To put stock in

To put stock in something

The phrase I chose today is to “put stock in” something. Or, you can also say, “to put faith in” something. They mean the same thing. They mean, to pay attention to something, to rely on it, to believe it, to use it in your decision-making.

You remember all those news stories over the years saying red wine is actually healthy? I hope you didn’t put much stock in those stories. I hope you didn’t put much faith in those stories. Because they may have been technically true, but they didn’t take into account the potential negative effects of drinking, which could outweigh whatever health benefits might actually be there. I can confidently say that I have never taken a sip of beer or wine and thought that I was doing anything positive for my health. I have never put much stock in those stories. I have never believed in them or relied on them.

Do you know your Zodiac sign? I’m a Cancer; JR is a _______. I don’t know anything about what that means for our personalities. But sometimes you’ll run into people who say that Cancers can never get along with a Taurus, or a Sagittarius is a great mix for a Leo. (I’m making this up.) Do you put much stock in that? I don’t. I never read the horoscopes in the newspaper and I don’t think the month you were born has anything to do with your personality. I don’t put much faith in the Zodicac signs or in the horoscopes. And I don’t put any faith in someone who can tell the future from the palm of my hand.

It’s August in 2018, an even year, so that means we have Congressional elections in a couple of months in the United States. Brazil will vote for President around the same time. Do you put much stock in politicians’ promises on the campaign trail? These days there’s a lot of discontent in the world, a lot of people who are upset with how the elected leaders behave once they get in office. It’s probably true that a lot of people don’t put much stock in what politicians say when they’re campaigning for office. If you don’t put much stock in their promises, it means you don’t necessarily think they will keep their promises. You don’t believe in what they are saying. You don’t put much faith or much stock in what they are saying.

By the way, back on the alcohol story—and I just thought about this—what about all the calories? That’s the primary disadvantage I see to drinking alcohol. And it’s not only the calories in the actual drink, but the calories it’s going to make me eat in snack food. For some reason I never see that in the stories about the health risks of drinking.

That’s all for today. Thanks for listening and for being part of Plain English. I am so grateful for all your notes, for all the new followers we have on Facebook at PlainEnglishPod and for the new subscribers we have on the email list at PlainEnglish.com/mail. Thanks for being connected, keep up the good work in your studies, and don’t forget to join us again on Thursday for Episode 83.