{"id":2952,"date":"2022-04-08T17:15:10","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T17:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=2952"},"modified":"2022-04-08T17:15:10","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T17:15:10","slug":"preaching-to-the-choir-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/preaching-to-the-choir-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Preaching to the Choir - Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you looking for a way to tell someone that you\u2019re fully agreeing with what they are saying and there\u2019s no need to continue with the point they\u2019re trying to make? If so, you could tell them they are \u201c<em>preaching to the choir<\/em>.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The expression \u201c<em>preaching to the choir<\/em>\u201d means that you\u2019re talking to people already on board with what you\u2019re saying. It means that you\u2019re not adding any value to the conversation with what you\u2019re saying. You\u2019re arguing with people trying to get them to accept an ideology or concept that they already agree to.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The phrase can be a way of telling someone that you agree with them and you are aligned in your ideology. It can also be a way to tell someone that you find what they are saying is boring as it is not new information.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI hear what you\u2019re saying, Jim, and I\u2019m with you. You\u2019re preaching to the choir here. We need to get that person out of office this election.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re preaching to the choir Gareth, everyone here is already on the same page, and we\u2019ve been investing in Bitcoin for years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re preaching to the choir. I\u2019m his biggest supporter, and I\u2019ve been following him for years. I\u2019m surprised you agree with all this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJoe is over there preaching to the coir again. He always finds people that are in agreement with him and then banters on about things they already know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGet on with it already, Mark; we\u2019ve heard this all before, you\u2019re preaching to the choir, and we\u2019re all getting bored with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2953\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Preaching-to-the-Choir.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"237\" height=\"179\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2954\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Preaching-to-the-Choir2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"190\" height=\"190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Preaching-to-the-Choir2.jpg 233w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Preaching-to-the-Choir2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Preaching-to-the-Choir2-120x120.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The origin of the expression \"preaching to the choir\" is an adaptation of an earlier saying, \"preaching to the converted.\" The use of this original format of the saying in writing goes back to \"The Times\" in 1857, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\"It is an old saying that to preach to the converted is a useless office, and I may add that to preach to the unconvertible is a thankless office.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"Preaching to the choir\" is a uniquely American expression. The first written use of the phrase in its modern format comes from \"The Lima News\" in Ohio in 1973, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\"He said he felt like the minister who was preaching to the choir. That is, to the people who always come to church, but not the ones who need it most.\"<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"idioms 101 - preaching to the choir\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DSGhRIm83ZU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Preaching to the Choir<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>I\u2019m with you.<\/li>\n<li>I get it.<\/li>\n<li>With you all the way.<\/li>\n<li>Picking up what you\u2019re putting down.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Preaching to the Choir<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>We are at loggerheads.<\/li>\n<li>There is a tie-breaker \/ deal-breaker.<\/li>\n<li>Total disagreement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Preaching to the choir.<\/li>\n<li>Preach to the choir.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Preaching to the Choir Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The phrase has nothing to do with choirs. A pastor or priest preaching directly to the choir is not the correct use of the expression. It\u2019s a way of telling people that you fully support what they are saying.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Preaching to the Choir<\/h2>\n<p>You can use \u201cpreaching to the choir\u201d in social and professional conversations. You could use it with friends, your partner, your kids, your manager, or your boss.<\/p>\n<p>The expression suits situations when you\u2019re trying to let someone know that you\u2019re in full agreement with them and understand what they are trying to express.<\/p>\n<p>Usually, the saying has a positive connotation. However, people may use it to tell someone that what they are saying is boring and adds no value to the conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you looking for a way to tell someone that you\u2019re fully agreeing with what they are saying and there\u2019s no need to continue with the point they\u2019re trying to make? If so, you could tell them they are \u201cpreaching to the choir.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2952"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2952"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2952\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3067,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2952\/revisions\/3067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}