DVD SCRIPTS

A2 – Cat Friend / Dog Friend

Man: What's up, man?Dog: It's so good to see you, buddy. I know I saw you this morning but it seems like it's been forever. We've got to celebrate. What do you want to do? Let's go throw this puppy around, huh? Go outside, get some fresh air?Man: Sure, let me put my stuff down, okay?Dog: Alright!Cat (Jimmy): What's up, Jimmy?--------Dog: Hey, man. What are you doing? Are you cooking? Do you need any help? I can help.Man: No, I'm good. Actually, where's the basil?Dog: Uh, bottom drawer.---------Man: What is this?Dog: I am so sorry. I don't even deserve to live here. I'll just go get paper towels and clean it up and leave.----------Cat: We're out of cereal.----------Friend: Your friend's weird.Man: Yeah, I don't think he likes you. He doesn't really like anyone.--------Man: What's up with you? Jimmy, no! No!Dog: Hey, don't worry. I got this.Man: That's a good boy!

GlossaryWhat's up? – A greeting like "how are you?"this puppy – slang for an objectI'm good – I don't need helpI got this – I can manage this alone

A2 – Teens React to 80's Fashion

Host: So this episode you are not reacting to a video.Madison: What are we doing?Host: Today you are reacting to fashion.Troy: Fashion?Sam: Ooh. That's interesting.Tom: To fashion? Why would you have ME react to fashion?Kaelyn: I can do this. Okay.Host: 1980s fashion.Kaelyn: Um... Alright then.

Jeordy: Oh, no! I hate the 80s!Adam: Sweet.Rae: Isn't that, like... hippie?Olivia: It was very neon.Rachel: There's some 80s fashion that is, like, really fun, like, the 80s movies fashion. My mom is Flash Dance, my dad is the Breakfast Club.Host: What do you know about 80s fashion?Everhet: Absolutely nothing.Troy: I don't know anything about that.Tom: 80s fashion is what hipsters are wearing today.Madison: Like, the headbands, like, across, with, like, the leotards and the colored tights.Jeordy: Women in, like, blazers, all the time. Awful. Shoulder pads. Awful.Host: First off, one of the biggest trends in the 80s for women: clothing that had built-in shoulder pads.Everhet: Did they play football in the 80s?Kaelyn: That's actually cute.Troy: This is yours, right?Olivia: It's kind of weird. It looks like I'm wearing like, the coat hanger with your coat.Madison: I think that girls should look dainty and cute and not like...Adam: I think that would be, like, really weird to feel. Like, if you just had your arm around a girl and it's just like... pad.Host: Go ahead and try it on.Tom: You want me to wear women's clothing, yeah guys?Everhet: I think I could pull it off.Rae: I feel powerful. I feel like a man.Kaelyn: I feel like a governor.Madison: I feel like a newswoman.Sam: Who thought of this idea, to do that? Like, oh, let's be like football players. Let's be powerful.Rachel: Didn't Madonna do this? Madonna definitely did this.Host: So here's an image of some celebrities of the era, all in shoulder pads.Tom: Fashion's weird, man.Madison: I don't like it. Two thumbs down.Rae: They look like the people in my textbooks, man.Rachel: That's from Ferris Beuler.Sam: There's... Princess Diana, Oprah Winfrey. I don't know why she's wearing, like... a yellow stripe. You're not, like, an astronaut, or like, Xenon.Host: Why do you think this was a thing in the 80s?Tom: You tell me, I don't know! I wasn't alive in the 80s.Kaelyn: I don't even know. I didn't know shoulder pads were that serious.Rae: Maybe it made their waists seem more smaller.Madison: Maybe it makes their heads look smaller? I don't know.Jeordy: Women were becoming more active in business and they wanted to show that they were capable, and they wanted to show that they were not masculine, necessarily, but could handle the same things as men.Host: One of the reasons was a movement called Power Dressing.Olivia: Power dressing... It sounds so awesome. POWER dressing.Host: Women wanted to show that they were capable in society so they wanted to look more masculine.Kaelyn: Okay, that makes sense. When I put it on, it makes me feel so, like... It makes me feel powerful.Madison: I think that women can be as powerful as men without making themselves look like men.Tom: I don't think you need shoulder pads to make you, like you know, feel powerful.

Host: You don't feel more powerful right now?Tom: Actually, I kind of do. I'm not going to lie.Host: Everything they made came with shoulder pads including T-shirts.Jeordy: You're not serious.Adam: A T-shirt with shoulder pads? What.Troy: This looks so stupid.Rachel: Why? Why? Why?Sam: I want to try everything on. This is fun. It's like a fashion show.Madison: This is so ugly! I would never wear this! This needs to be burned.Kaelyn: No... Okay, I don't feel powerful in this.Host: Another trend was the fitness boom.Tom: I have a horror story. I walked into my mom's closet one time and I saw SO much neon, like, fitness clothing. I was so scarred.Host: Here are some examples.Kaelyn: I'm not gonna lie, I like those pants.Jeordy: God, the leg warmers... I forgot about leg warmers. They're horrible.Sam: People would wear this on a daily basis? Not just when they're working out? It just seems like a whole generation that was so lost.Rachel: These all look like pictures of my mom in the 80s.Tom: My dad has one of those, the ski jackets, and he still wears it.Host: So we have some of this.Rae: Do I get to wear them?Host: So we have some windbreaker suits.Sam: Oh, no, these are SO disgusting. People wore this. This is like a Halloween costume.Madison: I feel like this is kind of coming back.Rae: Do I look good?Kaelyn: No! You can't do this to yourself.Host: There also was leg warmers.Adam: Oh, yeah.Rachel: I love leg warmers so much.Rae: This is as hipster as it gets.Everhet: This is actually really comfortable. I wanna wear these now.Kaelyn: I actually wear some to school. These are still 'in' today.Host: We have headbands.Jeordy: Oh, joy, we get four of them!Adam: I'm gonna keep this forever.Rae: I gotta be as 80s as possible.Tom: I'm breaking a sweat reacting today.Host: Scrunchies, the girls used to love.Jeordy: Scrunchies aren't terrible. I'm okay with scrunchies. Unless they're neon. And they're neon.Rae: I'm gonna, like, look back at this in like ten years and I'm gonna be like, what was I doing? But you know what? Whatever. I was gonna say YOLO, but I'm not one of those... I'm not like a 13-year-old boy.Host: And there was also Zubas.Everhet: Zubas? This sounds amazing.Olivia: Like, sweatpants?Jeordy: I would totally wear these.Adam: Dude! I've seen my dad with these!Kaelyn: Where did you guys even find this stuff? That's what I'm concerned about.

Host: Put on the windbreaker and the Zubas.Madison: Yeah. I like this one.Everhet: These are amazing! Seriously, these are awesome!Tom: Let's do it.Olivia: Why? How?Rachel: 80s! I'm so happy right now.Adam: I feel like the douchebag in like every 80s movie.Rae: Come at me! I'm single!Host: So last but not least, who could forget the greatest trend in 80s history?Jeordy: I'm scared.Kaelyn: No....Adam: Why was this ever a trend?Madison: Yes! Fanny packs!Tom: Yeah! I have like three of these.Troy: Here we go. I've never put one on, but... I'll figure it out.Olivia: These are actually pretty practical.Rachel: I hate people that (bleep) on fanny packs.Host: What do you think of the loud colors of the 80s?Jeordy: It's not for me.Olivia: They were very loud and eccentric back then. We're more subdued now.Madison: I love it! It's so fun.Rachel: As a person that dresses in black almost 24/7 this is a fun change.Tom: I love it! But that's coming from me, who has no style, like, no fashion sense whatsoever.Host: Can you talk about why you think fashion trends even happen? Because why is something that is cool not always cool?Adam: Maybe because people realize how stupid it is.Jeordy: Because they're horrible.Everhet: Each generation sees their parents' things as like, ew, I don't want to wear those. If I saw my mom in Zubas, this would be the geekiest thing I'd ever seen. But now that I'm wearing it I love it.Madison: You can't wear the same thing forever. It has to change up. And then it, like, it comes back.Tom: This is creative. That's all, what fashion is, is just creating... art.Host: What fashion trend today do you think will be laughed at 30 years from now?Adam: Uggs.Rae: Man tank tops.Kaelyn: Skinny jeans!Everhet: Animal prints on things.Troy: I think shortie-shorts. Like, girls' shortie-shorts.Jeordy: Wearing leggings and tights as pants. They're not pants! You can see everything!Host: Finally, do you prefer fashion today, or do you wish you could have been around in the 80s?Everhet: Do you see how good these look on me? Of course I would rather be in the 80s!Madison: I would totally rock the 80s fashion.Troy: God, please take me back to the 80s. I need all of this. I'm going thrift shopping right after, I swear to god, I'm not even joking.Adam: I don't want to wear these fashions of the 80s, I want to wear Guns n' Roses fashion. Oh, yeah. I could rock that.Jeordy: Oh, definitely today. It looks like... a bunch of highlighters threw up.

Glossary

I could pull it off – surprisingly, I could manage this powerful – strong, in controlthis is coming back – this is becoming popular againYOLO – "you only live once", usually said when doing something crazydouchebag – rude slang for someone who is not nicegeeky – not cool, not popular; also used to describe a person who has poor social skills, usually someone very intelligentI would totally rock it – I would look great in itthrift shopping – secondhand shopping

A2 – Little Kids, Big Questions

Announcer: The older we get, the further we get from the truth, and the more we search for answers. If only we could ask the real experts, life would go a whole lot smoother. This is Little Kids. Big Questions, featuring your host, Ingrid Michaelson and the Austin Hartley-Leonard Quintet.Ingrid: Hello, beautiful people. Today we are talking about beauty. Now, semantically speaking, beauty is just one word. It can describe about a billion different things. The beautiful thing about beauty is that when it comes to beauty, there's no wrong answer. But how can a concept so universal be so subjective? We should figure this out. I want some answers, and I want them now. So let's welcome tonight's guests, Marco, Dariana, and Jackson. Hi, guys. How are you?Kids: Good.Ingrid: Okay. You look a little nervous.Marco: Not at all.Ingrid: You're not at all nervous? Okay, cool. So, tonight's episode is about... Do you know what that means?Dariana: Beauty!Ingrid: Yes!Marco: Like mine.Ingrid: Like your beauty? You are beautiful.Dariana: No, mine!Ingrid: No, yours? You're all beautiful. We're going to look at some pictures. You're going to tell me: hot or not. Alright, here we go. Are you ready? Hot or not?Dariana: Yes!Jackson: No.Marco: Oh, sick! Is that Lady Liberty or something? Oh my.Dariana: That's the Mona Lisa.Ingrid: So we have two "not"s and one "hot". Okay. Mona Lisa. Supposedly the most beautiful woman in the world. Two nots. Hot or not?Marco: Who? George... George Clooney.Ingrid: George Clooney would not be happy with that.Dariana: Sort of, sort of, sort of.Ingrid: You think sort of hot?Marco: What's he doing? Like...Ingrid: And Jackson says no. Not hot. Marco?Marco: Definitely not.Ingrid: Not hot. And this is George Clooney?Marco: Elf ears. Wait, that's George Clooney?

Ingrid: Elf ears? I don't know, that's what she said. So George Clooney has elf ears and he's not hot. Ladies across the world, George Clooney is not hot.Dariana: One of your guys.Ingrid: Alright, one more. Are you guys ready? This is the best one ever. Hot or not?Marco: Is it you?Dariana: Yes, that's you!Jackson: Yes.Marco: No!Ingrid: Not hot?Dariana: Yes! Yes.Ingrid: But are you only saying yes because I'm right here?Marco: Unfortunately you two look exactly alike.Ingrid: So am I hot or not?Dariana: Yes!Ingrid: But are you saying that just because I'm sitting in front of you?Kids: No!!!Ingrid: Wait, you said I'm not hot.Marco: You're not.Ingrid: I'm not? I'm ugly? Am I ugly?Marco: You were better with blonde hair.Ingrid: Wait, when did I have blonde hair?Marco: I don't know. It's a dream.Ingrid: Hey, mom, he's dreaming about me. Close your eyes. Everybody, everybody. Close your eyes and think about something beautiful. What are you thinking of... Marco?Marco: Me.Ingrid: You? Okay. You are very confident. That's going to take you far in life. Jackson, what are you thinking about?Jackson: Flowers from a barn.Ingrid: That sounds beautiful to me, flowers from a barn. Marco's doing some tai chi.Dariana: I'm thinking about a bunny!Ingrid: And you're thinking about a bunny? That's awesome. Who decides what it means to be beautiful? Who makes that decision?Marco: God.Ingrid: God decides what's beautiful? How do you know if something is beautiful?Dariana: It's sparkly!Ingrid: It's sparkly?Dariana: It's colorful!Ingrid: How do you know if something is beautiful? I like your face. Is that your thinking face? How do you know? What strikes... You said flowers. Why are flowers beautiful to you?Jackson: Because they're really bright. And they smell good.Ingrid: Oh, I like that. So if something smells bad, it's not beautiful? What's the price of beauty?Dariana: I don't know.Marco: This.Ingrid: Like, how much do you think it costs to get your hair done professionally?Dariana: Fifty bucks.Ingrid: Oh, I wish.Jackson: Maybe if you want to get it, like, really good, you'd have to have, like, a hundred bucks.Ingrid: Can boys or men be beautiful?

Dariana: Yes!Marco: Yes.Jackson: Yes.Ingrid: Right? I like that. I feel like we don't even have to go... yeah. Cool. Because sometimes people say only girls can be beautiful.Marco: Okay. Move to the next question.Ingrid: Okay, you're right, you're right, good.Dariana: But boys get uglier as they grow up.Marco: No! They get uglier when they get puberty.Ingrid: What happens when you get puberty? I'm intrigued. Dariana: You get pimples! You start growing moustaches like my brother!Ingrid: Okay, that's true. What else? You seem to be very knowledgeable beyond your years.Marco: You become less... likeable. Was it me or was that funny?Ingrid: No, it... it was funny. It was true, actually. I'm somewhat stumped. So let's give it up for our little guests. Marco, Jackson, and Dariana.

Glossarysupposedly – people saybucks – dollars intrigued – interested I'm stumped – I can't think of anything to say

B1 – Hugh Jackman Teacher Interview

Teacher: So you are interested in teaching at Harlem Village Academies...Hugh: Hugh. Hugh Jackman.Teacher: I know who you are, I'm just not sure why you're here.Hugh: Well, a friend of mine, Steven Spielberg, told me to look on the Harlem Village Academy web site and I was blown away by it, particularly the bit that said superstars are teachers.Teacher: It's the other way around, actually.Hugh: Right, and I just knew right then I had to audition.Teacher: Interview.Hugh: Here is my head shot.Teacher: Oh!Hugh: Head shots, I should say. Turn it over. You're going to see four different...Teacher: Oh, wow.Hugh: There's quite a range there, obviously.Teacher: You can do a Russian dialect.Hugh: Absolutely.Teacher: Neat.Hugh: [With Russian accent] Yes. Yes. Why don't we get started with the monologue.Teacher: Monologue.Hugh: You're going to need those. This is pretty powerful.Look. Donkey. It's never going to work, understand me? I'm a big green giant ogre, and she's a princess.Teacher: This... This is from Shrek?Hugh: I can do something musical if you like. I've got a song for you.

Teacher: There's a song?Hugh: I see you driving round town with the girl I love and I'm like--Teacher: Mr. Jackman?Hugh: Yeah? Please, call me Hugh.Teacher: Here's the thing. Harlem Village Academies. We are trying to develop the very best teachers.So I'm wondering if you have any background in education.Hugh: Of course. I worked at a school for three years.Teacher: You did?Hugh: Yeah.Teacher: Oh, great. Okay. Please tell me about that.Hugh: Well, I, uh, I worked at a school upstate. I had very, very gifted students. You might call them mutants.Teacher: Oh, no.Hugh: In fact, the headmaster there, Professor Xavier...Teacher: This is the school from the X-Men movies.Hugh: Yes.Teacher: Yes.Hugh: Listen, uh, before I get the job, can I just ask you a question? Is the school zip line accessible?Teacher: Okay, here's the thing.Hugh: Yeah.Teacher: We've already filled the position.Hugh: You've already cast the part? Did Neil Patrick Harris get this job? That little blonde twerp. Please, you did not give it to him?Teacher: No.Hugh: Because trust me, there is no way he could hold down a class of 25. Literally, because I understand at times you need to truly hold them down, right?Teacher: No.Hugh: And he doesn't have the muscle. You want to see muscle? Could Neil Patrick Harris do this?Look at this. 101, 102, --I'm starting at a hundred because I already did a bunch this morning. 103, 104, --you can put your foot on my back if you like.Teacher: This interview is over.Hugh: Five thousand ninety-six, five thou... That's alright. I'll still be doing them when you come back.Deborah: Hi. I'm Deborah Kenney, founder of Harlem Village Academies. If you want to join our team of superstars, or to learn more about how every child can have a superstar teacher, visit us at harlemvillageacademies.org. Hugh, you can stop now!

Glossaryto be blown away – to be shocked, surprised, very impressedhead shot – a picture with a CV on the back that actors bring to auditionsogre – large ugly monsterupstate – in the northern part of a state; commonly used in New York Stategifted students – extremely clever, advanced studentsIs the school zip line accessible? – Can I travel to school by sliding down a rope or wire?Neil Patrick Harris – American actor also known for acting ability plus a background in musical theatre (like Hugh Jackman). Both men have recently hosted the Tony Awards for Broadway musicals.cast the part – chosen the person to play a roletwerp – a small stupid person

B1 - British Christmas

Burning letters to Father Christmas, setting off explosives at the dinner table?These may seem crazy to you, but they're perfectly normal behaviour at a British Christmas, or, as we sometimes call it, “Chrimbo”. Here are ten Christmas traditions that never made it to America.

In America, kids write letters to Santa and put them in the mailbox, but in England we toss them straight in the fire. We're not trying to make children cry. Burning the letters sends them directly to the North Pole, where Santa can read your Christmas wishes in the smoke. Yes, it may seem a little weird, but it does save on postage.American children traditionally hang stockings around the fireplace for Santa to fill with presents, but in the UK we hang stockings around the bed. Being surrounded by presents is a great way to wake up on Christmas morning, and a great way to let Father Christmas, a total stranger who's been watching you all year, get really close to your sleeping body… Sweet dreams! Also, instead of leaving out milk and cookies for Father Christmas, we leave him brandy and a mince pie, because he is a grown-up.A cracker might not seem like the most festive thing to serve for Christmas dinner, but these are not the type of crackers that you put cheese on. A Christmas cracker is a brightly decorated cardboard tube filled with fun prizes. When grabbed and pulled apart, a tiny explosive inside makes a loud cracking noise. Hence the name. Inside the cracker is usually a cheesy plastic prize, a paper crown, and a terrible joke. Why are ghosts so bad at lying? Because you can see right through them. I'm so sorry.

Inside the Christmas cracker are colourful paper hats that it is absolutely mandatory to wear.In fact, 90% of Christmas arguments stem from trying to make your grumpiest relative put their paper crown on. The other 10% come from playing Monopoly, because there are some Christmas traditions that we share. Unfortunately.

A British Christmas dinner is just as big a feast as an American one. The main dish is usually roast turkey, often surrounded by bacon-wrapped chipolatas, which are mini pork sausages. Bacon-wrapped miniature pork sausages, now that's a tradition that you Americans should get behind. We serve the turkey with roast potatoes and veggies, traditionally brussel sprouts, which are gross, but it's tradition, so we eat them anyway. We have gravy to smother everything in, and something called bread sauce, which isn't a sauce to put on bread, but a sauce that's thickened with bread, which looks a little lumpy but tastes delicious. Then we eat until we can't move and watch telly until we pass out.Sound familiar?Americans love to have their pumpkin and pecan pies for Christmas dessert, but in the UK we have Christmas pudding. This is a very dense boiled cake flavoured with dried fruit and spices. It's then soaked in alcohol, aged for several months, boiled again, soaked in alcohol again, and then set on fire. Come to a British Christmas! We soak everything in alcohol and then light it on fire!That's right, every Christmas Day her Majesty the Queen gives a holiday speech reflecting on the events of the past year. We all sit around pretending to pay attention, but secretly carrying on with whatever it was we were doing before. Think of it as the State of the Union, but with much more gold.Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day. Its origins are debatable. Some say that it's a day when workers would receive a box of gifts from their bosses. Others say it's a day when people would box up gifts for the poor. But the main thing that happens on Boxing Day nowadays is shopping. It's kind of like our "Black Friday", only nobody gets trampled to death.Every year around the Christmas Hols, pretty much every theatre around the country puts on a pantomime. These are plays for kids based on fairy tales such as Cinderella and Aladdin, and involving a lot of high camp cross-dressing and audience interaction. They're normally starring jaded celebrities, so if the idea of seeing David Hasselhoff in a dress excites you, you should definitely check one out.

We Brits believe that the Christmas tree and decorations should be taken down within 12 days of Christmas, otherwise you'll have bad luck for the rest of the year. This is maybe a tradition that Americans should consider adopting. I've certainly seen people keep their old, brown, dry, withered Christmas trees until almost the Fourth of July.

Those are some of the major differences between British and American Christmases. Thanks for watching, subscribe for more episodes, and let us know in the comments what you think is the most important part of a proper British Christmas. Happy Crimbo!

Glossarysetting off explosives – lighting fireworksto save on postage – to not spend a lot of money at the post officebrandy and a mince pie – an alcoholic beverage and a pie with a meat fillingfestive – fun, traditional and used to celebrate a holidayhence the name – that’s why it’s called stha cheesy plastic prize – a silly, low-quality toy; cheesy is sth that is or not clever or coolto see right through sbd – to know when sbd is lying or not being 100% honest absolutely mandatory – 100% required, must be donestem from – start withfeast – a large, special meal for many peopleshould get behind – should start doing or support the idea ofto smother - to cover sth completelyto carry on with – to continue doing sthState of the Union – a speech the US President gives once a year about the status of the countryIts origins are debateable – there are many stories about how it begantrampled to death – being killed by (horses, people, etc) stepping on youthe Christmas Hols – the Christmas holidayshigh camp cross-dressing – wearing clothes that are traditionally for the opposite gender (men or women) and acting in a stereotypical and exaggerated wayjaded celebrities – people who used to be very famous and are now less respected should consider adopting – should think about doing

B1 - British Houses

Oh, a letter from Siobhan. How nice.

Hi Kate! Thanks for taking over as host of Anglophenia. Since you're in London, I was thinking a good topic for your first episode would be the differences between British and American homes. Please show everyone around and make them feel welcome! Siobhan.

Make them feel welcome? Hello? Oh, hello! Come on in and I'll put the kettle on. Come on in, I've just put the kettle on. This is the kitchen. Yes, that is the washing machine, in the kitchen. It's quite normal to have a washing machine in the kitchen in most UK homes. No matter how small the place is, we can usually squeeze one in.

You see, we don't have any plug sockets in the bathroom, and we have a general lack of space, so you usually find it in the kitchen. Now, this one is a front-loader, a normal wash takes about two hours, and you can dry your clothes in the same machine. Just switch it to dry. Yeah, that is pretty, as you say, rad.Now, then, you've had a long journey. Would you like to use the bathroom? Okay. The room with the bath. Now, the light switch is on this cord here. Just turn it on and off with a little tug. It stops any wet hands coming into contact with electricity. We don't want electric shocks. Which reminds me, there are no plug socketsin the bathroom. Strict building regs about this sort of thing. We really don't want electric shocks, although you will find outlets for electric razors like this one up here.You look confused. Is this the room you're looking for? Oh, you need to spend a penny! Oh, I'm so sorry!You see, during Victorian times they moved the toilet from outside the home to inside, and then later on with the addition of running water was the bathroom added, so the toilet and bathroom aren't always one and the same. I'm so sorry about that. Right, this way for the toilet, lavatory, loo, or you could say, ladies' and gents'.

Here we are: the loo. And over here we've got the basin. Yes, yes, we have separate hot and cold water taps.Now, this dates back to when a lot of houses had separate hot water tanks, which could get easily contaminated. So to stop that water mixing with the clean, fresh cold water supply, we had separate taps.Nowadays, though, most houses don't have a separate hot water tank. It's fine to have a mixer tap, but there's something about separate taps that us Brits just seem to find rather charming, so you'll still find them in a lot of modern homes. Now, then, let me show you how to get a good temperature. Just turn the hot water on, turn the cold water on, and then here's the fun bit: just dart your hands between the two. It's rather exhilarating.Now, the left one is a little bit stiff. You'll need to force it. Get it? Force it [sounds like Faucet] Right, I'll leave you to it.Ah, there you are. You want to charge your phone? I found this adapter, thought it might be quite useful.Our plugs are very different in the UK compared to what you have in America. We've got three pins on our plugs instead of two, and all of our plug sockets have an on-off switch. So remember to turn that on if you want to use it. We must look like an awfully accident-prone bunch here in the UK. Oh, are you a little bit warm? I'm afraid we don't have any air conditioning in our homes, as it rarely gets warm enough. But there's nothing quite like a bit of good old-fashioned fresh air from outside. So if you get too hot, just open a window. Ahh... [coughs] It's lovely stuff. Just try not to leave it open too wide, otherwise you'll get a room full of pigeons. Now, if you've got any questions, pop them in the comments below, and why don't you make yourself comfortable? Subscribe for more videos, and stick around for a while. Because I think we're going to get alongjust splendidly.

GlossaryAnglophenia – a strong liking or interest in all things connected to England or Britainto squeeze one in – to find space for something in a crowded areaHere we are. The bathroom.front-loader – you put things in it from the front (and not the top, like other machines)rad – American slang for cool, from the 1980sa little tug – by pulling something quickly(building) regs – regulationsto spend a penny – British slang meaning to use the toilet running water – water from a system of pipes into the house; not straight from the groundone and the same – the same thingI’ll leave you to it – I’ll leave you alone to do what you need to doaccident-prone bunch – group of people who often hurt themselves by accident pigeon – common bird in the UK (= holub)

B2 – 17 British Accents

The UK is incredibly diverse in terms of accents and it just so happens that I can do many of these accents as my party trick. So come with me as I take you on a guided tour through all of the accents and archetypes of Great Britain.Hi, I'm Siobhan Thompson, and this is Anglophenia.And what I'm speaking right now is RP, Received Pronunciation, or, you know, your standard BBC English. It's spoken across the country, generally by middle, upper-middle, and upper-class people. Think of Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch or, you know, most of the presenters of BBC News. So, “Good evening. It's 9:00 and this is the news. I'm very important.”Heightened RP is generally only spoken on film and in television now. So when you think of Nell Card or the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey. “Oh, Gerald, I do love you, but you're so terribly, terribly poor.” Now, London is the accent that most people outside of Britain can recognize. You know, that classic Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. “Get outta my pub! Go on, get out of it! Shut it, you tart!”East Anglia is a flat, boggy kind of place with a flat, boggy kind of accent. I'd love to give you an example of somebody that comes from there that speaks like this, but they all lose this accent as soon as they can. Stephen Fry's from Norfolk, but he doesn't speak like this 'cause he's posh. Here's a kind of classic, kind of East Anglia phrase, “I done dropped my computer, and the fan in it's broken.”Now let's go across the island to the West Country, which is a much rounder sound. It's farmland full of sheep and cows and apples. Think of, like, Sam Gangee from the Lord of the Rings, or Hagrid from the Harry Potter movies. “Oi, you bloody kids get off my land!” or, “Oh, Mr. Frodo, don't let him turn me into anything unnatural!”And then if you go down to Cornwall, it gets a little bit more pirate-y. “Hoist the mizzenmast, squire Trelawney!”Now, Southern Welsh is this great sing-songy kind of an accent. Thing of Tom Jones or Richard Burton. You know, “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”. Bloody hell, I love Dylan Thomas.Northern Welsh is where the singer Duffy is from. It's a breathier, thicker kind of an accent. And most people from there speak Welsh at home and English as a second language. So, you know.Now cross the country to the West Midlands and Birmingham. It's a very nasal kind of an accent, mostly on account of all the industry that went on in that area. Cat Deeley, who presents So You Think You Can Dance is from there, and so is Ozzy Osbourne. You know, “Sharon, where's the bloody remote?” Yeah, that voice that he does isn't because of drugs. It's just where he's from. Scouse is your classic Liverpool accent. The Beatles are from there and so is Paul McGann. They were also made European capital of culture a couple of years ago by the EU. So don't tell me they're not cultured, all right?Up into Lancashire and you know, think of Christopher Eccleston and most of the cast of the downstairs in Downton Abbey. “Daisy, get those buns out the oven before they burn.” “Oh, Mr. Bates!”So, across the Pennines to Yorkshire, it's a much kind of flatter accent from Lancashire. And they cut off a lot of the words. “So, I'm goino to the pub up the hill.” Think of Sean Bean from Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. “One does not simply walk into Mordor.”So in Northumberland and Newcastle they speak in a Geordie accent. So you know, think of the Geordie Shore, or Cheryl Cole, remember she got fired from the X-Factor 'cause nobody could understand a word she was saying. Or Billy Elliot. “All I wan'a do is dance ballet, but me dad makes me box.”Edinburgh's the capital of Scotland. It's a very soft, maybe a little snooty kind of an accent. Think of Ewan McGregor, or Dame Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall. “That's ten points taken from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter.”Glasgow's a much thicker kind of an accent. Billy Connely and Peter Capaldi are both from there. They cut off a lot of the words. “So, ah, I haven't got any butter so I've got to go to the shop, you know?”

And so, up to the very north, up to the highlands of Scotland. Think of Amy Pond from Dr. Who or maybe Sir Robert Burns. “The best laid plans of mice and men ‘gant aft agley’ (= often go wrong)”Let's go to Northern Ireland and it's all about the vowels with the Northern Irish accent. So, like, how now brown cow. Liam Neeson is from there: “I've got a very particular set of skills.”I know he doesn't say it in that accent in the movie, but it sounds well cool so, like... And finally, Southern Ireland is obviously not a part of the United Kingdom, but I can do a Dublin accent, so let's just do it. It's a pretty classic Irish accent with a lot of assonance to it. So Sinead O'Conner is from there. “Nothing compares. Nothing compares to you.” That is all from me. Tell me if there's any British accents that I missed because I love a challenge. Don't forget to subscribe and thanks for watching.

Glossaryshut it, you tart – be quiet, you unimportant womanboggy – filled with wet, muddy areasposh – connected to a high social classbloody kids – slang for you unwanted kids; bloody can have many meaningss as an adjective, usually depending on contextrage, rage against the dying of the light – famous line from a poem by Dylan ThomasSharon, where is the bloody remote – Ozzy Osborne’s wife is called Sharon, they had a reality TV show where he constantly shouted questions at his familyOne does not simply walk into Mordor – famous line from Lord of the Ringssnooty – trying to sound important or upper class; thinking you’re better than others how now brown cow – a phrase English actors and teachers use to practice pronunciationI've got a very particular set of skills – Quote from the Liam Neeson film TakenNothing compares. Nothing compares to you. – line from a famous Sinead O’Conner song

B2 – 30 Facts About Chocolate

Hi, I'm John Green. Welcome to my salon. This is Mental Floss on YouTube.Did you know that the first ever chocolate bar was made by the company Fry & Son in 1847? That company eventually merged with Cadbury. That's the first of many facts about chocolate I'm going to share with you today. And this video is brought to you by Geico in honor of Easter. If you don't celebrate Easter, well, at least we can all agree that candy is delicious.

We can thank the industrial revolution for access to chocolate. During the early 1700s the chocolate-making process became mechanized. But back then people only drank their chocolate. They didn't start eating it until about a century later.According to USA Today, 100 pounds of chocolate are consumed in the United States each second. Which reminds me, Mark, I haven't had a Hershey Kiss in like 14 seconds. What do I pay you to do exactly? Oh. To edit Mental Floss, apparently. But the US doesn't actually lead the world in consumption of chocolate per capita. I'm glad there's one food we don't eat the most of. It's actually the Swiss, Germans, Irish, and Brits. In those countries the average person eats about 24 pounds of chocolate each year. Compare that with the average citizen of China, who will eat a mere 99 grams of chocolate in a year. Cacao trees don't even produce the cocoa beans found in chocolate until they're around 3 or 4 years old. But cacao trees can live for a long time, sometimes even up to 200 years. A conch is the heated mixer that allows

cocoa butter to be evenly incorporated into chocolate, and creates the smooth texture. It was actually invented by Rodolphe Lindt in 1879, and if that name sounds familiar, it might be because he was also the founder of the Lindt chocolate factory. Frank C. Mars, who founded Mars Incorporated, learned how to make candy from his mom in the late 1800s. He had polio, so she taught him how to hand-dip chocolate while home-schooling him. He went on to invent the Snickers bar, which he actually named after his favorite horse. Speaking of Snickers, up until 1990, it was called a Marathon in the UK and Ireland. You know, because a single bar has enough calories to support you while you are running a marathon. The company Nestle came to be in 1905 when the European condensed milk company joined forces with Henri Nestle, a German pharmacist who had been making milk-based baby food. During the week before Easter, Americans buy around 71 million pounds of chocolate candy. That's more than the week before Valentine's Day, around 48 million pounds, but less than the week before Halloween, about 90 million pounds. By the way, all these chocolate facts are making Domo hungry, but John's like, Domo, you look like chocolate, and I'm hungry. Hershey's Kisses were wrapped by hand between their invention in 1907 and 1921, when a machine was created that could do that work.Because the film Psycho was filmed in black and white, the crew used Bosco chocolate syrup in place of fake blood, so it would look more like blood on camera. In the classic I Love Lucy episode "Job Switching" in which Lucy gets a job at a candy factory, they cast an actual chocolatier. Desi Arnez discovered her making chocolate at a farmer's market and cast her as the woman who teaches Lucy how to hand-dip chocolates. The Quaker Oats company bought the rights to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and then financed the 1971 film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, in order to promote a new candy bar which they named the Wonka Bar. It's one of those things where the marketing was significantly better than the product. Now, Harry Potter was not written to sell chocolate frogs, although that was a wonderful side benefit. But anyway, in the Danish translation of Harry Potter, the chocolate frogs are called Platugler, and considering that Plat is a slang word for stupid, and ugler means owls, they're basically called Stupid Owls.In 1947, there was a chocolate bar strike in the town of Ladysmith, Vancouver Island, in British Columbia. The children of the town were outraged when the price of candy bars at the local café was raised from 5 cents to 8 cents. Children began to picket the store and the protests got so much attention that they made the newspaper. Protests then spread to cities like Edmonton and Montreal and Quebec City. Eventually they were branded communists and the movement fizzled out. Nowadays, 5 cents will buy you a chocolate chip. If you're lucky.A 2014 study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience found that healthy adults between 50 and 69 years of age scored higher on a memory test after drinking a beverage with a lot of cocoa flavanols for three months when compared with adults who'd been drinking a low flavanol mixture. This might mean that chocolate can improve memory, although we can't conflate correlation and causation. But I want chocolate to be good for me. The last great ruler of the Aztecs, Montezuma II allegedly drank 50 cups of chocolate every day. That's like how much Diet Dr. Pepper I drink. And the Maya baptized babies with a mixture of ground cacao beans, flowers, and water. In the 1940s, Hershey invented the Tropical Bar for the US military. They created it to withstand high heat, like it could maintain its shape after an hour in 120 degrees fahrenheit (= 49 C). They produced over 380 million of these two-ounce bars by the end of World War II.And speaking of durable chocolate deliciousness, M&Ms have been brought to space over 130 times since 1981. They're perfect because, you know, they can withstand any conditions. There's the chocolate inside, but the hard candy shell on the outside.A 2004 study found that 70% of people would give away their computer password when bribed with a single chocolate bar. How'd the Sony hack happen? Some North Koreans flew to California and they were like, hey, we've got some Snickers. Want a Snickers? What's your password? That was it. That's all it takes.

It's the theobromine in chocolate that's poisonous to dogs. They shouldn't eat it because they metabolize it too slowly. So you cannot have chocolate, mostly because you're made of porcelain, but partly because it would make you sick. Interestingly, theobromine is also a cough supressant. In fact, a 2004 study showed that it's about a third more effective than codeine. In 2006, the Halloren chocolate factory in Germany teamed up with the Harz clock factory to create the world's largest cuckoo clock made out of chocolate. At over nine feet tall, it weighed 250 pounds. In a 2008 study from the University of Copenhegen, men ate 15% less pizza after eating 100 mg of dark chocolate as opposed to the same amount of milk chocolate. The researchers believed that dark chocolate might help curb cravings for salty food. But the lesson for me is that if you want to eat a lot of pizza, and I do, you should probably eat milk chocolate. At the Cadbury factory in Bourneville, they can produce around 1.5 million Cadbury Creme Eggs every day.And finally, I return to my salon to tell you that in the 17th century, a bishop in the Spanish town of Chiapas banned chocolate during mass because women kept having their maids bring them hot chocolate during services. Suspiciously, soon afterwards the bishop died, and many believed that he had been poisoned in the name of chocolate.

GlossaryGeico – an American insurance companybrought to you by – was paid for byper capita – for each personto join forces with – to work togetherDesi Arnez – actor who played Lucy's husband on I Love Lucychocolate bar strike – people stopped buying chocolate bars in protestoutraged – shocked and very angryto picket – to walk in front of, often with signs, and show your disapprovalbranded communists – people said they were communistsallegedly – possibly true, or so people saythe Sony hack – private emails from Sony film studios were released to the publiccuckoo clock - a clock with a cuckoo bird that comes out to mark every hour

B2 – Word Sneak

Jimmy Fallon: Okay. That's the Word Sneak song.Steve Carell: I want to do the eyes for that.Jimmy Fallon: All right. Here we go. We each get five cards with random words written on them. They're in order. Now, our goal is to work these words into the conversation, as casually and as seamlessly as possible. You up for this?Steve Carell: I am up for this. And we have not looked at these words.Jimmy Fallon: I have not seen these words.Steve Carell: I have not seen these words.Jimmy Fallon: Alright, very good. Just make sure you're going in order because I think there's probably cyrons or something so that the audience can see. So you'll go first, and we've already talked about Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, but can you tell me about one of your worst days?Steve Carell: On a camping trip with my family, uh, my family and I went moose watching. And... We really did.And we drove out, it was in Canada, we drove out in the middle of nowhere and we sat in a darkened forest for six hours waiting for a moose to appear because my mom wanted to see the moose.

Jimmy Fallon: And did you finally see one?Steve Carell: No, we did not.Jimmy Fallon: Did you see any animals at all or any wild things? I mean, did you see, like, different... You're in the woods, right?Steve Carell: Yeah.Jimmy Fallon: So there's... things are growing, things are growing around, plants, vegetation. You’d see a fern, you’d see a, you know, a zucchini, you see things growing in the forest?Steve Carell: Uh, we didn't see a zucchini. Um. The problem… the problem with it was the fact that we weren't dressed properly for moose-watching, for zucchini-finding.Jimmy Fallon: No.Steve Carell: I, for one, had the wrong kind of pantaloons on.Jimmy Fallon: Excuse me? I brought... Were you brought up in a barn?Jimmy Fallon: You, you…Steve Carell: I had the wrong kind of pantaloons.Jimmy Fallon: You had the camping ones that you would normally wear.Steve Carell: I did not have the outdoor pantaloons.Jimmy Fallon: You didn't know.Steve Carell: Or the French pantalons.Jimmy Fallon: Oh, yeah. Uh, how's your... This is a separate thing. I'm going to go a little bit off-topic.Steve Carell: Sure.Jimmy Fallon: How's your salamander?Steve Carell: Which one are you referring to? Terry, or Marcus?Jimmy Fallon: Marcus.Steve Carell: Okay.Jimmy Fallon: Yeah, that's the one that...Steve Carell: Marcus is doing okay. Terry's fine. Anderson Cooper...Jimmy Fallon: How many salamanders do you have?Steve Carell: I just have three.Jimmy Fallon: Yeah, okay, yeah.Steve Carell: Anderson Cooper is molting.Jimmy Fallon: That's the white, the very white salamander.Steve Carell: Very, very white.Jimmy Fallon: Aaayyyyyy. The white salamander.Jimmy Fallon & Steve Carell: Aaayyyyyy.Steve Carell: Boy do I know what you're talking about.Jimmy Fallon: Yeah, I was just doing the Fonz.Steve Carell: I know you do... I love the Fonz.Jimmy Fallon: You do?Steve Carell: Yes.Jimmy Fallon: Did you grow up watching a lot of TV?Steve Carell: I watched a lot of TV. A lot of, a lot of Fonzie. And I...I laugh because I'm thinking about something.Jimmy Fallon: Yeah. I assume that.Steve Carell: You think about watching old time TV and all the commercials that you watched on TV?Jimmy Fallon: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.Steve Carell: You know, commercials for peanut butter.Jimmy Fallon: Yup.Steve Carell: I loved the JIF commercials. Jimmy Fallon: Oh you do?

Steve Carell: But you know what I especially liked, is when they mixed it with the, the marshmallow. What was that thing called?Jimmy Fallon: Marshmallow Fluff?Steve Carell: Yeah, but there was the sandwich itself. It was a, uh... Oh, that's right, it was a Fluffernutter. Weren't those delicious?Jimmy Fallon: I used to eat them all the time, at school, and we'd just, and we would like, we would eat them together, and it was almost like a little club, and we called it our friend zone. And we would just sit in there, sitting in our friend zone, and we would just eat Fluffernutters all day long. I will never forget that. It makes me laugh.It makes me laugh even hearing about it. I wasn't there, but the way you tell that story makes me wish that I was there. Jimmy Fallon: It's a great story.Steve Carell: I like a lot of foods.Jimmy Fallon You do?Steve Carell: I do. I love to eat... I love to eat foods that are tasty and have a special treat to my palate.Jimmy Fallon: Yeah. You do.Steve Carell: Especially certain kinds of fruits. You know, fruits are really good for you.Jimmy Fallon: Is that right?Steve Carell: They are. Jimmy Fallon:Jimmy Fallon: They are. Like different types of fruits, there are, like, apples, bananas, pears.Steve Carell: Yeah. Other ones, too. The more exotic ones.Jimmy Fallon: Oh. You're talking about pineapple, kiwi.Steve Carell: Yeah. Even more so. What's... What's the name of that? What's the name of that one?Jimmy Fallon: Starfruit.Steve Carell: I guess this isn't really the game, but it's kind of fun.Jimmy Fallon: I can't keep guessing... Steve Carell: Because I know what I'm thinking.Jimmy Fallon: Guess the fruit is another game that we play on the... on the show, it's after hours. This is for the web show. But fruits are good for you, because you've got to stay in shape.Steve Carell: Right.Jimmy Fallon: And you've got to make sure it doesn't, like all the fatty foods just go straight to the pelvis.Steve Carell: That's true.Jimmy Fallon: Straight to the pelvis right there. Did we do all of them?Steve Carell: Well, you know what won't go straight to the pelvis, it's when you eat kumquat.

Glossaryseamlessly – smoothly and without interrruptionYou up for this? – Are you ready? Do you have the energy and do you want to do this?Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – children’s book about a boy who has a very bad day; Steve Carell starred in the film version of the bookI, for one – I, as an exampleWere you brought up in a barn? – do you have no understanding of society and normal behavior?to molt – to lose skin, feathers or fur so you can grow new onesJIF – famous American peanut butter brand after hours – late at night

B2 – A Christmas Carol

Ebenezer Scrooge: Who are you? Jacob Marley: Ask me who I was.Ebenezer Scrooge: Who were you then? Jacob Marley: In life I was your partner, Jacob Marley. Ebenezer Scrooge: Can you sit down? Jacob Marley: I can. Ebenezer Scrooge: Do it, then. Jacob Marley: You don't believe in me? Ebenezer Scrooge: I don’t. Jacob Marley: EBENEZER!Ebenezer Scrooge: Mercy! What do you want with me?Jacob Marley: Man of the worldly mind! Do you believe in me or not? Ebenezer Scrooge: I must. But why do ghosts walk the earth, and why do they come to me? Jacob Marley: The spirit of every man must walk among his fellow-men. I cannot rest, I cannot stay, mark me! In life my spirit never went outside our office; and now I must travel long and tiring journeys.Ebenezer Scrooge: But you are wearing chains. Tell me why? Jacob Marley: I wear the chains I made for myself during my life. You wear a longer and heavier chain yourself. It was as long and as heavy as this, seven Christmases ago. Ebenezer Scrooge: Jacob, Jacob, tell me more. Speak comfort to me, Jacob. Jacob Marley: I have none to give, it comes from other regions, and is for other kinds of men.Ebenezer Scrooge: But Jacob, you were always a good man of business, Jacob, Jacob Marley: Business! The work that we called business, was just a small part of my real business on this earth. Mankind was my business. Helping other men was my business; charity, mercy, and goodness they were all my business. The work of our office was but a small drop in the great ocean of my business! Hear me! I am here tonight to warn you, that you still have a chance and a hope of escaping what has happened to me. A chance that I arranged, Ebenezer. Ebenezer Scrooge: Thank'ee.Jacob Marley: You will be visited by three ghosts.Ebenezer Scrooge: Is this the hope and chance you mentioned, Jacob?Jacob Marley: It is.Ebenezer Scrooge: I think I'd rather not,Jacob Marley: Without their visits, you cannot hope to avoid the path I am on. Expect the first ghost tonight, when the clock strikes one. Ebenezer Scrooge: Couldn't I take them all at once, and have it over, Jacob? Jacob Marley: Expect the second ghost the following night at the same hour. And expect the last ghost the following night still at the final stroke of midnight. Look to see me no more; and remember what has passed between us!

Glossarywordly mind – someone who has seen or knows many thingsmark me – pay attention and remember thismankind was my business – it was my responsibility to be a good person and help humanityThank'ee – Thank yee (you)when the clock strikes one – at one o’clock in the morningthe final stroke of midnight – when the last of the twelve clock bells rings

C1 – Teen Speaks 20 Languages

Tim Doner: I feel that language gives you something with which you can connect to another person.Write? Writer? Oh, was written.Each language is, in many ways, an expression of how one society or culture thinks. I feel that when I start to speak foreign languages, a lot of times I become a bit of a different person. Perhaps I say things that I wouldn't necessarily say in English. Perhaps I'm more deferential to others. Perhaps I'm more upfront about what I say.Polyglot is a word that comes from two Greek roots: poly- and -glos or -glottis, which together means many tongues or many languages, and it just refers to anyone who speaks 3-4 languages or more at a pretty high level.Loraine Obler: The term hyper-polyglot, that's the people who have a commitment to learning and maintaining a lot of languages. Most of them really put in a lot of work on it and take pride in knowing these languages.Tim Doner: I'm really comfortable having a conversation on more or less any topic in French, Arabic, Hebrew and Farsi. I think, maybe a tier down, would be Chinese, German, and Russian. I've done a fair amount of Latin and Greek in school, but that's obviously a different skill range for dead languages. I'm pretty comfortable speaking in languages like, you know, Hindi or Urdu, Indonesian. With a little bit of practice I feel, you know, confident again in languages like Turkish, for example or, you know, my Italian's not so great but I feel like I can understand it pretty well.And then there are languages that are a little bit more dormant or that I haven't studied for a while, languages such as Ojibwe or Yiddish or Wolof or Hausa, and then languages that I'm, I'm more or less a beginner in. You know, such as Japanese, and uh, you know Dutch, a couple others.Betsy Doner: The languages that we speak as a family? It's really not that impressive. Ezra and I studied French for many, many years.so we can understand, um, French people who are slowed down incredibly.Ezra Doner: I lived in Hong Kong for a while. I, I studied, uh, Cantonese but studying 20 hours a week for, uh, a summer, I didn't make anywhere near the progress that Tim made studying for 20 hours a week, for example, Persian.Loraine Obler: In North America, we mostly learn one language as we're growing up, and that language gets to be so good that it interferes with our learning other languages. Tim Doner's talents in the American context are extremely unusual, particularly at his young age. The hyper-polyglots one tends to hear about in the world are older as a rule, so coming up with people who've started, really, in high school doing this: extremely rare.Maria Lee: Tim, he is passionate about learning languages, and for him, this is not just a hobby. It's basically his way of life. He actually spends most of his waking hours learning languages.Tim Doner: I find that most of the time, when I'm starting a language, one of the most important things to do is have a lot of audio input. So, I generally start out with any sort of series, and I'll try to just absorb the language as much as possible. I think by repeating to yourself over and over, it's a really good way to train.Betsy Doner: Tim will watch, uh, movies. We've seen many movies in Farsi and movies in Arabic.Tim Doner: Watching TV shows or movies is really helpful in any kind of language learning because it exposes you to the normal rate of speech in a language and maybe a more colloquial register than you get in a textbook. I think it trains you, also, to be able to comprehend a lot more. You know, I find that when I start a new language and I start watching TV in it, after I'm comfortable enough, maybe I'll understand four or five words out of ten. And then that really helps because that bleeds over into conversation. So, I think watching TV is really the, the basis of, of learning in a lot of ways. Plus it's fun.I think the internet has been absolutely crucial, you know, for me for learning languages. Anytime I have a new language, I try to post a video of me speaking it with someone or just me delivering some kind of monologue to the camera, and the responses I get are really helpful. They show me, you know, which direction I should go in, what I have to work on still, what I've, I, you know, I've done well, and that's fantastic!

I think the great thing about living in New York is that you really can practice any language you want. This is arguably the most linguistically diverse spot on Earth.For me, there are plenty of things that are fascinating about languages. Primarily, it's the fact that, you know, I was a bit of a history nerd. You can see in any language the entire history of a people and its interactions with others. For a while, when I was around twelve and thirteen, I had a very big interest in learning about the Middle East, especially the Israli-Palestinian conflict. So I thought that by learning a language I might be able to break through the wall that's been built around it.A little bit after my bar mitzvah when I was thirteen, I started to teach myself Hebrew. After I learned Hebrew, I thought that, you know, I maybe would be quite successful in teaching myself languages so, after that, I decided to try Arabic to get the other, you know, half of the equation of the history of the Middle East.I feel that - by studying languages, by looking at their development, by looking at what's old and what's new - you gain a greater appreciation for a society's values and for just its, its entire history. It's something that's a little bit hard to communicate and may sound a bit disingenuous, but that's sort of the breakthrough that I had in studying.There's this idea that seems to circulate, which is completely false, that Americans don't like learning about other cultures and Americans don't like learning foreign languages. I hope that I can do my part to disprove that.I think if you raise people with other languages, you, you open them up to foreign cultures, to foreign ideas. And again in the future, you know, in a world that's increasingly globalized, y-you give them, you know, a solid opportunity for, for more connections as they grow older.There's a quote from Nelson Mandela which goes something like, "If you talk to a man in his second language, you're talking to his brain. If you talk to him in his mother language, you're talking to his heart.

Glossarya tier down – one level below thatas a rule – there are rarely exceptions to this situationcolloquial register – everyday, conversational way of speakingto bleed over – to apply to a different category or add sth additional, often unintentionally; the phrase comes from fabric dyes “bleeding” into anything else that touches themlinguistically diverse spot – place where many different languages are spokento circulate (an idea) – to spread information, to pass from one group of people to another

C1 - The Accents Challenge

Soundlyawake: I'm, like, checking every little thing. Okay, so, this might be the second time... 'cause yesterday we filmed this video and... no my computer didn't want to let me edit it. So...Brizzyvoices: We're redoing it!Soundlyawake: Does it have a name?Brizzyvoices: The accent challenge?Soundlyawake: Yeah. That one. And hopefully we don't offend anyone.Brizzyvoices: Yeah! That's... No, we're going to offend people. We're sorry. Soundlyawake: Sorry.We love you.Soundlyawake: You can do the honors. Okay, I can-a do this for you. Are you hungry? You want me to get you something to eat?Brizzyvoices: Keep going.

Soundlyawake: Okay. That's about it.Brizzyvoices: You have-a your own name.Soundlyawake: Yeah, Nicola Fotti.Brizzyvoices: Nicola Fotti, what are you talking about? Italiano.Soundlyawake: Si. [robot noise]Brizzyvoices: MeatballsBrizzyvoices: *Shweenk* Alright, so... that's all you need to hear, right? We're going to go outside and um, I don't know, hang out a bit.Soundlyawake: Are there going to be be shrimp on the barbie?Brizzyvoices: I suppose. If you want shrimp on the barbie.Soundlyawake: Is it Aussie? Brizzyvoices: Oi, oi, oi!Okay, so, like, I took the 405 all the way to town and I was like... ugh, traffic is so horrific.Brizzyvoices: But, like, did you make it to Marina Del Rey?Soundlyawake: I mean, yeah, but it took forever.Brizzyvoices: Californian. Alright, so, let's go mudding and we're just going to, like, hang out and, I don't know, drink some beers or, like, go hunting.Soundlyawake: Does everything happen to be bigger here?Brizzyvoices: Not necessarily.Soundlyawake: Okay, so, just southern?Brizzyvoices: Redneck.Soundlyawake: Oh, redneck, okay. I was going to say hillbilly but I didn't want to be offensive.Brizzyvoices: Oh no?Soundlyawake: Alright, so we're sitting here on the couch and I'm not sure what we can do after this, but.Brizzyvoices: Aw, you're the cutest little Irish man. Arrr, so come over and we'll just have a party, and we'll hang out and...Soundlyawake: Is it a pirate?Brizzyvoices: Yeah. Aye, matey!Soundlyawake: [whispers] I’m so sorry. I don't really know the difference between this one, and then... people from the bigger country that's right by it...Brizzyvoices: Oh, New Zealand!Soundlyawake: Yeah.Brizzyvoices: No, It's really hard to tell them apart. The only thing I know is New Zealanders, they say, instead of, like, check, they would say “chick”.Soundlyawake: Okay, I was trying to do the “I” thing.Brizzyvoices: Oh, you betcha, alright. So we'll just go and hang out and, um, if you want, we can go to the mall or, oh my god, I don't know. Why are you laughing?Soundlyawake: No, I'm sorry, it's just because I think I misplaced my daughter.Brizzyvoices: Oh yeah?Soundlyawake: Yeah, I think maybe you picked her up from the swap meetBrizzyvoices: Oh, you betcha, that's right.Soundlyawake: So if you want to just drop her off back in North Dakota, where we're from.Brizzyvoices: Well, somewhere in the Midwest.Soundlyawake: Midwestern!Brizzyvoices: Oh, yeah, you betcha.

Soundlyawake: I don't know how I misplaced my daughter, by the way. Oh, so I'm glad you came over. So basically what I wanted to show you was that Imogen has been...Brizzyvoices: Go on.Soundlyawake: Stealing M&Ms is what I'm trying to say. Oh, well, I guess, you know they're imported from America.Brizzyvoices: Oh, America!Soundlyawake: Cause, you know, we just have so much money to spare. I figured I'd spend them all on candy.Brizzyvoices: Posh!Soundlyawake: Right.Brizzyvoices: Okay, so this is the accent, I guess.Soundlyawake: Are you a robot?Brizzyvoices: Exterminate.Soundlyawake: That was a motorcycle. I don't know if they... I'm sure they did exist in my time. But it was just odd hearing it in the middle of our filming session.Brizzyvoices: Are you from the 1940s?Soundlyawake: I am.Brizzyvoices: All right. There we go. Ahhhh ahhh. I don't know what I'm doing. What am I going to talk about? We can go to the park and have a picnic. Or, um, I don't know what you Americans really do in your free time.Soundlyawake: Do you like McDonalds?Brizzyvoices: Le McDonalds? Would you like to buy an hamburger?Soundlyawake: French?Brizzyvoices: Oui! The "hamburger" is like a Pink Panther reference.Soundlyawake: Well, my dear I do declare that today is a swelterer. My goodness, I need to find my fan.Brizzyvoices: Oh, my stars! Southern belle!Soundlyawake: Why yes.Brizzyvoices: eh, eh, eh, Southern belle like Tiana.Soundlyawake: I thought you were going to say eh, eh, "umbrella".Brizzyvoices: Southern belle, like Rhianna.Soundlyawake: She was from the south, just a little bit further than Louisiana.Brizzyvoices: I don't really know what you're talking about. We could just, like, hang out. Hang out, and go to Morton's if we want to, eh. Or we could just go to the bar, watch some hockey. I don't know.Soundlyawake: It's Canada, eh?Brizzyvoices: Yeah, it's Canada. Eh.Brizzyvoices: Mime!Soundlyawake: Best accent ever.Brizzyvoices: Best accent. That's it! That was beautiful.Soundlyawake: It's like confetti. Yeah!Brizzyvoices: We did it!Soundlyawake: I think I got Italy in my eye. We hope you enjoyed this video. And I hope we didn't, you know, make you angry and want to write us letters. You should watch the other video that we did that is, the YouTuber challenge where we impersonate YouTubers and then, you know, we guess. The same concept.Brizzyvoices: It'll be a little less offensive to you personally.Soundlyawake: Unless you're that person.Brizzyvoices: Unless you're a YouTuber. Then no promises.Soundlyawake: So you should go over to Brizzy's channel and subscribe because she's amazing. Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time. Bye.

Glossaryto do the honours - to take responsibility for somethingon the barbie – Australian slang for on the BBQ[Aussie, Aussie, Aussie] oi, oi, oi – popular chant at Australian sporting eventsThe 405 – a motorway in CaliforniaMarina Del Ray – A town in Californiamudding - to drive in mud in a truck or jeep or other 4x4 vehicle Does everything happen to be bigger here? – reference to the saying “Everything is bigger in Texas.”Pink Panther – famous series of comedy detective filmsswelterer – (informal) a very hot day, to swelter means to be very hot in an uncomfortable wayMorton´s – a famous North American steak restaurant

C1 - Misconceptions about English

Hi, I'm Elliot and this is Mental Floss on YouTube.Today I'm going to tell you about some misconceptions about the English language and grammar. Keep in mind that a lot of people live by these rules which is totally cool. The moral of this episode is that even grammar experts disagree on some of this stuff. So it's just kind of fun to talk about. Misconception #1: Never begin a sentence with a conjunction, like but. I'm going to go ahead and quote directly from the Chicago Manual of Style on this one:“There is a widespread belief – one with no historical or grammatical foundation – that it is an error to begin a sentence with a conjunction such as ‘and’, ‘but’, or ‘so’. In fact, a substantial percentage (often as many as 10 percent) of the sentences in first-rate writing begin with conjunctions. It has been so for centuries, and even the most conservative grammarians have followed this practice.”Misconception #2: Paragraphs must be a certain number of sentences. You have heard that in order for a paragraph to be a paragraph, it must have a certain minimum number of sentences, like three or five. But a paragraph really only needs at least one sentence and one main idea. In fact, a paragraph can just be a single sentence, like the ones you often see in books and newspapers. According to Martin Cutts and the Oxford Guide to Plain English:“If you can say what you want to say in a single sentence that lacks a direct connection with any other sentence, just stop there and go on to a new paragraph. There’s no rule against it.” Go crazy, guys.Misconception #3: There’s a clear rule for where to put the apostrophe in a possessive singular noun ending in the letter “s”. So, let's say you're trying to write out the boss's report. Do you spell boss "boss's", or "boss'"? Well, experts disagree on which is correct. If you're writing in Associated Press style, you should go with the second one. But other style books recommend the extra “s” after the apostrophe. You pretty much get to choose as long as you stay consistent.Misconception #4: Don’t end a sentence with a preposition. According to Fowler's Modern English Usage:“One of the most persistent myths about prepositions in English is that they properly belong before the words they govern and should not be placed at the end of a clause or sentence.”This rule was invented in the 17th century, but modern grammar experts acknowledge that sometimes a sentence is clearest with a preposition at the end of it. For example, "You should cheer up," and, "You've been lied to." Like, you, you haven't been. But that's the sentence.Misconception #5: Don’t split infinitives. In English, an infinitive is usually the form of a verb starting with 'to' like "to walk" or "to eat". Some believe that it's wrong to stick a word in between the "to" and the verb itself like "to quickly eat". This rule became widespread thanks to Henry Alfred a 19th-century scholar who decided that

splitting infinitives was "entirely unknown" to English speakers, ignoring the fact that even Shakespeare was known to split an infinitive. Nowadays most grammar guides will tell you to avoid doing this when possible but there are times when it's okay. For example, the famous Star Trek line “to boldly go where no man has gone before”.Misconception #5: “Caesarean sections” are named after Julius Caesar. Actually, Caesar wasn't the first person born via C-section, as the story goes. And many experts claim that he wasn't even born that way, because back then, C-sections were only performed if the mother had died during childbirth and we know his mother lived for years after his birth. Pliny said it was actually one of Julius' ancestors who was born this way giving the family its name after the Latin caedo meaning "to cut". It's also possible the Caesars were named for another feature typically associated with that name, like a thick head of hair or gray eyes.Misconception #7: You arere not good, you are well.You're actually allowed to answer "How are you?" with either "I'm good" or "I'm well". That's because "am" is what's known as a linking verb which means it should be followed by an adjective. Both "good" and "well" can act as adjectives after a linking verb. Mic drop.Misconception #8: Only use “whose” to refer to people. Many people will tell you that you should only use "whose" when you're talking about people, not things. But for this one we don't need to look any further than the Oxford English Dictionary, which claims that "whose" has been used as the possessive form of both "what" and "who" for centuries. So it's totally okay for me to say that this is a show whose host is named Eliot.Misconception #9: “Literally” can never mean “figuratively”. This might be the most controversial one on the list, so I'm going to start with a quote from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald:“But there was a change in Gatsby that was simply confounding. He literally glowed.”There's also a nice quote from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain:“Tom was literally rolling in wealth.” Which, knowing Tom Sawyer, that could have been literally true. My point is that you can't blame teenagers for misusing the word "literally". Authors have been using the word "literally" to mean "figuratively" for a very long time. Literally. Nowadays, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary lists two definitions for the word. One, in a literal sense or manner, and two, in effect.Misconception #10: “Decimate” means “to kill one in ten.” A lot of people will scold you for using "decimate" to mean "destroy". They claim that the word's original definition was "to kill one in ten" so that's what it means. Well it turns out when the word emerged in the mid-17th century it meant both "to put to death" or "destroy" one of every ten, and to tithe. Etymologists don't know which meaning came first so the "original definition" argument isn't a good one plus, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of "decimate" includes "to reduce drastically, especially in number" alongside the two original meanings.

GlossaryThe Chicago Manual of Style – one popular writing style guide used by many newspapers, magazines and websites; it has rules about what you can and cannot write and how to format dates, names, etc.go crazy – (slang) forget the rules and do what you are normally not allowed toAssociated Press style – another popular style guide for print publicationsPliny – A Roman author, lawyer and philosophermic drop – (slang) short for “microphone drop”. People say “mic drop” to mean they have just delivered a performance or speech in such a great way that they can just drop the microphone and walk away.

C1-C2 – The Future is Ours

Man: Climate change, Woman: Deadly earthquakesMan: A suicide bomber Woman: TerrorismMan: Nuclear device in the heart of the nation's capitalMan: It's no wonder that we're pessimistic. It's no wonder that people think that the world is getting worse. But perhaps that's not the case.Man: Perhaps we forget that we've only just begun.Man: Doing what's never been done before is intellectually seductive, whether or not we deem it practical.Man: What we're seeing is unfathomably new possibilities all of a sudden becoming available to us.Man: The future doesn't belong to the faint-hearted. It belongs to the brave.Man: You have to trust in something. Your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.Man: We truly are living in an extraordinary time, and many people forget this.Woman: Now technically your device is on. Can you tell? Can you hear me?Man: The yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.Man: Where did we come from? Are we alone in the universe? What is the future of the human race?Man: When you conduct those exercises, innovation follows just as day follows night. Man: We can do this.Man: I know we can because we've done it before.Man: Stay hungry. Stay foolish.