Diets and Discipline: Diets and Discipline
| This is an entry in the Diets and Discipline series.
This entry is available as a Adobe Acrobat file for printing or use in a class. This entry includes a listening exercises. You can dowload the MP3 or play it using the button below. (MP3) |
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Before we can really talk about ‘diets‘ and ‘discipline‘ this week, it’s a good idea to review what they mean, right?
Before You Listen to the Recording
Both words have two meanings that are pretty common, so it’s important for you to know both meanings. Do you know any meanings for either word? The word discipline especially has two different meanings, and it might be hard for you to see the connection to the discussion of food. Do you have any ideas? If you know the most common meaning of the word ‘diet,’ it might surprise you to find out that everyone has a diet. . . even if you’ve never tried to lose weight in your life.
Start the recording and we’ll talk about the different meanings these words have.
After You Listen to the Recording
What do you think? Do you see the connection between diets and discipline now? Is it easier for you to describe your diet now?
Moving away from the topic of diets, what areas of your life require discipline? Do you have to be disciplined at work? Or are there hobbies of yours that require discipline? How would you use these words in your day-to-day life?
Vocabulary
Diet: The word diet has two meanings. It can mean everything you eat: “My diet is mostly frozen foods and breakfast cereals.” With this meaning, everyone has a diet, whether is’s mostly rice, or mostly noodles. . . or a mix of everything, you have a diet. The second meaning is a plan of what you should eat. A ‘diet plan.’ A diet like this can have several purposes, from helping you get better when you’re sick to gaining weight. The most common kind of diet, however, is supposed to help you lose weight.
Discipline: To discipline someone is to punish them. It’s a word that parents use a lot with their children, and it my family it mostly meant a spanking. The second meaning of the word—and we use this meaning more after we turn seventeen or eighteen—is the idea of controlling yourself. It’s another word for “self-control.” When you follow your exercise plan even when you’d rather watch TV, you’re showing discipline. Of course, good parents say they discipline their children so that the children will learn discipline.
