Episode 03

Episode 03

In this episode Ravi asks Tess for some advice, and their guests talk about meditation and space exploration. You can also follow Carolina as she meets a friend’s family for the first time. Will she get on well with them?

Listen to the podcast then do the first exercise to check your understanding. If you have more time choose some of the language practice exercises.

Transcript

Transcript

Download the LearnEnglish Elementary podcast. You’ll find all the details on this page: http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish- central-listening-downloads.htm

Section 1: "Sometimes I think I spend too much time on the computer."

Tess: Hello Welcome to the second series of the Learn English Elementary podcast. this is number three. I’m Tess.
Ravi: And I’m Ravi. It’s a bright sunny morning here in London but the great thing about a podcast is that you can listen whenever you want, so, good morning! Good afternoon! Good evening!

Tess: That’s true. Why not write and tell us when and where you listen to our podcasts? We’ll give you the email address a little later. Do you listen at your computer or do you download us and listen on the bus, in the car, at the gym? Let us know. Do you listen to any podcasts Ravi?
Ravi: I do, actually, yeah. I listen to a couple of things. There’s a football podcast I really like and there’s quite a good comedy one that I listen to as well. I listen to them when I go out running.
Tess: You go out running?
Ravi: Well, I listened to one once when I was running. I usually listen at home. How about you?
Tess: No, not really. I’m too busy with my social networking site to have time for podcasts. Honestly, sometimes I think I spend too much time on the computer.
Ravi: I know what you mean. It’s easy to spend hours and hours on the internet just looking at different things. Surfing the net. Oh, that reminds me – I wanted to ask you about something. You know I’m on Facebook, right?
Tess: Right.
Ravi: Well, I know you’re not on Facebook but you’re on a few other networking sites - you know how it works, don’t you? People send you invitations to be their ‘friend’
Tess: Yeah, OK. I know what you mean.
Ravi: Well, yesterday I got a message from someone inviting me to be ‘friends’ and the thing is, I just don’t know who she is. I don’t recognise her name at all.
Tess: So, someone wants to be your friend online and you don’t know who she is? You’re just so popular Ravi.
Ravi: Well she knows me – she wrote something about Manchester but I really can’t think who she is. I mean, it’s not a really big problem but what do you think I should do Tess?

Tess: Well, you could just not reply.

Ravi: But I don’t want to be rude to her.

Tess: Or you could ask her where you met.

Ravi: Hmm. That’s a bit embarrassing.
Tess: Well, why don’t you say, yes, you’ll be her friend? You don’t have to write to her, do you?
Ravi: That’s true. I’ll just say ‘yes, let’s be friends’ and then maybe I’ll remember who she is.
Tess: She’s probably a friend of a friend or something. Do you often forget people’s names, then, erm ….. what’s your name again?
Ravi: Very good, Tess. No I’m usually quite good with names. Like today I can tell you we’ve got Sameena on I’d Like to talk about, we’ve got Davis doing the quiz and we’ve got Carolina and Jamie later. And Tom the teacher of course.
Tess: Well done. Shall we get on with it, then?

Section 2: I’d like to talk about…

Ravi: OK then. As usual, listeners, we’ll start with I’d Like to Talk About. This is the part of our podcast when we ask someone to tell us about something that’s important to them. It could be a person, a hobby – anything. And today we’ve got Sameena in the studio. And she’s going to talk about meditation. Hi Sameena.
Sameena: Hi
Tess: Hi Sameena. Before you start, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself.
Sameena: Well, my name’s Sameena – as you know. Um, I’m twenty, and I’m a student at the London School of Economics.
Ravi: Are you from London?
Sameena: No, Leeds. I go back there in the holidays.
Ravi: Great place, Leeds. OK. So why did you decide to talk about meditation Sameena?

Sameena: Well I started doing it about three years ago. I was very stressed with exams and I was working too hard. So a friend told me about meditation – he taught me how to do it actually, in the beginning – and it worked. It made me a lot calmer and less stressed out. So I got really interested in it and started reading about it, and, well, I just think everyone should try it!
Tess: And how do you do it? Give us an idea of what you do. I always think of old men with long, white beards when I think of meditation.
Sameena: Well, it’s very simple really. I sit still, somewhere quiet. You can sit in any position, on the floor, or on a hard chair, but you need to keep your back straight and you must be comfortable. I sit on a chair, close my eyes, and then I relax and try to be conscious of now, of the present moment. And my mind becomes calm. That’s it really.
Tess: And you stop thinking?
Sameena: No, no. A lot of people think that, but it isn’t true. It’s more about watching your thoughts, just sitting and being conscious of what’s going through your mind. You let the thoughts come and go, but you don’t follow them, you just watch them so your mind stays calm and peaceful.
Tess: But how do you do that – keep your mind calm and peaceful?
Sameena: Well, I use a mantra – that helps me.
Tess: A mantra?
Sameena: Yes, it just means a phrase that you concentrate on – you repeat it over and over again to yourself. But you don’t have to use a mantra - there are lots of different ways of doing it. You can concentrate on your breathing – count your breaths for example, or you can try to imagine the energy moving around in your body, you know, try to see it.
Ravi: It’s getting very popular nowadays isn’t it? Oprah Winfrey was talking about meditation on TV the other day.
Sameena: Yes, it’s getting more popular in the west, that’s true. But it started as a Hindu tradition more than five thousand years ago – it’s really old. And some form of meditation is involved in nearly all religions. 
Tess: So is it always a religious thing?
Sameena: No, it doesn’t have to have any religious meaning. A lot of people meditate just because it’s good for the mind and good for the body. It’s a really healthy thing to do.
Tess: I can see why it can be good for the mind, but how does it help the body?
Sameena: Meditation can help your blood pressure, your heart, your breathing - all sorts of things. Scientists have done tests – it’s all been proved. So, as I said at the beginning, I think everyone should try it!
Tess: Well thanks for that Sameena. That was really interesting.
Sameena: Not at all. I enjoyed talking about it. Bye.
Tess: Bye Sameena.
Ravi: Bye Sameena, and thanks again.
Tess: So, are you going to give it a try Ravi? Might help you deal with some of that stress?
Ravi: It’s not a bad idea you know. My dad meditates, well he used to anyway – I remember seeing him when I was a kid. I don’t know if he still does though. I’ll have to ask him. I might ask him to give me some lessons next time I see him! That’ll be a big surprise for him.
Tess: Well yes. A calm, peaceful Ravi would be a big surprise for all of us.
Ravi: Ommmmm
Tess: OK. What about you listeners? Do any of you meditate? Or what would you like to tell us about? Write – or record – what you think and send it to us at learn English podcast at British Council dot org, that’s learnenglishpodcast - all one word – at - britishcouncil – all one word DOT org, that’s o-r-g. If we like it, we’ll stick it on the website.
Ravi: We should put some stuff up about mediation, too. Will you do that?
Tess: Yeah, OK. Remind me to do that later.

Section 3 – Quiz

Tess: Right, then. What’s next? The quiz. Ravi: Yep. And today we’ve got Davis on the line. Hello, Davis.

Davis: Hi Ravi.

Tess: Hiya
Davis: Hi Tess.
Ravi: Tell us a bit about yourself Davis. Where are you calling from?
Davis: I’m in London.
Ravi: Are you from London?

Davis: Yes, that’s right.
Tess: Like me. Which part of London?

Davis: Tottenham
Tess: Ah, OK. I’m from south London. Wimbledon.
Ravi: Do you support Tottenham then, Davis? Which football team do you support?
Davis: Nah, man, I support Arsenal.
Ravi: Oh dear. Well, I’ll forgive you. What do you do Davis?
Davis: I work in a market. Selling kitchen things.

Ravi: No market today then?
Davis: No, not today.
Ravi: Right then. You know how to play Hot Seat, don’t you?

Davis: Yeah.
Ravi: Tess has got the cards with the words on. She’ll give them to me and I’ll explain them to you and we’ll see how many we can get in a minute , OK?
Davis: OK
Ravi: But I don’t know what the topic is. Tess?

Tess: Right, I’ve got the cards here. I’ll give them to Ravi and he has to explain the words without using the words on the card. Are you both ready?
Ravi: Ready
Davis: OK
Tess: OK then today’s topic is ….. Places in an airport. Different things and places in an airport. Here are the cards Ravi. You’ve got one minute starting from ….NOW
Ravi: Agh! It’s the long road that planes take off from. The really long straight road. They land on it as well.
Davis: Runway?
Ravi: Yes. Oh no. Erm. The place you go to just before you get on the plane … erm …

Davis: Departure lounge
Ravi: No. “Could passengers travelling to Paris on Flight three seven two please go to hnn twenty one”
Davis: Gate!
Ravi: Yes. The first place you go to when you get to the airport.
Davis: The shops?
Ravi: No. You go there to put your bags in and they check your passport and ticket…

Davis: Passport control?
Ravi: No, before that. Erm .. … “Did you pack this bag yourself, sir?”
Davis: Check-in!
Ravi: Yes. Now what you said before. The place where you wait to get on the plane but before you go to the gate.
Davis: Departure lounge
Ravi: Yes. It’s a place. Where you go to pick up your suitcase when you get off the plane.
Davis: Oh, the thing that goes round.
Ravi: Yeah, that, but what’s the room called?

{buzzer sounds}

Davis: I don’t know it.
Ravi: It was baggage reclaim. Oh dear, we haven’t done very well there, have we? Sorry Davis. How many was that?
Tess: Runway … gate … check-in … departure lounge. Four.
Ravi: Eek. Sorry Davis. That was tough, wasn’t it?
Davis: You just can’t think when the clock’s ticking.
Ravi: I know. Listen, thanks for playing – we’ll find some things to send you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Davis: And you mate.
Tess: Bye Davis. And well done Ravi. Right. More to come. We’ll hear what some of you think about space exploration and we’ll catch up with Carolina after this.

Section 4: Your turn

Ravi: Right. Your Turn. This is the part of the podcast when we go out and ask different people what they think about something. Every podcast has a different question and this time it’s about space exploration – sending rockets and people into space. So, the big question is Do you think that space exploration is a waste of time and money?” Or is it a useful thing to do? Let’s hear what people think.
Voice 1: Er ... yeah, it’s a waste of time and money. There’s nothing out there ... er ... and that moon landing in the 60s, that was done in a studio in Hollywood.
Voice 2: I think that space exploration is a waste of money when you think about ... um ... poor people, climate change and disease.
Voice 3: Ah ... sometimes I think it’s a waste of money when, like, the big countries - America or Russia - they just compete for dominance of space, but when it’s used for scientific research that can improve ... um ... the equality of life on Earth, then I think it’s not money wasted.
Voice 4: No, I don’t think space exploration is a w… um ... we’d need to know what’s out there – we have to advance … there is obviously the argument though that mon... that money could be spent on cleaning up our own environment, and our own world, um ... but as I say we need to look forward, maybe our world won’t be here forever and we should be looking towards other places.
Voice 5: I don’t think space exploration is a waste of time and money ... um ... possibly in the future we might need space exploration and
the discoveries they’ve made more now than we ever realised ... new sources of energy or ... we don’t know where mankind is going to be in the future. I think space exploration is very
important.
Ravi: Do you know, when I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. I’d love to explore space.
Tess: Did you? I wanted to be a train driver.

Ravi: Well, maybe when you’re older.

Tess: Yes. Maybe. And we’d like to know what you, the listeners think too. Send us your opinions.

Section 5: Carolina

Tess: Time now to see what’s happening with Carolina. You remember that Carolina is a student from Venezuela who’s studying in Newcastle in the north of England.
Ravi: It’s not just study though – we’ve heard about Carolina going shopping, cooking and enjoying university life with her new boyfriend, Jamie. Let’s find out what she’s doing this time…

Outside the house

Jamie: Well here we are then – My home. The family mansion.
Carolina: Oh, is this the house? I’m a bit nervous Jamie.

Jamie: Don’t be silly.

{doorbell – door opens}

Mary: Hellooo! {hugs and kisses Jamie}
Jamie: This is Carolina, mum …
Mary: Hello Carolina. It’s lovely to meet you.

Carolina: Hello. Um... it’s nice to meet you too. Mary: Did you have a good journey?
Carolina: Oh yes, thank you. The train was a bit late, but it was fine. We got a bus from the station. It was easy.
Mary: Doug! They’re here! Come on in before we die of cold. Doug! They’re here!

{dog barking}

Jamie: Hello Ernie! Hello, who’s a good boy then?
Doug: Hello, hello, hello. You’re here then. All right Jamie?
Jamie: Dad.
Doug: And this must be Carolina.

Carolina: Yes, hello, pleased to …… oh, …..
Mary: Get down Ernie! Ernie! I hope you like dogs Carolina.
Carolina: Well, I, um ….. . I don’t know really…
Mary: He won’t hurt you. He just wants to give you a kiss. Get down Ernie! Doug, put him in the kitchen.
Doug: Righty ho. Come on Ernie.
Mary: Now let me take your bags upstairs.

Carolina: Oh no, no. I can take mine. It isn’t heavy.
Jamie: I’ll take them. Go on mum. You lead the way. Carolina’s in the spare room I suppose?

Mary: And you’re in this room Carolina. Carolina: How nice. I love the colour. And what pretty curtains too.
Mary: I’m glad you like it. We don’t use this room very often.

Carolina: I think it’s lovely.

Mary: Now, I’ve put some towels out for you – here they are on the bed. And we turned the radiator on in here this morning so it should be nice and warm for you.
Carolina: Oh thank you. That’s very kind of you. I’m sure I’ll be very comfortable. Thank you very much for inviting me.
Mary: Not at all. It’s lovely to have you here. Now you unpack your bag and I’ll go down and put the kettle on for a nice cup of tea. The bathroom’s next door if you want to wash your hands…

{knock at door}

Jamie: Can I come in?

Carolina: Yes
Jamie: OK?
Carolina: Oh yes, I’m OK. Your mother’s really nice.
Jamie: Ready to go downstairs?

Carolina: Yes.
Jamie: Come on then. Mum’s making a cup of tea. My family drinks tea all the time.
Carolina: OK. So … let’s go then.

Mary: Here you are Carolina. A nice cup of tea.

Carolina: Thank you Mrs Lawrence.
Mary: Oh no. Call me Mary. Mary and Doug. We’re not formal in this house are we Jamie?
Jamie: Mum, Carolina drinks tea without milk.
Carolina: No, no, it’s OK Jamie. I can drink it with milk.
Doug: No, let’s get you another.
Carolina: Well OK, if it isn’t too much trouble. Thank you.
Mary: Don’t be silly. It’s no trouble at all. I’ll just go and get another cup.
Carolina: Aargh!
Doug: Get down Ernie! You let the dog in Mary! Ernie! Down! Leave her alone! He’s just being friendly.
Jamie: I’ll put him back in the kitchen.

Carolina: It’s OK. I don’t mind.
Jamie: Come on Ernie. Kitchen.
Doug: So Carolina. What do you think of this country of ours? A bit cold for you is it?
Carolina: I like it. It’s very different from Venezuela, but I like it here. And the people are very friendly.
Doug: Well that’s good.
Mary: Here you are Carolina.
Carolina: Thank you very much. … You’ve got a lovely house.
Mary: Well thank you. It’s nothing grand but we like it.
Carolina: How long have you lived here?
Mary: Since we got married, that’ll be what, twenty-five years nearly is it Doug?
Doug: Aye. Twenty-five years in April.
Carolina: So Jamie was born here?
Mary: That’s right. He’s lived here all his life, haven’t you love?
Jamie: Yep.
Mary: He’s still got some of his old toys in his room, hasn’t he Doug?
Carolina: Really?
Doug: Oh aye. Won’t let us throw them out. All his old toy cars. And Mr Potter the panda’s still there.
Mary: That’s right. Mr Potter the panda. But Jamie couldn’t say Mr Potter – he could only say Po Po – so it was Po Po panda. Do you remember Jamie?
Carolina: Mr Po Po panda?
Jamie: Oh god! Stop it all of you. Let’s change the subject. How’s work going dad? Been busy recently?

Ravi: Ah. What a nightmare. Poor Jamie. But, you know, it must be getting serious now. Carolina met Jamie’s parents.
Tess: Yes. Isn’t it nice? Ahhhh.

Section 6: The Joke

Tess: Well, I think that’s about all we’ve got time for on this podcast ..
Ravi: No, hang on a minute. I’ve got another joke for you.
Tess: I hoped you’d forget.
Ravi: I think you’ll like this one, Tess.

Tess: OK. Let’s hear it.
Ravi: OK. A man …..
Tess: A man? Oh? Not a dog? A duck? A frog?

Ravi: Definitely a man – I told you – not all of my jokes are animal jokes. Right. A man goes up to the ticket desk at the airport. The ticket clerk says ‘Good morning, sir. Can I help you?’ and the man says ‘Good morning. I’d like a ticket to Tokyo, please. And I’d like you to send my luggage to New York”. Well, the ticket clerk looks surprised and says “You want us to put you on a plane to Tokyo and send your luggage on a plane to New York?”. “Yes, that’s right” says the man. “I’m very sorry sir but we can’t do that – it’s impossible.” The man says “Well, I don’t understand why it’s so difficult. That’s exactly what you did last time”.

Tess: I lost my bag at an airport once you know.
Ravi: You’ll have to save that story for another time Tess. That’s all we’ve got time for today. Remember, the address for anything that you want to send us is learnenglishpodcast@britishcouncil.org. But don’t go away, listeners. Tom the teacher will be here in a moment to talk about learning English and some of the language you heard on the podcast – {pause} – and we’ll be back next time. Bye!

Tess: Bye!

Tom the teacher

Tom: Hi, I’m Tom. I’m here at the end of every podcast to talk about some of the language you heard in the programme, and to talk about ways to help you learn English. Today I want to talk about the word ‘too’. Listen to Carolina meeting Jamie’s mother, Mary. See how Carolina uses ‘too’.

Mary: Hello Carolina. It’s lovely to meet you. Carolina: Hello. Um… it’s nice to meet you too.

Tom: We can use ‘too’ to mean ‘as well’. I’m sure you know this already. If someone says “I really like chocolate”, you can say “Me too!” – you have the same opinion. This use of ‘too’ is easy. But some learners have problems with a different way to use ‘too’. Listen to Tess talking about why she doesn’t listen to podcasts. How
does she use ‘too’?

Tess: No, not really. I’m too busy with my social networking site to have time for podcasts. Honestly, sometimes I think I spend too much time on the computer.

Tom: She says “I’m too busy to have time for podcasts” and then she says “I think I spend too much time on the computer”. ‘Too’ here means more than you want – more than is good. If you say that you spend too much time on the computer, you mean that you think it’s a bad thing. You think that you should spend less time on the computer. Listen to another example. Sameena is talking about why she started doing meditation. Listen for ‘too’.

Sameena: Well I started doing it about three years ago. I was very stressed with exams and I was working too hard. So a friend told me about meditation. 

Tom: Yes, she says “I was working too hard”. She means she was working hard, more than was good for her.
Tom: Now let’s look at the difference between ‘too’ and ‘very’. Some learners find this difficult. Listen to Carolina talking to Jamie’s father about life in Britain. Listen to ‘very’.

Doug: So Carolina. What do you think of this country of ours? A bit cold for you is it?

Carolina: I like it. It’s very different from Venezuela, but I like it here.

Tom: She says Britain is very different from Venezuela – but she likes it. Now imagine she says “Britain is too different from Venezuela”. ‘Too’ gives the idea that she doesn’t like Britain – that she’s unhappy, because it’s ‘too different’ – the difference isn’t a good thing. And that isn’t what she wanted to say. Let me give you another example. I can say “My house is very small”. OK, my house is small, but maybe I like small houses! ‘Very’ can be good or bad. But if I say “My house is too small” then you know that I’m not happy with my house – that I’d like to have a bigger one. Listen to one more example. Jamie’s mother is going to get Carolina another cup of tea. Listen to what Carolina says.

Carolina: Well OK, if it isn’t too much trouble. Thank you.

Tom: We use ‘If it isn’t too much trouble’ a lot – when we want to be polite. You can use it when someone offers to help you. Now I want to talk about something to help you learn and remember vocabulary. Do you remember the quiz? All of the words were places in an airport. Listen.

Ravi: Erm. The place you go to just before you get on the plane … erm …

Davis: Departure lounge

Ravi: No. “Could passengers travelling to Paris on Flight three seven two please go to hnn twenty one”

Davis: Gate!

Ravi: Yes.

Tom: You can do this too. When you’re in a place, maybe an airport, or a train station, or a cinema, or a supermarket – try to name everything that you see in English. Or imagine that you’re in a place – and imagine what you can see around you. Make a note of the things that you don’t know and then try to find out how to say them in English. Ask your teacher, or a friend, or find the word in a bilingual dictionary. A bilingual dictionary is useful when you want to know the names of things. You can use the
internet for finding translations of words too. Or you can buy very good picture dictionaries nowadays. See what you can find. And if you’re in a place with a friend you can play a game together. At the airport you can say “I can see something beginning with ‘R’ – and your friend can say ‘runway!’. Try it – it’s good for your vocabulary. Now for something different. This isn’t really about language, but it’s important if you go to Britain. It’s about what we do when we meet people for the first time. What people do in Britain may be different from what you do in your country. Listen to Carolina when she meets Jamie's mother for the first time.

{doorbell – door opens}

Mary: Hellooo! {hugs and kisses Jamie}

Jamie: This is Carolina, mum …

Mary: Hello Carolina. It’s lovely to meet you.

Carolina: Hello. Um… it’s nice to meet you too.

Tom: Mary kisses Jamie, but she doesn’t kiss Carolina. In some countries, people kiss when they meet people for the first time. But we don’t usually do this in Britain. When you meet someone it’s polite to say “Hello” or “Nice to meet you”. In more formal situations, you can shake hands too. But most British people don’t kiss. Some British people kiss people that they know well – their friends and family – when they say “hello” or “goodbye”. But not all British people. So it’s probably better not to kiss until someone offers to kiss you! And now for a phrase that you can use this week. Listen again to Tess talking about spending too much time on her computer. Listen to Ravi’s answer.

Tess: Honestly, sometimes I think I spend too much time on the computer.

Ravi: I know what you mean. It’s easy to spend hours and hours on the internet just looking at different things.

Tom: Ravi says “I know what you mean”. He sometimes does the same thing himself so he understands what she’s saying. He agrees with her. If someone says “I didn’t enjoy the English class today”, you can say “I know what you mean. It was a bit boring wasn’t it?“ But of course, I hope you don’t think your English classes are boring! Anyway, try to use “I know what you mean” this week.

OK. I’m going to stop there. I’ll talk to you all again next time. Remember you can write to me about any language that you noticed in this podcast. The address is learnenglishpodcastATbritishcouncilDOT org. In a moment you’ll hear the address for the website where you can read everything you’ve heard in this podcast. You can also find some practice exercises to do online and a support pack that you can print. Right. That’s all for this time. Bye for now! See you next time.

Check your understanding

MultipleSelection_MTEw.xml

Tess and Ravi

Practise the language you heard in Tess and Ravi’s introduction [00:22].

Task 1

ReorderingVertical_MTEy.xml

Task 2

ReorderingVertical_MTEz.xml

Task 3

ReorderingVertical_MTE0.xml

Carolina

Practise the language you heard in the soap opera about Carolina [14:10].

Task 1

GapFillDragAndDrop_MTE4.xml

Task 2

MultipleSelection_MTIw.xml

Tom the teacher

Practise the language you heard in Tom the teacher’s summary [21:31].

Task 1

TrueOrFalse_MTIy.xml

Task 2

MultipleChoice_MTIz.xml

Discussion

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Language level

Average: 4.7 (7 votes)

Submitted by Lucy Heartfilia on Tue, 17/09/2019 - 07:38

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I don't think space exploration is a total waste of money. Because as a superior race, it is our duty to know more about our universe if it's within our capabilities. We should know about the universe we live in and everything in it. And maybe by doing so, if our planet becomes inhabitable due to our harmful activities, we can maybe found a new planet to live. It's exciting, isn't it?

Submitted by Dmevko on Wed, 27/02/2019 - 16:14

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Hi! At the end of the first section Tess says "Well done. Shall we get on with it, then?". What does 'get on' mean there? What another verb can I use for asking the question? In the 5th section Doug says "What do you think of this country of ours?". Why does he say 'of this country of ours' rather than 'about our country'? Is there any distinction between two these phrases, Thanks!
Profile picture for user Kirk Moore

Submitted by Kirk Moore on Thu, 28/02/2019 - 07:45

In reply to by Dmevko

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Hello Dmevko

'to get on with something' means to continue doing something, that is, to start doing it after a pause or interruption. You could also say 'move on' or 'get back to' in many cases.

There is no difference in meaning between 'of this country of ours' and 'about our country'. Saying it the first way could mean you really want to know what the person you are speaking to will say, but the meaning is exactly the same.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

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Submitted by Ethel on Sat, 16/02/2019 - 13:11

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Hello! I get up early, I go out running -or just walking, it depends- and when I return home, I listen to the podcast in my comfortable armchair. I enjoy learning something new. Regarding the second question, I do not know much about space exploration ... Technological advances are a good thing, although perhaps we humans must protect each other first.

Submitted by LuisFernando on Tue, 29/01/2019 - 20:33

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Hi. Can someone tell me how I can download the audio? Thanks.
Hi Luis, just right click on top of the audio and select "Save audio as" I hope you can, i did it. Jocey Ricardo

Submitted by fidaasiddig on Wed, 16/01/2019 - 16:16

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Hello every one,is there any teacher or a member in this site i could practice my English with or recommend other site ,I will be grateful thanks in advance

Hello fidasiddig,

I'm afraid that is not a service we offer. You can use the comments sections to 'talk' to other users by replying to their comments, of course, but we do not have a chat facility.

As far as other sites go, there are many forums and chatrooms available on the internet. We don't recommend any, however, as the British Council has a policy of neutrality with regard to other organisations, especially commercial organisations.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Profile picture for user Sergey Sh

Submitted by Sergey Sh on Thu, 06/12/2018 - 06:58

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Hello again! Asking the question when I usually listen to the podcast, I’d say everywhere I am but I always re-listen to when I’m home to find out I’ve got every word and phrase or idiom understood and to fill in all the gapes. At home I use my laptop staying on the website while listening and I always keep a Cambridge dictionary page opened in case of I run into something I don’t know about. I do some notes when have a deal with unknown stuff and try repeating it every day then. There is a new podcast, called “Writing home” which I find to be not available to get from the web site. You can listen to it using an app on smartphone. But it’s ok, it isn’t so big podcast for me to be necessary to use computer monitor, cause of my eyes can get tired. About space exploration. I agree with some mention that when it gets into a race for space domination like between USA and Russia it’s definitely wasting the money, but in case of science purposes, I think it’s really useful for us cause that explorations make us more advanced in of how the world works. There is a lot of things being not explained or having poor explorations and based on nothing. These gaps are not about cosmic space. There are many things about our own planet that we don’t know. Many the processes in space can be related with ones on Earth and on the contrary. Plus who don’t agree with affirmation that now we can forecast the weather or have powerful internet signal, having satellites being out of Earth. Now I’d like to ask my question about verb “to put out”. In a course of Carolina section in point of 16.20, Jamie’s mother said her “I’ve put some towels out for you – here they are on the bed”. She said it when they both were in Carolina’s new room, so the towels could be put in the room but not out. Out from?

Hello Sergey.

'Put out [something for someone]' is a phrasal verb. These verbs can have both literal and idiomatic meanings, so it's not always possible to work out the meaning from its constituent parts. However, there are a lot of online dictionaries you can use. For example:

https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/put-out_1#put-out_1__6

https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/put-out

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team