In this mini episode, you will learn how English speakers feel about the word “moist.” (This is a word that many people have strong opinions about!)
Episode 469 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you how English speakers feel about the word “moist.” (This is a word that many people have strong opinions about!) 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
“Hello, everyone. This is Sumin Lee, from South Korea. And you’re listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 469 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
Today, I have something special for you. Today, I am going to tell you... a Secret of Native Speakers. That’s right, today’s topic is something that native English speakers are aware of, but English learners might not be. And this is probably not something that you would learn in a textbook or learn in a class.
Today’s topic is the word moist. Moist. That’s spelled m-o-i-s-t. Moist.
Have you heard this word before? Do you know the meaning of the word moist? Before I tell you the meaning of the word, I need to tell you this secret: The secret is many native English speakers say that they hate the word moist. They hate this word.
It makes them feel very uncomfortable. Many people say that they think this word is disgusting. They don’t like to say it. They don’t like to hear it. They don’t like anything about it. This is a word that many people have very strong opinions about. Many English speakers hate the word moist.
You might be wondering, why do they hate the word moist? Is moist a bad word? Is there something wrong with it? Should I avoid using the word moist? I’m not sure why so many people hate the word moist. I don’t think I really understand.
Some people say they hate the word because of its meaning. Some people say they hate the word because of the way it sounds. And probably many people say they hate the word because they don’t like the meaning and they don’t like the way it sounds.
The meaning of moist is “slightly wet” or “damp.” (That’s another word that means slightly wet: damp. D-a-m-p.) Moist might also have a feeling of slippery.
You will hear moist when people talk about some foods. They might say that a cake is moist. That means it feels good in your mouth because it is pleasantly not dry. You might also know the word moisturizer. Moisturizer is something that you rub into your skin to make your skin feel pleasantly not dry.
I’m not exactly sure why this kind of meaning bothers so many people. But I think it does.
Now we can talk about the sound of the word moist.
Some people will tell you, “It’s just the sound. I just can’t stand the way this word sounds.”
I don’t think I really understand that either. Because we have lots of words that rhyme with moist or that sound similar to moist. We have words like noise or noisy. We have the word boisterous. (Boisterous means very active or energetic.) We even have the past tense form of the verb rejoice. Rejoice means celebrate. That’s a very positive word. Rejoice. Well, the past tense is rejoiced. That rhymes with moist.
My point is, we have words that sound at least a little bit like moist. And those words don’t seem to bother people.
Even though I’m not really sure why so many people hate the word moist, it is still a fact. Many people do not like it.
So am I saying that you should avoid using the word moist when you are speaking with native English speakers? I think I would say no. I don’t think you need to avoid the word, especially if you are using it in a positive way to refer to certain kinds of foods that are very pleasant to eat because they are definitely not dry. Then I think the word moist is totally appropriate. And I don’t think that people will have a problem if you use the word moisture or moisturize or if you use words that sound like the word moist.
I don’t think this is actually a very important thing. I just thought it was a funny fact about English and native English speakers that you might not have known.
Outro
This is the end of episode 469 of Everybody ESL. Remember: If you have any 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 Sumin 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!