English Recordings

Hello everyone!
My name is (name) and I'm applying for the Best Job in the World . I would love to be the next island caretaker! It would be awesome, a real dream job!
I am 26 years old and I am from (city).
I have always been interested in Australia, for a very long time because it is one of my favourite countries! But I have never been there yet!
I am very outgoing, I love talking to people and I can speak French, Spanish and English of course!
I am very sporty and dynamic too. I love water sports.I have never been surfing but I have already been snorkeling and scuba diving.
I am also a great communicator! I love social networks and I am a huge fan of Instagram! I have already posted hundreds of photos online! But I've never had a blog so I guess I should start one soon!
So vote for me! You won't regret it and I swear I'll be the best island caretaker ever!

I have seen other dawn again.

I saw the wait for the night. Nathanael,

may every waiting in you not even be a desire,

but simply a disposition to welcome.

Wait for everything that comes to you,

but only desire what comes to you,

may your desire be love.

E : “Tell me about yourself !”
JA : “Well ! I’m 27 years old from Wandsworth in South London. I studied computing at Sheffield University and worked for a few years … a financial analyst in the City before taking a year out to travel round the world.”
E : “So why do you want to work for Green Planet ?”
JA : “Well computing has always been a hobby and I wanted to make a career of it. I knew I could make a lot of money in some banks in the City but when I went travelling in Brazil and I saw the destruction of the forest, I was disgusted and I felt I had to do something about this. When I got back I saw your ad in the paper for a computer programmer, I sent my CV and there I’m.”
E : “Well… That’s interesting ! The thing is we’re looking to re-write our computer programmes to make our organisation more efficient. But there’s a lot more to the job than that. We’ll also need you to recruit new donators over the phone or in the street. Have you already done this before ?”
JA : “Well… I participated in the Charity Week at university, collecting money in the street and I did pretty well ! But in the City we were making money not collecting it. But as I said in my CV, I’m flexible, energetic and dynamic and I really want to learn new skills !”
E : “Mmmm…. You DO seem to have a lot of qualities ! Now tell me a little bit about your weaknesses.”
JA : “Well sometimes I work so hard I get tired and a bit irritable but I think that’s also because there was a terrible atmosphere in my last job. I have friends who work for you and I’m told there’s an excellent atmosphere in your organisation. I think that’s really important !”
E : “We certainly like to think that’s true ! But you know we can’t offer you the sort of salary you were earning in the City.”
JA : “Oh ! I appreciate that ! I’m not making this career move for the money. It’s because I want a new challenge, to do something more useful with my life !”
E : “Okay. Thanks. We’ll be in touch with you soon.”

The Māori are the first people to live in New Zealand.

History

Their Polynesian ancestors came to New Zealand between 800 and 1300 AD. Where the Maori arrived from is still unclear and there are many theories, but one of them is that they arrived from somewhere in tropical Polynesia, perhaps from the Cook Islands or the Society Islands. About 600,000 Māori live in New Zealand today. During World War II, Māori soldiers were famous as brave warriors because they won many difficult battles and stayed strong in the face of danger.

Origin

Before Europeans came to New Zealand, the Māori did not need a name for themselves as a people. After Europeans came to New Zealand, the indigenous people called themselves Māori, which means "normal" or "ordinary" in the Māori language. They called other people, especially those who came from Britain, "Pākehā". Today, in New Zealand English "Pākehā" is sometimes used as a name for New Zealand Europeans.

Quarantine, carriers and face masks: the language of the coronavirus
By Liz Walter on February 26, 2020

As coronavirus (officially called COVID-19) continues to dominate the news, I thought it might be useful to look at some of the language we use to talk about it. Regular readers will know my obsession with collocations (word partners), and there are lots of good ones in this topic, most of which can be applied to other diseases too.

The first is that people “contract a virus” (= get it). When a disease passes very easily from one person to another, as this one does, we say that it is “extremely infectious” or “highly contagious”. People that have it and may pass it to others are known as “carriers”. Some people seem to be more “infectious” (= pass on the disease more) than others, and these people are known as “super-spreaders”.

The first person to get a new disease is known as “patient zero”. When a patient has signs that they are ill, we say that they “show/display symptoms,” in this case a “fever” (= high temperature), cough and “respiratory difficulty” (= problems with breathing). The period between catching the illness and showing symptoms is the “incubation period”.

We use the word “cases” to refer to people who have a disease, e.g. There have been several cases of COVID-19 in the UK. When doctors have done tests and are sure that people have it, we call them “confirmed or diagnosed cases”. If doctors find that someone has the disease, we say that they “test positive for” it. If there is an unusually high number, we say that there is “a spike in cases,” whereas if numbers seem to have reached their highest level and are now falling, with no expectation that they will rise again, we say that they have “peaked”.

We often talk about the “mortality rate” of a disease to say what proportion of people die from it. The “death toll” is the number of people who have died. The start of a disease is called the “outbreak”. At the time of writing this post, COVID-19 hasn’t been classified as a “pandemic” (= a disease that has spread all over the world), but it has the potential to become one.

Governments have to decide how to “control/contain the spread” of the virus. Towns and cities may be “put/placed on/in lockdown” so that nobody can enter or leave them, countries may “close their borders” (= stop letting people from other countries in) and airlines sometimes “suspend flights” (= stop flying) to certain places.

People who may have the disease are often “put/placed in quarantine” (= made to stay somewhere away from other people). Passengers returning from an area with coronavirus may be asked to self-quarantine (= stay away from other people voluntarily). Despite the fact that most experts don’t think they are effective, some countries have seen huge queues for “face masks” (= covers for your mouth and nose). Meanwhile, scientists are racing to “develop a vaccine” (= make medicine that will stop people getting the virus).

I hope you find these words and phrases useful – and please stay safe!

To put it another way: the language of explanations
By Liz Walter on February 12, 2020

In this post, I am going to talk about the language of explaining, something we all have to do from time to time.

I will start with some slightly more formal near-synonyms for the verb “explain”. If you “clarify” something, you make it clear, usually when it wasn’t clear before, and if you “demystify” a subject, you make something that seemed very difficult, strange or obscure much easier to understand. If you “enlighten” another person, you make them understand something they didn’t know about before:

+ Could you clarify exactly what you mean by ‘practical intelligence’?
+ Amy’s blog helped to demystify the whole dissertation process.
+ He went vegan after his friends enlightened him about the suffering involved in animal farming.

There are a few phrasal verbs connected with explaining. If you “get through to” someone, you make them understand something, while if you “drum something into” someone, you make them understand or learn it by repeating it many times. If a subject is very complicated, you might “break it down” by explaining one part of it at a time:

+ These health messages don’t seem to be getting through to the general public.
+ My mum drummed it into me never to get into a car with a stranger.
+ The financial system was very complex, but the trainer broke it down for us.

Sometimes we use phrases to show that we are going to explain something very clearly, for example “Just to be (absolutely/crystal) clear …” or “Just so there’s no (room for) doubt / Just so no-one’s in any doubt …”:

+ Just to be crystal clear about this: any homework received after Friday will not be marked.
+ Just so no-one’s in any doubt, the office will be closed on Monday.

Some phrases are used when someone is having difficulty understanding. If you explain something “in words of one syllable,” you say it in very simple language. If you are exasperated with someone you think ought to be able to understand, you might ask if you need to “draw them a diagram,” and if you “spell something out” to someone, you explain it very clearly, even though you think it should be obvious:

+ Make sure you explain it to them in words of one syllable.
+ Do you understand my point now, or do you need me to draw you a diagram?
+ Let me spell it out for you: no work, no money.

It is also common to explain things by repeating what we have already said in a different way. We use phrases like “To put it another way …” or “In other words …” to do this:

+ They’ve only invited the very highest-level managers. To put it another way, they don’t want people like us!
+ The last train left at six. In other words, we’re stuck here.

I hope this post has explained words and phrases for explaining well enough! Let me know if you can think of any others.

Let down and look after: the difference between phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs
By Liz Walter on January 29, 2020

My colleague Kate Woodford and I have written many posts about phrasal verbs because students find them difficult but know they need to learn them. These posts often include prepositional verbs, and readers sometimes ask about this.

So what is the difference between a phrasal verb and a prepositional verb? Strictly speaking, a phrasal verb consists of a verb and an adverb (or in the case of 3-word phrasal verbs, an adverb and a preposition). When phrasal verbs are transitive, the object can go either between the verb and the particle or after them:
+ She let her friends down.
+ She let down her friends.

Some phrasal verbs can also stand alone as intransitive verbs:
+ I enjoy chilling out with my friends.

On the other hand, a prepositional verb consists of a verb and a preposition which can never be split up and must always have an object:
+ I have to look after my little brother today.

So does this matter? Do we really need to know which are phrasal verbs and which are prepositional verbs? And should we teach them separately?

In my view, the essential point for learners is that with both types of verb you need to learn the verb and the particle together as one single unit of meaning. It is probably not worth worrying about whether “rely on” is a phrasal verb or a prepositional verb, especially if you just want to remember what it means.

Most of the major dictionaries for learners of English take this approach: both classic phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs are labelled ‘phrasal verb’. There seems to be general agreement that this is the most sensible way to present them.

However, if you want to use these words productively, you do need to remember that you can’t separate prepositional verbs. This is particularly important if you are using a pronoun as the object because in ‘real’ phrasal verbs, the pronoun “must” come between the verb and the particle:
+ She let them down.

However, as I mentioned above, prepositional verbs are never separated:
+ She looked after them.

Good dictionaries for learners give information about this in their entries, so if you are unsure, it is worth using one to check. For example, the Cambridge Dictionary says “look after sb/sth” to show that the object (‘sb’ for a person, ‘sth’ for a thing) must come after the particle, but “let sb down” to show that the object can separate the verb and the particle.

I’d be interested to know what you, as teachers and learners of English think: do you notice the difference between phrasal and prepositional verbs? Do you think it is necessary or useful to treat them differently? And do you have any tips for learning them?

Clickbait and viral marketing: the language of advertising
By Liz Walter on January 15, 2020.

These days, most of us are targeted by adverts pretty much constantly, sometimes in obvious ways and sometimes more subtly. This post looks at the language around a phenomenon that many people would say is out of control.

Let’s start with some basic words for advertising. The first thing to note is that the pronunciation of the word “advertisement” is different in British and American English. In British English, the third syllable rhymes with “miss,” whereas in American English it sounds like “eyes.” Only British English speakers use the shortened form “advert,” but both Brits and Americans use “ad”.

Another general word for things that get attention for a product is “publicity”. This word has several collocations, for instance the verbs “attract” and “generate” and the adjective “adverse” (meaning “bad”):
+ Their charitable actions attracted a lot of good publicity for the company.

The phrase “publicity stunt” is often used in a rather disapproving way, to mean that something was done only to get attention:
+ I don’t believe they are really in a relationship – it’s just a publicity stunt.

“Marketing” is a word for all the ways in which a company tries to persuade people to buy its products. It includes advertising, but also other factors such as pricing:
+ We have just launched our new marketing campaign.

Marketing methods change continually, bringing new words. For example, the word “clickbait” is used (usually rather disapprovingly) for online material that is designed primarily to persuade the reader to click on a link where they are likely to be exposed to advertisements.

“Ambush marketing” is a term for a type of unofficial, unpaid advertising, often linked rather dishonestly with a sporting event. One famous example occurred during the 2012 London Olympics, when one company advertised itself as the official sponsor of “the largest athletics event in London,” then explaining that they were talking about an “egg-and-spoon race” in the small French village of London!

It is common for companies to employ celebrities to “endorse” (say they like) their products. Some people even make a living as “influencers” on social media. These people, who have large numbers of followers, are paid to “promote” (advertise) products.

“Viral marketing” is where consumers of a product spread information about it, either because they love it or by sharing adverts that they particularly enjoy. This usually happens via social media, but could also be “word-of-mouth” (when people talk to one another). “Stealth marketing” is where products are promoted in ways that may not be obvious to the target consumers. An example could be “product placement,” where a company pays for its products to be used in a popular movie or TV series. Similarly, “advertorials” are newspaper or magazine adverts that are made to look like normal articles.

In this information age, we need to pay attention to our sources!

They gave him the cold shoulder: Idiomatic phrases with “cold”
By Liz Walter on January 8, 2020

Last month I looked at phrases containing the word “hot,” and this month I am looking at the opposite: phrases containing the word “cold.” Whereas “hot” phrases are mostly concerned either with very good things or with strong emotions, “cold” phrases are usually negative. We often use them to describe fear, unfriendliness or lack of emotion.

For instance, if you “give someone the cold shoulder,” you ignore them or act in an unfriendly way towards them, even though you know them. We can also say that someone “gets/is given the cold shoulder” when this happens to them:
+ She gave me the cold shoulder when I tried to talk to her.
+ Max did his best to be friendly to Lucas, but he got the cold shoulder.

If we say that someone does something cruel, especially killing someone, “in cold blood,” we mean that they do it in a calm, cruel way and do not seem to feel any emotion. We often describe a particularly cruel act or the person that commits that act as “cold-blooded”:
+ Armed men burst into his house and shot him in cold blood.
+ Police describe the killing as a ‘cold-blooded murder’.

If someone is “in a cold sweat,” they are very scared or worried. We say that people “break out in a cold sweat” when they start to feel like this:
+ When Julian saw that the money was gone, he broke out in a cold sweat.

Someone who is “cold-hearted” does not feel any sympathy for other people. We sometimes call someone like this a “cold fish”:
+ Cold-hearted thieves stole her son’s new bike.
+ His new girlfriend seems a bit of a cold fish.

If we describe something that should make a bad situation better as “cold comfort,” we meant that it does not make it better, or only makes it very slightly better:
+ It was cold comfort to discover that several other people had been tricked in the same way.

In a very visual idiom, if someone “pours/throws cold water on” an idea, plan or opinion, they say negative things about it and stop people being excited by it:
+ My teachers poured cold water on my ambition to become a footballer.

I will finish with a nice idiom that has both “hot” and “cold” in it. If you “blow hot and cold about” something or someone, you are sometimes positive about them and sometimes negative:
+ I’m not sure if she’s happy at university. She keeps blowing hot and cold about it.

Do you have similar “cold” phrases in your first language? Let us know in the comments!

1.
A) There was Helena eavesdropping outside the door.
B) I caught him eavesdropping on our conversation.
C) I wish Rachel would stop listening in on my phone conversations.
D) I overheard him say something about wanting to move house.
E) Excuse me! I couldn’t help overhearing that you were planning a trip to Thailand.

2.
A) Jessica was pouring more wine into her glass.
B) Pour the oil into the frying pan and heat.
C) He slipped and the wine spilled all over the carpet.
D) The tanker was leaking, and spilled oil into the sea.
E) Let's see if you can pour the juice into the glass without spilling it.