Name: Omicron: The Netherlands in lockdown - BBC News Review
Uploaded: 2021-12-11T16:45:16.000Z
Duration: 10 min 18 s
Description: VoiceTubeの動画で発音を聞きながら英語表現を覚えよう！学べる英語：

The Netherlands goes into Christmas Lockdown

Hello, I'm Rob and this is News Review from BBC Learning English

If you would like to test yourself on the vocabulary around this story,

all you need to do is head to our website

But now, let's hear more about this story from this BBC News report:

So, a new lockdown has started in the Netherlands:

with all other shops and institutions closed until the middle of January.

This is due to the faster-than-expected spread of the Omicron strain.

Yes, and we've got three words and expressions from the news headlines

that we can use to talk about this story. What are they, Roy?

We do. We have: 'stem', 'rule out' and 'on the table'.

That's 'stem', 'rule out' and 'on the table'.

Right. Well, let's look at your first headline please.

OK. So, our first headline comes from the Evening Standard and it reads:

That's 'stem' – stop something from increasing.

It's a verb and it means to stop something from rising,

I'm familiar with the word 'stem': a 'stem' is the...

and then the flowers come out of the side of it.

The 'stem' is the... the main part of the plant, yes?

but you're using that word as a noun there

and it's not really related to the word that we're looking at.

'Stem' in this case is talking about something undesirable that is spreading

or increasing like a virus – so, we talk about

'stemming' the spread of the virus to stop the spread of the virus.

And we quite often use it with expressions like 'stem the tide of'

And we can also use it about 'stemming the rise in crime'

or maybe the government might want to 'stem the number of protesters' in a...

Yeah, it's talking about things that people see as undesirable,

but there is another way that we use the word 'stem'

it can also mean 'to originate'. It's a different meaning.

So, for example, the problem 'stems from' the lack of funding

So, meaning – as you say – it comes from.

It originates from something and goes on to be a bad problem.

Absolutely. And if you want another meaning of the word 'stem',

you might sometimes hear it in relation to subjects at schools or universities,

which means Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

OK. Let's have a look at the summary please:

we talked about stopping the cyber-criminals, didn't we, Roy?

We did, and all you need to do to see that programme

OK. It's time now for our next headline please.

OK. So, our next headline comes from CNN and it reads:

That's 'rule out' – say something is not a possibility.

First word: 'rule' – R-U-L-E. Second word: 'out' – O-U-T.

So, you can 'rule something out' or 'rule out something'.

And it basically means to say or declare that something is not a possibility.

A 'rule' is something we're supposed to follow.

It's a bit like a law – well, it is a law, I suppose –

Yeah, that's right, but in the case of 'rule out' –

when you add that preposition, it changes the meaning.

So, you're saying that something is not a possibility.

You're declaring or announcing that it's not an option.

it says the UK 'won't rule out a possibility'.

So, it's saying that the UK won't say that extra measures are not an option.

And we use this word or hear this word or expression

a politician may 'rule themselves out' of the running or the...

you know, to go for the presidency, for example.

So: 'She ruled herself out of going for the presidency.'

But we don't only talk about this in politics;

you can also talk about this in the case of work, for example.

So, maybe there's a big promotion at work,

but you decide that that job isn't for you,

so you 'rule out' the chances of you going for it,

or you 'rule yourself out' of going for the job.

Yeah, and we've used this expression quite recently,

when we were talking about trying to organise our Christmas party.

Obviously, because of the risks around coronavirus,

of a Christmas gathering this year, didn't we?

We did. We 'ruled out' the possibility of meeting in person, but we...

we still managed to have a little party online.

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Omicron: The Netherlands in lockdown - BBC News Review

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