Episode 0090

And I'm Erica.

And today we're bringing you the eighth part of our dramatic romantic love story. I'm sorry, I love you.

That's right. We're coming close to the end of this story, aren't we?

Yeah, we're coming close to the end and we still have a lot of interesting things going on, so I wonder what's gonna happen.

Well, um I can tell you that today's lesson involves this word, which we'll hear in vocabulary preview.

Vocabulary preview.

So today we're just gonna look at this one word, spy.

A spy.

A spy.

Spy.

Alright, so we probably know famous spies like James Bond.

Or Austin Powers.

Right. So basically it's a person who is secretly trying to get information.

About a government or maybe a business.

Right. So that's a spy.

Now the verb, to spy.

Same thing, right?

To spy on someone, to spy on a company.

Yeah.

So, why are we talking spies and spying here on English Pod? Why don't we find out by listening to our dialogue?

Veronica, Veronica.

Stephen, I...

Alright, so Stephen is not even American. He's an Indian spy.

Well, there you go. See? Many surprises on this love story.

It gets deeper and deeper.

Well, why don't we take a look at some of the vocabulary that was used in this great story in language takeaway?

Language takeaway.

Well here we've got a lot of language uh that you can use when you need to be honest about something. We're gonna look at six phrases here. Now the first one, Stephen says he needs to come clean.

Come clean.

Come clean.

Right. So basically he needs to tell the truth.

He needs to confess.

Confess, right?

About something that he maybe wasn't truthful about in the past.

Yeah, maybe he had a secret or maybe he lied about something.

Yeah.

So now he's coming clean.

So he comes clean and he tells the story about his childhood and he says his father was a renowned chemist.

Renowned.

Renowned.

Okay, so if you are a renowned chemist...

You're very famous and well respected.

So you can use that with people, with places.

A renowned restaurant.

Okay, so very popular, very well known.

We also hear it commonly like this, a world-renowned chemist, a world-renowned restaurant.

So not only popular locally, but the whole world knows about it.

Alright, and so he continues with his story and he says he was approached by members of the CIA.

Approached.

To be approached by.

Okay, so if I am approached by somebody from the CIA, what does that mean?

Well, they, they come to talk to you about something uh really important.

Okay. So the verb to approach someone can mean get close to.

Right, to walk up to them or something like that.

Right. But it also carries this, this meaning of coming to talk to you about something.

Something important.

Something very important.

Yeah.

So for example, I can say, my boss approached me this morning to talk about an important pay raise.

Or maybe, um, Jim approached me to ask if I know if his wife is cheating on him or not.

Wow. Alright, so that's how you would use this verb approach someone. Now, let's move on to the next word. So he was approached by members of the CIA and they were claiming something about his father.

That's right. So to claim.

Claim something.

To claim something.

Alright, so basically, when you're claiming something, you are saying that it's true.

Right. It might not be true.

But we don't know.

So for example, he claims he makes $4 million a year.

Okay, or Bob claims that he saw a UFO.

Mhm.

We can't prove if it's true or not, but that's what they're saying is true.

Yeah. So Stephen's father disappeared and well, he vowed to discover where he was.

So Stephen vowed to find his father.

Vow. To vow.

So this verb to vow means to make a strong promise, right?

Yes. And we use it also in marriage, right? Wedding vows.

Wedding vows, which are basically promises.

Mhm.

So if you vow something, you make a very strong promise.

Yes, it's very, very bad if you break a vow.

Oh, really? What happens?

Alright, so don't break your vows. Yeah. And the last word on language takeaway today, the whereabouts.

The whereabouts.

The whereabouts of his father.

Mhm. So the whereabouts is the location.

The location.

Kind of unknown location, right?

Right. I think this is a great word for us to listen to some more examples.

Example one.

The police don't have any information on the whereabouts of the murderer.

Example two.

Currently, the whereabouts of the president are unknown.

Example three.

You live in Toronto too? Whereabouts do you live?

Alright, so whereabouts, perfect. You can use it for location, unknown location.

Mhm. Alright, so some great words. Now, I wanna move on to some phrases that we heard in the dialogue. Um and let's look at those now in fluency builder.

Fluency builder.

Alright, on fluency builder today we have four great phrases and let's start with the first one. What's going on?

So Veronica asks, what's going on?

Stephen, what's going on?

Basically, what's happening, right?

What's happening? What what what's what's the situation?

Yeah.

Now, another interesting thing is that among friends, you could use this phrase to say,

Yeah.

So you can say, hey, Erica, what's going on?

And it all depends on your your tone of voice. So, um, when you want to know how that person is, hey Marco, what's going on?

Right, but if you're angry or maybe something strange is happening, you're like, hey, what's going on here?

Yes, so your your voice falls.

Right. Now, let's take a look at our next phrase. And this one is very, very useful. Especially if you've lied.

Yes. So Stephen says, I haven't been completely honest with you.

I haven't been completely honest with you.

I haven't been completely honest with you.

So that means he hasn't been telling the whole truth.

Right, pretty easy to understand. But I think its use is interesting here.

Right, you might use it to kind of soften up the person to confess something.

Right, so when you're ready to come clean about a secret you have or a lie you told, this is a great way to prepare your listener.

Right. You know what? I haven't been completely honest with you.

Yeah. Moving on to our third phrase. So the CIA claimed that Stephen's father had made the discovery of the millennium.

The discovery of the millennium.

Discovery of the millennium.

Okay, let's break this down. Millennium.

Millennium is a thousand years.

Right.

So the discovery of the millennium is

the best, most important discovery in the past thousand years.

Right. So now we can change it a little bit and say the invention of the millennium.

Or even the party of the millennium.

Exactly. So it doesn't necessarily have to be the most important of the last 1000 years, but it means it was pretty good. It was pretty good or very important.

Yeah. Hey, you can also say the the discovery of the decade, right?

Of the decade, of the century, of the year.

Yeah.

And now let's take a look at our last phrase. So Stephen confessed, he came clean, he told her everything, but he said he wasn't supposed to fall in love with her.

I wasn't supposed to.

I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you.

Alright, so let's look at this phrase. I wasn't supposed to. It's an interesting one. It's sort of like a cross between I didn't need to and I shouldn't have done.

Right. Now, let's look at some examples. I wasn't supposed to come to work today.

Alright, so you didn't need to.

It wasn't necessary.

Alright, so maybe it was your annual vacation day, but you came into work anyway.

Or maybe it was a holiday and I came to work anyways.

So, so the plan was not for you to come to work.

Right. So in this case, we're saying it wasn't necessary.

Or wasn't planned.

Or planned. Now, let's look at it the other way when you shouldn't.

Okay. Marco, I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but...

Okay. So now in this case, you shouldn't be telling me this. You shouldn't tell me this secret.

Yeah. But you're going to anyways.

So I wasn't supposed to. In this case, it means I shouldn't.

Mhm. Alright, some really great language here. Now, I think it would help us to hear it one more time in the dialogue.

Stephen, I...

Okay, great. So now we're getting close to the end of this series. So what's gonna happen? Maybe Veronica's also a spy.

Alright, so we really need your suggestions. We need your ideas. We want to know how you think the series ends or how you would want it to end. Do you want it to be a happy ending?

Or a tragedy?

Or maybe action-filled ending.

Alright. Well, we've got two lessons left in this series, so visit our website at EnglishPod.com and leave your suggestions.

The English Pod Audio Review.

Listen to the meaning, then say the vocabulary word.

Happening.

Go on.

Confess, tell everything, tell the truth.

Come clean.

Truthful and moral in behavior, trustworthy.

Honest.

A person employed to find out secret information about other countries or organizations.

Spy.

Well-known.

Renowned.

To assert as a fact.

Claim.

1000 years.

Millennium.

Promised.

Vow.

The approximate place where a person or thing is.

Whereabouts.

Well-known for some bad reason.

Notorious.

Done or acting in secret.

Undercover.

Federal Bureau of Investigation.

FBI.

An unimportant, small lie.

White lie.

Tell false information to for fun.

Pull someone's leg.

Let's try that faster.

An unimportant, small lie.

White lie.

Well-known.

Renowned.

1000 years.

Millennium.

Well-known for some bad reason.

Notorious.

Tell false information to for fun.

Pull someone's leg.

Truthful and moral in behavior, trustworthy.

Honest.

Federal Bureau of Investigation.

FBI.

A person employed to find out secret information about other countries or organizations.

Spy.

The approximate place where a person or thing is.

Whereabouts.

Done or acting in secret.

Undercover.

Promised.

Vow.

To assert as a fact.

Claim.

Happening.

Go on.

Confess, tell everything, tell the truth.

Come clean.

Now say the word and hear it in a sentence.

Come clean.

The murderer came clean and confessed everything to the police.

Come clean.

Carl's teacher caught him cheating on his exam, and so he had to come clean with the principal.

Come clean.

I decided to come clean with my parents and tell them that I quit school.

Renowned.

This is a restaurant renowned for its fine wine. They have over 200 wines from all over the world.

Renowned.

Stephen Hawking is a world-renowned physicist who has done extensive research on black holes.

Renowned.

I had dinner with a renowned photographer from the National Geographic.

Claim.

Carl, there's a boy outside claiming to be your son.

Claim.

The World Wildlife Federation claims there are less than 430 Siberian tigers left in the world.

Claim.

There's a drunk man outside of the school claiming he is Santa Claus.

I wasn't supposed to study architecture. I accidentally chose it on my registration form.

You are not supposed to be here. Your classroom is down the hall.