Earthquake meaning in English
Learn how to use Earthquake correctly with Gymglish.
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Definition
an earthquake: a sudden violent movement of the Earth's surface, a seismic tremor
Examples
- "By now, you've no doubt read the newspapers: devastating earthquakes, deadly floods, fatal epidemics, terrorist attacks, destructive hurricanes and death tolls in the thousands, and that's just on the front page!"
- "It's been abandoned since the earthquake of 1989."
- "This was the strongest earthquake to hit the region in over 30 years."
- "Moira : Speaking of Mexico, or more precisely the Gulf of Mexico, an earthquake struck the west coast of central Florida last night."
- "China: an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale has hit central China, leaving 6,000 people dead and the Chinese city of Xangxingxongdo in ruins."
- "When they had the earthquake in San Francisco back in nineteen-six, they said that ol' mother nature was up to her old tricks."
- "Brent : Moira, witnesses say that the initial earthquake lasted for nearly 50 seconds."
- "I had a flat tire, I didn't have enough money for cab fare...earthquake...locusts!"
Exercise 1
Choose the TRUE statement(s) from the list below.
There may be more than one correct answer!
There may be more than one correct answer!
Choose the TRUE statement(s) from the list below.
There may be more than one correct answer!
There may be more than one correct answer!
At the end of the broadcast, Ray comments that he is flying 2000 feet above San Francisco and that it is "not looking very good down there". Ray is referring to the traffic in San Francisco when he says this, and the expression "it's not looking very good down there" indicates that the traffic isn't circulating "smoothly". We can assume from Ray's comments that the traffic in San Francisco isn't "smooth".
Moira reports that the economic crisis in Argentina has "taken a turn for the worse". If a situation has taken a "turn for the worse", then it has deteriorated or become more serious. "To improve" describes the opposite effect: a situation has got better. Moira is saying that the economic crisis in Argentina is deteriorating, not improving. Note that the expression "to take a turn for" can also be used to describe something positive: My luck has taken a turn for the better.
Moira says that there was an "assassination attempt" on the Danish Prime Minister, meaning that someone tried to kill or murder the Prime Minister of Denmark. The term "assassination" is generally used to describe the murder (or attempted murder in this case) of significant individuals (politicians, famous artists etc).
Moira says that a "devastating flood" has hit Bangladesh. A "flood" is an inundation of water which submerges normally dry land, generally due to intense rainfall or storms. An "earthquake" is the shaking or trembling of the earth due to seismic activity. When speaking of natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes, we often use the verb "to hit" to describe where the disaster occurred. For example: The Tsunami hit Thailand and Indonesia.
Moira reports that the assassination attempt on the Danish Prime Minister had "some hilarious consequences". The term "hilarious" describes something extremely funny. Moira is saying that the attempted murder of the Danish Prime Minister had some comical results, which is ironic, because generally assassination attempts are quite serious!
Exercise 2
Which of the following may be legally defined as an "act of God"?
There may be more than one correct answer!
There may be more than one correct answer!
Which of the following may be legally defined as an "act of God"?
There may be more than one correct answer!
There may be more than one correct answer!
This is correct. An "act of God" refers to a natural catastrophe that no one can prevent. Many insurance policies exclude from their protection damage caused by acts of God. A "flood" is an inundation of land which is normally dry.
This is incorrect. An automobile accident is not legally defined as an act of God although an accident can result from an act of God.
This is incorrect. A war is not legally defined as an act of God, but it can be defined as a "force majeure". A "force majeure" is an extraordinary event such as a war, strike, riot, crime or an act of God.
This is correct. An "act of God" is a legal term which refers to a natural and unavoidable catastrophe which a human cannot cause, prevent, or control. This could include an earthquake, which is the shaking or trembling of the earth due to seismic activity.
Exercise 3
Fill in the blanks below with terms which were used in the audio.
To have nowhere to live is to be .
A sudden violent movement of the Earth's surface, a seismic tremor is called an .
Domesticated bovine animals such as cows, bulls, or oxen are types of .
To have nowhere to live is to be .
A sudden violent movement of the Earth's surface, a seismic tremor is called an .
Domesticated bovine animals such as cows, bulls, or oxen are types of .
Fill in the blanks below with terms which were used in the audio.
To have nowhere to live is to be homeless 1.
A sudden violent movement of the Earth's surface, a seismic tremor is called an earthquake 2.
Domesticated bovine animals such as cows, bulls, or oxen are types of cattle 3.
To have nowhere to live is to be homeless 1.
A sudden violent movement of the Earth's surface, a seismic tremor is called an earthquake 2.
Domesticated bovine animals such as cows, bulls, or oxen are types of cattle 3.
1 homeless: A "homeless (person)" is someone without a home or somewhere to live. Brent says that "the homeless population has risen to a record level" meaning that there are more people sleeping in the streets than ever before.
2 earthquake: An "earthquake" is the shaking or trembling of the earth due to seismic activity. The intensity of an earthquake is measured by the Richter scale. In the audio Brent says "an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale has hit central China".
3 cattle: "Cattle" describes domesticated bovine animals, such as cows. Note: "cattle" is an uncountable noun, like information and advice. It only has one form and is never used with an article. Brent says that the Amazon will be used "to raise cattle", meaning that cattle will be bred (or cared for) there.
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