Powerful Podcasts for English Fluency | Episode 11
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of EnglishPod, hosts Marco and Erica introduce learners to the art of small talk, focusing on everyday conversations with acquaintances or strangers. They dissect a dialogue between two characters, highlighting phrases like 'barely even,' 'did you catch,' 'by the way,' and 'take the stairs.' The hosts explain the usage of these phrases in context, providing examples to enhance understanding. The lesson aims to equip English learners with practical language skills for engaging in small talk, emphasizing the importance of such interactions in daily life.
Takeaways
- 😀 The podcast 'English Pod' provides English lessons for learners at different levels, focusing on everyday language.
- 🗣️ The episode emphasizes the importance of 'small talk', which are brief conversations with people you don't know well.
- 👂 The dialogue in the podcast is designed to be fast-paced to mimic real-life conversations, but it's slowed down for easier understanding.
- 🏙️ The script includes a dialogue set in an elevator, highlighting common small talk topics like the weather and news.
- 🧩 The term 'barely even' is introduced as a phrase used to emphasize the difficulty of an action, similar to 'almost couldn't'.
- 📰 'Catch' is used in the context of hearing or seeing something, like news or a game, and can be applied in various scenarios.
- 🔔 'By the way' is a phrase used to introduce a new or unrelated topic in the middle of a conversation.
- 🏢 The dialogue includes a humorous misunderstanding about a daughter being mistaken for a wife, illustrating the potential pitfalls of small talk.
- 🏋️♂️ 'Take the stairs' is a phrase that means to go up the stairs, not to take them somewhere else, and is used in the context of leaving the elevator.
- 📈 The podcast offers language patterns for small talk, such as 'It sure is [adjective]', which can be used to emphasize a point.
- 🤝 The phrase 'Yeah, it's [adjective] all right' is used to agree with a statement made by someone else during small talk.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the English Pod lesson discussed in the transcript?
-The main topic of the English Pod lesson is 'Small Talk', which refers to casual conversations with people you don't know well.
How does the dialogue in the lesson start?
-The dialogue starts with a greeting and a comment on the weather, specifically how cold it is in the morning.
What is the meaning of the phrase 'barely even' as used in the lesson?
-The phrase 'barely even' is used to emphasize that something is almost to the point of not happening, similar to 'almost couldn't' or 'almost nothing'.
What does the term 'catch' mean in the context of the dialogue?
-In the dialogue, 'catch' is used to ask if someone has heard or seen something, like news or an event.
How is the phrase 'by the way' used in the conversation?
-The phrase 'by the way' is used to introduce a new point or topic that may or may not be related to the current conversation.
What does 'take the stairs' mean in the dialogue?
-In the dialogue, 'take the stairs' means to physically go up the stairs, not to take them somewhere else.
What is the purpose of the 'Language Takeaway' section in the lesson?
-The 'Language Takeaway' section provides key words and phrases from the dialogue, explaining their meanings and usage in everyday conversations.
How does the dialogue demonstrate the use of the phrase 'it sure is'?
-The dialogue uses 'it sure is' to emphasize agreement with a statement, such as 'it sure is cold this morning'.
What is the function of the phrase 'did you happen to' in the dialogue?
-The phrase 'did you happen to' is used to inquire if someone has done something by chance, like 'did you happen to watch the football game?'
What is the significance of the character Mr. Anderson leaving the elevator in a hurry?
-Mr. Anderson leaving the elevator in a hurry signifies that he did not want to continue the conversation and found it annoying.
How does the lesson encourage learners to practice small talk?
-The lesson encourages learners to practice small talk by providing patterns and structures for common conversation starters and responses.
Outlines
🗣️ Introduction to Small Talk
The video script introduces an English lesson focused on small talk, a type of conversation that occurs between acquaintances or strangers. The hosts, Marco and Erica, emphasize the practicality of small talk for everyday use. They provide a dialogue example featuring a conversation in an elevator, highlighting common phrases and expressions used in small talk. The dialogue includes discussions about the weather, current events, and personal comments, which are typical small talk topics. The hosts also mention that they will dissect the language used in the dialogue to help learners understand and apply it.
📚 Language Takeaway and Small Talk Patterns
In this section, the hosts break down the language used in the dialogue into key phrases and expressions. They explain the use of 'barely even' to express the difficulty of an action, similar to 'almost couldn't.' The phrase 'did you catch' is introduced as a way to inquire if someone heard or saw something. 'By the way' is explained as a phrase to introduce a new, possibly unrelated topic. Lastly, 'take the stairs' is clarified to mean the act of physically going up the stairs, not metaphorically taking them somewhere. The hosts also provide patterns for starting small talk, such as using 'it sure is' followed by an adjective to make a statement and 'yeah, it's' to agree, as well as 'did you happen to' to inquire about chance occurrences. They encourage learners to listen to the dialogue again to better understand these phrases in context.
🎧 Audio Review and Vocabulary Practice
The final part of the script is an audio review where learners are encouraged to listen to the dialogue at a faster pace to practice catching the phrases discussed. The hosts list the key vocabulary and phrases, such as 'it sure is' for affirmation, 'barely even' for expressing difficulty, 'did you happen to' for chance occurrences, and 'by the way' for introducing new topics. They provide examples of how to use these phrases in sentences, reinforcing the lesson's objectives. The script ends with a prompt for learners to visit the EnglishPod website for more lessons and resources, and to engage with the hosts by leaving comments.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Small Talk
💡Barely Even
💡Catch
💡By the Way
💡Take the Stairs
💡It Sure Is
💡Barely Even Got Out of Bed
💡Did You Happen To
💡Patriots
💡Christmas Party
Highlights
Introduction to the English lesson focused on small talk for elementary learners.
Definition of small talk as conversations with people you don't know well.
Dialogue example demonstrating a small talk scenario in an elevator.
Use of 'barely even' to express something was almost not possible.
Explanation of 'catch' as in hearing or understanding something.
Introduction of 'by the way' as a phrase to introduce a new, possibly unrelated topic.
Clarification that 'take the stairs' means to go up the stairs on foot.
Slowed-down dialogue to help learners catch phrases more easily.
Pattern 'It sure is [adjective]' for emphasizing a statement.
Response pattern 'Yeah, it's [adjective] all right' to agree with a statement.
Use of 'did you happen to' for asking if something was done by chance.
Third listening of the dialogue to reinforce understanding.
Encouragement for learners to apply the language in their daily lives.
Promotion of the Englishpod website for additional learning resources.
Invitation for learners to leave comments and engage with the hosts.
Farewell and sign-off for the episode.
Transcripts
[Music]
hello English Learners welcome back to
English pod my name is Marco and I'm
Erica and we're bringing you another
great Elementary lesson for all our
elementary Learners you know what Marco
I think this lesson is so useful this is
language that you can actually use every
single day exactly every day exactly
because today we're going to be teaching
you small talk so what is Small Talk
well small talk is small conversations
that you would have with people that you
don't know very well but you still want
to be plight yes right and you want to
maybe just chat a little bit okay so
let's listen to our dialogue and as
always it's going to be a little bit
fast but don't worry about it cuz we'll
come back in a minute and help you with
some of the difficult
[Music]
language morning hi there Mr Anderson
how are you in this fine morning fine
thank you it sure is cold this morning
isn't it I barely even got out of bed
yeah it's pretty cold all right did you
catch the news this morning I heard that
there was a fire in Byron Street no I
didn't hear about that did you happen to
watch the football game last night the
Patriots scored in the last minute no I
don't like football oh oh by the way I
saw you with your daughter at the office
Christmas party she's really beautiful
she's my wife oh here's my floor nice
talking to you goodbye oh sir this is
the 56th floor we're on the 70th that's
okay I'll take the
stairs okay I think this guy was a
little bit annoying yeah Mr Anderson
really didn't want to talk to him did he
yeah I think that was pretty obvious he
left the elevator in a hurry okay let's
take a look at our language today in
language
takeaway language
takeaway all right what do we have today
in language takeaway well we've got four
words and phrases and our first one is
bar even barely even barely even so how
do we use barely even it's a little bit
difficult it's really similar to like
almost couldn't or almost nothing or
almost can't so we use it usually in a
negative sense for example I could say I
was so busy today I could barely even
eat my lunch okay so I can maybe say it
was so dark I could barely even see yeah
okay yeah or I'm so poor I can barely
even pay my rent okay good barely even
mhm all right let's take a look at our
next one catch catch catch did you catch
the news so by did you catch the news
you mean did you hear the news exactly
so how else can we use this did you
catch a really common one is I didn't
catch your name yeah I didn't hear your
name I didn't hear your name yeah and we
can also say I didn't catch what he said
I didn't catch what he said yeah so I
didn't hear y okay let's look at our
next word by the way by the way by the
way by the way okay so let's listen to
some examples first of how we can use by
the way and then we'll come back and
talk more about it example
one are you going to be at the meeting
today yeah I'll be there oh by the way
did you hear what happened
today example two
by the way I almost forgot to tell you
Maggie
C okay so I see that when we say by the
way um we're introducing a point after
we've already talked about something
exactly and maybe it's not even related
to the topic we were talking about no
it's a different topic different topic
right it's like saying oh I almost
forgot to tell you exactly so I like oh
Erica don't forget we have a meeting
today oh and by the way I like your new
haircut thanks Marco all right see
that's the way you would use by the way
okay and our last word on language
takeway take the stairs take the stairs
take the stairs take the stairs so it
doesn't mean you're going to take them
somewhere or no no no you're not taking
them home with you it means you're going
to go up the stairs mhm okay so take the
stairs yes a lot of people might say use
the stairs or go up the stairs but our
English pod Learners they know right to
use take the stairs y take the stairs
okay so now we're ready to listen to our
dialogue again we're going to slow it
down a little bit and this will help you
to catch these phrases a little bit
[Music]
better
morning hi there Mr Anderson how are you
on this fine morning fine thank you it
sure is cold this morning isn't it I
barely even got out of bed yeah it's
pretty cold all right did you catch the
news this morning I heard that there was
a fire in Byron Street no I didn't hear
about that did you happen to watch the
football game last night the Patriots
scored in the last minute no I don't
like football oh oh by the way I saw you
with your daughter at the office
Christmas party she's really beautiful
she's my wife
oh here's my floor nice talking to you
goodbye oh sir this is the 56th floor
we're on the 70th that's okay I'll take
the
stairs okay so now let's take a look at
ways to start up some small talk in
putting it
together putting it
together so Marco today we've got some
great patterns or structures that you
can use uh in in your small talk yeah
exactly we saw some great patterns let's
start with the first one it sure is cold
this morning it sure is cold it sure is
cold it sure is cold okay so we can
change it up a little bit and say it
sure is hot mhm or it sure is late okay
this sure is interesting mhm or you
could say he sure is smart so basically
you can change the adjective cold hot
smart hard
and when you say sure is uh this is a
great way of emphasizing that you
believe this adjective to be true okay
it sure is now what would be the answer
to this well in the dialogue uh Mr
Anderson said yeah it's pretty cold all
right it's pretty cold all right it's
pretty cold all right so again using the
examples we used before we can say oh
it's pretty hot all right mhm or it's
pretty late all right or he's pretty
smart all right mhm or this is pretty
interesting all right so it means you're
agreeing with that person exactly okay
great so Marco these things it sure is
blank and yeah it's blank all right
these can go together really well can't
they yeah as a question and answer
format they go well so why don't we
listen to some examples of how these two
phrases work together example
one it sure is a nice day today yeah
it's nicer
right example
two the bus is sure late today yeah it's
late all
right example
three this class is really hard yeah
it's hard all
right okay so now let's take a look at
our next word in putting it together did
you happen to did you happen to did you
happen to did you happen to did you
happen to see Bob this morning I didn't
happen to see Bob so it means like like
did you by chance by chance did you by
chance see Bob or something yeah okay
another example would be did you happen
to go to that restaurant I recommended M
or maybe do you happen to have a pen do
you happen to know where the bathroom is
yeah that's a really useful one that's a
useful one that's basically how you
would use this structure did you happen
to do you happen to so now let's listen
to our dialogue for the third time and
I'm sure that you'll be able to
understand
[Music]
everything morning hi there Mr Anderson
how are you in this fine morning fine
thank you it sure is cold this morning
isn't it I barely even got out of bed
yeah it's pretty cold all right did you
catch the news this morning I heard that
there was a fire in Byron Street no I
didn't hear about that did you happen to
watch the football game last night the
Patriots scored in the last minute no I
don't like football oh oh by the way I
saw you with your daughter at the office
Christmas party she's really beautiful
she's my wife oh here's my floor nice
talking to you goodbye oh sir this is
the 56th floor we're on the 70th that's
okay I'll take the stairs
all right Marco that was a really useful
dialogue for daily life wasn't it yeah I
think you can find a lot of useful
language there and that you can apply
tomorrow yeah well speaking of useful
things let's talk a little bit about our
website yeah be sure to go to our
website at englishpod ccom where you can
find other lessons as well maybe you're
an intermediate student or Advanced yes
so we've got intermediate Advanced Upper
Intermediate lessons on our website and
a lot of other resources that you can
explore so be sure to to our website and
leave all your comments because Erica
and I are always there and we're really
happy to answer all of your questions
okay everyone well we're out of time but
until next time
[Music]
goodbye the English pod audio
review listen to the meaning then say
the vocabulary
word affirmation or confirmation of
something
it sure
is hardly could almost
not barely
even here listen
to
catch by chance uh someone did
something did you happen
to phrase used to interject another
Topic in a conversation
by the
way go up the stairs use the
stairs take the
stairs let's try that
faster affirmation or confirmation of
something it sure is hardly could almost
not barely even affirmation or
confirmation of something it sure is
hardly could almost not barely
even by chance uh someone did something
did you happen to affirmation or
confirmation of something it sure is
here listen to catch affirmation or
confirmation of something it sure is by
chance uh someone did something did you
happen
to phrase used to in project another
Topic in a
conversation by the
way now say the word and hear it in a
sentence by the
way by the way did you get my
message
catch I'm sorry but I didn't catch your
name by the
way by the way did you get my message
[Music]
Weitere ähnliche Videos ansehen
English Learning Podcast Conversation Episode 10 | Elementary | Easy Podcast For Learning English
English Learning Podcast Conversation Episode 3 | Elementary | Podcast To Improve English Speaking
Learning Conversation English | Business | Episode 12
English Learning Podcast Conversation Episode 8 | Elementary | Podcast To Improve English Listening
English Learning Podcast Conversation | Episode 47: Just In Time Strategy
English Learning Podcast Conversation Episode 19 | Beginners | Season 2
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)