Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“My beautiful sister Rona sadly passed on May 24 in Los Angeles.”
-Singer and actress Olivia Newton-John speaking about her sister’s death (Us Weekly)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
die
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
No matter what your views about what happens when someone dies, you can’t deny the fact that the person who died is no longer there in the way she once was. Even though her body may lie there in front of you, something is gone. Call it her soul, or her personality, or simply her breath. That person has passed from this life into something else, whatever it is. It’s just not here. She has passed away.
Saying that someone passed away is considered more polite than saying someone died. Sometimes an expression, or euphemism, sounds nicer because it isn’t so literal. On the other hand, some people prefer to just use a word like “died,” rather than try to make something seem nice that simply isn’t.
Olivia Newton-John clearly feels strongly about her sister’s death. She says that her sister has “passed,” which is short for passed away. Using the expression must feel more comforting to her than using more literal language. Plus, passed away expresses her feelings that her sister has passed from this world to another one.
In your language, do you have both expressions and literal words for death? Which do you prefer to use?
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“My grandmother passed away when she was 95.”
“My brother passed away five years ago. I still miss him so much.”
“When she passes away, she wants to be cremated.”