Ways to Talk About Uncertainty During the Coronavirus Pandemic 👩‍🏫 English Vocabulary

Hi everyone! I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer. Let's boost your

vocabulary with some relevant expressions for these uncertain times.

I'm making this video in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. I wish

everyone good health now and in the future. As an English language teacher, I

can help you make the most of today by explaining vocabulary that people are

using quite a lot now to express uncertainty. First, so much right now is

up in the air. That means that many questions have yet to be answered and

many decisions have yet to be made. For example, graduation plans are up in

the air. Wedding plans are up in the air.

Most of us are going with the flow. We're trying to adapt as needed. We have to

learn to deal with uncertainty. When you go with the flow, you do whatever seems

easiest because that's what everyone else is doing. It's easier to go with the

flow of water than to fight against it. Right? This is a conversational

expression. In many cases, business and community events have been canceled.

In other cases, events have only been postponed. That's another way to say

they've been delayed. And the truth is nothing can be firmly rescheduled

because we don't know how long this crisis will last. So you'll see and hear

these kinds of expressions: TBD. That's an abbreviation for "to be determined" or

maybe "to be decided." A company can send out an email saying that a face-to-face

meeting has been postponed. The meeting originally scheduled for April 1st will

be postpone. We will meet online, time and date TBD.

The time of an event can be TBD. The location of an event can be TBD. TBA is a

similar abbreviation. It means "to be announced" or maybe "to be arranged." TBA

and TBD are usually written in capital letters. A company announcement may look

something like this. We are going ahead with online training next month. A couple

of speakers will not be able to participate, so the final list of

training sessions is TBA. In the case of business and school closures, we're being

told that certain places are closed until further notice.

This is a more formal and official way of saying the place is closed for now,

and we'll let you know when it reopens. My hairstylist called me the other day

to tell me they were ordered to shut down because the salon doesn't provide

essential services. I'm sure that right now there's a sign in their window

saying, "Closed until further notice."

"Shut down" is a phrasal verb. A store can shut down. Local officials

can shut down a business. Shutting down a business can be a temporary or permanent

closure. In the case of my hair salon, operations will hopefully stop for a

short time, or soon you'll see my clumsy efforts to cut my own hair! I don't know

about you, but somehow over the years I managed to be on many different email

lists, so over the past week I've received many emails from companies

announcing their decisions to close retail stores or provide new online

services. A lot of the messages contain similar wording about these uncertain times.

They also talk about these trying times, meaning a time that tests our strength.

Note how "times" can be used as a plural noun to refer to a period of time. Here's

one more common phrase used at the moment: unprecedented times. This means a

period in society that has never been seen or experienced before. Unprecedented.

Unprecedented times. Many things can be unprecedented. The number of school

closures is unprecedented. The statewide lockdowns in California and

Massachusetts are unprecedented. There have been unprecedented decisions and

unprecedented changes. Companies, doctors, and politicians are expressing their

hope to figure things out and make the best decisions under these new

circumstances. A colorful expression is "uncharted waters." It refers to an area of

sea that has yet to be identified on a map. Like explorers of the past who braved

the ocean not knowing what they'd discover, we're moving into an unfamiliar

situation without a map to guide us.

Various verbs can be used with this expression: We're sailing into uncharted

waters. We find ourselves in uncharted waters. We're floating into uncharted

waters. We're traversing uncharted waters, meaning we're travelling through these

waters. We may all feel like life is in limbo right now because we can't make

any big decisions; we need the pandemic to end first.

We're like airplanes circling an airport waiting to land.

We're in a holding pattern. Well, some things maybe on hold, but thankfully we're

free to continue our studies together. Let's see how much you learned. Take a 10-question quiz. Ready?

One. What does TBD stand for? To be determined or to be decided.

Two. What does TBA stand for? To be announced or to be arranged.

Three. If action has never been taken before, how can we describe it? Here's a hint.

Unprecedented.

Four. When you go with the flow, you choose the more difficult course of action. True or false?

False. Five. How can a dangerous and difficult situation be viewed? These

are...uncharted waters. Six. Where are you when you can't make any decision until

something else happens?

In limbo. Seven airplanes circling an airport waiting to land are in...

a holding pattern. We can be in a holding pattern. Eight. If a store sign says,

"Closed until further notice," what happened?

It shut down. Nine. When plans are uncertain, we say they're...

up in the air. Ten. A difficult period can be described as...trying times. Despite all

the uncertainty, I think it's important to remain somewhat optimistic. All things

come to an end. Even a pandemic. So let me end with some words to inspire you.

They're not my own. They're the words of Helen Keller. If you follow me on

Instagram, you'll know from one of my short US history talks that Helen Keller

was a blind and deaf American woman who achieved a lot in her lifetime.

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it."

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope or confidence."

Please like and share this video if you found it useful.

As always, thanks for watching and happy studies!

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And try something new. Download

the apps Kiki Time and Hallo. These are more ways I can help you learn

English each and every week. And hey! Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube

channel. Turn on those notifications.