Unit 25 :
“Forewarned is Forearmed”
Upper Intermediate
Objective
To be able to know more about idioms and expressions.
Vocabulary
Read and know the meaning of the words used in the article.
1. impending /ɪmˈpen.dɪŋ/
used to refer to an event, usually something unpleasant or unwanted, that is going to happen soon
The player announced his impending retirement from international football.
2. forewarn /fɔːrˈwɔːrn/
to tell someone that something unpleasant is going to happen
The employees had been forewarned (that) the end-of-year financial results would be poor.
3. heed /hiːd/
to pay attention to something, especially advice or a warning
The airline has been criticized for failing to heed advice/warnings about lack of safety routines.
4. dupe /duːp/
to deceive someone, usually by making that person do something that they did not intend to do
The girls were duped by drug smugglers into carrying heroin for them.
5. innocence /ˈɪn.ə.səns/
the fact that someone is not guilty of a crime
She pleaded her innocence, but no one believed her.
Quick Reading
Read the short passage.
When we are aware that something dangerous is going to happen, we can prepare ourselves to face it and tide over the danger.
Forewarned here means getting a hint or a warning signal about the impending danger. And forearmed refers to the actions which we take to plan and equip ourselves to face that danger.
The Philippines is in that region of the Pacific Ocean that is generally termed as The Ring of Fire since volcanic activity and earthquakes are a common occurrence here.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology was well aware of the danger of the volcano erupting and therefore was able to move people in the neighboring areas to safer places.
Thus advance information on the impending disaster certainly gave them time for emergency measures to be put in place. So in this case, the forewarning of seismic activity helped them to get ready to face extreme situations thus avoiding loss of life and property.
In real life we too can protect ourselves from dangerous situations by heeding to the advice of the authorities. We have to follow the good advice of the experienced people in our daily lives.
For example we are often warned by the police to refrain from accepting food or packages from unknown people. We hear stories of how passengers are duped of their belongings by the biscuit bandits who offer them snacks that contain drugs which results in them becoming unconscious.
Many people who have quite often traveled in trains and long-distance buses have come across such incidents which might have duped them of their belongings. The innocence of many people has placed them in a bad-conditions to face the loss of valuables and belongings.
Similarly we are always warned not to touch unclaimed baggage soon after terrorist attacks for fear that they might contain explosives.
Discussion
Answer the questions with your teacher.
- Differentiate the word forewarned and forearmed.
- Why is Philippines termed as The Ring of Fire?
Discussion for you
Answer the questions with your teacher.
- What are the unexpected situations that you’ve experienced?
- Can we prepare ourselves if disasters happen?