British Council-02-06

Section 1: "But you really must…"

Tess: Hello everyone and welcome back to the
Learn English Elementary podcast. It's series
two, this is podcast number 6 and I'm Tess.
Ravi: Good morning. Or good afternoon, or
good evening. I'm Ravi. And we're you're
present-AAH…
Tess: Ravi? What's up? Are you OK?
Ravi: Ah. Yeah, sorry. Yeah. I'm OK.
Tess: What's up?
Ravi: It's alright. … I've really hurt my leg. Just
there. When I do that it really hurts. AAGGH.
Tess: Well don't do it again, silly. What have
you done.
Ravi: I think it was playing football on Saturday.
It was OK after the match – well, it hurt a bit but
it's getting worse I think.
Tess: Have you been to the doctor's?
Ravi: What? Er … no. … No. It'll be OK in a
couple of days, I'm sure.
Tess: Ravi! If it's really hurting you, you have to
go to the doctor. Can you walk OK?
Ravi: Yes, Tess, it's fine. I can walk OK, as long
as I don't do this … AAGGHH.
Tess: Don't be so silly Ravi. It might be
something serious. Go to the doctor's after
we're finished the podcast, OK?
Ravi: I'm sure it's nothing serious but OK.
Tess: I'll give you a lift, if you want.
Ravi: Thanks, Tess. It's OK though.
Tess: It's no problem. I'll give you a lift. It won't
take long.
Ravi: Thanks Tess. … Tess?

Tess: Yes?
Ravi: Could you get me a glass of water? My
leg, you know …
Tess: Don't push your luck, Ravi. … Shall we
get on with the podcast and then I'll take you to
the doctor's – if I still feel like it.
Ravi: He he. OK then. If you heard us before,
listeners, you'll know what we have for you. As
usual, we've got our quiz – Natalie's going to
play this week. There's 'Your Turn' when we
hear what some of you think about a big
question. Erm … what else … Carolina – it
should be a good Carolina today – she's at the
hairdresser's apparently.
Tess: That's really difficult – going to the
hairdresser in a foreign language. I had my
haircut once in France. It was a disaster.
Ravi: I didn't know you spoke French.
Tess: Exactly.
Ravi: Right. Oh – I've got a great joke for you
today.
Tess: Hmm.

Section 2: I'd like to talk about…

Ravi: But first of all, as usual, we'll start with 'I'd
Like to Talk About'.
Tess: OK. This is the part of our show when
someone tells us about something important to
them - a hobby, a person, a place, a thing –
anything that they're interested in.
Ravi: Yes, anything that you know a bit about
and would like to share with all of us. And today
we've got Stephen here in the studio – hi
Stephen.
Steve: Steve
Ravi: OK. Steve. So, where are you from
Steve?
Steve: I'm from Essex, from a small village - on
the coast, but I've lived in London for a few
years now.

Tess: And what do you do here in London?
Study?
Steve: No, I've finished my course – it was in
Mathematics, but actually I'm a DJ now.
Ravi: A DJ? Wow. A professional DJ? You don't
have another job?
Steve: Well no. I make enough money DJing to
live. Not always in the clubs of course, but I do
some parties – you know, weddings, birthdays,
that sort of thing. Yeah, I don't need to do
anything else.
Tess: And what do you want to talk about
Steve? Music?
Steve: No. I'm going to talk about Zaha Hadid.
Tess: Ah, interesting.
Ravi: She's an architect isn't she?
Steve: Yeah, that's right. A really cool architect.
Her buildings are fantastic. Do you know much
about her?
Ravi: No not really. But I know the name. Is she
British?
Steve: She was born in Iraq, in Baghdad, but
she's lived in London for a long time. I'm not
sure if she's got British nationality. She was the
first woman ever to win the Pritzer Prize – in
2004. That's the biggest prize in architecture,
like the Nobel Prize. And it's pretty amazing for
a woman to win it. Architecture is still a man's
world really.
Tess: Yeah, I bet.
Steve: She says that she wanted to be an
architect when her father took her to Sumer, in
the south of Iraq, when she was a kid. And of
course, Sumer was where the first cities were
ever built, thousands of years ago – the oldest
architecture in the world.
Ravi: You studied Maths and now you're a DJ.
What's the interest in architecture?
Steve: Well I'm not really into all architecture.
But there's something about Zaha Hadid that I
love. She's a very, well, intellectual architect.
She studied Maths too – she's got a Maths
degree, and her buildings are so – complicated.
I'm really interested in technology, and
nowadays well, you can draw something crazy
on a piece of paper and now we've got the
technology to actually build it. Anything's
possible. You should look at her design for the
Dancing Towers.
Tess: Dancing Towers? Great name.
Steve: Yeah, it's gonna be built in Dubai – or
anyway, I hope it's gonna be built in Dubai. It's a
really crazy building. It's really organic – you
know, it looks like a plant or something. And I
think my favourite is the one she's doing in Abu
Dhabi – the Performing Arts Centre. It's gonna
be beautiful. It's all round shapes – just like
nature. Really beautiful.
Tess: She must be a busy woman!
Steve: Well, a few years ago people said that
her buildings were just not practical – they were
too complicated and expensive to build. But
now as I said, anything's possible. She's got
buildings and projects all over the world, North
America, Asia, Europe, you name it. Yeah, her
designs are expensive to build, but she does
other things too.
Tess: Like what?
Steve: She designs all sorts of things –
furniture, things for the home, handbags, shoes.
Tess: I'd like to see a pair of Zaha Hadid shoes.
Steve: They're fantastic. They're made of
plastic, so they're soft – they kind of move to the
shape of your foot, and of course they can be
recycled. And her stuff isn't too expensive
either.
Ravi: How old is she?
Steve: You shouldn't ask a woman's age Ravi.
But seriously, I'm not sure. In her fifties?
Tess: Well thanks for that Steve. We really must
get some pictures of her buildings up on the
website – especially the ones that you talked
about. I want to see the Dancing Towers.
Ravi: And the shoes. I want to see the shoes.
Steve: Sure. I'll give you some links. There's

loads of stuff.
Tess: That'd be great. Thanks again, and bye.
Steve: Bye.
Ravi: Bye. ... Do you think she does men's
shoes?
Tess: I don't know Ravi. Interested?
Ravi: You bet. Imagine telling people your
shoes were designed by a famous architect.
Cool or what?
Tess: You're such a fashion victim, Ravi.
Ravi: I know, I know. But, really, remember to
put those sites up on our blog. I really want to
see the shoes.
Tess: OK. I will, I will. ... And if you're listening,
why don't you tell us what you think about
architecture or what you'd like to tell us about.
You can write something or record something –
in audio or video - and send it to us at
learnenglishpodcast@britishcouncil.org, that's
learnenglishpodcast - all one word – at -
britishcouncil – all one word DOT org, that's o-r-
g. Send it to us and we'll put the most
interesting ones on the site. Right, that's that.

Section 3 – Quiz

Tess: Now it's quiz time so let me introduce
Natalie. Natalie?
Natalie: Hi Tess.
Tess: Hi Natalie. Where are you calling from?
Natalie: I'm in Buxton.
Ravi: Oh, in the Peak district? You know, I've
never been to Buxton. It's daft because it's quite
close to Manchester, really. Oh, I'm Ravi, by the
way.
Natalie: Hi Ravi
Ravi: So, is it nice, Buxton?
Natalie: Well, it's a bit quiet for me but, yeah,
the countryside's nice.
Ravi: Yeah, I've heard that. It's a spa town isn't
it? People go there to drink the water and get
better when they're ill, right?
Natalie: Well, it was, a long time ago. Not really
any more.
Tess: Maybe you can go there for your leg,
Ravi.
Ravi: That's not how it works, Tess. Anyway,
Natalie, what do you do?
Natalie: Not much, really, I'm having a year out
before I go to university.
Tess: A gap year?
Natalie: Yeah.
Tess: I thought people usually went abroad or
travelled round the world in their gap year.
Natalie: Well, I want to go travelling – but I need
to get some money together first.
Tess: OK – well, good luck with that. And good
luck with our quiz. Are you ready to play?
Natalie: Yep.
Tess: OK then. We're going to try a new one
this time. How's your general knowledge,
Natalie?
Natalie: Erm .. it's OK, I suppose.
Tess: Because the quiz this time is a
comparatives quiz. I'm going to ask you five
questions. All you have to do is choose the right
answer.
Natalie: OK
Tess: I'll give you an example. What's bigger –
a cow or a sheep?
Natalie: A cow!
Tess: Right. That was an easy one – the real
questions are a bit tougher than that. Shall we
start?
Natalie: OK then.
Tess: First question then. What's longer – the
River Nile or the Yangtze River?
Natalie: Oh god. I don't know. The Yangtse?
Tess: The Nile. Number two. Which has more
people – Russia or Canada?
Natalie: It must be Russia. Russia.

Tess: Yes, Russia. Number three. Which is
taller – the Empire State Building in New York
or the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur?
Natalie: Erm. I think that must be the second
one. The Petro…
Tess: Petronas. Yes. Two out of three. Number
four. Which is further north – London or
Moscow?
Natalie: Erm .. Moscow, I think.
Tess: That's right. Three out of four. Last one
now. Which can run faster – a horse or an
elephant?
Natalie: Oh. ... Is it a trick question? I'm going to
say 'elephant'.
Tess: No, it was horse. Elephants are faster
than you think – but they're not that fast. ...
Three out of five, Natalie. Not bad.
Natalie: Yeah.
Tess: Thanks for playing though. We'll send you
some bits and pieces very soon.
Ravi: Yep, bye Natalie.
Natalie: Bye.
Tess: OK. We'll have a little break but don't go
away – we've got 'your turn' and we've got
Carolina, straight after this.

Section 4: Your turn

Ravi: Right. Time for Your Turn. This is when
we ask some of our listeners to tell us what they
think. Now, in the last podcast, we heard
Carolina take a jacket back to a shop because
the zip was broken, so, for this time's Your Turn
we asked you "Do you complain when you get
bad service?" For example, in a restaurant, or in
a shop, when something is wrong. Do you
complain? Or just keep quiet? Let's hear what
people said.

Voice 1: If I get bad service in a restaurant or a
shop I often get angry but I rarely complain
because I don't like getting into situations where
I might have an argument with somebody.
Usually, if I have a bad service experience I just
don't go back to the same restaurant or the
same shop in the future.

Voice 2: I complain if I get bad service when the
service is rude or unfriendly …but when the
service is just bad or slow in general, I usually
find it quite funny and I don't really complain. I
might never go back to the restaurant again, but
unless the person is actually rude to me I don't
really bother about it.

Voice 3: Always! Because I hate having bad
service and people should be told when they're
not doing their job properly ...

Voice 4: Um, I don't complain, I don't shout or
get angry but I probably ... I'll make a noise to
show that I'm waiting … I'll clear my throat or I'll
say "Excuse me!", but I won't get really angry, I
won't complain as such.

Voice 5: Ah, yeah, this is a new thing for me …
especially being British we're not very good at
complaining, but since I've lived in Italy I've
become braver and yes, I don't hesitate now to
complain.

Ravi: What about you Tess? I bet you complain
if you get bad service.
Tess: You know me, Ravi.
Ravi: Hmm. Right. ... What about you, listeners?
Do you complain when you get bad service?
Write in and let us know – and we'll put the best
ones on the website.

Section 5: Carolina

Tess: OK. Let's go straight to Carolina.
Remember that Carolina is a student from
Venezuela who's come to England to study at

university in Newcastle. We've been following
her on the podcast. And today she's with her
best friend, Emily – and they're going to ... the
hairdresser's!
Ravi: Let's see how they get on.

{at the hairdresser's}
Hairdresser 1: Good morning.
Emily: Good morning. I've got an appointment
for eleven thirty. My name's Emily Granger.
Carolina: And I'm Carolina del Barco. Eleven
thirty too.
Hairdresser 1: Emily Granger – cut and colour –
is that right?
Emily: Yes. I'm having lowlights
Hairdresser 1: Have you been here before?
Emily: No, it's the first time.
Hairdresser 1: And Carolina del Barco…. cut,
no colour.
Carolina: That's right, just a cut.
Hairdresser 1: Just take a seat for a few
minutes please.
Carolina and Emily: OK.
Carolina: What did you ask for Emily?
Lowlights? What's that?
Emily: Lowlights are like highlights but a
different colour.
Carolina: What?
Emily: Highlights are blonde, you know little
blonde bits in your hair, and lowlights are any
other colour - like red or brown. Just little bits of
colour.
Carolina: OK. Oh dear, I'm a bit nervous. I hope
I understand what they say to me. I don't know
the vocabulary for hair and hairdressers.
Emily: Well what do you want? A new style?
Carolina: Oh no. I want to keep it the same –
just a bit shorter.
Emily: So you say you just want a trim.
Carolina: A trim? A trim. I want a trim. I just
want a trim please.
Emily: Very good. ... How's Jamie?
Carolina: He's OK. Why?
Emily: Well, he used to come round all the time
to see you, but recently, well, I haven't seen
him. You used to be together all the time. Is
everything OK?
Carolina: Yes, it's fine. ... Oh I don't know Emily.
I mean – I really like Jamie – and I think, well
that he really likes me – or I thought. But,
recently, well, he's always busy. I know he's got
other friends – of course. But I didn't see him at
all last week.
Emily: Perhaps he's studying.
Carolina: Mmm.
Hairdresser 2: Emily Granger? Hi. Are you
ready? I'll start your colour first, then I'll come
back to cut your hair, Miss del Barco.
Emily: Here we go. Wish me luck.
Hairdresser 1: And if you'd like to come with me
now, I'll wash your hair.
Carolina: Oh, yes, OK.
…
Hairdresser 2: Right. Comfortable? Now what
can I do for you today?
Carolina: I just want a trim please.
Hairdresser 2: OK. How much d'you want off?
Carolina: Want off?
Hairdresser 2: How much hair shall I cut off?
Half an inch? An inch? Two inches?
Carolina: Oh, um, about an inch I think.
Hairdresser 2: Hmm. Your hair's very thick.
Carolina: Oh. Is that bad?
Hairdresser 2: No, you've just got a lot of hair.
Isn't it a bit difficult to control?
Carolina: Well yes, sometimes.
Hairdresser 2: What about a few layers?
Carolina: Layers? I'm sorry – my English isn't
very good….
Hairdresser 2: I can cut some bits of it shorter –

so it isn't all the same. We call them layers.
Maybe just a few … here….. and here…
Carolina: Well OK then.
Hairdresser 2: And what about the fringe?
Carolina: The fringe? I'm sorry…
Hairdresser 2: This bit here, the part above your
eyes. Do you want it long or short?
Carolina: Um, quite long please. Just cut a little
bit off – not too much
Hairdresser 2: Right. So where are you from
then?
Carolina: Venezuela.
Hairdresser 2: Venezuela. I've got a friend who
went to Venezuela once. He said it was lovely.
Can't remember where he went. On the coast
somewhere I think.
Carolina: Oh yes, the coast is lovely.
Hairdresser 2: And how are you enjoying
Newcastle?
Carolina: I like it.
Hairdresser 2: Not too cold for you?
Carolina: Well yes, it's a bit cold, colder than
Venezuela anyway. But I'm getting used to it.
Hairdresser 2: Made a lot of friends?
Carolina: Oh yes, some. I share a flat with some
people.
Hairdresser 2: Whereabouts?
Carolina: At the university.
Hairdresser 2: Ah, you're a student.
Carolina: Yes that's right.
Hairdresser 2: Just bend your head forward a
bit please.
Carolina: Sorry?
Hairdresser 2: Just put your head forward …
down… like this. I want to cut the back. So what
are your plans for the holiday? Going back to
Venezuela? Or staying here?
Carolina: Oh, I'm going …
…
Hairdresser 2: Right. There you are. I'll just get
a mirror and show you the back. ... OK?
Carolina: Yes, it's lovely. Thank you very much.
Hairdresser 2: Good. Are you going to wait for
your friend?
Carolina: I think so. How long is she going to
be?
Hairdresser 2: About half an hour.
Carolina: Oh OK. Yes I'll wait.
…
Emily: Thank you very much. {whispers to
Carolina} Come on, let's get out of here. Quick.
Carolina: OK.
…
Carolina: What's the matter?
Emily: Look at me!
Carolina: It looks nice. It's a bit short but…
Emily: A bit short!! I look like a … I don't know ..
a baby bird.
Carolina: No, you don't. It looks nice. And
anyway, it'll soon grow.
Emily: It'll soon grow! That's OK then. I'll wear a
paper bag on my head for a month.
Carolina: Well you could wear a hat … or a
scarf.
Emily: Do you know what Carolina? You're not
helping!! ... Oh, come on. Let's go home…
…
Tess: Poor Emily - a disaster at the
hairdresser's. Like that time in France for me.
Has that ever happened to you Ravi?
Ravi: No thank goodness. But there was once
when I was a kid and my mum cut my hair at
home. It looked awful! I didn't want to leave the
house, but she made me go to school and all
the other kids laughed at me. It was horrible.
Tess: Poor thing.
Ravi: I know AAAGGH.
Tess: Your leg again? Come on then, let's finish
off here and I'll take you to the doctor's.

Ravi: OK.
Section 6: The Joke

Ravi: Hang on though. I've got a joke for you.
Tess: Typical! Come on then.
Ravi: So there's a man and he's lost in the
desert.
Tess: Lost in the desert?
Ravi: Yeah. His plane crashed or something –
in the desert. And he hasn't got any water. So
he's walking and walking, and he's really thirsty.
After a while he meets a man who's selling ties.
Tess: Ties?
Ravi: Yes Tess. Ties. The things that men wear
round their necks. ... So this man has got
hundreds of ties – black ones, pink ones,
striped ones. "Do you want to buy a tie sir?
Lovely ties, very cheap." So the man who's lost
says "No, I don't want a tie – I want water."
"Sorry sir, no water, only ties." So the man
walks on in the desert. And he's getting more
and more thirsty. Then he meets another man.
"Want to buy a tie sir? Lovely ties. Special price
for you sir." And he says "No!! I don't want a tie.
I want water." "Sorry sir – no water, but very
beautiful ties". So he walks on again. It's very
hot and he's really desperate for water now.
And he sees another man "Give me water!" "No
water sir. But beautiful ties. Pink ones, red
ones, striped ones. Very good price". So the
poor mans walks on. And then, right in front of
him he sees a beautiful luxury hotel in the
middle of the desert. He thinks he must be
imagining things, but no, it really is a hotel. He
goes up to the door, crying with happiness and
the man at the door of the hotel says ... " Sorry
sir. You can't come in here if you aren't wearing
a tie."
Tess: {groans}
Ravi: What? It's funny!
Tess: Let's just say it isn't one of your best Ravi.
Ravi: Well I thought it was …. AAAGHGHH.
Tess: Come on then, let's get you to the doctor.
OK, everyone, thanks for listening. Remember
that if you want to send us anything you can
send it to
learnenglishpodcast@britishcouncil.org. Tom
the Teacher will be here in a moment so don't
go away – but it's goodbye from me and Ravi.
See you next time!
Ravi: 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 how we compare things in English. I'm
sure that you know that we often use 'more' to
compare things. We can say 'A car is more
expensive than a bicycle', or 'A book is more
interesting than a film'. But we don't always use
'more'. Do you remember the quiz? It was all
about comparing things. Listen to Tess
explaining the quiz to Natalie. What question
does she ask?

Tess: I'm going to ask you five questions. All
you have to do is choose the right answer.
Natalie: OK
Tess: I'll give you an example. What's bigger –
a cow or a sheep?
Natalie: A cow!

Tom: Yes. The question was "What's bigger – a
cow or a sheep?" But Tess doesn't use 'more'.
We don't use 'more' with short adjectives –
words like 'hot', 'cold', 'big' or 'small' – adjectives
that only have one syllable. We add "-er" to the
end of the adjective to make the comparative
form. So Tess says "What's bigger – a cow or a
sheep?" Listen to another question.


Tess: What's longer – the River Nile or the
Yangtze River?
Natalie: Oh god. I don't know. The Yangtze?

Tom: Did you hear? "What's longer – The River
Nile or the Yangtze River?". The adjective 'long'
only has one syllable. 'Long'. So the
comparative form of 'long' is 'longer'. Listen to
one more example.

Tess: Number three. Which is taller – the
Empire State Building in New York or the
Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur?
Natalie: Erm. I think that must be the second
one. The Petro…
Tess: Petronas. Yes.

Tom: Yes. "Which is taller – the Empire State
Building or the Petronas Towers?" The
comparative form of 'tall' is 'taller'. 'Big – bigger',
'long' – 'longer', 'tall – taller'. Easy isn't it? ... But
some short adjectives are irregular – they don't
follow the normal rules. Listen to another
question from the quiz. What's the comparative
form of 'far'?

Tess: Petronas. Yes. Two out of three. Number
four. Which is further north – London or
Moscow?
Natalie: Erm .. Moscow, I think.

Tom: That's right. "Which is further north –
London or Moscow?". This one is a bit different.
The comparative form of 'far' is 'further'. Some
people say 'farther'. You'll hear both. 'Further'
and 'farther' are both comparative forms of 'far'.
Now listen to Tess and Ravi talking about his
bad leg. What's the comparative form of 'bad'?

Tess: What have you done?
Ravi: I think it was playing football on Saturday.
It was OK after the match – well, it hurt a bit but
it's getting worse I think.

Tom: That's right. Ravi says his leg is getting
worse. The comparative form of 'bad' is 'worse'.
We don't add "-er" at all. We change the word
completely. 'Worse'. And 'good' is irregular too.
The comparative form of 'good' is 'better'. Now
let's look at how we use a comparative form in a
sentence. Listen to Carolina talking to the
hairdresser. She compares Newcastle with
Venezuela. What does she say?

Hairdresser 2: And how are you enjoying
Newcastle?
Carolina: I like it.
Hairdresser 2: Not too cold for you?
Carolina: Well yes, it's a bit cold, colder than
Venezuela anyway.

Tom: She says that Newcastle is colder than
Venezuela. 'Colder than'. We use 'than' to
compare things. So we can say 'a cow is bigger
than a sheep or 'The River Nile is longer than
the Yangtze'. 'Ravi's leg is worse now than it
was this morning'. Try to notice comparative
forms in the English that you hear and read this
week.

Now let's talk about telling the time in English.
You probably learnt to say "It's four o'clock" or
'It's half past six". Yes, that's how we tell the
time in English. But British people don't always
say that. Listen to Emily at the hairdresser's.
What time is her appointment?

Hairdresser 1: Good morning.
Emily: Good morning. I've got an appointment
for eleven thirty. My name's Emily Granger.

Tom: She says "eleven thirty". 'Eleven thirty' is
exactly the same as 'half past eleven'. You can
say 'My train leaves at half past two" or "my

train leaves at two thirty". It's the same. It's the
same for all the other times too. You can say
"quarter past three' or 'three fifteen'. You can
say twenty-five past six' or 'six twenty-five'. And
'quarter to four' or 'three forty-five'. Sometimes
'three forty-five' is easier for learners than
'quarter to four' so don't be afraid to say it –
British people do!

... Now, last time I talked about practising what
you're going to say in English before you say it.
Do you remember? It's a good idea. Carolina
practised what she was going to say when she
took her jacket back to the shop. She does the
same thing this time at the hairdresser's. Listen.

Emily: Well what do you want? A new style?
Carolina: Oh no. I want to keep it the same –
just a bit shorter.
Emily: So you say you just want a trim.
Carolina: A trim? A trim. I want a trim. I just
want a trim please.

Tom: She practises "I just want a trim please".
And she says it to the hairdresser. But listen to
what happens next.

Hairdresser 2: Now what can I do for you
today?
Carolina: I just want a trim please.
Hairdresser 2: OK. How much d'you want off?
Carolina: Want off?
Hairdresser 2: How much hair shall I cut off?
Half an inch? An inch? Two inches?

Tom: Hmm. She says "I just want a trim please"
beautifully, but then she doesn't understand
what the hairdresser says next. This can
happen when you're speaking English. Listen
again. What does Carolina do to show that she
doesn't understand?
Hairdresser 2: OK. How much d'you want off?
Carolina: Want off?
Hairdresser 2: How much hair shall I cut off?
Half an inch? An inch? Two inches?

Tom: That's right. She just repeats the words
that she doesn't understand as a question.
"Want off?" And the hairdresser explains. She
does the same thing several times at the
hairdressers. Listen.

Hairdresser 2: What about a few layers?
Carolina: Layers? I'm sorry – my English isn't
very good….

Tom: And again.

Hairdresser 2: And what about the fringe?
Carolina: The fringe? I'm sorry…

Tom: So that's what you can do when you don't
understand a word or a phrase - repeat it as a
question.
Now let's look at a word that you can use this
week. The hairdresser asks Carolina where she
lives, but he doesn't use the word 'where?".
Listen. What does he use?

Carolina: I share a flat with some people.
Hairdresser 2: Whereabouts?
Carolina: At the university.

Tom: He says "whereabouts?". He doesn't want
to know exactly where she lives – he doesn't
want to know her address. We use
'whereabouts' when we want to ask more or
less where – in what area of the city for
example. So if someone says "I live in London"
you can say "Oh really! Whereabouts?" Try to
use 'whereabouts' 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
learnenglishpodcast@britishcouncil.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.