordinary effort, an effort that’s more than would be expected under the circumstances. In today’s lesson, you heard that the September 11 Museum went to great lengths to identify the owners of all the artifacts in the museum. They found wallets, wristwatches, wedding rings, articles of clothing, items from people’s desks. A wallet is easy to identify. But a watch, a ring, a book, a notebook—this stuff didn’t all come with the names on them. The museum went to great lengths to identify the items and to tell the stories of the people they belonged to.
They went to great lengths: they did more than what would be expected. Who did this ring belong to? When did that person get married? What was that person’s job? Did they have kids? The museum goes to great lengths to tell the story of the person behind the recovered items.
I’ve been to India a few times for work, and it’s quite a difference in culture. I was lucky, though, because my coworkers there went to great lengths to make me feel at home. They made sure I had someone to eat lunch with every day. They helped me to figure out the menus at the cafeteria. They gave me ideas for things to do on the weekends; some even came with me as I explored the area. Someone came by my desk and delivered bottled water every day. They went to great lengths to make sure I felt at home and comfortable. They did more than, I think, a typical person would have done, and I’m extremely grateful for that.
You heard a few weeks ago that hospitality companies are going to great lengths to attract employees . It’s not unusual to see companies offer signing bonuses, extra vacation, higher wages, and things like that. Some cities are paying people to relocate. A few McDonald’s restaurants were paying people just to come to the interview. These are examples of going to great lengths to fill a job; doing more than is typically necessary or required.
I remember when Game of Thrones was on television. JR would go to great lengths to make sure he was free on Sunday night when it came on. He would do whatever was necessary!
Going to great lengths is not always a good thing. Some parents go to great lengths to get their kids admitted to prestigious universities. But do you remember the university admissions scandal ? In that case, what some parents did was unethical and illegal. Still, we can say they went to great lengths; they did more than is typical or expected.
JR’s song of the week
Today’s song of the week is “Brooklyn Train” by Lucy Kaplansky. It came out in 2002 and describes the emotions going through daily life in New York after September 11. Some of the lines talk about riding the train as it goes over a bridge, heading toward Manhattan, with a view of Ground Zero. The song says, “Nobody speaks, everyone stares, remembering all that used to be there.”
The album that song is on is called “The Red Thread;” it’s really good. So “Brooklyn Train” by Lucy Kaplansky is today’s song of the week.
See you next time!
And that is all for today. I promise we’ll be on to more upbeat subjects starting next week. This was lesson 399 of Plain English, so that means you can continue your practice at PlainEnglish.com/399.
We’ll be back on Monday. See you then.
Learn to express your best ideas
Get the tools you need to speak more fluently in English
