In this mini episode, you will learn how to use the common expression “No wonder.”
Episode 368 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you how to use the common expression “No wonder.” Send your questions about English and your comments and suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hi, everyone! This is Gayatri from India, and you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 368 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, I am going to teach you a very common and useful expression. The expression is “No wonder.” No wonder.
That’s n-o, w-o-n-d-e-r. No wonder.
Before I explain how to use this expression, let me ask you this: Do you know what the word wonder means? Wonder is often a verb, but in this expression it is a noun. And one meaning of the noun wonder is “a remarkable thing, an amazing thing” or “a surprising thing.”
This is the meaning of wonder that we see in this phrase, “No wonder.” When we say, “No wonder,” it means “It is not surprising. It is not a surprise. There is nothing remarkable or amazing or surprising about something.”
Let me give you an example of a situation where somebody might use the phrase “No wonder.” And then, I think you will understand what this expression means.
Let’s say you have a friend who has three jobs. This friend has three part-time jobs, and she is always working. If she’s not working at this part-time job she’s working at that part-time job or the other part-time job. She’s always busy. She’s always working.
Let’s also say that this friend is always tired. This friend always feels tired. You could say, “No wonder she’s always tired. She has three jobs.” No wonder she’s always tired. In other words, “It is not surprising that she is always tired. That’s not strange. That’s not remarkable. Of course she’s tired. She’s always working. No wonder she’s always tired.”
Again, this just means something is not surprising. Something is not strange. Something makes sense. It’s only logical. It’s predictable and expected. There’s a good reason for it. So it is not surprising.
Sometimes, instead of using “No wonder,” people will say, “It’s no wonder that… something.”
It’s no wonder that she is always tired. She has three jobs. It’s no wonder that she is tired.
Those two forms of the expression are both fine: “No wonder,” and “It’s no wonder that.” You will see this expression in both forms, and they mean the same thing. They both mean “This is not surprising, this is expected.”
And that is “No wonder”—and its other form, “It’s no wonder that”—a very common and useful expression that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 368 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Gayatri recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode. And until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!