📙 Part 2: Describe a time when someone gave you something that you really wanted

This episode's vocabulary

To be on the move (idiom) - to be physically active.

All over the place (idiom) - in a lot of different places or in all parts of a place.

To hang on by a thread (idiom) - If a serious situation hangs by a thread, it means that even a slight change can decide what will happen and that a bad result such as death, failure, etc. is likely.

Sentimental (adj.) - related to feelings rather than reason.

Wizard (noun) - someone who is an expert at something or who has great ability in a particular subject.

Forte (noun) - a strong ability, something that a person can do well.

Mildly (adverb) - slightly.

At length (phrase) - for a long time.

At a moment's/two hours'/three weeks', etc. notice (idiom) - used to emphasize how little time someone has to do something or how little warning is given.

Largesse (noun) - willingness to give money, or money given to poor people by rich people.

Questions and Answers

M: Off you go.

R: Well, this is actually a tough one, since when I really want something I just go out and get it. One thing that comes to mind is my new laptop, which I got from my parents for my birthday. And I really needed it for work and travel. To describe it in greater detail, well, like I say, I really needed it. But in particular, I really needed something compact and light so I could take it just about anywhere with me. And that's crucial since I'm always on the move and all over the place. So when I saw that it met these requirements, I was over the moon about it. To say more about when I got it, it was for my Christmas in 2022. This was very well-timed, actually, as my old laptop had completely fallen apart the month beforehand and was pretty much hanging on by a thread. I was actually quite sad about it since it had been with me for years before it stopped working properly. And we'd been through a second thing together. Regardless of the sentimental value, though I really needed a new laptop. Like I said, in terms of who gave it to me, it was from my parents, though, my mother pretty much masterminded the whole thing. She's the techno-wizard between my two parents. I'm sure Dad wanted to help. But it's not really his forte, to put it mildly. And even then I was still asked for some input. So it wasn't a total surprise when I got it. I feel like I've already gone on at length about why I wanted it so much. But to go on about a little more this sort of thing is essential when you have a job like mine, it needs to be ready for work at a moment's notice. It does everything I need it to and more actually, but then I've got very basic requirements. The best part is, it wasn't even that expensive, to be honest. It's just an old corporate model that was sold off at a discount. So God bless corporations in their largesse. Otherwise, my folks would have had to go for something a bit more expensive and I don't like people spend a lot of money on me. Just a little something is enough. If I hadn't got this laptop, it wouldn't have been a total disaster. But I definitely wouldn't have the options that I do now.

M: And what would you do if you lost it?

R: Cry. I would really struggle to cope without my laptop.

Discussion

M: Hey! Rory story. Yeah, so, dear listener, someone gave you something that you really wanted. Maybe it was your birthday present, maybe just, just a regular day and you got something you really wanted. Usually, it's a smartphone or a laptop, or perhaps a ring, or some piece of jewellery or a bag. But if you choose to talk about a bag or some piece of clothing, make sure you can describe it. I think the safest option here is to talk about a laptop. Okay? And Rory told us about a laptop. Right, Rory?

R: Yes.

M: So a new computer, a new laptop or a new phone.

R: Well, reasonably new.

M: Yeah. But again, even if you got it like, I don't know, 20 years ago, or even if you bought it yourself, dear listener, okay? So, if you bought your own laptop, you can imagine that, oh, my parents gave it to me or my friend gave it to me. Okay? So do this. Yeah. Because I think it's quite easy to talk about a laptop. And Rory started off with this is a tough one. A tough one? This is a tough question. Tough - difficult. Because when I really want something, I go out and get it. So Rory goes out there and gets it himself. But one thing that comes to mind is my new laptop. Okay? So you can start in the same manner here. Which I got from my parents, or which I got from my friends for my birthday. So yeah, I'm gonna tell you about my new laptop, which I got from my friends for my birthday. So, dear listener, you are free to lie about this, okay? I really needed it for work and travel. So I needed it for my work, or for my private life. To describe it in greater detail, I really needed something compact. Compact? What did you mean? Like portable, small?

R: Yeah, it is quite small, actually. Looking at it now.

M: So something compact and light because I'm always on the move. So Rory always moving, he goes to places. You see? So he's always on the move. I needed a light, compact laptop. And that laptop met those requirements. So the laptop had all those requirements, it was compact and light. So I was over the moon about it. I was over the moon about it. I was very happy about it. It's an idiomatic expression, dear listener, to mean very happy. I was over the moon about it. Oh, when they got it, I was over the moon.

R: So no stress on the idiomatic language.

M: Yeah, could you just say it again? The whole sentence?

R: So when I saw it met those requirements, I was over the moon.

M: Yep.

R: Or I was over the moon about it.

M: It was for my Christmas. Or for my birthday. For your birthday, for my Christmas?

R: What?

M: So you said that you got it for your birthday. And then you said it was for my Christmas. Oh, that's fine. You see, dear listener/ Rory got confused.

R: Yes, I did.

M: But maybe his birthday was at Christmas.

R: No, my birthday is in August. So I completely messed up the timelines with that.

M: Yeah, but the examiner doesn't know it. Right? So if you say, okay, it was for my birthday and then it was for my Christmas. So maybe your birthday is on the 25th of December. The examiner doesn't know it. And it doesn't matter, dear listener, to be honest with you. It's a bit strange. But yeah. So was it for your birthday or for your Christmas? Or was it...

R: It was for my Christmas.

M: For your Christmas. Okay. This was very well-timed. So Rory needed it badly. He needed it very much. And parents gave it to him. So the time was perfect because his old laptop had completely fallen apart the month before. You see? Past Perfect. First, the laptop, the old laptop had fallen apart. And then he got a new one. So my old laptop was pretty much hanging on by a thread. Rory, what did you mean?

R: It was just so close to falling apart and just breaking completely.

M: Yeah. So hang by a thread. It's an idiom. Lots of idioms here, dear listener. Rory is on fire. He messed up with the time but.

R: But at least my idioms are nice.

M: Yes. So hang by a thread. If a situation hangs by a thread, it means that something bad will happen.

R: Or it's very close to something bad happening.

M: Yeah. So his future has been hanging by a thread.

R: The thread or something that will break easily.

M: Yeah. So from material. So sometimes a thread sticks out from your clothes, and you kind of take it and then... And you just take it out. So old things can hang on by a thread. So my old phone was hanging on by a thread. So half broken...

R: Half broken, almost completely broken.

M: Yeah.

R: You saw the pictures of it. It was like, totally, it was yeah, it was not good.

M: It was about to fall into pieces, like completely.

R: It did fall into pieces. I had to tear off the back of it to make it work, which is not something that you usually do with a piece of technology.

M: Rory and his old laptop had been through thick and thin, which is another idiom. So through thick and thin. C2, dear listener. Usually, we use it with our friends. Like Rory has stuck with me through thick and thin. So he supported me all the time, he stayed with me. He, I don't know, he solved all my problems and difficulties. Yeah? So he stuck with me through thick and thin.

R: Well, I helped.

M: You helped. And here, Rory used it about his old laptop. So we've been together through thick and thin. But here he used Past Perfect, because the situation is in the past, so we had been through thick and thin. Regardless of the sentimental value. Rory, could you comment on sentimental value?

R: Oh, the sentimental value is just something that is important to you. It has value. But not because it's expensive. It's because it's got lots of memories invested in it. It's an important part of your life.

M: Yeah, my old laptop had sentimental value. It was important to me as a person. Rory's mother has masterminded the whole thing. Masterminded? She decided to give it to you, right?

R: Well, she was in charge of getting it delivered and everything.

M: And she's the techno-wizard in Rory's family.

R: Well, of my two parents, like my dad hates technology.

M: So Rory, you take after your father. What a coincidence.

R: It's not a coincidence.

M: If you say I am the techno-wizard in my family, I know a lot about technology. So I'm the wizard, you know, I work magic. And this thing was essential for Rory's work. And the best boss is that it wasn't that expensive, to be honest. So it's a corporate model that was sold off at a discount. And we finish off with the third conditional. If I hadn't got this laptop, it wouldn't have been a total disaster. So if I hadn't gone to it, but Rory did get it, it wouldn't have been a disaster. So it wasn't a disaster. Or if I hadn't got it, it would have been a disaster.

R: It would have been a disaster. Like I don't know what I would do if I had to, well, just carry around a laptop with no battery. Well, I do know what I would have done, but it's just really inconvenient. And I just can't be bothered.

M: Yeah. Hey! So, dear listener, make sure you make the right choice about the thing that you're going to be talking about. Feel free to imagine the whole thing. Why? It's okay. And even our Rory messed up for time for my birthday, for my Christmas, for my goodbye party.

R: I kept everything in the past.

M: Actually, it wasn't a laptop, it was a phone. Oh, no. Sorry. Did I tell you about a laptop? No, no, no. I meant my phone. What are we talking about?

R: Who are you? Where am I?

M: Oh, fun, fun times. Thank you for listening. And we'll get back to you in our next episode about gifts and rewards.

R: See you then! Bye!

M: Bye!

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