English vocabulary.docx
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English vocabulary.docx
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Englishvocabulary
BritainhasanewPoetLaureate.Already,Ihearyouasking,“Whatishetalkingabout?
Weknowwhatapoetis–itissomeonewhowritespoetry.Butwhatisthis‘laureate’thing?
”
YoumayknowthattheancientGreeksusedtoplaceacrownmadeoflaurelleavesontheheadofsomeoneasaveryspecialhonour.Laurelisatypeofbush,withsweet-smellingleaves.Normallynowdayswecallit‘bay’,andweusebayleavesasaflavouringincooking.So,thatistheliteralmeaningof‘laureate’–‘crownedwithlaurelleaves,asasignofspecialhonour’.
Sinceaboutthe17thcentury,Englishkingsandqueenshaveappointedapoetastheirown,special,privatepoet.Thekingpaidthepoetasmallsalary,andthepoetwrotepoemsforspecialroyaloccasions,likebirthsormarriagesintheroyalfamily.Thepoetappointedbythekingbecameknownasthepoetlaureate.Overtheyears,someveryfamousEnglishpoetshavebeenappointedaspoetslaureate–WilliamWordsworth,forexample,andAlfredLordTennyson.Thelatestpoetlaureatehasrecentlyretired,andtheQueen,advisedbythePrimeMinister,hasjustappointedanewone.NeitherourQueennorourPrimeMinisterknowverymuchaboutpoetry.Buttheyhavemadeaverygoodandpopularchoiceforthenewpoetlaureate.
HernameisCarolAnnDuffyandsheisthefirstwomantoholdthepositionofpoetlaureate.Herpoetryissimpleanddirect,andeasytounderstand.Perhapsforthatreason,pupilsinmanyEnglishschoolsstudyherpoems.Recently,indeed,therewascontroversyaboutoneofherpoems–itisapoemaboutthefeelingsofanangryyoungmanwhowantstokillanddestroythings.Thefirstfewlinesare:
TodayIamgoingtokillsomething.Anything.IhavehadenoughofbeingignoredandtodayIamgoingtoplayGod.
Somepeoplearguedthatreadingthepoemwouldmakesomeyoungpeoplepickupaknifeandgoandkillsomeone.OneoftheorganisationswhichrunsschoolexamsinEnglandevenaskedschoolstodestroycopiesofthepoem.Thisisridiculous,ofcourse.Peoplekillbecausetheyareveryangryinside,notbecausetheyhavereadapoem.Also,asCarolAnnDuffyherselfpointedout,Shakespeare’splaysarefullofangryyoungmenwhomurderotherpeople.ShouldwebanShakespeare’splaysinschools?
HereisoneofCarolAnnDuffy’spoems.Itisalovepoem–butaratherunusualone.Sheisgoingtogiveherloveapresent–apresentthatrepresentslove.Andwhatisthepresent?
Anonion!
Listen.
Notaredroseorasatinheart.
Igiveyouanonion.
Itisamoonwrappedinbrownpaper.
Itpromiseslight
likethecarefulundressingoflove.
Here.
Itwillblindyouwithtears
likealover.
Itwillmakeyourreflection
awobblingphotoofgrief.
Iamtryingtobetruthful.
Notacutecardorkissogram.
Igiveyouanonion.
Itsfiercekisswillstayonyourlips,
possessiveandfaithful
asweare,
foraslongasweare.
Takeit.
Itsplatinumloopsshrinktoaweddingring,
ifyoulike.
Lethal.
Itsscentwillclingtoyourfingers,
clingtoyourknife.
Parade
2Withouthesitation,repetitionordeviation
Apr29,2009
ClementFreud.Artworkbymediamolecule/flickr
Twoweeksago,amancalledClementFreuddied.Hewas84yearsold.Hewasaremarkableman,andverywell-knownandlikedinBritain.Hemadeuslaugh,andIthoughtIwouldmakeashortpodcastabouthim.
ClementwasborninBerlininGermany.HisfatherwasanarchitectandhisgrandfatherwasthefamouspsychologistSigmundFreud.HiselderbrotheristhefamousartistLucianFreud.Clement’sfamilywereJewish,andtheyleftGermanyin1933whenHitlercametopower,andmovedtoLondon.ClementwenttoschoolinLondon,eventhoughatfirsthespokehardlyanyEnglish.Whenheleftschool,hebecameanapprenticecookinthekitchensofoneofLondon’sgrandesthotels.
ThatwasthestartofClement’sfirstcareer.Howmanycareersdomostpeoplehave?
Manypeople–perhapsmostpeople–dothesamesortofworkforthewholeoftheirworkinglives.Theyareateacher,orafarmer,oranengineer,oradriver,oracivilservant.ClementFreudhadfivedifferentcareers.
First,heworkedinrestaurants.Helearntaboutgoodfoodandgoodcooking.Heopenedhisownnightclub.
Second,hebecameawriter.Hewrotebooksforchildren.Hewrotebooksaboutfood.(WeBritish,asyouknow,donotunderstandhowtocookproperly,butwelovebooksandTVprogrammesaboutfood.)Formanyyears,hewrotearticlesfornewspapers,aboutfood,sportandlifeingeneral.hewasparticularlykeenonhorseracing.
Third,ClementFreudwentintoadvertising.Headvertiseddogfood,inaseriesofTVadsinthe1960sand1970s.Theadvertisementsbecameclassics,andmostpeoplewhowerealiveandwatchedTVatthattimerememberthem.Thereisalinktooneonthewebsite,andatranscript.Hisco-starwasadogcalledHenry.ClementandHenrylookedveryalike–theybothhadlongfacesandamournfulexpression.
ClementFreudandHenryinoneoftheirTVads.Clementistheoneontheright.
Fourth,ClementFreudbecameapolitician.HesurprisedeveryoneexcepthimselfbywinningaseatinParliamentfortheLiberalParty.HeremainedanMPfor14years.
Andfifth,hebecameaverywell-knownradiopersonality.Forover40years,heappearedregularlyonaBBCradiogamecalledJustaMinute.
TherulesofJustaMinutearesimple.Thecontestantsareeachgivenasubjectandimmediatelytheyhavetotalkaboutit,foraminute.Easy,youmaysay.Anyonecoulddothat.However,theyhavetotalkwithouthesitation,repetitionordeviation.“Nohesitation”meansthatyouarenotallowedtostopandsay“um–er”whenyoucannotthinkwhattosaynext.“Norepetition”meansthatyouarenotallowedtousethesamewordtwice.And“nodeviation”meansthatyoumuststicktothesubject,youarenotallowedtotalkaboutsomethingelse.Ifyouhesitate,orrepeat,ordeviate,oneoftheothercontestantswillchallengeyou,andifthechairmanagreeswiththechallenge,theothercontestanttakesupthesubjectandtriestotalk–withouthesitation,repetitionordeviation–fortherestoftheminute.
Itreallyisverydifficulttospeakwithouthesitation,repetitionordeviationforawholeminute.Tryitsometime!
YoucouldeventryitinEnglish!
Quiz-wordswhichendin"-tion":
OneofClementFreud'sdog-foodadvertisements:
Transcriptoftheadvertisement:
3Help-thehensareonthepointoftakingovertheworld.
Apr23,2009
Theflowerisonthepointofopening.PhotobyDezz/flickr
Iamsorryithasbeensolongsincemylastpodcast.Thankyoutoallofyouwhosentmee-mailstoaskwhathadhappenedandwhenwouldmynextpodcastbe.No.Iamnotill.No,Iamnotdead.No,Iamnotboredwithpodcasting.No,Ihavenotrunawaywithabeautifulblondemodel40yearsyoungerthanme.Ihavesimplybeenbusy.
Inthelastpodcast,Itoldyouaboutmyhens.IamwatchingthemasIwritethis.Theyarerunningroundthegarden,eatinggrassandanythingelsetheycanfind.Soontherewillbenogardenleft.However,thehensarehappy,andtheylayaneggeacheveryday;andthefoxhasstayedaway.
Lasttime,Itoldyouthatthehenswere“pointoflay”hens.Iwanttoexplainproperlywhat“pointoflay”means.PerhapsyouknowtheEnglishexpression“tobeonthepointofdoingsomething”.Forexample,ifIam“onthepointof”goingtobed,itmeansthatIwillgotobedverysoon.Ihavelockedthefrontdoor.Ihaveputthedirtydishesinthedishwasher,Ihavecleanedmyteeth.ThenextthingIdowillbetogotobed.Iam“onthepointof”goingtobed.
Or,lookatthepictureonthewebsite.Itisapictureofaflower.Theflowerisstillclosedandthereissnowontheground.Butyoucanseethatverysoontheflowerwillopen.Itisonthepointofopening.Itisonthepointofflowering.
Recently,somebuilderscametodosomeworkonourhouse.Beforetheycame,ascaffoldingcompanycameanderectedscaffoldingsothatthebuilderscouldreachtheroof.Afterthebuildershadfinishedwork,Iwaitedforthescaffoldingcompanytocomeandtakethescaffoldingaway.Iwaitedfordays,thenweeksandtheydidnotcome.ThenIfoundtheirtelephonenumber,andpickedupthetelephone.Justthenthedoorbellrang.Itwasthemenfromthescaffoldingcompany.Isaidtothem,“Iwasonthepointoftelephoningyoutoaskyoutotakethescaffoldingaway.”
TheEnglishlanguageisneversimple.Wealwayshavemorethanonewaythatwecansaysomething.Herearetwootherwaysofsaying“Iwasonthepointof”doingsomething.Wecansay“Iwasabouttodosomething”.Iwasabouttotelephonemymother.Iwasabouttogetintothecar.
Orwecansay,“Iwasjustgoingtodosomething”.Iwasjustgoingtovisitmyfriend.Iwasjustgoingtobuyatrainticket.
Hereareacouplemoreexamples:
Ihavewrittenashoppinglist.Ihavefoundmymoneyandashoppingbag.Iamabouttogototheshops.
Mycarismakingstrangenoises.Perhapsitisonthepointofbreakingdown!
Youaresittinginanaeroplane.Thecabincrewhaveshutthedoorsandtoldeveryonetofastentheirseatbelts.Theplaneisabouttoleave.Itisonthepointofdeparture.Itisjustgoingtotakeoff.
So,nowyouunderstandwhyourhenswere“pointoflay”hens.Theywereonthepointoflayingtheirfirsteggs.
Nowtheyareonthepointofcompletelydestroyingmygarden.Soontheywilltakeovertheworld!
4Thefoxandthehens
Mar24,2009
Ourhens–twoBlackStarsandaBluebelle.
Ilikehens.WhenIwasachild,mygrandmotherkepthens.Whenwevisitedher,wecouldhelpherfeedthehens.Wethoughtshehadhundredsofhens,butactuallyIthinkshehad40or50.Theylivedinhen
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