Tuesday, January 4, 2011

영어 Slang of the Day #10: We need to have a "level playing field." I agree!

The concept of "level playing field" is not difficult, and useful.
 A "level playing field" exists when there is a competition, or comparison, that is fair, without an undue advantage in some aspect.  As a result, you can use the phrase "level playing field" to describe a fair situation.

(o)  There are now three players on each team.  We have a level playing field.  
(o)  The new team leader is a woman.  Maybe now we women will have a more level playing field. 
(o)  Let's use English when conducting business with the Chinese, in order to level the playing field.

Notes:
You can use both a "level playing field," and "to level the playing field."  However, the grammar of the two phrases is different.
In the first example, a "level playing field" is a noun, which describes a fair situation.
In the third example, "to level the playing field" is a verb + direct object.  This is used when you actually do something that results in a more fair situation.

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