English Lesson - Christmas

7/18/2019 English Lesson - Christmas

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The Bob and Rob Show Study GuideLesson 65: Christmas

date: Dec 22, 2006file name: bobrob12-22-06file length: 27:00

Show notesSeasons greetings to all and every one of you. This is the Christmas show.

We also had an uncharacteristically sad story for Christmas. But don’t worry, look on thebright side of life.

PSAUSPS1 with Jack Webb (he’s a mellow fellow2)

Phrasal Verbs"to open up"1) to talk freely and openly e.g: if you like to talk about your problem, please feel free to

open up. I’m always here and ready to listen.2) to make something possible e.g: if you have good English speaking skills, a number of

possibilities open up for you.3) to start something e.g: the company will open up a new business in Tokyo.

4) to literally open something up that is wrapped e.g: Hey, it’s Chistmas, let’s open up the presents

“to open somebody up”to cut someone open so as to perform medical surgery e.g: the doctors opened him up inorder to remove the tumor.

IdiomsHit the shops

If something hits the shops, it comes on the market for sale and is widely availableThe new Bob n’ Rob Show T-shirts hit the shops today. Let’s go out and get one as asouvenir.

Bonus Idiom: “To talk shop”.To talk shop – to discuss matters related to your work or business in a social situation e.g: I really don’t want to talk shop here in the pub. Let’s forget about work and just sup at somebeers and talk about football.

Extra Extra Idiom:

Talk Turkey

In America, this is an informal way to discuss something seriously and honestly:Hey, let’s talk turkey. What are you prepared to do to enter college?



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Email Bag Alfredo suggested that we may have been a little insensitive toward the gay communityabout the joke Bob made about ‘coming out’. Thank you for your opinion Alfredo and wemust stress that we had no intention of being insensitive and if it came across like that thenwe definitely apologize. We both believe that intolerance and bigotry of any form isunacceptable and must be eradicated3. Thanks again for your comments.

Catherine told us of our mistakes regarding the movie ‘Singing in the rain’. The maincharacters were Gene Kelly (not Fred Astaire!) Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor.Thanks Catherine. Please forgive us our ignorance.

Grammar BluesInversion Part 2

Try these questions to test your skills: Invert the sentences. Look at the example

Compared with the winters of 20 years ago, the winters of today are more changeable.The winters of today are more changeable than the winters of 20 years ago.

1. I didn’t want to go skiing. All my friends wanted to go. All my friends….2. Bob went away to southern Japan this winter. His family went there too Bob’s family went….3. Santa is a jolly old man. His helpers and elves are helpful too. His helpers….4. Compared to 20 years ago, I am more mature now. I am….

Both Sides of the Pond(US) egg nog (UK) egg nog / egg flip(US) plum pudding (UK) Christmas pudding(US) theatrical Christmas performance (UK) pantomime

Check out this site for the egg nog recipe. Please try it on Xmas4 day if you can.

http://coffeetea.about.com/od/eggnog/r/oldfashnog.htm

Wow: cream, milk, brandy and rum. Yummy yummy Mummy !!!!

EXTRAS

(US) hard candy (UK) boiled sweets(US) candy (UK) sweets

SongSome Christmas Huggin’ and Kissin’ by Geoff Smithhttp://www.podshow.com



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QuotesTwas the night before Christmas,When all through the houseNot a creature was stirring, not Even a mouse;The stockings were hung by theChimney with care.I hope that St.Nicholas soonWould be there.

Clement C.Moore (1823)

“Bah”, said Scrooge. “Humbug”

Charles Dickens (1843)

EXTRA

Welcome, all wonders in one sight! Eternity shut in a span.

Richard Crashaw (1652)

Show transcript

BOB

"Was the night before Christmas and all through the house. Not a creature was stirring noteven a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care. In the hopes that St.Nicholas

5 would soon be there," and that's by, Clement Seymour.

ROBVery nice, Bob. Great way to introduce the show.

BOBIt's Christmas time folks. We're talking about Christmas. Happy Holidays6.

ROB

Excellent. It's Christmas time. Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays.

BOBDo you have a nice pithy7 quote that you could share with the audience?

ROBI do. Yours was very eloquent8 - nice. Mine is, "Bah," said, Scrooge, "humbug."

BOBThat's the famous Ebenezer Scrooge

9, from Charles Dicken’s novel, A Christmas Carol.

ROBA Christmas Carol

10, over a hundred-fifty years ago, 1843.



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BOBYou’re not a scrooge though. You're a pretty positive person.

ROBI try not to be. That's a great story, because in the end, he understands the true meaning of Christmas. He shares, and he's no longer greedy and selfish, so that's a wonderful story.

BOBThat is a great story. Christmas - the true meaning of Christmas - well, it really depends onthe person, doesn't it?

ROBIndeed, yes it does.

BOBFor some it means, spending a Christmas season with your family. For some it means,remembering the birth of Christ, reliving old traditions, or giving to those in need. If you’re a

child it could mean, Santa Claus, and presents.

ROBOr, a combination of all of those points.

BOBYea, yea. Here in Japan, Christmas is a little bit different. Of course, for most Japanese,there isn't the religious association.

ROBRight, and also, it's actually not even a national holiday here in Japan.

BOBNo, but it's funny here. They really go...

ROBOverboard11 with the decorations.

BOBOverboard, or full-board with the decorations. A lot of homes in my area have Christmaslights on them. And the station...

ROBIt's very nice, actually.

BOBDoes your train station have Christmas decorations - Santa Claus, reindeer?

ROBWell, not actually in the station, but around the station, yea, - the trees - it's very nice.

BOBIt is nice.

ROB



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But, I'll tell you one of my pet peeves12

, Bob. December 25th at midnight, they take all thelights down.

BOBIt's a little fast.

ROBVery fast!

BOBWhy don't they wait a couple of weeks?

ROBI guess it's because of the new year, perhaps its more important here.

BOBIt is, and we'll talk about that on the next show - Japanese New Year. Also, with younger couples, it's common to go out, and have a romantic dinner on Christmas eve.

ROBWe don't really do that in the West, do we? In Britain we don't consider it romantic.

BOBNo, you're usually with your family Christmas Eve. And also, here, Christmas cake is atradition as well - buying Christmas cake on Christmas Eve. On our last show the themewas chickens...

ROBKind of - animals.

BOB...animals, and we had some chickens in the audience, and actually, I was talking with themafter the show, and it turns out they have a choir 13 group. They sing, so they offered tocome back on this show, and sing "Jingle Bells" for us. So shall we listen to the singingchickens?

ROBYea, excellent, let's listen to them.

BOB

Okay, here they are.

OTHERSINGING CHICKENS

BOBWell, that's quite interesting isn't it, Rob?

ROBYea, that's great.

BOBI hope they don't go on too long. Okay, thank you - stop!



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OTHERLAUGHS

ROBWe should invite them on the show again.

BOBWe should. Thank you, chickens. Anyway, that was "Jingle Bells" by, the Singing Chickens.You know, Rob, Christmas is often a time for telling stories. Christmas stories are verypopular. A lot of them are very uplifting and heart warming.

ROBSo they should be.

BOBI thought in the spirit of the Bob and Rob Show, we would do something a little different andtell a depressing Christmas story.

OTHERLAUGHS

ROB A depressing Christmas story, okay.

BOBThis one is a story about a girl named Mary Christmas, M-A-R-Y Christmas. She's anorphan, and her parents die when she's one, and she has trouble getting adopted. This isreally a corny, sappy, quite pathetic Christmas story, but, well why not? Something a little

different, you might shed a tear. S-H-E-D "Shed a tear" means "to cry a little bit," at the endof it. Shall we listen? Let's listen to "Mary Christmas."

OTHERMARY CHRISTMAS: Now this is a story about a girl named Christmas / In fact her namewas Mary / Just a tiny little girl in an orphanage home / But she sure had a lot of burdens tocarry / Well Mary's mommy and daddy got called to heaven / When Mary wasn't quite ayear old / This is the story of "Little Miss Mary Christmas" / And I think it ought to be told. /Now when the people of the orphanage got her / It was on a beautiful Christmas day / Apretty little girl with the sparkliest eyes / And a smile that never seemed to fade away / Wellthey just named her Mary Christmas / This happy little bundle of cheer / She made it seem

like a Christmas day / For everyone that she was near / For some reason or other whenMary was born / No one could ever really tell / But, Mary couldn't walk like other boys andgirls / She couldn't get around quite as well / But yet this little Christmas sweetheart / Kepther tears hidden by a smile / As she told all her friends at the orphanage home / That shecould only stay there for awhile / I guess she knew that she'd be leaving / She told her friends "now just any day" / And with her crutches she'd stand in that adoption line / Thefolks never seem to look her way / But little Mary Christmas was the bravest little girl / Ithink this world will ever see / As she just turned and hobbled back to her room / Saying"next time it will probably be me." / Tomorrow on Christmas I'll see my mommy and daddy /That's what little Mary had said / And then the next morning, sure enough she was right /Her prayers had been answered that night / For there by the Christmas tree were her new

mommy and daddy / Eager to love her in every way / Take her home and into their hearts /Were the most wonderful Merry Christmas day.



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BOBOkay, Rob, I can see that you did shed a tear. Need a tissue?

OTHERLAUGHS

ROBYea, give me a tissue, I've got to blow my nose.

OTHERLAUGHS

BOBNow, wipe that off the microphone.

ROBInteresting, yea, that's pretty sad.

BOBSo, Christmas season is here - holiday season - and you've got to mail gifts, right? Haveyou mailed gift packages to your family?

ROBNot yet. That's something I gotta do.

BOBIt's getting late, Rob.

ROBI'm going to do that pretty soon. I know it's getting late.

BOBThe post office sometimes have commercials to remind people to mail their gifts early."Make sure to mail them before December 18th if you want them to get there on time." So, Ithought I'd play a United States Postal service commercial, trying to remind people to mailtheir gifts on time - and cards. This is a funny one, it's from the 1970's, and the person thatdoes the commercial was a famous actor. His name is Jack Webb. Have you ever seen themovie Dragnet?

ROBOh, yea, yea, yea,

BOBHere's this commercial, there's one line that is kind of funny. You can tell it's from the 70's."Try to remember these dates in December, and your friends will know you're a mellowfellow." "Mellow" means "relaxed and hip, or cool at the same time." A combination of those words. Let's listen to ole Jack Webb of the pop show Dragnet, reminding us to mailour christmas presents on time.

OTHER

US POSTAL SERVICE COMMERCIAL: Try to remember these dates in December, the10th, 11th, and 15th. Try to remember these dates in December, and friends will all know



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you're a mellow fellow. This is Jack Webb, when you mail on schedule on this holidayseason, the post office is ready to deliver on schedule. Automated machinery from coast tocoast, will speed your zip coded14 letters, and parcels in time to arrive for a merryChristmas. But remember: mail cards out of state by December 10th, mail parcels to localand nearby areas by December 11th, and local cards by the 15th. Remember 10th, 11th,and 15th. Try to remember these dates in December, and follow, follow.

BOB All right. Phrasal verbs and idioms. What do we got today, Rob?

ROBPhrasal verbs and idioms. When do you open up your presents, Bob?

BOBI open them up on Christmas day. Is that the phrasal verb?

ROBThat's the phrasal verb, Bob, yea.

BOBYou're good, Rob.

ROB"Open up, to open up something." And, "to open up," has numerous, numerous meanings.

BOB A lot of times it can be feelings "to open up to someone" means "to share your feelings."

ROB

That's right.

BOBLike, Rob, you need to open up to me and let me know more about your life.

ROBNo, it's okay, my wife can do that.

OTHERLAUGHS

ROBGood point, yes. We often open up to psychiatrists, or priests - confidants. Another meaning for "open up, to open something up," is "to make something possible, or available"; for example, if our listeners improve their English to such an extent that they aremore or less completely bilingual, then it opens up doors, it opens up new possibilities intheir lives.

BOBSo, an abstract use of that. Also, "open up to start a new business"; for example, "thecompany's opening up a new factory in Tokyo."

ROBYes, yes, that's another meaning there.



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BOBOkay, those are some good examples of the phrasal verb "open up."

ROB And of course, there's "to open something up" literally.

BOB A book, "open up your books."

ROB A book, or something that is locked, or something that is wrapped - on Christmas day.

BOBOpen up presents. Where's my present, Rob?

ROBSorry, there is one more.

BOBYou’re trying to change the subject.

ROBChange the subject and avoid the topic.

OTHERLAUGHS

ROB

Yes, if you "open somebody up," that refers to...like a medical...

BOBSurgery, like, "the surgeon opened the patient up, made an incision."

ROBYes, "they took the knife to the person, to the patient."

BOBIdioms for today. Since we're talking about Christmas, "hit the shops," is an idiom. "Hit theshops" means "something becomes widely available for sale"; for example, "the new Bob

and Show textbook hits the shops this Friday." We don't really have a textbook.

ROBWe do, actually.

BOBWell, not a Bob and Rob Show textbook.

ROBNo, not a Bob and Rob Show textbook, but we have our own.

BOB



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So "hit the shops" means "something becomes widely available," And, our bonus idiom for today is "talk shop." An example of that would be "ah, Rob, let's not talk shop now, I justwant to drink and forget about work." Those are our idioms for today.

ROBOkay. So, the answers for "talk shop" will be on the study guides.

BOBOkay, time for Grammar Blues. Grammar blues makes me feel so bad, always walkingaround feeling sad.

ROBDid you make that up, Bob?

BOBYes.

ROB

That's cool.

BOBI'm good aren't I?

ROBYou ought to put a little guitar riff 15 to that.

BOBHey, don't patronize me.

OTHERLAUGHS

ROBI'm not. What are we going to talk today in Grammar Blues.

BOBI think we're going to do another segment on "inversion." This will be inversion, part two.

ROBThis is an interesting area. What can we say about inversion?

BOBTo refresh everyone's memories, "inversion" is when "the subject and verb are reversed."So "verb/subject, not subject/verb. For example, you take a sentence like, "it would be aserious problem for children if Santa were to die."

ROBOkay, and "it would be a serious problem were Santa to die, for children."

BOBThat's been inverted, right?

ROB



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Right.

BOBWhat's another example?

ROB Another example is, "if you should need more presents then please be friendlier."

BOBOr you could invert it "should you need more presents you might want to be friendlier."Basically, the only differences when we invert these sentences, they're just more formal.

ROB And, in these examples here, we're actually replacing the "if section," so we're substituting"if" as well.

BOBThat's true. If we're using "were"?

ROBYes, so, "if" changes into "were." We can replace...

BOBSo, in order to invert those sentences you need to change "if" to "were," and by inverting it,it just makes it more formal. The meaning, of course, is the same it's just more formal.

ROBIt is more formal.

BOBSo, for example, "If Bob had asked, I would have been able to help," or if you inverted "hadBob asked, I would have been able to help." It's just a little more formal by inverting itverb/object. Okay, I think that's probably enough.

ROBIs that enough for today, do you think?

BOBWhat do you think?

ROBOkay.

BOB Anyway, that's been the Grammar Blues. Bringing me down making me feel bad, walkingaround feeling sad.

ROBHow about a bit of Both Sides of the Pond, Bob?

BOB

Okay, sounds good.



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ROBIn the UK we eat - actually, I did mention this before – but last year we had twenty-fivemillion Christmas puddings.

BOBChristmas puddings? You know, I'm not real familiar with Christmas pudding, but I thinkwe'd call that "plum pudding." P-L-U-M-B pudding.

ROBIt's got lot's of dried fruits in it, and it's kind of round and brown.

BOBYea, or fruit cake.

ROBYea, kind of like a fruit cake. Very sweet.

BOB

I don't think we call it Christmas pudding.

ROBOkay, we call that Christmas pudding.

BOBHow about, eggnog; do you say "egg nog"?

ROB Actually we do, I think, but there is another term for it which is called "egg flip."

BOBWhat is egg nog anyway?

ROBThat's a good question. It's an alcoholic drink, isn't it?

BOBIt's kind of cream...

ROBCream, milk, and...

BOBNutmeg?

ROBI believe so, and is it brandy, or whiskey, or something? There's a hard liquor in there.

BOBDo you like egg nog?

ROB

Yea actually, it's really good.



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BOBWe'll put that in the show notes.

ROBMust find out.

BOBEgg nog, very popular Christmas drink.

ROBIt is good; I recommend it.

BOBDo you have any theatrical Christmas performances during the holidays.

ROBWe do. We call those "pantomimes." People dress up in very odd costumes, and theyusually do children's fairy tales, and they sing lot's of songs, usually musicals, and often the

men dress up in women's clothes. And that's what a pantomime is in the UK.

BOBSo, your in a lot of pantomimes, I think. You pantomime everyday.

OTHERLAUGHS

ROBIt's good fun, I tell you.

BOBWhen you go out on the town at night are you pantomiming?

ROBNot often, no.

BOBI think that's enough for some Both Sides of the Pond.

ROBOkay.

BOBOur email bag today. What do we have today for emails?

ROBWe've got to look over a couple of emails. First, I'd like to read out something fromKatherine. She mentioned something about Singing in the Rain, the movie that we talkedabout several shows ago. Yes, we showed our ignorance about that, and she tells us thatthe main character, the principle actor is Gene Kelly, not Fred Astair.

BOB

Shame on us.



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ROB And also, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor.

BOBThanks, Katherine. It's not Audrey Hepburn.

ROBWe made a big boo-boo

16 on that one.

OTHERLAUGHS

BOBShe likes Mulholland Drive, she said.

ROBWhich is also a classic.

BOBI couldn't understand that movie. We got a nice email from Alfredo. I just want to read thisout, and he had some feedback about a joke that I made on a previous show. He says heenjoys our show, and I'll just read what he says here:I have a comment to make about a show I recently heard. It is the one where you guysintroduced theexpression come out. I felt the way you handled the idiom to come out of the closet -refering to gay men and women - a little insensitive. The gay community is alreadystruggling with so much in many societies, including the United States, that a show likeyours should be a window to educate, and createunderstanding. In the show, Bob asked Rob when he came out, and then, there came the

recorded laughter, and then, the explanation of the idiom for that specific case. Since Robis not gay, it is supposed to be funny that Bob called him gay. I think that joke will be reallyfunny when gay people have the same rights that straight people have and the stigma for their sexually is vanished. As you guys know, that is not the case yet. You are probablyreaching many teenagers, and adults from oppressive societies in the world, where theymight be suffering just because they behave differently. I hope I am being clear that I amnot attacking any of you; I am just expressing an opinion on a topic that is still verycontroversial and difficult to talk about unfortunately.So, thank you very much for this, Alfredo. First of all, if I came across as being insensitive,I'd like to apologize. I think it was more or less a lame17 attempt at a joke. I want our listeners to know that I consider myself quite tolerant18. I don't discriminate based on

religion, sexual identity, and race. I have actually several very close gay friends, but Iunderstand Alfredo's feelings as well. It's something that maybe some people don't think isfunny, because there is a lot of intolerance.

ROB And, this is Christmastime, the time for spreading peace and tolerance, and a time for putting away bigotry

19, and any form of bias that exists in the world. Good letter, Alfredo,

thanks very much.

BOBThank you very much, and I hope our listeners know we didn't mean to offend anyone.

ROB



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We didn't mean to offend anybody. Again, we're sorry.

BOBIt was just a lame attempt at a joke. I have to work really hard to make jokes. Thank youvery much, and any other comments that you have, please feel free to email us. We're atthebobandrobshow.com.

ROBThanks for all your donations, and if you enjoy the show, and you’re a regular listener,please think about making a little donation. Any size, it doesn't have to be much.

BOB A little Christmas donation.

ROBThat would be nice. Any support is greatly appreciated, and don't forget that you canreceive very detailed study notes, and transcripts, if you want to become a Bob and RobShow member.

BOBIf you know anyone that you think would be interested in the Bob and Rob Show, please besure to tell them about it. Today’s song is called, "Some Christmas Hugging and Kissing."

ROB"Some Christmas Hugging and Kissing." Cool.

BOBThis is by, Jeff Smith, and if you want to learn more about the artist we got the show frompodshow.com, so got to www.music.podshow.com. "I've been thinking I don't need a thing

you could hide in a box / It's true cause all I want for Christmas is some hugging and kissingfrom you." And I'm not talking to you, Rob.

OTHERLAUGHS

BOBSo, it's a great song, wonderful song by, Jeff Smith. Enjoy the song, and we wish all of youa wonderful holiday season.

ROB

A very merry Christmas.

BOBWe'll be back next week with a show about the Japanese New Year.

ROB And, 2007.

BOB And, 2007, so safe and happy holidays to everyone.

ROBGood luck with your studies.



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BOBBye, bye, everyone.

ROBBye.

OTHERSONG: "Some Hugging and Kissing" by, Jeff Smith. Well, the temperatures dropping,and again I'm all alone out walking tonight / I used to have a spring in my step, butsomething is missing, and I know it's not right / Last year I was good, and old jolly St. Nickwas true to his word / I was the top of the list of all those who were blessed, but this year Idon't know / I'd give back those toys, and gadgets and knicknacks

20 that he left under the

tree / Don't need the sweater, and the jacket, and the eggnog / I've had it, and its no goodfor me / This year I've been thinking that I don't need a thing you could hide in a box, it'strue / Cause all I want for Christmas is some hugging and kissing from you / I'd give up myipod shuffle, or my Blackberry, I don't need to make any calls / No, don't need my sling boxbaby, you could call me crazy I don't watch it at all / The magic bullet, the toaster, or the

thing that makes the roast beef I saw on TV / Or my brand new Fender telecaster, it don'tmean nothing to me / No, I'd give back those toys, and gadgets and knicknacks that he leftunder the tree / Don't need the sweater, and the jacket, and the eggnog / I've had it, and itsno good for me / This year I've been thinking that I don't need a thing you could hide in abox, it's true / But all I want for Christmas is some hugging and kissing from you / Yea, youknow what to do / Come on baby don't leave me blue / And I'll be here / Let's startsomething new / Give back those toys, and gadgets, and knicknacks that he left under thetree / Don't need the sweater, and the jacket, and the eggnog / I've had it and it's not goodfor me / This year I've been thinking that I don't need a thing you could hide in a box, it'strue / Cause all I want for Christmas is some hugging and some kissing, and somesqueezing, and some loving, and some sweet turtle doving / All I ever wanted on my

Christmas morning was you / All I want for Christmas is you baby.

Extension and Review Study*note: we encourage you to respond to the questions and readings by posting on the new discussion board(Login using your Bob and Rob Show membership username and password )

http://englishcaster.com/discussionboard/

1/ Bob and Rob talked about Christmas in this show. Is this festival celebrated in your

country? What do you do on December 25th

? Is it a national holiday? Do you celebrateBoxing day (December 26th)?

2/ What does Christmas mean to you? Have you ever tried egg nog? What aboutChristmas pudding? Does your country have any special dishes for the occasion?



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Classic egg nog Santa Claus, AKA St.Nicholas traditional Xmas pudding

3/ The idioms today were ‘hit the shops’, and ‘talk shop’ and the phrasal verb was ‘to openup’. Try to use these new expressions in sentences of your own. Has there ever been atime when you opened up to someone? What did you talk about?

Note: Of course if number 3 is of too personal a nature, please feel free not to comment.

Glossary

1 USPS = United States Postal Service2 mellow fellow = another way to say this is ‘cool dude’, or ‘chilled out’3 Eradicate = to get rid of, abolish.4 Xmas = the X at the beginning of this word is, apparently, from the Greek letter whichsounds like ‘Chri’. We are not 100% sure about this fact though. We still pronounce thisword ‘christmas’.5 St. Nicholas = Father Christmas

6 Happy Holidays = of course many people say ‘merry Christmas’, but ‘happy holidays’ isthe politically correct term, since it embraces all the varieties of celebrations at this time.7 Pithy = short and to the point

8 Eloquent = articulate, well spoken, poetic9 Ebenezer Scrooge = this character is associated with miserly behaviour. In slang, we can

say he is ‘stingy’, or ‘mean’ or ‘tight fisted’.10

A Christmas Carol = to find out more, see here: http://www.stormfax.com/dickens.htm11 Overboard = over the top, or too much of something12 pet peeves = same expression from last week. Remember? Something that annoys you.13 Choir = note the difficult spelling14 zip coded = British English is ‘postal code’15

Riff = melody, or tune. Guitar riff are collocates16 boo-boo = slang for mistake17

Lame = not a very good effort18 Tolerant = open-minded, liberal19

Bigotry = bias, prejudice, negative feelings based on ignorance20 Knicknack = a small trivial article used for ornament.

Documents

English Lesson - Christmas