Slideshow: Taboo Words? Not Anymore! For more information:http://www.dictionary.com/slideshows/http://www.dictionary.com/e/s/taboo-words-not-anymore/
#6_Minute_English
Football songs:
Why are crowds so quiet these days?
A football match! There's nothing like it, is there? The action, the drama, the atmosphere! Except that football fans don't seem to be singing as much as they used to and some managers are complaining it's having a negative effect on the players! So why is this happening? Follow Dan and Neil to find out and learn six related pieces of vocabulary.
👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
Football songs:
Why are crowds so quiet these days?
A football match! There's nothing like it, is there? The action, the drama, the atmosphere! Except that football fans don't seem to be singing as much as they used to and some managers are complaining it's having a negative effect on the players! So why is this happening? Follow Dan and Neil to find out and learn six related pieces of vocabulary.
👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
#Jokes
I wonder what happened to those people who asked me for directions!
I wonder what happened to those people who asked me for directions!
#CBC
When you trust someone else to take care of your car, can you trust that they're not taking you for a ride? Our undercover investigation reveals ripoffs at a popular oil change chain. We're going in for the advertised $19.99 oil change, but you won't believe the charges we end up with. And did they even do the work? We go up on the hoist to show you what’s really going down at these oil change shops.
👇👇👇👇
When you trust someone else to take care of your car, can you trust that they're not taking you for a ride? Our undercover investigation reveals ripoffs at a popular oil change chain. We're going in for the advertised $19.99 oil change, but you won't believe the charges we end up with. And did they even do the work? We go up on the hoist to show you what’s really going down at these oil change shops.
👇👇👇👇
#Jokes
If you're going to argue publicly on a cellphone, be fair and turn the speakerphone on so everyone can hear both sides.
If you're going to argue publicly on a cellphone, be fair and turn the speakerphone on so everyone can hear both sides.
#Jokes
American kids are really looking forward to the summer holidays
No more studying or getting shot at until the Autumn.
😜
American kids are really looking forward to the summer holidays
No more studying or getting shot at until the Autumn.
😜
#Jokes
My dad has the heart of a lion and a lifetime ban at the Zoo.
My dad has the heart of a lion and a lifetime ban at the Zoo.
#Jokes
Burglars broke into my house last night and said they were searching for money...
So I laughed and searched with them
Burglars broke into my house last night and said they were searching for money...
So I laughed and searched with them
#Announcement
Hello Everyone!
Hope you are doing well and things have been going well for you all.
It has been quite a long time since the last time I posted a useful thing for learning English. Tonight I have decided to post a video after a long period of absence. Hope you like it and find it useful.
I am still alive if you've been wondering 😜.
Hello Everyone!
Hope you are doing well and things have been going well for you all.
It has been quite a long time since the last time I posted a useful thing for learning English. Tonight I have decided to post a video after a long period of absence. Hope you like it and find it useful.
I am still alive if you've been wondering 😜.
#6_Minute_English
Why do men want to be fathers?
Why do men want to have children? Evolutionary anthropologist Anna Machin wrote a book about it and tries to answer this question. Catherine and Neil - a father himself - discuss her theories and teach you six items of related vocabulary.👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
Why do men want to be fathers?
Why do men want to have children? Evolutionary anthropologist Anna Machin wrote a book about it and tries to answer this question. Catherine and Neil - a father himself - discuss her theories and teach you six items of related vocabulary.👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
Upper Intermediate
#6_Minute_English Why do men want to be fathers?
Vocabulary
admit to something
say something is true, even if it might make you look a little bit bad
to be keen on something
to be very interested in and enthusiastic about something
going along with something
agreeing to do something even though you don't really want to do it
an absent father
a father who is not at home to spend time with his children
disciplinarians
people who have strict rules and they give out punishments when these rules aren't followed
to be hands-on
to be very much involved in something
admit to something
say something is true, even if it might make you look a little bit bad
to be keen on something
to be very interested in and enthusiastic about something
going along with something
agreeing to do something even though you don't really want to do it
an absent father
a father who is not at home to spend time with his children
disciplinarians
people who have strict rules and they give out punishments when these rules aren't followed
to be hands-on
to be very much involved in something
Upper Intermediate
#6_Minute_English Why do men want to be fathers?
Transcript
Note: This is not a word for word transcript
Catherine
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Catherine.
Neil
And I'm Neil.
Catherine
Now, Neil, you're a dad, aren't you?
Neil
I am a dad. How did you know? Is it the grey hair in my beard? Is it the wrinkles around the eyes?
Catherine
I thought that was just your age.
Neil
Well, yes, maybe.In today's programme we're going to be talking about fathers and how being a father has changed over the years. But before we hear more about this topic, our question for the day. According to recent research in the UK, what percentage of men are present when their children are born? Is it…
a) 55%
b) 75%
c) 95%
What do you think?
Catherine
I think a lot of men these days like to see their children born. It's not culturally inappropriate so I'm going to go for 95%.
Neil
Well, we'll find out if you're right at the end of the programme. Now, Dr Anna Machin is an evolutionary anthropologist. She studies, among other things, how human behaviour has changed and is changing. She's written a book called The Life of Dad. She's been studying new fathers and spoke about her research on the BBC's Woman's Hour programme. She asked why men want to become fathers. She starts by saying that there are lots of reasons but how many does she mention in her answer?
Dr Anna Machin
There's lots of different reasons why men want to be fathers ... for some of them it's just a stage in life they've reached. They've got the house, they've got the job, now it's time to have a family. Sometimes they admit that actually they're not that keen, but their partner wants a baby, so they're kinda going along with it. And a reasonable number actually say they do it because they want to undo what their father did to them, so rewrite history in relation to fathers and the experience of fathering, to be a better father than their father was.
Neil
How many reasons does she mention?
Catherine
She mentioned three reasons. The first was that it was that time in life – the guys had a home and a job and having children was the thing to do next.
Neil
Another reason was that it was what their partners wanted, even if they weren't that keen themselves. If you're not keen on something it means you are 'not enthusiastic about it', it's not really something you want to do, but because it's what their partner wants they agree to it, or as Dr Machin said, they're going along with it.
Catherine
Yes, going along with something, is a phrase that means 'agreeing to do' something even though you don't really want to do it. It's interesting that Dr Machin said that some men admit to this. To admit to something is to 'say or agree that something is true even if you're perhaps ashamed of it or you don't want it to be true'.
Neil
There was one more reason she mentioned and that was that some men become parents because they want to be a better father than their own father had been. Let’s listen again.
Dr Anna Machin
There's lots of different reasons why men want to be fathers ... for some of them it's just a stage in life they've reached. They've got the house, they've got the job, now it's time to have a family. Sometimes they admit that actually they're not that keen, but their partner wants a baby, so they're kinda going along with it. And a reasonable number actually say they do it because they want to undo what their father did to them, so rewrite history in relation to fathers and the experience of fathering, to be a better father than their father was.
Neil
So what is it about some father's own dads that they didn't like? Here's Dr Machin again.
Dr Anna Machin
Well, in some cases, you know, the father would be neglectful, some fathers were absent and others they just felt they were a very, I suppose, we'd say a 1950s father so distant, disciplinarian not actually involved in their children's daily life and certainly not involved in their care. So today's generation fathers, even in the 10 years that I've been studying dads we've seen a massive evolution in how hands-on fathers are.
Note: This is not a word for word transcript
Catherine
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Catherine.
Neil
And I'm Neil.
Catherine
Now, Neil, you're a dad, aren't you?
Neil
I am a dad. How did you know? Is it the grey hair in my beard? Is it the wrinkles around the eyes?
Catherine
I thought that was just your age.
Neil
Well, yes, maybe.In today's programme we're going to be talking about fathers and how being a father has changed over the years. But before we hear more about this topic, our question for the day. According to recent research in the UK, what percentage of men are present when their children are born? Is it…
a) 55%
b) 75%
c) 95%
What do you think?
Catherine
I think a lot of men these days like to see their children born. It's not culturally inappropriate so I'm going to go for 95%.
Neil
Well, we'll find out if you're right at the end of the programme. Now, Dr Anna Machin is an evolutionary anthropologist. She studies, among other things, how human behaviour has changed and is changing. She's written a book called The Life of Dad. She's been studying new fathers and spoke about her research on the BBC's Woman's Hour programme. She asked why men want to become fathers. She starts by saying that there are lots of reasons but how many does she mention in her answer?
Dr Anna Machin
There's lots of different reasons why men want to be fathers ... for some of them it's just a stage in life they've reached. They've got the house, they've got the job, now it's time to have a family. Sometimes they admit that actually they're not that keen, but their partner wants a baby, so they're kinda going along with it. And a reasonable number actually say they do it because they want to undo what their father did to them, so rewrite history in relation to fathers and the experience of fathering, to be a better father than their father was.
Neil
How many reasons does she mention?
Catherine
She mentioned three reasons. The first was that it was that time in life – the guys had a home and a job and having children was the thing to do next.
Neil
Another reason was that it was what their partners wanted, even if they weren't that keen themselves. If you're not keen on something it means you are 'not enthusiastic about it', it's not really something you want to do, but because it's what their partner wants they agree to it, or as Dr Machin said, they're going along with it.
Catherine
Yes, going along with something, is a phrase that means 'agreeing to do' something even though you don't really want to do it. It's interesting that Dr Machin said that some men admit to this. To admit to something is to 'say or agree that something is true even if you're perhaps ashamed of it or you don't want it to be true'.
Neil
There was one more reason she mentioned and that was that some men become parents because they want to be a better father than their own father had been. Let’s listen again.
Dr Anna Machin
There's lots of different reasons why men want to be fathers ... for some of them it's just a stage in life they've reached. They've got the house, they've got the job, now it's time to have a family. Sometimes they admit that actually they're not that keen, but their partner wants a baby, so they're kinda going along with it. And a reasonable number actually say they do it because they want to undo what their father did to them, so rewrite history in relation to fathers and the experience of fathering, to be a better father than their father was.
Neil
So what is it about some father's own dads that they didn't like? Here's Dr Machin again.
Dr Anna Machin
Well, in some cases, you know, the father would be neglectful, some fathers were absent and others they just felt they were a very, I suppose, we'd say a 1950s father so distant, disciplinarian not actually involved in their children's daily life and certainly not involved in their care. So today's generation fathers, even in the 10 years that I've been studying dads we've seen a massive evolution in how hands-on fathers are.
Upper Intermediate
#6_Minute_English Why do men want to be fathers?
Neil
She talks there about some negative characteristics associated with dads in the past. She suggests that some fathers didn't have a very close relationship with their sons, they were absent which means they weren't at home a lot and 'didn't spend time' with their children.
Catherine
Yes, and some fathers were seen as a disciplinarian. That describes someone whose main communication with their children was to give them strict rules and tell them off or punish them if they did something wrong.
Neil
These days, according to Dr Machin, fathers are much more hands-on. This phrase means they are 'much more involved' with their children and share bringing up their children with their partners.
Catherine
And talking of sharing, Neil, come on – it's time to know the answer to today's question.
Neil
Yes, indeed. According to recent research in the UK, what is the percentage of fathers who are there when their children are born? Was it 55%, 75% or 95%?
Catherine
And I said a very optimistic 95%.
Neil
Being optimistic is good obviously because you are correct.
Catherine
That's fantastic!
Neil
And now, for something else fantastic, our review of today's vocabulary…
Catherine
We started off with admit to for when you say something is true, even if it might make you look a little bit bad. And before we go on I have to admit, Neil, that it was me who ate your biscuit.
Neil
Which one?
Catherine
The one that you left on the desk.
Neil
That's all right. I wasn't really keen on it anyway. It had been on the floor.
Catherine
What? Yuck!
Neil
Yeah, well, it serves you right! And to be keen on something is our next phrase, meaning 'being very interested in and enthusiastic about' something.
Catherine
Then we had to go along with something. This is when you agree to do something even if you are not keen on it.
Neil
An absent father is one who is not at home to spend time with his children.
Catherine
And some fathers are disciplinarians. They 'have strict rules and they give out punishments' but these days more fathers are hands-on which means they are 'very much involved' in looking after and bringing up their children.
Neil
Well, that's all we have time for today. Join us again next time and remember you can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and of course our website bbclearningenglish.com. See you soon. Goodbye!
Catherine
Bye!
She talks there about some negative characteristics associated with dads in the past. She suggests that some fathers didn't have a very close relationship with their sons, they were absent which means they weren't at home a lot and 'didn't spend time' with their children.
Catherine
Yes, and some fathers were seen as a disciplinarian. That describes someone whose main communication with their children was to give them strict rules and tell them off or punish them if they did something wrong.
Neil
These days, according to Dr Machin, fathers are much more hands-on. This phrase means they are 'much more involved' with their children and share bringing up their children with their partners.
Catherine
And talking of sharing, Neil, come on – it's time to know the answer to today's question.
Neil
Yes, indeed. According to recent research in the UK, what is the percentage of fathers who are there when their children are born? Was it 55%, 75% or 95%?
Catherine
And I said a very optimistic 95%.
Neil
Being optimistic is good obviously because you are correct.
Catherine
That's fantastic!
Neil
And now, for something else fantastic, our review of today's vocabulary…
Catherine
We started off with admit to for when you say something is true, even if it might make you look a little bit bad. And before we go on I have to admit, Neil, that it was me who ate your biscuit.
Neil
Which one?
Catherine
The one that you left on the desk.
Neil
That's all right. I wasn't really keen on it anyway. It had been on the floor.
Catherine
What? Yuck!
Neil
Yeah, well, it serves you right! And to be keen on something is our next phrase, meaning 'being very interested in and enthusiastic about' something.
Catherine
Then we had to go along with something. This is when you agree to do something even if you are not keen on it.
Neil
An absent father is one who is not at home to spend time with his children.
Catherine
And some fathers are disciplinarians. They 'have strict rules and they give out punishments' but these days more fathers are hands-on which means they are 'very much involved' in looking after and bringing up their children.
Neil
Well, that's all we have time for today. Join us again next time and remember you can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and of course our website bbclearningenglish.com. See you soon. Goodbye!
Catherine
Bye!
#HBR
Do You Retain Enough of What You Read?
We’re consuming more information than ever before — but retaining all that knowledge is another story. If you find yourself struggling to use what you read (or even just remember it), you probably aren’t learning productively. To be a more efficient learner, try three things. First, focus your reading on a single topic for several months. The deeper you go into a subject, the stronger a foundation you’ll have for learning about it in the future. Second, regularly synthesize what you have learned. When you finish reading something, ask yourself, “What are the key takeaways here?” If you can’t explain an idea to yourself, you probably didn’t learn it very well. And third, take occasional breaks from consuming new information. Reflecting on what you’ve read in the past is an important part of processing it — and constantly taking in new information can interfere with that. Give yourself time to review, consider, and apply what you’ve already read.
Do You Retain Enough of What You Read?
We’re consuming more information than ever before — but retaining all that knowledge is another story. If you find yourself struggling to use what you read (or even just remember it), you probably aren’t learning productively. To be a more efficient learner, try three things. First, focus your reading on a single topic for several months. The deeper you go into a subject, the stronger a foundation you’ll have for learning about it in the future. Second, regularly synthesize what you have learned. When you finish reading something, ask yourself, “What are the key takeaways here?” If you can’t explain an idea to yourself, you probably didn’t learn it very well. And third, take occasional breaks from consuming new information. Reflecting on what you’ve read in the past is an important part of processing it — and constantly taking in new information can interfere with that. Give yourself time to review, consider, and apply what you’ve already read.
#Jokes
An immigrant ran up to me and asked, "What is time?"
"To gain more understanding of the subject, you should read Stephen Hawking's books," I replied.
An immigrant ran up to me and asked, "What is time?"
"To gain more understanding of the subject, you should read Stephen Hawking's books," I replied.