Thinking in English

On today’s episode, I want to introduce you to a traditional British festival and celebration that you probably haven't heard of before! Bonfire Night, held on November 5th every year, is a day when we set off fireworks, light fires, and so on! However, it is the history connected to religious disagreements and failed terrorist plots that is the most interesting part! Transcript here!!! - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2020/11/06/bonfire-night-a-unique-british-festival-with-an-explosive-history/ Contact us! INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/) Twitter - @thinkenglishpod Blog: thinkinginenglish.blog Gmail: thinkinginenglishpod@gmail.com VOCABULARY LIST ubiquitous (adj) - seeming to be everywhere Many languages are under threat from the ubiquitous spread of English To repress (v) - to control what people do, and prevent feelings, desires, or ideas from being expressed The government repressed all reports from the region unified (adj) - brought together, combined, or united The politicians find themselves unusually unified on this policy To persecute (v) - to treat someone unfairly or cruelly over a long period of time because of their race, religion, or political beliefs Religious minorities were persecuted during his regime The establishment (n) - the important and powerful people who control a country or an organization, especially those who support the existing situation Critics said judges were on the side of the establishment uprising (n) - an act of opposition, sometimes using violence, by many people in one area of a country against those who are in power There was a popular uprising in the capital Conspirator (n) - a person who plans secretly with other people to do something bad, illegal, or against someone's wishes He was a conspirator in the revolution To smuggle (v) - to take things or people to or from a place secretly and often illegally She was caught trying to smuggle 26 kilos of heroin out of the country elaborate (adj) - containing a lot of careful detail or many detailed parts They are making elaborate preparations for the wedding Tyranny (n) - government by a ruler or small group of people who have unlimited power over the people in their country or state and use it unfairly or cruelly COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS Q.When is Bonfire Night? A.5th November Q. How is bonfire night celebrated in the UK? A.Fireworks, Bonfires, burning models, eating toffee apples! Q.Where did the gunpowder plot conspirators plan to blow up? A.House of Lords (Parliament) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-english/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, we will discuss the question should euthanasia or assisted suicide be legal? With New Zealand recently voting in support of an euthanasia  law, we will look at some of the arguments and debates surrounding the issue! Transcript!! - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2020/11/04/16-should-we-have-the-right-to-die/ CONTACT US!! INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/) Twitter - @thinkenglishpod GMAIL: thinkinginenglishpod@gmail.com BLOG: thinkinginenglish.blog VOCABULARY LIST referendum (n) - a vote in which all the people in a country or area are asked to give their opinion about or decide an important political or social question A nationwide referendum will be held to decide the issue deliberately (adv) - intentionally; on purpose He did it deliberately to annoy me To relieve (v) - to make an unpleasant feeling, such as pain or worry, less strong She was give painkillers to relieve the pain Suffering (n) - physical or mental pain that a person or animal is feeling War causes widespread human suffering terminal (of a disease or illness) (adj) - leading to gradual death She has terminal cancer Compassionate (adj) - showing a strong feeling of sympathy and sadness for the suffering or bad luck of others and a wish to help them The public’s response to the crisis appeal was generous and compassionate dignity (n) - calm, serious, and controlled behaviour that makes people respect you I think everyone should be able to die with dignity Burden (n) - something difficult or unpleasant that you have to deal with or worry about My elderly mother worries that she is a burden to me Physician (n) - a medical doctor, especially one who has general skill and is not a surgeon My brother is a physician incompatible (adj) - not able to exist or work with another person or thing because of basic differences Maintaining high quality is incompatible with increasing output Comprehension Questions Q.What country voted in support of euthanasia recently? A.New Zealand Q.What is the euthanasia law called in that country? A.End of Life Choice Act Q.is the American Medical Association for or against euthanasia? A.Against --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-english/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, the final episode in this series on US election vocabulary, we will look at the Election Day. Who can vote? Where do they vote? How do they voter? When will the results be announced? When will the winner become president? These questions, and the vocabulary connected to them, will be answered in today's episode of Thinking in English! If you haven’t already, make sure you listen to episodes 6, 9, and 12 for even more political vocabulary!! FULL TRANSCRIPT: https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2020/11/01/15-election-day-vocabulary/ INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/) Twitter - @thinkenglishpod BLOG: thinkinginenglish.blog EMAIL: thinkinginenglishpod@gmail.com VOCABULARY LIST To go to the polls (v) - to vote The USA will go to the polls on November 3rd To cast (v) - to vote All the votes in the election have now been cast and counting has begun absentee (n) - someone who is absent If you can’t vote on election day, you can vote using an absentee ballot intimidation (n) - the action of frightening or threatening someone, usually in order to persuade them to do something that you want them to do As the election approaches, it will be difficult to prevent voter intimidation and fraud invalidation (n) - the action of stopping a document, ticket, law, etc. from being legal or officially acceptable Voting fraud led to the invalidation of the election To tamper (v) - to make changes to something that you should not, usually without enough knowledge of how it works or when you are trying to damage it I could see immediately that the lock had been tampered with suppression (n) -the act of preventing something from being seen or expressed or from operating The suppression of free speech electorate (n) - all the people who are allowed to vote The electorate chose Barack Obama as the next President of the USA surge (n) - a sudden and great increase There has been a surge in house prices recently --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-english/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, we will look at the spookiest holiday in the western world. What are the origins of Halloween? Why do we dress up in costumes, carve pumpkins, and trick or treat? All of these questions, and more, will be discussed on this episode of Thinking in English! FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2020/10/30/14-what-is-halloween/ Contact us! INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/) Twitter - @thinkenglishpod Gmail: thinkinginenglishpod@gmail.com Blog: thinkinginenglish.blog VOCABULARY LIST Clad (adj) - (of people) dressed, or (of things) covered A strange figure appeared in the doorway, clad in white Garment (n) - a piece of clothing He’s fussy about how his garments fit To sacrifice (v) - to kill an animal or person and offer them to a god or gods They sacrificed a sheep to their god Sacrifice (n) - the animal or thing that is offered/sacrificed The people offered a sheep as a sacrifice To dress up (phrasal v) - to put on special clothes in order to change your appearance He dressed up as a cowboy for the party To celebrate (v) - to take part in special enjoyable activities in order to show that a particular occasion is important We always celebrate our wedding anniversary by going out to dinner Bonfire (n) - a large fire that is made outside to burn unwanted things, or for pleasure We built a bonfire on the beach To land (v) - to arrive on land from the sea or air We should land at Paris Airport in 15 minutes Roots (plural n) - origins This city can trace its roots back to roman times COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS When is Halloween? 31st October Which ancient festival was the origin of Halloween? Samhain How much do Americans spend on Halloween annually? $6billion --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-english/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE HERE! https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2020/10/27/13-local-citizenship/ On today’s episode, we will discuss the idea of Local citizenship! When national governments can’t, or don’t want to, deal with immigrant populations, it falls to local governments and decision makers to make proactive policies! CONTACT US INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/) Twitter - @thinkenglishpod Blog: thinkinginenglish.blog Gmail: thinkinginenglishpod@gmail.com VOCABULARY To be concentrated (passive v) - to bring or come together in a large number or amount in one particular area Most of the country’s population is concentrated in the north To delegate (v) - to give a particular job, duty, right, etc. to someone else so that they do it for you As a boss you have to delegate responsibilities to your staff To devolve (v) - to cause power or responsibility to be given to other people To be a good manager, you must know how to devolve responsibility downwards vague (adj) - not clearly expressed, known, described, or decided I do have a vague memory of meeting her many years ago Decision-maker (n) - a person who decides things, especially at a high level in an organisation She faces long hours and extreme pressure in her position as the top decision-maker in the company Proactive (adj) - taking action by causing change and not only reacting to change when it happens Companies are going to have to be more proactive about environmental management fortunate (adj) - lucky You’re very fortunate to have found such a nice house supplementary (adj) - added to something else in order to improve it or complete it Teachers often create supplementary materials for their classes To contradict (v) - to say the opposite of what someone else has said, or to be so different from another fact or statement that one of them must be wrong COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS Q. What are some of the social and economic problems caused by ignoring immigrant issues? A.Poverty, dissatisfaction, racism, and crime are just a few Q. Where did I used to live? A.Japan Q. True or false? Former Prime Minister Shizo Abe said “Japan is an immigrant country” A.False --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-english/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FULL TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2020/10/25/12-even-more-us-political-vocabulary-english-vocabulary-lesson/ On today’s episode, we will continue our series of episodes focusing on vocabulary to help you understand the US election! With less than two weeks left, there is no better time to learn some new political words! Contact us! INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/) Twitter - @thinkenglishpod Blog: thinkinginenglish.blog Gmail: thinkinginenglishpod@gmail.com VOCABULARY To compromise (v) - to accept that you will reduce your demands or change your opinion in order  to reach an agreement with someone Well, you want $400 and i say $300, so lets compromise on $350 Psychological (adj) - relating to the human mind and feelings We are concerned with the physical and psychological well-being of our employees uncompromisingly (adv) - in a way that is fixed and not changing, even when this may cause difficulties She was uncompromisingly hostile to him To drift (v) - to move slowly, especially as a result of outside forces, with no control over direction No one notices that the boat had begun to drift out to sea irrelevant (adj) - not related to what is being discussed or considered and therefore not important These documents are largely irrelevant to the present investigation To bear (v) - to have or continue to have something The stone plaque bearing his name was smashed to pieces interpretation (n) - an explanation or opinion of what something means The rules are vague and open to interpretation To opt (v) - to make a choice, especially of one thing or possibly instead of others Mike opted for early retirement To funnel (v) - to send something directly and intentionally No one knows who has been funneling weapons to the rebels --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-english/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE HERE!! https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2020/10/23/11-tea-over-sea-and-cha-over-land-the-history-of-tea-colonialism-and-globalisation/ On today’s episode, we will look at the history of word tea. With few exceptions, there are only 2 words for tea around the world. How did this happen? How is it connected to globalisation and colonialism? Contact us! INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/) Twitter - @thinkenglishpod Gmail: thinkinginenglishpod@gmail.com Blog: thinkinginenglish.blog Vocabulary List beverage (n) - a drink of any type. Hot beverages include tea, coffee, and hot chocolate puzzling (adj) - difficult to explain or understand Interstellar is a rather puzzling film Colonialism (n) - control by one country over another and its economy, or support for such control The impact of colonialism is still felt throughout Africa Globalisation (n) - the development of closer economic, cultural, and political relations among all the countries of the world as a result of travel and communication becoming easy Optimists say globalisation means more cultural choices for everyone Dialect (n) - a form of language that people speak in a particular part of a country, containing some different words and grammar The poem is written in a northern dialect Coastal (adj) - positioned on, or relating to the coast In the UK, coastal towns are very busy in summer Approximately (adv) - close to a particular number or time although not exactly that number or time The job will take approximately three weeks, and cost approximately £1,000 COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS Q. What is the name of the ancient trade route between China and the Middle East? A.The Silk Road Q. What country spread the word tea around the world? A.The Netherlands (Dutch people) Q.Where did Portugal trade from in Asia? A. Macao --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-english/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE HERE - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2020/10/21/10-giant-cat-unearthed-in-the-peruvian-desert/ On today’s episode, we will look at the new discovery of a giant cat carved into the hills of Peru. The Nazca lines are one of the most impressive and mysterious ancient sites, with an unknown history and complicated design! Contact us!  INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/) Twitter - @thinkenglishpod Gmail: thinkinginenglishpod@gmail.com Blog: thinkinginenglish.blog VOCABULARY LIST To unearth (v) - to discover something in the ground Building at the site was halted after human remains were unearthed earlier this month To depict (v) - to represent or show something in a picture or story The cave paintings depict a variety of human, bird and mythological figures and patterns To etch (v) - to cut a pattern, picture, etc., in a surface Rory ordered a baseball bat with his own name etched in the wood Feline (n) - a member of the cat family A wildlife park with tigers and various other felines Erosion (n) - the fact of soil, stone, etc. being gradually damaged and removed by the waves, rain, or wind Coastal erosion caused the cliff to collapse fertile (adj) - fertile land can produce large number of good quality crops In order to turn the deserts into fertile and productive land, engineers built a 800-mile canal speculation (n) - the activity of guessing possible answers to a question without having enough information to be certain News of the president’s illness fuelled speculation that an election will be held later in the year Ritual (n) - a set of fixed actions and sometimes words performed regularly, especially as part of a ceremony Coffee and the newspaper are part of my morning ritual Comprehension Question Q. Where are the Nazca lines located?  A. Peru Q. How long is the cat etched into the hill?  A. 37m or 120 ft Q. In 2014, which organisation activists smudged the surface of a Nazca Line during a demonstration calling for action on climate change?  A. Greenpeace --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-english/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FULL TRANSCRIPT: https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2020/10/18/more-vocabulary-for-the-us-presidential-election/ Today’s episode is the second in a short series focusing on vocabulary to help you understand the US presidential election. If you haven’t already, please listen to episode 6, titled Vocabulary for the US Presidential Election Get in touch! INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/) Twitter - @thinkenglishpod Gmail: thinkinginenglishpod@gmail.com Blog: thinkinginenglish.blog  VOCABULARY LIST Nuance (n) -  a slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound etc Linguists explore the nuances of language Candidate (n) - a person who is competing to get a job or elected position There are three candidates standing in the election Weakness (n) - a particular part or quality of someone or something that is not good or effective His main weakness as a worker is his inability to follow orders veteran (adj) - having been involved in a particular activity for a long time She is a veteran campaigner for human rights office (n) - a position of authority and responsibility in a government or other organisation The new President takes office on January 20th To nominate (v) - to officially suggest someone for an election, job, position, or honour He has been nominated by the Green party as their candidate in the next election To allocate (v) - to decide officially that something should be given to a particular person The primary election allocated all the delegates to Donald Trump Ballot (n) - a system of secret voting Representatives were elected by ballot Obligated (adj) - morally or legally forced to do something I felt obligated to speak up and defend my friend’s reputation Battleground (n) - a place where an argument or competition is happening Pennsylvania and Ohio are key battlegrounds in this year’s election Comprehension Questions Q. Joe Biden was a Senator in which state? A. Delaware Q. How many electoral college votes does a Presidential candidate need to win? A. 270 Q. True or False? If i vote for a Republican President and a Republican Senator, i am split ticket voting A. False --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-english/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FULL TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE!!!: https://thinkinginenglish741418158.wordpress.com/2020/10/16/8-multiculturalism-a-solution-to-the-problems-of-diversity/ On today’s episode, we will discuss some ways different countries try to deal with immigrants. Some countries try to exclude immigrants from society, while others try to assimilate them. But could Multiculturalism be a better alternative? Contact us!! INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpodcast (https://www.instagram.com/thinkinginenglishpodcast/) Twitter - @thinkenglishpod Gmail: thinkinginenglishpod@gmail.com Blog: https://thinkinginenglish741418158.wordpress.com/ VOCABULARY LIST Society (n) - the people who live in a particular country or area and their way of life and customs: We live in a multicultural society Desirable (adj) - worth having and wanted by most people Medicine is regarded as a highly desirable career Immigrant (n) - a person who has come to a different country in order to live there permanently The USA has a large immigrant population exclusionary (adj) - causing someone or something not to be allowed to take part in an activity or to enter a place: The police set up an exclusionary zone around the crime scene assimilation (n) - causing, or making, someone become part of a group, country, society etc The assimilation of immigrants into American culture has been a constant feature of US history. multicultural (adj) - relating to or including people from different cultures: This company has a multicultural workforce To Regulate (v) - to control something, especially by making it work in a particular way: You can regulate the temperature in the house by adjusting the thermostat. Discrimination (n) - treating a person or particular group of people differently, especially in a worse way from the way in which you treat other people, because of their skin colour, sex, sexuality, etc The law has done little to prevent racial discrimination and inequality Identity (n) - who a person is, or the qualities of a person or group that make them different from others: I think my job gives me a sense of identity --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-english/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices