📙 Part 2: Describe a plan in your life that is not related to work or study

This episode's vocabulary

Pan out (phrasal verb) - to develop in a particular way or in a successful way.

Pick up (phrasal verb) - to learn a new skill or language by practising it rather than being taught it.

Basics (plural noun) - the simplest and most important facts, ideas, or things connected with something.

Practical (adj.) - relating to experience, real situations, or actions rather than ideas or imagination.

To evade (verb) - to avoid or escape from someone or something.

Self-awareness (noun) - good knowledge and judgment about yourself.

Brush up on sth (phrasal verb) - to improve your knowledge of something already learned but partly forgotten.

With flying colors (idiom) - if you do something such as pass an exam with flying colors, you do it very successfully.

Systematic (adj.)- according to an agreed set of methods or organized plan.

Methodical (adj.) - done in a very ordered, careful way.

Haphazard (adj.) - not having an obvious order or plan.

Relieved (adj.) - happy that something unpleasant has not happened or has ended.

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Questions and Answers

M: Describe a plan in your life that is not related to work or studies. Rory is going to say what it is about why he makes it, what he needs to do first, and he's going to explain how he would feel. Roro, Rory, Ruru. Are you ready?

R: Yes.

M: Yes, bring it on.

R: I'm thinking about learning how to drive properly when I get back to Scotland. I used to think, well, I used to take driving lessons when I was younger. But it didn't quite pan out as well as my parents or I had hoped, since there was, well, there was so much else going on. And I used to think that it wasn't the most serious thing in the world. I picked up the basics, and I passed my theory tests. But the practical was always the part where I struggled the most and it sort of evaded me in terms of getting any results. Well, at least any positive results like passing. But I'd quite like to try again, since, well, now I have the time and money to do so. And I've got the self-awareness of how I learn things. So I think that's developed enough that I'll do better. Um, of course, before I actually get behind the wheel, I plan to do a lot of revision and brush up on some of the things that I've never been clear on, like how to check your oil levels, for example, or what the necessity of that is. Um, and there must be a few new things since I last drove a car, which will be in both parts of the test. So I should be aware of them too. So once I revise, learn the new bits and pieces, and do my theory test in that order, and in combination with regular lessons, I'll be ready for the final practical part, which I hope to pass with flying colors. I think I might take this sort of more systematic, methodical, and less haphazard approach to it than the, well, the last time I tried. I'll be able to get my license. Most people have a party when they pass their test. But that's usually when they're younger. In my case, I think I'll just be relieved that I managed to do it, and, well, it will be a case of just moving on to the next thing, for example. But yeah, I think it is quite important as I get older and as my parents and all the other people in my family get older too, it will be quite useful for them. As well as being useful for me if I have to drive for work.

M: Will you do it anytime soon?

R: Um, I'm hoping by the end of the summer, but we'll need to see what my progress is like elsewhere.

M: Thank you, Rory!

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Discussion

M: Oh, wow. Driving and Rory. Rory driving.

R: I know. Me behind the wheel of a machine that can kill people.

M: I can't imagine you're driving a car for some reason.

R: Neither can I, but we'll see.

M: I've got a license too, I don't drive.

R: But you have it.

M: I have it., yeah. Yeah, I have a 10 year experience driving.

R: Sometimes it's useful. My mom used to say that if you had it, then you can charge more money for work because you might be able to, you know, contribute more to the workplace. if you said you could drive. You didn't necessarily have to do it.

M: Yeah, was one thing having driving license and other thing is being able to drive a car. So I have it, but I can't drive. Yeah. So you started off with I'm thinking about learning.

R: Yes.

M: How to drive. So this is a typical phrase we use about plans. I'm thinking about doing something, right. I'm thinking about moving. I'm thinking about buying. I'm thinking about learning. Yeah, very nice one. And then you go, it didn't quite pan out.

R: Yes. So when things, well, when we talk about how the results develop, sort of how things go, we talk about it panning out. So things can pan out quite well or they might not pan out as well as you hope.

M: It's so natural to say this. Like, remember, we had this party? Rory's goodbye party, remember? Do you remember?

R: I remember most of it.

M: So I was talking to an American lady and she would go like, oh, it didn't pan out, you know? So yeah, it's really, this phrasal verb is used, it's natural.

R: Were you talking to Sarah?

M: Sarah? No, not Sarah.

R: Oh, okay.

M: Your roommate. Flatmate. Yeah. We were talking about her dates and she goes like, well, it never pans out. So it didn't pan out, like, it didn't like...

R: Go how she planned.

M: Yeah, exactly. So a very nice one. I picked up the basics.

R: Yes. So picked up, like learned. But the basics is just the basics of how to drive. Simple information, like, how to turn on the ignition, how to stop the car, hard to break, how to accelerate.

M: Rory driving a car. What car would you like to drive?

R: I don't care. I just want to know how to drive and then move on to the next thing.

M: Oh, yeah, because you don't have any taxes in Scotland, do you?

R: We do. But like, it's expensive. It's better to have a car.

M: Do you have cabs? Like London cabs?

R: No. Well, yes, we used to. I think they're not as common as just people in their cars. Maybe it's changed since I was there.

M: But you do have Uber?

R: Nope, it's banned, or it was banned when I was there.

M: Oh, really? No Uber in Scotland?

R: Yeah, it was like, well, it wasn't allowed in my hometown, because it was a threat to local businesses in the form of the taxi cabs there. And they have quite a strong influence on our local council. But maybe it's changed. Who knows? I think it should because, to be honest, I find professional taxi drivers quite obnoxious. But that's just me.

M: Wow. So, Rory then talked about his future driving experience. "Might get behind the wheel".

R: Yeah. And that's just means like, if you're gonna drive something, then you get behind the wheel.

M: And drive it. "Brush up on some of the things".

R: So brush up on is just like to make sure that your knowledge is, well, there. And then to describe, well, if you're not sure what kind of words to use to describe information, you could say, learn new bits and pieces.

M: Bits and pieces.

R: Bits and pieces is just saying learn the different parts of something.

M: When you talk about a plan in your life, you tend to use future. So future structures, future tense form. For example, I think if I take this, not if I will take. No, no, no. But we're talking about the future. If I take this, I'll...

R: Be ready.

M: Be ready, yeah. So I'll be able to get my license in the future, right. Also, in my case, I think I'll just be relieved or I'll just do it. So again, like will, be able to, if structures are very nice talking about plants. What other structures can we use while talking about a plan in your life? Like I'm planning...

R: I'm thinking about.

M: I'm thinking about.

R: I'm considering.

M: I'm considering going to Scotland. Or I'm planning to buy a new house. Or I'd like to buy a new villa in Scotland. Oh, yeah, you've sent us these Scottish ruins, which are on sale. So it's like, um, I'm thinking of buying some Scottish ruins. For how much was it?

R: It's 173,000 pounds, which sounds like a lot of money.

M: Oh, they were haunted ruins.

R: Well, also considered they were haunted. Also, it's like the ruins of an entire village. Like some houses are more expensive than that.

M: Haunted. Haunted means with a ghost. There's a ghost there. So you buy the ruins together with a ghost. Mm-hmm.

R: Yeah, what a great deal.

M: I wonder who's gonna buy it?

R: I wonder we can talk about the vocabulary.

M: Yes. Let's, let's go with that.

R: So we started off with what the plan was. And I didn't say my plan is to, like a robot. I said "I'm thinking about". And then why you made the plan, I said "I'd quite like to try it again since I have the time and money". So again, it's not like I made this plan because it's I'm thinking about it since.

M: Since - like because.

R: And then saying like what do you need to do first, I didn't actually talk about what I needed to do first, I talked about the whole plan, basically. But I said where was it? Um, of course, before I get behind the wheel, I plan to do a lot of revision, and then described it from there. So there's the logical progression in the plan. And then how you would feel if it was successful - "Some people say they would celebrate, I just said I would feel relieved".

M: And then you said, I'm gonna pass it with flying colors.

R: Yeah. So if we talk about a test, then you always pass your test with flying colors. And I really think that's it, to be honest. It's always like do something with flying colors, pass something with flying colors.

M: Yeah, pass IELTS with flying colors. So getting band 8 or 9.

R: Yes.

M: So like a good result. No, 7.5 is also good and 7 is actually good. So, but flying cars is like the highest mark, right? Yeah.

R: Hopefully our work today will help you pass your IELTS test with flying colors.

M: With flying colors. With IELTS red colors. Thank you very much for listening. We'll see you in speaking part three.

R: Where we're going to talk about planning.

M: Bye!

R: Bye!

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