Focus on vocabulary. Part 5

Steve: Hi, Jill.

Jill: Hi, Steve.

Steve: How are you?

Jill: Good, thanks, how are you?

Steve: Good. We are going to provide or we are going to do podcasts for beginner and intermediate learners and we want to use stories and easy content from our Linguist Library. One of the best stories, I think, is the simply story called The Power of the Linguist. You have read the story?

Jill: Aha, a long time ago.

Steve: A long time ago? I have even listened to the story in Russian for my Russian learning. And, while it's a simple story, there are many useful phrases in this story that people can learn. And, so, we ask our learners to listen to this story many, many times and to get used to the language and to enjoy the story. And, of course, what we will do is we will talk about some of these phrases that come up in the story and maybe explain them and provide a little additional information.

Steve: Now, as you'll remember, the story began with Jane and Sally going to visit the building where Jane's brother lived. Here is the story.

* * * Why do you ask so many questions about the girl living with your brother? He has not answered my emails for many weeks. I think I know the reason why.

Why? Maybe he is just busy. He is probably too busy to write to you.

I think it is because he is in love with this girl.

Why do you say that? How do you know?

Why do I say that?

Yes, why do you say that?

We used to write each other all the time. We sent emails to each other every week. He stopped writing me.

So what? He probably has other things to do.

Now I never hear from him. He no longer writes to me.

* * * Steve: And, so, we've gone through the first part of the story and here we are at a situation where Jane and Sally are talking to the manager of the apartment building and the manager says: Why do you ask so many questions? Now, I think that's kind of a useful phrase. Jill: So many.

Steve: So many; so many people.

Jill: It's really emphasizing that you're asking a lot of questions. Steve: Right.

Jill: Why are you so curious? Not just you're not just asking questions, you're asking so many questions. Steve: Right.

Jill: A lot of questions.

Steve: To that degree; to that extent.

Jill: Right.

Steve: You wouldn't say why do you ask many, many questions? No, you say why do you ask so many questions?

Steve: And, he says: about the girl living with your brother. Now, he could also have said the girl who lives with your brother. So, here's an example of this form: The person staying at my house. The person who is staying at my house, you could also say. So, the use of the "who" -- it's sometimes there, it sometimes isn't there -- we can give many, many rules, but it's a matter of getting used to it. Jill: getting used to it. Yeah.

Steve: Now, what does Jane then say?

Jill: He has not answered my e-mails for many weeks. I think I know the reason why.

Steve: Right.

For many weeks, for three days, for three days I have been trying to phone you. For five years I studied at university. You know, this is a phrase that causes difficulty; it causes problems for some people.

Jill: A lot of people say since.

Steve: Right.

Jill: That's the problem. Steve: that's exactly the point; exactly. Steve: So, how would you use since?

Jill: I have been studying English since last year.

Steve: Right.

Jill: But, if you have been studying for a whole year, Steve: Right. Jill: you can't say since a year. You must say for a year. It's just a different construction completely. Steve: And, the interesting thing is that in many languages the word "since" is used in this other way. So, there is nothing logical about this. It's just the way we say things in English is different from the way we say things in German or French Jill: French. Steve: or some other language. So, for example, How long have you lived in Vancouver?

Jill: I have lived here for 27 years.

Steve: So, you have lived here since you were born?

Jill: Correct.

Steve: Alright.

Can you ask me a question with that structure?

Jill: How long have you been learning languages, different languages?

Steve: I have been learning languages since I was a teenager.

Jill: So, for many, many years.

Steve: For many, many years.

Jill: Right.

Steve: I have been learning languages for many years. Alright -- very, very important structure.

Steve: Now, here's another one in this same sentence. Jill: I know the reason why.

Steve: I think what's interesting there i s the reason why . I know the reason why.

That's a very, what we call, idiomatic expression. You could also say I know why. I know why. But sometimes we say I know the reason why .

Jill: Both are correct.

Steve: Or, you could even say I know the reason.

Jill: Yeah, exactly.

Steve: Alright.

Steve: Then he says: Maybe he's too busy? ; too busy to write to you; too much to do something. Can you think of another example?

Jill: Just using too?

Steve: Too, like, for example, he is too poor to buy Jill: to buy a car. Steve: an airplane ticket; to buy a dog. Alright, he's too Jill: he doesn't have enough money Steve: Right. Jill: to buy a car.

So, you could say he's too poor to buy a car. Steve: Oh, I was gonna say he's too poor to buy a dog. Jill: Whatever!

Steve: Even poorer! Even poorer! Alright.

Jill: Yeah, yeah.

Steve: So, too busy to write. Alright.

Steve: In the next one she says: I think because he is in love with this girl. Now, we all like to talk about love and songs are written about love, but in love with . Now, you can be in love with people. Can you be in love with other things?

Jill: People say that. People say oh, I'm so I'm just in love with my car. Steve: Right.

Jill: Or, I'm in love with Steve: Vancouver. Jill: Vancouver.

Steve: Right.

Jill: I love this city. I'm in love with this city. Steve: I mean, how often do we hear people say I'm in love with The Linguist? Jill: Not as often as we would like.

Steve: That's right! Okay, we're working on it. Okay, in love with.

Steve: Then, the next one is: Why do you say that? How do you know?

Why do I say that?

What I feel is important there is the way we reverse the order when you ask a question. Normally, we would say you do know; right? But, when it's a question it is why do you know? Why do you say that? How do you know that?

Jill: Right.

Steve: Why do I say that?

Jill: Right.

Steve: So, this is something that for people who are very much beginners there's an opportunity for them to listen to that structure over and over. It's not why you say that? Jill: Right.

Steve: It's why do you say that. Okay.

Steve: Another phrase here we used to write each other.

Jill: we used to . Aha.

Steve: This is a very common phrase in English.

Jill: Really common.

Steve: Used to; used to.

Jill: We did. We in the past in the past, we wrote to each other all the time.

Steve: Even though the word "use" means to use something. You use a tool; you know, you use a computer; you use things.

Jill: You use a pen to write.

Steve: But, here the meaning is that we were in the habit of doing something. We were accustomed to doing something.

Jill: Yes.

Steve: We regularly did something. We Jill: and we don't any longer. Steve: and we don't any longer. That's true. Normally, if we say we used to do something it seems to imply that we no longer do it.

Jill: Yeah.

Steve: Very good.

Jill: Otherwise, you would say we'we do this often. Steve: Right.

Jill: We do this regularly.

Steve: Right.

Jill: This is a habit.

Steve: That's right. We could say we regularly write each other. It means that we are still writing each other. But, if you say we used to write each other it means that it has stopped at some point.

Jill: Right.

Steve: Right.

Ah?

Jill: We sent e-mails to each other every week.

Steve: I think what's interesting there is that -- even before -- we used to write each other all the time. So, it happened in the past. We sent e-mails to each other every week, every week we sent. Very often people have trouble. Is it we sent or we were sending because people think well, it's an ongoing thing-- every week you sent. Jill: Right.

This implies the simple past. We sent e-mails to each other every week.

It's they used to do that and they do not anymore. Steve: Right; exactly.

Jill: It's finished. Steve: It's finished. Right, absolutely.

Steve: The next line is the very short phrase: so what . I just think it's worth including because it comes up all the time. And, so what .

Jill: So what.

Yeah, people will say that all the time.

Steve: Or, big deal.

Jill: Big deal; yeah.

Steve: Yeah, so what.

Jill: It means who cares; get over it.

Steve: Right.

Jill: Big deal; Steve: Right. Jill: It's not a big deal. Steve: Right.

Jill: So what.

Steve: So what.

Steve: And, the last one here what is it? What have we got here?

Jill: He no longer writes to me. No longer , so he doesn't any more. He doesn't write to me anymore. Steve: Right.

Jill: He no longer does that.

Steve: Right.

Steve: Here again, it's a phrase that it's not completely obvious from the meaning. No longer, no longer than a mile, I mean, you could also say that. It's no further than. But, no longer means finished.

Jill: Finished; done.

Steve: He no longer does it. He stopped doing it.

Jill: Right.

Steve: Okay. I think that is enough to cover this. Again, this is coming to you from www.thelinquist.com. The content that we are commenting on -- and you heard a brief excerpt at the beginning of the podcast -- this content can be found in the Linguist Library. This is the beginner-intermediate version of our regular podcast. We also do the same thing with more advanced content. But, for those of you who are members of The Linguist and who have listened to this story or even if you haven't listened to it, please go to the Library, select it, listen to it, save words and phrases, save some of these phrases that we've talked about that are very common in English and you will create many examples from your reading and listening and those of you who are just listening to us, please come to our website and have a look www.thelinguist.com. Steve: Jill?

Jill: And, also, just if you do come to our website you will find hundreds of hours of content to choose from. And a lot of content, a lot of the content we have is conversations between people and some are actually conversations between you and I. Steve: Right. Okay, thank you. Bye, bye.

Jill: Bye, bye.