Dr. Ray's News English

Adjective. Having the opposite effect to the one that was intended.

• Tom realized that his attempt to speed up the project by cutting corners actually proved counterproductive, leading to more errors and delays in the long run.
• The strict micromanagement style of the supervisor proved counterproductive, demotivating the team and stifling creativity.
• In an effort to save money, the company decided to reduce employee training programs, but this move was counterproductive as employee performance and morale suffered.
• Jenny's extreme dieting proved counterproductive to her goal of achieving a healthier lifestyle, as it led to fatigue and weakened her immune system instead of promoting overall well-being.

Noun. An extraordinary but unusual event, action, or process. Like the phenomenon of shopping mobs on Black Friday.

• Rainbows are a beautiful natural phenomenon that appears in the sky after rain.
• The migration of birds over long distances is a remarkable phenomenon in the animal kingdom.
• The sudden popularity of a new song or dance can be a social media phenomenon.
• The eclipse of the sun is a rare astronomical phenomenon that many people travel to witness.
• The growth of plants from seeds is a natural phenomenon that occurs in spring.
• The use of smartphones as a primary means of communication is a recent phenomenon that has rapidly changed how people connect with each other.
• The increased awareness of environmental issues and sustainable living is a recent social phenomenon.

Adjective. When situations or results are contrary to what you expect.

• Pounding on a diamond with a hammer won’t break it, but a gentle tap in the right spot will.
• John suggested we drive a longer route to get there faster. That seemed counterintuitive, but he was right, because there was less traffic and fewer traffic lights.
• For centuries, researchers and amateur scientists alike have battled over the counterintuitive theory that hot water freezes faster than cold.
• With the right diet plan, eating foods high in fat can help with weight-loss.
• The best way to win an argument is to listen more and talk less.
• Exercising when you're tired gives you more energy
• The faster you travel in space, the more time slows down.

Noun. A statement or situation that seems impossible because it contradicts itself — but it is actually true, or at least partly true. A paradox makes you think, 'Wait... that can't be right... but it is.'.

• Everyone should be free to do as they please, but some people please to harm others.
• The more you come to know, the more you realize how much you don't know.
• I have 900 followers on social media, and yet, I feel so lonely.
• Hot water can freeze faster than cold water. Scientists still can't fully explain why.
• In business, you have to spend money to make money.
• Celebrities are driven by their need for attention, yet complain about their privacy.
• Smart devices save time but create more work.
• Silence can be deafening.

Noun. A situation where you must choose between two options, but you can only pick one. Sometimes both options are bad, and sometimes both options are good — but either way, choosing one means giving up the other.

• You are offered your dream job in another city, a 6-hour drive from where you live. However, both your and your spouse's family lives here. Will you take your wife/children away from their parents/granparents.
• To keep my job, I have to work more. To keep my wife happy, I need to be home more. I can't do both.
• Two universities have accepted you — one is the best school for your subject, but the other is a nationally renowned university.
• Your best friend has done something illegal. Do you turn him in or look the other way?
• Your daughter is performing at a piano recital at the same time as a very important business meeting. You can only be at one.
• A doctor has two patients who both need an emergency operation, but there is only one operating room available right now.

Critical Dilemmas

• A building is on fire. A firefighter can hear two people calling for help, but from opposite sides of the building. There's only time to reach one. Who do you save?
• During a flood, a rescue boat has room for five more people, but ten people are waiting on a rooftop. The pilot must choose who gets on.
• A field hospital has only one unit of blood left. Two injured soldiers both need it to survive. The doctor must decide who receives it.
• A lifeboat is dangerously overcrowded and sinking slowly. If no one gets off, everyone will drown. If some people get off, the rest will survive. Who decides?
• During an earthquake, a mother is trapped in a collapsed building with her two children. She can only shield one of them from the falling debris.
• A surgeon has two patients who each need a new heart to survive, but only one donor heart is available. One patient is a 10-year-old child; the other is a 35-year-old parent of three.

Noun. A complicated and confusing problem with no easy solution. Unlike a dilemma, a conundrum may involve many factors and no clear choices — just a very difficult situation to figure out.

• Building a new mall will create jobs and make thousands of people happy, but it means tearing down all the trees as well as destroying a neighborhood where 37 elderly people live.
• Your elderly parent needs daily care, but you live in a different city for work. Moving back means losing your career. Hiring a caregiver is too expensive. Bringing your parent to live with you means taking them away from their friends and their home.
• A city needs more housing, but every empty space is either a park that residents love or farmland that produces food. The city keeps growing, and no one can agree on the best solution for expansion.
• A company wants to reduce pollution from its factory, but the only way to do it would cost so much money that they would have to fire half their workers.
• A deadly virus is spreading fast. A government mandated lockdown would slow or stop the spreading, but cause businesses to fail, leaving people jobless and possibley losing their homes. People in lockdown will experience anxiety and depression. Keeping businesses open means the virus continues to spread, more people will die, hospitals will be overrun and medical personnel overworked.
• A country is running out of clean water. They could build a dam, but it would flood three villages and destroy thousands of acres of farmland. They could import water, but that costs billions and makes them dependent on other countries. They could ration water, but people are already angry and protests are growing.