Name: English Tutor Nick P Noun Phrase (129) Softball Question
Uploaded: 2019-10-24T02:34:19.000Z
Duration: 4 min 17 s
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Hi this is Tutor Nick  P and this is Noun Phrase 129. The  noun phrase today is a

softball question. Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. If someone,  especially a

politician or someone of significance is asked a softball question,  he or she is

purposely asked an easy question. A hard ball question would be a difficult

question. We say that someone is playing hardball or if we say somebody's playing

hardball,  it suggests that one is very aggressive and a  highly competitive type,

in politics and business. Yeah.  I think it was on MSN there was that show that was

called "Hardball."   I think with Chris Matthews where that's that was the idea.

You know,  that's why he named it hardball is I guess when a guest on a shows that

that he is implying that he acts the tough questions that you know,  he didn't

just fool around with softball questions he really tried to get to the point.

Even though to be honest I think sometimes if it's if it's a politician

he likes I think he even he asks  softball questions too.

But that's what it means. That's what we say. So that's why he named his show

hardball. And this is why we use hardball and softball. So let's continue here. The

origin comes from the idea that softball is a less dangerous and easier game. Okay.

Since a softball is a lot bigger and softer and usually cannot be thrown or

hit at the same speed as like a fastball in ...  like in baseball or fast hardball in

baseball,  therefore it is less dangerous and less aggressive. Yeah. Even though

they are we softball is still a bit hard.  If you got hit with like a line drive

it would  probably still hurt.  but it can't do the same damage.  I even remember I was in

Little League and when I was in  Little League or even sometimes you know,

if you're in college,  I think and you play you know,  you're forced to wear a

cup. You know,  those metal cups down there.  You don't have to do that for softball

because again it's not considered to be quite as hard. Plus it's an easier ball

to hit. That's kind of like the idea of the softball question. It's kind of like

your lobbing,  you are you are you ready,  ready ?

Here It is.  I'm going  throw you this big fat ball. Now come on get ready. You can

hit it well.. It's kind of like that. You know like hitting it well. It's like

answering the question. So they're just purposely giving them easy questions to

answer. So we hear this a lot. You know,  in talk shows and especially political talk

shows. We say that they you know,  the journalists the reporters just gave them

a lot of softball questions. Okay. Well,  anyway let's look at some examples. When

a news station is biased and wants to protect a politician or candidate they

like , they will often ask them a lot of softball questions. So that's one way we

use it. Or number two. If you want to have a serious interview or you know,  be taken

seriously as a you know,  a journalist or an interviewer,  you cannot just ask

softball questions. You have to ask some of the tough questions. Or the last one

here. Asking a politician which baseball team is his favorite is a softball

question. Yes. So sometimes it may not even be about politics or what they're

into. That's a really easy question to answer or sometimes of course it is

about politics and they ask them the question that's not hard and they let

them talk and then they may not follow up with tough or hard questions or

hardball questions. You know,  they'll just let them talk and they don't make them,

well , why  ?  Well,  if you do this won't it  cause this problem and won't this be

wrong if you do that ? You know,  they don't ... they don't follow up with these

questions. They just throw them the nice softball and let them talk (blah, blah ) and

say oh yeah. That's wonderful. That's great.

And that's what they do. They just let them have a lot of softball

questions and they don't follow with a lot of the tough questions. Okay. Anyway,  I

hope you got it. I hope  it was clear. I hope  it was informative. Thank you for your time.