192 - Expression: To Stand One's Ground
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Hi, everybody. My name is Shauna, and this is the American English Podcast. My goal here is to teach you the English spoken in the United States. Through common expressions, pronunciation tips, and interesting cultural snippets or stories, I hope to keep this fun, useful, and interesting. Let's do it.

Hi everyone, welcome back. I hope you're having a nice day wherever you are in the world. In today's lesson, we're going to be talking about the common English expression to stand one's ground. I like it. I feel like nowadays it's very common to use it. And so you'll definitely be able to add it to your vocabulary after this episode is over.

We'll start with a joke, then we'll move on to the definition section and the etymology, and of course give you multiple examples of how to use it in everyday context. At the very end, which is a part that I think is always important, don't skip it, we'll go through some pronunciation exercises.

So yeah, as usual, there are two parts to expression episodes. In the second part, which will be posted next week, we're going to be talking about bison, North America's largest land mammal. They're massive, they're majestic, and they're very symbolic, sort of like the bald eagle. What else is symbolic here?

I think the bald eagle is the most symbolic. Maybe bears. Anyway, now when threatened...

Bison don't run away. They stand their ground, quite literally. So, yes, I thought these two things go together. So we'll talk about their role in American history and in Native American cultures. And one very peculiar place where you can still find bison today is

I'm not going to give it away. Be sure to stay tuned until next week's episode. If you want to dive deeper into today's content, be sure to check out the premium content for Season 4. With it, you gain access to all bonus material for Episodes 150 to 200, and you get the full annotated transcript.

a definitions page of the most challenging vocab and phrases. You'll get a quiz, flashcards, and more. So you can find the link to season four in the episode notes or also on the website at AmericanEnglishPodcast.com. Let's get started with a joke. Are you ready? What do you call a cow with no legs? Do you know? Ground beef. Do you get it?

This joke is a pun. That means that it's a funny play on words. Ground beef, when talking about the food, is a type of meat that's been mushed up or cut up into very small pieces. Ground comes from the verb to grind. The meat has been ground up.

And beef, of course, comes from cows. So people use ground beef to make hamburgers, taco meat, spaghetti sauce, and so much more.

But in this joke, we have another meaning for the word ground. And I bet you know it. The ground is the area below our feet. So the ground might be tile if you're inside of a house. Maybe you have wooden floors. The ground beneath your feet is then wooden. Maybe the ground is

outside you're standing on, and so it's dirt or grass. So if a cow has no legs, it can't stand up. That means the cow would be lying on the ground, and that's where the joke comes in. What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef. Poor cow. I recently heard that joke in season three of Love on the Spectrum.

A great show. It was a joke made by one of the participants, Tanner. So big shout out to Tanner for that one. The expression of the day, as I mentioned before, is to stand one's ground. Let's go through the individual words first. To stand is a verb, and it means to remain upright on your feet. The opposite of standing is, of course, sitting.

So when I prepared this lesson, I was sitting in a coffee shop and then I stood up to get a cup of coffee. So stood is the past tense of to stand. Ones is a possessive pronoun and it of course changes based on who you're talking about. So I stand my ground. You stand your ground. She stands her ground.

And ground, I've already gone through. It's what's under your feet when you're standing. But figuratively, it refers to your position, your opinion, or your beliefs. In English, when someone says they stood their ground, it means they refused to back down or they refused to change their position or their opinion.

So where did this expression come from? It actually comes from battle in the military. It's rooted in the act of not moving when threatened. So soldiers or the army would literally maintain their position on the ground rather than run away from the enemy. They stood their ground.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, it started being used for opinions and positions that were more figurative. Maybe someone would stand their ground in a debate. They would remain firm and not back down.

So let's go through some more examples from everyday life. And I hope you get a really good feel for when to use it. So example number one, you might stand up to peer pressure. And to stand up to means to confront it or to go against it. And peer pressure is pressure from your peers, from your

from people that are around you, maybe your friends or your family members. And so, yes, let's go through example number one. Let's say it's Thursday night and you're out late with a group of friends, right? Your peers. You're young and carefree, but you also have a job and you need to wake up early the following morning. When everyone decides to continue the night's activities at the bowling alley,

You think, hmm, I can't stay out too late. And you say, hey guys, I think I'm going to head home. I've got an early morning. At that point, and we've probably all experienced this, they'll say, oh, come on, don't be lame. Have a little fun. Stay a while. At this point, you can give in to peer pressure or you can stand your ground.

You can decide to stick to your position, to follow along with your own plans, and stand your ground. That might sound like this. No, I'm really tired. I've got things to do tomorrow, but let's hang out this weekend. Right? So you didn't give in to pressure. You stayed true to your decision. You stood your ground.

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Example number two. So picture this. Your kid is throwing a tantrum in a grocery store, right? And to throw a tantrum is when they're out of control and screaming and maybe angry and they're not able to control their emotions.

So imagine your kid is throwing a tantrum in a grocery store because they want gummy worms and you've already said no. If you're a parent, you know what the situation is like. You have the choice now to either give in, which is usually the quickest way to get your kid to be quiet and stop making a scene, or stand your ground. You choose the latter.

You calmly say, we're not getting candy today, and that's final. Or you're not getting candy today, but you can have your choice of fruit for dessert tonight. Now, chances are the kid might still continue to cry. They might have tears in their eyes, but you want them to respect your authority. You stood your ground.

Now, just a quick note here. Someone who is easily convinced to agree or that regularly gives in when they are pressured is called a pushover in English. Now, true story, I have an aunt who is the nicest woman in the world, but I remember even as a kid, she could never stand her ground.

Whenever my cousins begged for a toy or for candy, she always gave in. And honestly, it felt like they ran the household and not her. She lost her authority to a certain degree because she never stood her ground. Of course, everyone has their own way to parent. I would never judge the way you parent. So do your thing. Example number three, and this is a personal one.

As you may know, Lucas, my husband, is a musician. And when he was in his late teens, so maybe 18, 19, maybe even early 20s, people in his life questioned his choice to be a musician. They encouraged him to pursue another career.

one that was guaranteed to be easier or guaranteed more financial stability. Now, maybe some of you have experienced the lack of familial support in your life. Maybe your family wanted you to choose a certain job, or maybe they wanted to decide who you should marry or how you should live. In those situations, you can choose to give in and follow the choices of others.

maybe to live up to cultural expectations, or you can stand your ground. You can go firmly in the direction that you want and go with your gut feeling, what you are drawn to,

And Lucas stood his ground. He pursued music. And as you may know, he became a very talented musician. Yeah, I don't know about you guys, but I definitely think it's possible to become a specialist or very good in one specific thing and earn money with it. There's always a way, as we say in English, when there's a will, there's a way.

Also, I wanted to mention that there are quite a few expressions in English that can be used in these situations too. For example, to put one's foot down. So in the example of the kid begging to have gummy treats at the grocery store, you could say no. And after you say no once or twice,

You might say, I'm putting my foot down. Absolutely not. It's when you're saying, no way, no way in hell. What else might we say? Maybe when pigs fly, when hell freezes over, those would be used when the decision is no and you're firm and you're not changing your opinion. I'm putting my foot down. I'm standing my ground.

So once again, to stand one's ground means to refuse to back down or to change your position or opinion. It means you're firm. And the thing is, it can be used in both light and serious situations. Most of the ones we focused on today were pretty light, everyday uses. You might hear it in a courtroom. It's a defendant's job to stand his ground.

Same with politicians. They're often convinced that their choice is the right one. Maybe a president will stand her ground even when people strongly disagree with her choice of action or his. Now let's work through the pronunciation exercise for the day. We'll use the statement, education is a top priority. If someone disagrees, I'll stand my ground. Repeat after me.

Education is a top priority. Education is a top priority. If someone disagrees, education is a top priority. If someone disagrees, I'll stand my ground. Now let's conjugate and we'll use will. I always like these because the contractions are sometimes a little bit challenging. Repeat after me. I'll stand my ground. You'll stand your ground.

She'll stand her ground. He'll stand his ground. It'll stand its ground. We'll stand our ground. They'll stand their ground. Notice that I'll can sound like aisle, A-I-S-L-E, like in a supermarket, or it can also sound like all. I'll stand my ground.

or I'll stand my ground. It depends on the speaker. Sometimes when we're speaking fast, a lot of us just say, I'll, I'll, I'll do this, I'll do that. Oh, the doorbell rang. I'll get it. Right? It sounds like all.

Don't overthink it. Both are fine. And yeah, I hope you enjoyed today's lesson. Next week, we'll discuss an animal that you might come across when you're visiting national parks in the United States, or maybe if you're visiting the plains, right? The Midwest central area of the U.S.,

Bison are animals that are strong and proud, and they're a powerful symbol of strength in the U.S. And they have made a comeback since their episode of near extinction. So their story is relevant. It's interesting. And stay tuned for that.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your day. And until next time, bye. Thank you for listening to this episode of the American English Podcast. Remember, it's my goal here to not only help you improve your listening comprehension, but to show you how to speak like someone from the States.

If you want to receive the full transcript for this episode, or you just want to support this podcast, make sure to sign up to premium content on AmericanEnglishPodcast.com. Thanks and hope to see you soon. Welcome to It Takes Energy, presented by Energy Transfer, where we talk all things oil and natural gas. Oil and gas drive our economy, ensure our country's security, and open pathways to brighter futures.

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And the reliability of natural gas is unmatched by wind and solar. That doesn't mean we all can't work together, but natural gas is vital to ensuring we meet our energy needs. Look around and you'll see the essential role oil and gas plays in our lives. Our world needs oil and gas, and people rely on us to deliver it. To learn more, visit energytransfer.com.

Welcome to It Takes Energy, presented by Energy Transfer, where we talk all things oil and natural gas. Oil and gas drive our economy, ensure our country's security, and open pathways to brighter futures.

Thank you.

And the reliability of natural gas is unmatched by wind and solar. That doesn't mean we all can't work together, but natural gas is vital to ensuring we meet our energy needs. Look around and you'll see the essential role oil and gas plays in our lives. Our world needs oil and gas, and people rely on us to deliver it. To learn more, visit energytransfer.com.