📕 Part 1: Gifts

This episode's vocabulary

Unwarranted (adj) – not justified or authorized. → My parents dropped off a new grill, which was very nice but completely unwarranted.

To happen upon something (phrasal verb) – to find or meet something or someone by chance. → Sometimes, I happen upon something that I know someone will love.

Personal taste (noun phrase) – an individual's preference or liking for something. → When choosing a gift, I consider things like personal taste and preferences.

Alternatively (adv) – as another option or possibility. → Alternatively, it might be something related to what they're into.

To be into something (idiom) – to be very interested or involved in an activity or a subject. → It might be something related to what they're into, like rugby.

To take the time to do something (idiom) – to make the effort to do something properly. → It's nice when someone takes the time to get you something.

Off the top of my head (idiom) – from the knowledge you have in your memory at that moment. → I can't remember any handmade gifts I've sent off the top of my head.

To recall (verb) – to bring a fact, event, or situation back into your mind. → I can't quite recall what the clay artworks were of.

Dropped off (phrasal verb) – to take something to a particular place and leave it there. → My parents also randomly dropped off a new grill the other day.

To fit someone's interests (phrase) – to be suitable for what someone enjoys doing. → I try picking up something that fits their interests.

Priceless (adj) – so precious that its value cannot be determined. → I think I'd give a wealthy person my time and attention. This is priceless.

Handmade (adj) – made by hand, not by a machine. → Have you ever sent handmade gifts to others?

Questions and Answers

Maria: What gifts have you received recently?

Rory: Well, it's just been Christmas, so I got a lot of things then, including jeans and books. And then after that, my parents also randomly dropped off a new grill the other day, which was very nice, but completely unwarranted.

Maria: Do you think you're good at choosing gifts?

Rory: Well, yes and no. I get people what they want, but only because I usually choose what they tell me they want rather than picking up something that fits their interests. Sometimes, I happen upon something that I know someone will love, but they have to be really close to me. Otherwise I don't bother with that kind of thing because I don't want to stress people out if I make a mistake.

Maria: What do you consider when choosing a gift?

Rory: Just the usual, really. Things like personal taste and preferences. Some people have favorite colors, for example, so I get them things in that color. Alternatively, it might be something related to what they're into. Like one time I bought someone who likes rugby some fun socks for that.

Maria: Have you ever received a great gift?

Rory: Oh, well, I think all the presents I've ever been given have been brilliant, to be honest. It's nice when someone takes the time to get you something. But the one I've liked the most recently has been the blanket my friend gave me for Christmas. We've had a very cold winter, so that's been extremely useful.

Maria: Have you ever sent handmade gifts to others?

Rory: Not that I can remember off the top of my head. I'm sure we used to make things in primary school for our parents, but I honestly can't remember what they were. Maybe they were some clay artworks, but what they were of, I can't quite recall.

Discussion

Maria: Right, dear listener. Gifts. Gifts or presents? Rory, is there any difference between a gift and a present? Like vocabulary wise?

Rory: Well, if it's a different word, there will be a small difference in meaning, but we use them to mean the same thing or they're related to giving people things. Though, I don't know really. If you asked me what the real difference is, I couldn't tell you off the top of my head. Maybe gifts are for a wide range of things, but presents are something that you give for a specific occasion, perhaps. So, that would be as close as it gets. But most of the time they're used to mean the same thing.

Maria: Yeah, and dear listener, we say she gave me a car, okay? For example. She gave me new shoes. She gave me flowers or he gave me flowers. Not like he presented me flowers. No. He gave me a gift. He bought me a gift. Right? I gave Rory books for his birthday, for example.

Rory: Although, you can gift people things and that's a verb.

Maria: Right. Yeah, if you use it as a verb, to gift, it means give something in an official way, in a formal way. Like, my grandfather

Rory: was gifted something.

Maria: Exactly. Yeah, it's just more formal. And we receive gifts. So, what have you received recently? You may say, oh, I've received or I've got a present. I've got jeans. I've received jeans or books or money. So I got a random gift from my bank. I don't know, a free certificate to the library. And my parents dropped off a new grill the other day. Dropped off here means my parents gave me a new grill. A new grill is this piece of equipment where you grill meat, potatoes.

Rory: And we can talk about gifts given recently by saying, I've just been given something or it's just been my birthday. It's just been Christmas. However, if you have not been given anything recently, you can say, Oh, it's not been my birthday, or it's not been Christmas, so nothing recently.

Maria: And you can say I was given books last week. Oh, my friends gave me books or a new phone. I was given a new phone last week. I'm good at choosing gifts or I'm very bad at choosing gifts, especially for my parents, for example, I usually give people money. Or I get people what they want. So I ask people what they want and I get people what they want. Get, like give people what they want. Or I pick up something that they want. Here pick up means I choose something they want. I get them what they want. I pick up something that fits their interests, that suits their interests, something that they're into. Okay? For example, I know that Rory enjoys drinking his water from a crystal glass. So this present fits his interests in life. When choosing a gift, I think about different things or I consider the price, I consider the materials, I consider my friend's interests. So I think about it when I choose a gift. And I usually consider personal taste, preferences, what a person prefers, their favorite colors if I choose clothes, for example. Or, alternatively, you can say kind of like or, or instead of or you can say alternatively, as an alternative, I think about their interests. I think what they're into. I'm into English. I enjoy English. I'm into sport. I like sport. And you can give an example. I have a friend who enjoys rugby or football. So I get them some socks or I gave them a football or I don't know, a t-shirt. Rory, what would you give me?

Rory: Shoes.

Maria: Exactly, Rory. Band nine. Band nine. Shoes. Yeah, you can always give me diamonds, gold, and also shoes, yeah, shoes again, and bags. I can take a Gucci bag or money, I can get myself a bag, myself. So it's fine. Jewelry, shoes, and bags. Materialism, dear listener.

Rory: Well, most presents are physical things.

Maria: Consumerism. Yeah. Can you feel how horrible I am with all the things, with stuff that makes me happy for some time. Yeah, but our spiritual world is also important. But gifts do make us happy, especially if a person really invested their time into choosing a gift or if a person has made the gift themselves, it's a handmade gift.

Rory: Or a homemade gift.

Maria: Homemade. Like a pie, for example, biscuits, yum, yum, yum. Yeah, handmade gifts or presents. The next question is strange, like, have you ever received a great gift?

Rory: No, all the gifts I've ever been given have been terrible.

Maria: Yeah, here the examiner can ask you like, have you ever received a gift you really liked or a wonderful gift, something special, something lovely. And you say every gift is great. Like, all the presents I've been given have been brilliant. Two present perfect tenses. Wow. So, I've been given.

Rory: You are welcome.

Maria: All the presents have been brilliant. So they were brilliant, but that's in the past. If in general, we talk about all your life, we use present perfect. So everything has been great, has been brilliant. I've liked most of my gifts. Again, present perfect. Because throughout all your life, sometime in the past, this is connected to the present. I've enjoyed most of the gifts. I've been given, present perfect. And when you talk about the most recent gift, it has been a new phone. It's been a computer. It's been a car. My wife has given me a new car. What a lovely present from the wife. Yeah, or I've been given a blanket.

Rory: But to understand the best gift, we must take the time to get things. So, if you take the time to do something, you put the effort in and you go and do it.

Maria: The examiner also uses present perfect. Have you ever sent handmade gifts? Have you ever bought expensive perfume? And you say yes, I have, no, I haven't. And about handmade gifts, you can say, well, I can't remember off the top of my head. This is our favorite idiom because you can use it everywhere. Because it's if you can't remember now, like, oh, I don't remember. Off the top of my head. From the knowledge I have in my memory now, I can't remember. Rory, what's the capital of Mauritania?

Rory: I don't know off the top of my head. Mauritania City?

Maria: Yeah, what's, I don't even know what. What is the capital of Mauritania? Sorry, if you're from Mauritania and listening, we don't know. Nouakchott. Oh, okay. Nouakchott is the capital of Mauritania. Now you know, dear listener. You're welcome.

Rory: Now you know, in this episode about gifts, that's our gift to you.

Maria: Exactly. Now, we are educating you. Not only do we give you the super duper grammar and vocabulary, but also, what's the capital of Mauritania. Don't forget your adverbs. Honestly, to be honest with you, honestly, I don't remember. Honestly, I can't remember off the top of my head. Maybe when I was at school, when I was in primary school, I did send some handmade gifts to my parents, to my friends, but not anymore, yeah. And you can give specific examples, clay artwork. Clay is this material we make dishes from clay. Just go to Google images and type clay artwork and you'll understand what we mean. Clay this this brown material. Or perhaps some, I don't know, paper flowers, jewelry, handmade jewelry. I can't remember or I can't recall.

Rory: Or I can't quite recall.

Maria: Yeah, recall. Can you recall the last time you made something by hand? You can't remember. No, I can't recall the last time I gave someone a handmade gift. Rory, and let's imagine that you have to give a present to somebody who's very wealthy, like they are rich, they have everything. They have lots of money. What would you give them?

Rory: What do you give people who have everything?

Maria: They have money, they have helicopters, islands, everything in the world.

Rory: I don't know. What do you? What would you do?

Maria: I think I'd give them my time and attention. This is priceless.

Rory: You are the gift.

Maria: Yes. Because time is the most expensive thing in the world, right?

Rory: Yes.

Maria: Because you can't turn back time. So, yeah. Maybe an hour or a couple of a couple of hours. No, but you can give people not something material, but something like experiences, emotions.

Rory: Yeah, that would be nice.

Maria: Now we're ready for a joke, dear listener.

Rory: And Maria is ready for a joke.

Maria: So the joke is, my girlfriend told me that if I bought her one more stupid gift, she would burn it. So, I bought her a candle. Ha. Rory, could you explain the joke?

Rory: Well, if you burn something, you set it on fire. And obviously, if you give someone a candle, they have to set it on fire to make it work.

Maria: Right. Okay, dear listener. Now you know a joke about presents. You can crack it during the exam if you wish. Stay with us. Sending you hugs and kisses and joy and laughter, haha, laughter, okay? We'll get back to you in our next episode.

Rory: Bye. Bye bye bye bye bye bye.