Point out
Today’s English expression is “point out.” I almost can’t believe that we’ve gotten to lesson number 429 without doing “point out” yet; I’m not sure, but I think I use it frequently here in Plain English.
“Point out” means to make a specific observation with a purpose. Here’s what I mean by “with a purpose.” If I say, “it’s cold outside today,” that’s a general observation with no real purpose. However, if my friend complains that she’s really cold, I could point out that she’s not wearing a warm coat. That’s an observation with a purpose: the purpose is to suggest that maybe she’s cold because she’s not wearing a coat.
We often use this when someone is making an argument trying to convince us of something. In today’s lesson, you learned that Le Petit Robert’s French dictionary included “iel,” a gender-neutral personal pronoun . Many traditionalists argued that the dictionary promoted the use of “iel.” But the dictionary pointed out that they don’t decide what should be used; they just record what is used in the language. They made this observation as part of their response. This was an observation with a purpose.
The dictionary writers also pointed out that many words in the dictionary are used infrequently. This, again, was an observation with a purpose. The purpose was to defend their decision to include “iel.”
We have to use “point out” with either facts or opinions that are generally shared. For example, you cannot—cannot—point out that Italian food is better than Mexican food. That’s not a fact; it’s an opinion. When deciding on a restaurant, you can point out that Mexican food is spicier than Italian food. That’s a fact that can help you decide where to go. You can point out that you went to an Italian restaurant last time, also a fact that can help in your decision. But you can’t “point out” that one is superior to another if that’s just your opinion. You have to point out a fact.
Today is December 30, 2021. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve; Saturday is New Year’s Day. It’s the time of year where people think about a fresh start, changes to their lives, things like that. Some people like to make “new year’s resolutions,” where they plan some significant changes to their lives. I don’t really do that. I would just like to point out that most people don’t keep their new year’s resolutions . I’m pointing that out because I’m providing one reason why I don’t do it. That’s my purpose in making the observation. I can make changes on any day of the year.
If you go out on New Year’s Eve, please do be careful. Be careful if you’re at a bar or a party. Be especially careful if you’re driving. The Insurance Industry for Highway Safety in America pointed out that New Year’s Day (after midnight) has the highest number of drunk driving deaths in the whole year. They are pointing this out; they are making this observation to remind you to be careful.
JR’s song of the week
It’s Thursday, so JR has a song of the week. It’s “Hello It’s Me,” by Todd Rundgren. It’s the first song that Todd Rundgren ever wrote, and it’s probably his best and most popular song, though he did have several other hits.
The song was originally released on the B-side of a record. Back then, singles were released on vinyl records. The A-side was one physical side of a record, and it had the song that the musician wanted to release and become famous—the “single.” If you flipped the record over, you could play the B-side, which usually had another song that wasn’t expected to be as popular. “Hello It’s Me” was originally on the B-side, but a lot of radio stations liked it better than the A-side and played this one, “Hello It’s Me” by Todd Rundgren, instead. And it has stood the test of time.
See you next time!
And that’s all today, the very last Plain English for the year 2021. At this time last year, we said goodbye to an awful year, 2020, and had high hopes for this year. That was before we knew the term “Delta variant” or “Omicron variant” or even “vaccine mandate.”
If studying English is a priority for you in 2022, then I would like to point out that Plain English Plus+ is a great resource for you to upgrade your skills in English. We have lots of extra audio, video lessons, interactive exercises, live calls on Zoom, and more, all for you at PlainEnglish.com/Plus. Come join hundreds of English learners just like you in a supportive community led by me and JR. PlainEnglish.com/Plus.
We’ll be back next Monday to kick off a new year of English together. See you then.
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