[00:00.74] | Hello and welcome to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, I'm Helen. With me today is quite a frustrated-looking Neil. |
[00:09.84] | Neil, what are you doing to that mobile phone? |
[00:12.84] | Argh, I can't get it to make a phone call. |
[00:16.75] | It does everything else. It takes photos, it connects to the Internet, it even irons my shirts but it won't make a call. |
[00:25.80] | Your mobile phone irons your shirts? |
[00:27.89] | No, not really, but honestly it does everything apart from the one thing I want it to do, make a phone call. It's a joke. |
[00:38.10] | A joke? But you're not laughing. It can't be a very funny joke. |
[00:42.69] | Well if you say something is a joke in English it can also mean that it's not very good or not worthy of respect. |
[00:49.83] | Yes, "joke" has a second meaning. |
[00:53.92] | The investigation into police corruption was a complete joke. Everyone knows the officers were taking money but they were let off. |
[01:01.99] | The weather forecast was a total joke. It said it would be warm and sunny but it's freezing and raining. |
[01:10.22] | As you heard there in the example, the person described an investigation into police corruption as a joke. |
[01:17.64] | This doesn't mean it was funny. It means it wasn't serious. Also the weather forecast was so bad it was described as a joke. |
[01:27.52] | Notice that you can add words before "joke" to make the meaning even stronger. It's a complete joke. |
[01:34.31] | A complete joke. |
[01:36.60] | It's a total joke. |
[01:37.55] | A total joke. |
[01:38.87] | It's an absolute joke. |
[01:41.37] | Anyway Neil, why don't you just read the instructions for your new mobile phone? Then you'll probably be able to work out how to make a call. |
[01:49.67] | I looked at the instructions but they're an absolute joke. |
[01:52.86] | Oh really? |
[01:53.78] | Well for a start they are in about 17 languages apart from English. |
[01:58.33] | What a joke! |
[01:59.34] | Yeah I know. |
[02:00.60] | Well we've heard lots of jokes in today's programme but there hasn't been much laughing. |
[02:04.73] | Argh, what a useless piece of. |
[02:07.74] | Let's hope Neil finally works out how to use his phone. |
[02:11.66] | Argh, this is beyond a joke, it really is. |
[02:14.56] | Join us again for The English We Speak. |
[02:17.80] | Argh, mobiles… |
[00:00.74] | Hello and welcome to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, I' m Helen. With me today is quite a frustratedlooking Neil. |
[00:09.84] | Neil, what are you doing to that mobile phone? |
[00:12.84] | Argh, I can' t get it to make a phone call. |
[00:16.75] | It does everything else. It takes photos, it connects to the Internet, it even irons my shirts but it won' t make a call. |
[00:25.80] | Your mobile phone irons your shirts? |
[00:27.89] | No, not really, but honestly it does everything apart from the one thing I want it to do, make a phone call. It' s a joke. |
[00:38.10] | A joke? But you' re not laughing. It can' t be a very funny joke. |
[00:42.69] | Well if you say something is a joke in English it can also mean that it' s not very good or not worthy of respect. |
[00:49.83] | Yes, " joke" has a second meaning. |
[00:53.92] | The investigation into police corruption was a complete joke. Everyone knows the officers were taking money but they were let off. |
[01:01.99] | The weather forecast was a total joke. It said it would be warm and sunny but it' s freezing and raining. |
[01:10.22] | As you heard there in the example, the person described an investigation into police corruption as a joke. |
[01:17.64] | This doesn' t mean it was funny. It means it wasn' t serious. Also the weather forecast was so bad it was described as a joke. |
[01:27.52] | Notice that you can add words before " joke" to make the meaning even stronger. It' s a complete joke. |
[01:34.31] | A complete joke. |
[01:36.60] | It' s a total joke. |
[01:37.55] | A total joke. |
[01:38.87] | It' s an absolute joke. |
[01:41.37] | Anyway Neil, why don' t you just read the instructions for your new mobile phone? Then you' ll probably be able to work out how to make a call. |
[01:49.67] | I looked at the instructions but they' re an absolute joke. |
[01:52.86] | Oh really? |
[01:53.78] | Well for a start they are in about 17 languages apart from English. |
[01:58.33] | What a joke! |
[01:59.34] | Yeah I know. |
[02:00.60] | Well we' ve heard lots of jokes in today' s programme but there hasn' t been much laughing. |
[02:04.73] | Argh, what a useless piece of. |
[02:07.74] | Let' s hope Neil finally works out how to use his phone. |
[02:11.66] | Argh, this is beyond a joke, it really is. |
[02:14.56] | Join us again for The English We Speak. |
[02:17.80] | Argh, mobiles |
[00:00.74] | Hello and welcome to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, I' m Helen. With me today is quite a frustratedlooking Neil. |
[00:09.84] | Neil, what are you doing to that mobile phone? |
[00:12.84] | Argh, I can' t get it to make a phone call. |
[00:16.75] | It does everything else. It takes photos, it connects to the Internet, it even irons my shirts but it won' t make a call. |
[00:25.80] | Your mobile phone irons your shirts? |
[00:27.89] | No, not really, but honestly it does everything apart from the one thing I want it to do, make a phone call. It' s a joke. |
[00:38.10] | A joke? But you' re not laughing. It can' t be a very funny joke. |
[00:42.69] | Well if you say something is a joke in English it can also mean that it' s not very good or not worthy of respect. |
[00:49.83] | Yes, " joke" has a second meaning. |
[00:53.92] | The investigation into police corruption was a complete joke. Everyone knows the officers were taking money but they were let off. |
[01:01.99] | The weather forecast was a total joke. It said it would be warm and sunny but it' s freezing and raining. |
[01:10.22] | As you heard there in the example, the person described an investigation into police corruption as a joke. |
[01:17.64] | This doesn' t mean it was funny. It means it wasn' t serious. Also the weather forecast was so bad it was described as a joke. |
[01:27.52] | Notice that you can add words before " joke" to make the meaning even stronger. It' s a complete joke. |
[01:34.31] | A complete joke. |
[01:36.60] | It' s a total joke. |
[01:37.55] | A total joke. |
[01:38.87] | It' s an absolute joke. |
[01:41.37] | Anyway Neil, why don' t you just read the instructions for your new mobile phone? Then you' ll probably be able to work out how to make a call. |
[01:49.67] | I looked at the instructions but they' re an absolute joke. |
[01:52.86] | Oh really? |
[01:53.78] | Well for a start they are in about 17 languages apart from English. |
[01:58.33] | What a joke! |
[01:59.34] | Yeah I know. |
[02:00.60] | Well we' ve heard lots of jokes in today' s programme but there hasn' t been much laughing. |
[02:04.73] | Argh, what a useless piece of. |
[02:07.74] | Let' s hope Neil finally works out how to use his phone. |
[02:11.66] | Argh, this is beyond a joke, it really is. |
[02:14.56] | Join us again for The English We Speak. |
[02:17.80] | Argh, mobiles |