The Hot English Conversation Course Bar Chat, English
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The Hot English Conversation Course Bar Chat
Hot English Magazine 26. Page 21.
www.hotenglishmagazine.com
This month we are going to focus on listening for key words again. Remember, key words are
basically the most important words in a phrase that are essential for understanding, such as
the verbs and nouns. Firstly, we want you to listen to all the conversation about drinking and
answer these two simple questions. You don’t have to understand every word in order to
answer the questions:
1. What arguments do the speakers have about increasing the minimum drinking age?
2. What arguments do the speakers have about decreasing the minimum drinking age?
Now let’s practise listening out for key words. Look at the first part of this conversation again
(until the end of Bertie’s first line) and see if you can mark all the key words. Then check
your answers.
Percy: Oh god what a
nightmare
last night...
My, my
daughter came home [
what, what
happened?
] Yeah, my daughter came home,
pissed out of her head
,
love bites
all
over her neck... God it’s terrible,
you know?
Young people these days they’re just...
Bertie: Yeah! It’s normal though, isn’t it? Everyone does that kind of thing.
Percy: It’s not normal. It’s just, you know, going out and getting drunk like that, at that age,
it’s just ridiculous.
Bertie: Well its growing up, you know. Come on, kids have got to start
getting a life of their
own
, moving away from their parents and going out and getting drunk!
Percy: Well personally [finding a partner, what’s wrong with that?] Personally I think they
should increase the
legal a…
, you know the drink, legal age to 21 at least [yeah?] It’s
like the American’s do.
Bertie: Ah, it’s, it’s, it’s too high. I think that’s part of the problem. I think they should, they
should reduce it
if anything
.
Percy: You know young people and drink, it’s the most dangerous thing in the world. You
know they go out and get their car and crash, crash it, kill themselves, kill other
people…
Bertie: Well no, but, but that’s the problem isn’t it? The problem is, 18 is legal, before that’s
illegal it looks like something cool and fashionable.
Like
look at your, your French
and your continentals, they start drinking when they’re five-years-old! And you know
it’s nothing special to them.
Percy: Yeah and die of heart disease when they’re fifty or something, you know?
Bertie: Well that’s, that’s something else, isn’t it? But, no, it’s, it’s kind of healthy. They’ve
got a healthy attitude to alcohol. In, in, in England people, you know, at 16 they start
drinking, they go out, they drink 8
pints
of beer, they’ve never had alcohol before,
they
get into fights
, they crash cars…
Percy: Well, that, that’s, that’s why we should, you know, increase the legal minimum age.
You know it’s just ridiculous. But also you know you get drunk you’re having sex,
I
mean
it’s
outrageous
! I mean…
Bertie: Well I, I think people are more, more relaxed. I think they, you know they’d be more
responsible. That’s the thing, you know. [
mumble
] It’d be more natural
Percy: Well, er, I’m still, I’m still against it.
Bertie: So, so, how old is your daughter, anyway?
Percy: Oh, erm, 39.
a nightmare
n
a terrible experience or situation
my, my…
exp
this is an example of repetition – this is very common in
conversational speech
[what, what happened]
exp
this is an example of interruption – this is very common in
conversational speech
pissed out of
her head
exp offens
very, very drunk
a love bite
n
a mark you make on your boy/girlfriend’s neck by kissing
and biting them
you know?
exp
people often say this to check that the other person
understands
to get a life of your own
exp
to start living your own life – not depending on your parents
or other people
legal a…
exp
this is an example of a false start. The speaker starts to say
something, makes a mistake then tries again
if anything
exp
if they do anything at all
like
exp
people often use this when they are thinking about what to
say next. It is used to fill space in a conversation and doesn’t
mean anything
a pint
n
a measure of liquid (usually beer). It is about half-a-litre
to get into a fight
exp
this is often used to introduce something important that you
want to say
outrageous
adj
terrible, horrible
to mumble
vb
to speak in an unclear and quiet way. It is very hard to
understand when people do this
I mean
exp
to start fighting with someone
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