Archive for year 2012
An interview with Harp
12/30/2012
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
If you’ve been listening to Culips for a little while, you’ve already started to get to know the Culips hosts, Harp and Maura. And you’ll also know that in our Chatterbox episodes, sometimes we interview people. So here’s an interview with Harp, where she tells us about her life growing up and what she’s up to now. Along the way, she also drops a few expressions for you.
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| Maura: | So, what did you study at university? |
| Harp: | I studied political science. |
| Maura: | So does that mean you wanted to become a politician? |
| Harp: | I was actually thinking more of becoming a lawyer. And so it’s a really common route to go from political science into law. And I love politics. Even now, I read the news a lot, I’m always following what’s going on politically in Canada, the US, and even internationally. |
| Maura: | So, you grew up in Fort St. John, and then you lived in Edmonton, and then you decided to travel and move around. Where is the first place that you went? |
| Harp: | Well, you know, it’s funny, because I had travelled quite a bit in Canada, and even the US, when I was growing up, but I hadn’t really left North America until I decided, with a bang, to move to South Korea for a year. |
| Maura: | Wow! So, tell us about that experience. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| To tune in | To keep an ear out for something |
| When I say…, I mean… | Fort St. John |
| Out west | A small-town feel |
| With a bang | To not speak a word of English |
| A built-in babysitter | To sink or swim |
| A cool vibe | A day job |
| To shoot the breeze | That’s because you like to shoot the breeze |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo ©Culips
Adulthood: Someday we all have to grow up
12/23/2012
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
We all have to grow up someday! In this episode, we talk about becoming and adult and the different generations of adults in North America, and we discuss some of the slang terms that describe various types of adults. We talk about it all, up to having kids and going on parental leave. Listen in to find out whether Maura really is a yuppie!
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| Harp: | A yuppie is a young urban professional. That’s what it stands for. |
| Maura: | Right. So the Y-U-P at the beginning of yuppies stands for young urban professionals. This means that the people who are yuppies are young, they’re urban, which means they live in a big city… |
| Harp: | And they’re professional. They have some sort of professional career. They’re white collar; they usually work in an office; they have some sort of professional job. |
| Maura: | Right. And this also implies that they’re probably making pretty good money. |
| Harp: | Yes. Now in terms of young, a yuppie could be anyone who’s 21 who has a professional job, up to 40. There’s no real set age to be a yuppie. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| The two pronunciations of adult | The two way of saying the name of the letter Z |
| Or so | A baby boomer, Generation X, and Generation Y |
| A boomerang kid and the Boomerang Generation | A yuppie |
| White collar | Clean cut |
| Technically | A dink/a dinky |
| The suburbs | Maternity, paternity, and parental leave |
| A stay-at-home mom or dad |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Image courtesy of English with Jo
We all mess up sometimes
12/16/2012
by Culips
in Catch Word
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and this episode is all about expressions to talk about them. Some mistakes are small and minor, and others are really big. And sometimes we make embarrassing mistakes in front of other people—the worst kind or mistakes! But you shouldn’t make a mistake with these expressions once you’ve listened to this episode. So go ahead, check it out.
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| Harp: | So today we’re going to talk about some expressions when you make a mistake. |
| Maura: | Right. We can use these expressions to talk about when people have not done something well, when they’ve made a mistake or done something wrong. |
| Harp: | Yeah. And all of the expressions are a little bit different, but they’re all related to making mistakes. |
| Maura: | Right. So let’s start with the first one. The first expression that we’re going to look at is to mess up. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| There’s no end in sight | To mess up/to screw up |
| And I mean… | To say the least |
| To give it time | To get over something |
| To draw a blank | To butcher something |
| Renos | To learn your lesson |
| To choke | To strike out |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Image courtesy of Search engine journal
Time for Bed
12/9/2012
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Every day we all go to sleep. Some people fall asleep as soon as they hit the bed and it takes others hours to get to sleep. In this episode, we’re talking all about sleeping habits and just how important sleep is! Throughout the episode, we discuss lots of expressions related to this important time of day—bedtime! Are you a morning person or a night owl? How important is it for you to get some shut-eye?
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| Harp: | There are the early risers, the people who wake up early, get a good start on the day. They’re in bed usually on time or early, and they wake up early. |
| Maura: | Right. So these are people who like to get a good night’s sleep normally, but they also don’t like to waste the morning lying in bed. They would rather wake up and get started. |
| Harp: | Yeah. And you can call someone who’s an early riser a morning person. |
| Maura: | Right. This is the kind of person who wakes up early and they’re already happy and capable of having a conversation. |
| Harp: | Yes. Most people are not like this, I would say. |
| Maura: | Yeah. A lot of people wake up in the morning and they’re groggy, they’re kind of out of it for, maybe, 15 minutes, maybe 30 minutes, or until they have their first cup of coffee. |
| Harp: | Yup. To me, it’s funny because my mom is not a morning person and she is barely awake until she has two cups of tea in the morning. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| Shut-eye | An early riser/a morning person |
| A good night’s sleep | Groggy/out of it |
| To hit snooze | A late riser |
| A night owl | The crack of dawn |
| I’m talking… | A naps/a catnap |
| A siesta | An insomniac |
| Your mind is racing | A spring chicken |
| To toss and turn | To count sheep |
| Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite. |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Image courtesy of [photostock]/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
You’re late!
12/2/2012
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The idea for this episode came from a Culips listener, Igor, who thought this might be an interesting topic. He was late to meet his friend, and his friend said, “I’m getting old here!” So here’s your episode, Igor. In it, Maura and Harp talk about the importance of being on time and what to do if you’re late in Canada. They also explain Igor’s friend’s expression, and give you a few others you might hear if you’re late!
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| Harp: | In Canada, it’s very important to be on time. |
| Maura: | It is important to be on time. When you make a plan to meet someone at 3 o’clock, you should be there at 3 o’clock. Seems quite logical to me, but I guess because I’m Canadian, that’s why it makes sense. |
| Harp: | Yup. And we know in other places being late is very often normal and when you say 3 o’clock, everyone knows that you mean 4 o’clock, but here in Canada, if you say 3 o’clock you mean 3 o’clock. |
| Maura: | Right. And it’s easy to figure out because you don’t have to add another hour or be there early. The time that you’re supposed to meet is the time that you should be there. It is of course important to be on time in Canada and the US, but how much time do you think is socially acceptable to be late? |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| Better late than never | To show up |
| On time | Fashionably late |
| Who’s counting? | Under control |
| To stand someone up | I’m getting old here |
| I don’t have all day | Take a chill pill |
| A rhyme | To waltz in |
| Without a care in the world | From now on |
| To grace us with your presence |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Image courtesy of [sdmania]/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
