Focus on vocabulary. Part 7

Steve: Hello, Jill.

Jill: Hello, again, Steve.

Steve: What a miserable day.

Jill: It sure is. Raining, like usual.

Steve: It's wet, it's cold, it's nasty. Jill: It is dark grey.

Steve: But, today, we are going to talk about a happier subject, which is our little story. This is our lower-intermediate Podcast and we are following the episodes in The Power of the Linguist and today we are going to do Episode 7. So, should we just begin by listening to it?

Jill: I think that's a good idea. Steve: Okay.

* * * Here is the story: The Power of The Linguist- part 7 I am not worried about my brother. I am interested in knowing what is going on.

Well, the thing is, I do not know why he does not write you.

But I want you to help me. That is why I came here today.

How can I help you? I cannot answer all your questions.

Why not?

This is very important for me as you will find out.

Well, in my opinion, you are asking questions about things that are none of your business.

Why is it not my business?

This is your brother's place. He leads his own life. He is on his own.

But he is my brother. I care about what happens to him.

* * * Steve: Well, there was that episode in its continuing drama. Jill: That's right. Steve: Jill, did you see any interesting phrases there?

Jill: Yes. She says: I'm not sure who the what the Steve: Sally Jill: girl's name is who's speaking right now. Sally said: I'm interested in knowing what is going on. And, I think, interested is a very interesting word because people mix up interested and interesting, Steve: Right. Jill: very often.

Steve: Exactly.

And, I think, I am interested in . I mean, theres a phrase. People should learn that phrase because how many times have you heard people, who otherwise speak English very well, and they say: I'm interesting in music' I hear that from people who have been studying English for 10 years, have done the grammar and have passed their and they still say: I'm interesting in music. Jill: Right.

Steve: So, I think that's a very good one. They also use it I'm exciting about the party I'm going to tonight. Or I'm really boring at this party. Jill: Right.

Steve: Whereas, it's Jill: I'm really bored. Steve: Right.

Now, maybe that person is boring. We don't know. Jill: Yes. But, in general, something is exciting; something is boring; something is interesting; but, you are interested in something. You are bored at or with something.

Steve: Bored with something, yeah. That's a good one. What else did you have there Steve: What is going on? Jill: What is going on?

Steve: Yeah, I think that structure I think I shouldn't say structure because we want to keep it simple here; but, I want to know what is going on. I want to know what is going on. We even ask the question, what is going on? What is happening?

Jill: Exactly.

Steve: What is going on?

So, that's just something that comes up quite often. It's not about going anywhere. To go on means that something is happening.

Jill: You want to know what is happening; Steve: Right. Jill: what the situation is; Steve: what the situation is. Right you are.

Jill: The next one is the thing is .

Steve: Right.

That's a funny phrase. What does that mean?

Steve: The fact of the matter is that's what it means. Jill: Yeah. I mean, the sentence would be the same without it. You don't have to have it there. You could say Well, I do not know why he does not write you.

Steve: That's right. It's a filler word like, I mean; you know; Jill: you know; exactly. Steve: Okay, but people tend to use it -- well, the thing is; Jill: or the fact of the matter is; Steve: as a matter of fact; as a matter of fact; Jill: Yeah, that's right. Steve: in fact; it's the same kind of word. Jill: And I want you to help me .

Steve: Yeah. I mean, that's an interesting one because I think people sometimes have trouble. I want you to help me. Yeah, I just think that's a Jill: so, they have problems with pronouns? Steve: Yeah. People have trouble with pronouns and it's, again, for our lower and intermediate learners, I find when I'm learning another language I will just take some very common patterns and save them simply because it's a common pattern. And if I can train myself and I repeat these common patterns to myself five, six, seven, eight times, I know that this is a format where you have a direct object and an indirect object, if we are going to use the grammar terms. But, I don't worry about the grammar; but, I like to repeat these very basic patterns. Steve: So, some of the phrases that we've chosen here are like that; just very basic patterns that people who are lower-intermediate learners should not only be able to understand, but should practice repeating them. Jill: Yes, exactly. Like, you can't say I want to help me. You have to have the "you". You have to say: I want you to help me and people do often forget the pronouns.

Steve: And what's difficult in there is I want like, it's not I want you help me. I want you to help me. I want to go. I want to eat. Not I want eat. So, you always have to have I want to -- verb. You can say I want food; but, I can't say I want eat. I want drink. I want to eat. I want to drink. And, here, it's a little more complicated because I want you to help me. So, I think that's kind of a useful but very basic phrase pattern. Jill: Why I came here.

Steve: Right.

Jill: So, the sentence is: That is why I came here today.

Steve: Right.

What's interesting there is That is why I came here. Why did you come here?

Jill: I came here because I wanted you to help me.

Steve: Right.

That is why I came here. And, so, here again, and I think there I would encourage our lower-intermediate learners, to practice with intonation. So, I want you to help me. That is why I came here today.

And, so that whether listening to us or when they are listening to the main story here, practice listening to the intonation and then repeating it with the same intonation. The sooner you can get with the rhythm of the language English in this case the sooner you can get with the rhythm the better you are going to do.

Steve: Okay.

What's next? Jill: And Why not?

Steve: Right.

Jill: So?

Steve: You know, that's interesting Why not? I mean, I guess it's a sentence, I don't know. There's no verb there. It's really a phrase, but it stands on its own and we hear it all the time. Jill: Why not Or, how come?

Steve: How come? Why not?

You know, if you tell a child, you can't watch TV tonight. Why not?

Jill: The child will say Why not? Or, why? Or just, why?

Steve: Why? Right.

Jill: Or, how come?

Jill: And the next sentence: This is very important for me, as you will find out. As you will find out.

Steve: Now, here again, as implies it's a connecting word. It's not since you will find out; because you will find out; it's as you will find out. And, I think, these words of course, people will look up the translation into their own language, but as always implies sort of an equal relationship between one phrase and another phrase, unlike because. But, sometimes they can almost be used interchangeably and so, as I mean, I would recommend for a beginner-intermediate learner, that they save the word as and see the kinds of example sentences that they will create.

Steve: The other thing that's interesting about that is find and find out. People have a lot of trouble with those words. People might say, you know we say, for example, find is like, I find this restaurant very nice. But, you'll hear people say I find out this restaurant very nice. And find and find out have two different meanings. Find out; what do we mean by find out?

Jill: You will figure something out.

Steve: You will learn.

Jill: You will learn.

Steve: Exactly.

Jill: You will learn.

You'll gain information and it has nothing to do with finding something. I guess, in a sense, you're learning, you're gaining information, but it's not like you have lost something and now you're going to find it. Steve: You know, one of the I think an image people can use, you just said to gain something, if you have some information in your pocket then I'm going to find out. I'm going to take it out of your pocket. I'm going to take it out of where that information is. So, I'm going to pick out, so to speak, this information. Maybe that would help people think about it. Because the word find itself well, what does find mean?

Jill: When you look for something and you find it.

Steve: You find it; you locate it.

Jill: You see it; you locate it.

Steve: Right.

Jill: Exactly.

Steve: But find can also have the meaning of I think or my impression of something. Like, I find that Vancouver is too wet for me. So, my impression is Jill: or, I think. Steve: I think.

Jill: Exactly.

Steve: Okay.

What have we got next here?

Jill: And the next one is: In my opinion .

Steve: Right.

Jill: So, according to me or Steve: thats right. I think the key thing there is that it's a bit of a filler word. It's a bit similar to the thing is. I mean, if you don't say well, in my opinion, the sentence still stands. But, in all languages, it's very nice to have these little words, you know, in my view, I think, and so forth. Jill: It softens what you are saying a little bit. Rather than just saying well, you are asking questions that are none of your business, you are stating something that could sound a little bit harsh.

Steve: Right.

Jill: And maybe it doesn't sound so harsh if you say well, in my opinion, this is really none of your business. Steve: I mean, a lot of our verbal communication just has to do with just connecting with other people.

Jill: And how you say things can make a big difference in how people perceive you Steve: and how they take what you are saying. Jill: That's right. Steve: Absolutely.

Steve: Here's one at the end now. Jill: None of your business.

Steve: Right.

We see that all the time. It does not concern you. Don't ask questions about that. It's none of your business. Business here doesn't mean business in the sense of money transaction or work. It is none of your affair.

Jill: None of your concern; nothing to do with you. So, none of your business or people might just say mind your own business.

Steve: There's a very good phrase mind your own business. Mind your own business. Okay.

Steve: And a little further we see on his own.

Jill: On his own. So?

Steve: That's a very useful phrase. Do you for example, you might say, someone who is no longer living with their parents, they are now living on their own.

Jill: On their own; by themselves.

Steve: By themselves or you might say that I made this cake on my own.

Jill: With no help.

Steve: With no help. That's right. So, either you are living alone or you do something on your own without other people's help. Okay.

Jill: And the final one is I care about.

Steve: Right.

Care about; what does care about mean?

Jill: It matters to you.

Steve: It matters to me. You can have two sort of slightly different meanings. I care about what happens. Okay.

I care about what happens to him, in this case. You don't say I care about someone. So, Sally, although in this case Sally is not very nice to her brother, she could say I care about my brother. Jill: Right.

Steve: So, it's not just I care about what happens like I'm interested, but my brother is important to me. So, I care about my brother.

Jill: Right.

I care about how things will affect him. Right.

Steve: Okay.

Well, I think we've kind of handled that. So, we have now covered the 7th little episode and there's 27 episodes Jill: 26, I think. Steve: 26 episodes. They are to be found in the Library of The Linguist. This text is quite easy and it gets gradually more and more difficult. It's spoken quite slowly so, if people listen to the Power of the Linguist, if they repeat the phrases, if they try to imitate the intonation, I think even for intermediate learners, it's a very good place to practice pronunciation, practice repeating phrases, practice reading quickly to really get more comfortable with English. I think even for intermediate learners who sometimes they challenge themselves with more difficult content, sometimes they should also go back and do easier content.

Steve: So, at any rate, come and see us at The Linguist www.thelinguist.com. And we also, Jill, would like to hear people's comments and questions. Right?

Jill: Always, of course.

Steve: Always, otherwise we get lonely Jill: we need your feedback. Steve: just talking to each other here. Okay.

Steve: Bye for now.

Jill: Bye, bye.