Speaking Skills: Reacting to news
Speaking Skills: Reacting to news
In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Rich interrupts Jack and has some good news to tell him. The language focus is on phrases we use to interrupt people in formal and informal situations and also the language we use to respond to good news. Your task is to tell us about a time you shared some good news. Don't forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have a new football phrase for you to guess, too. Enjoy!
Transcript
Welcome - Interrupting - Sharing important news
Jack: Hello my name’s Jack
Rich: and I’m Rich and welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast
Jack: Where we talk about football and help you with your English.
Rich: We recommend that you listen to this podcast on the Premier Skills English website because that is where we have the transcript, language examples, activities, quizzes and a discussion page to help you understand everything we talk about.
Jack: However, if you’re listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, you could leave your answers in the review section. We do read all the reviews and would love to hear from you.
Rich: In this week’s podcast, we’re going to be talking about the language you need to interrupt someone who is speaking.
Jack: And we are going to talk about important news.
Rich: Important news?
Jack: Yes, important or surprising news such as your exam results or that you have a new job or you’re moving house, getting married that kind of thing.
Rich: OK, so in the podcast, we’re going to do three short role plays where I want to tell Jack something and I need to interrupt him.
Jack: To interrupt means to stop someone speaking by saying or doing something.
Rich: We’ll also do a couple of roleplays where I give Jack some important news and Jack responds to this news.
Rich: Following the roleplays, we’ll focus on the language we use to interrupt someone and the language we use to respond to good news.
Jack: We will also have a task for you to do which is when we ask you to use your English. This week we’re going to ask you to tell us about a time when you shared some important or surprising news.
Rich: And this week we have a special guest on the show. We’ve got Adam who is a teacher from the British Council in Vietnam on the show, and he will help you with the task that we have for you.
Jack: And, don’t forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have another football phrase for you to guess.
Football Phrase 1
Jack: But, before we look at all that let’s look at last week’s football phrase. If you didn’t hear it last week we’ll give you one more chance to guess and give you the correct answer at the end of the show when we give you a new football phrase.
Rich: The phrase was ______ _______. These are things you wear under your socks to protect your legs from bad challenges.
Jack: Well done if you got the right answer last week and a big well done to Milos from Serbia, Liubomyr from Ukraine, Lakerwang and Fred Zhong from China, and Elghoul from Algeria - all of you wrote the correct answer on the Premier Skills English website.
Rich: We’ll tell you the answer to this football phrase and we’ll have this week’s football phrase at the end of the show.
Introduction to Roleplay
Jack: As we said at the beginning of the show, in this week’s podcast, we are going to help you with phrases that you need when you want to interrupt someone.
Rich: This can be difficult sometimes as you need to find a natural break or pause in the conversation to be polite and some people like speaking a lot so this can be difficult.
Jack: We are going to do three short roleplays. Each time, Rich has something to say that may or may not be important.
Rich: While you are listening, we want you to answer two questions. Question 1: What phrase do I use to interrupt the conversation? Question 2: Do I interrupt Jack in a polite way?
Roleplay 1
Jack: As I was saying, it was a great match. Did you see that pass from Pogba … absolutely sensational. I wasn’t so sure about …
Rich: Sorry for butting in, but I think that guy over there is trying to get your attention.
Jack: Oh, thanks. It’s my dad. I wonder what he wants? I’ll be back in a sec.
Roleplay 2
Jack: As I was saying, it was a great match. Did you see that pass from Pogba … absolutely sensational. I wasn’t so sure about …
Rich: Will you let me speak for just one second here. Pogba played well but I don’t think he was the best player on the pitch. That had to be Rashford.
Jack: If you say so, Rich.
Roleplay 3
Jack: As I was saying, it was a great match. Did you see that pass from Pogba … absolutely sensational. I wasn’t so sure about …
Rich: Actually, Jack. I’m not so sure. It was a great pass but the other team - they were rubbish! I don’t think it would be the same against a better team.
Jack: You might be right. Well, we’ll see soon when they play Liverpool. That’ll be a great game.
Roleplay Questions
Jack: In a moment, we’re going to look at some of the language we used in the roleplay, but first we need to give you the answers to those two questions.
Rich: The first question was: What phrases did I use to interrupt Jack?
Jack: In the first roleplay, Rich said: ‘Sorry for butting in, but …’, in the second roleplay he said: ‘Will you let me speak for just one second here’ and in the third roleplay he used the word ‘actually’ followed by my name.
Rich: Our second question was whether these phrases were polite or not.
Jack: The first was polite and more formal. The second was impolite. The third was polite and more informal. We’ll look at these phrases in more detail in the next section.
Language Focus
Jack: Let’s start by looking at some phrases we can use to interrupt someone. Remember, to interrupt means to stop someone speaking by saying or doing something.
Rich: OK, so as we saw in the roleplays, we can interrupt someone in a polite or impolite way. We’re not going to focus on how to be rude!
Jack: No, although it’s important to know what not to say when you are interrupting. When Rich said ‘Will you let me speak for just one second here’ communication broke down.
Rich: Yes, it’s not a good idea to ask to speak directly, we shouldn’t say things like ‘Can I speak now?’ or ‘Will you let me speak?’. We have to be more polite than that.
Jack: It’s also not a good idea to tell someone to ‘be quiet’ or even worse to tell someone to ‘shut up’. This is very rude.
Rich: But, we can use different phrases in formal and informal situations that are polite. In the first roleplay, I used the phrase ‘Sorry for butting in, but …’.
Jack: This is a phrase that is more formal and may be used if you are interrupting a group of people you don’t know.
Rich: Similar phrases are ‘excuse me for interrupting’ or ‘sorry for interrupting’.
Jack: In more formal situations such as meetings at work or during classroom discussions you may also want to interrupt in a formal way. This is often when you want to add something to the discussion.
Rich: Here the words ‘say’ ‘add’ and ‘mention’ are important. You could use a phrase such as ‘Could I just mention something here?’ or ‘Could I add an additional point here?’. These are nice formal ways to interrupt and show people that you have something to say.
Jack: These phrases would be too formal for speaking to friends or in more informal situations but we still need to be polite. We can’t tell people to ‘be quiet’ or ‘shut up’ remember.
Rich: In the roleplay, I used the word ‘actually’. This is a common word to use to interrupt. We often use it when we are going to disagree with the person that is speaking. We often use the person’s name too for more emphasis.
Jack: Other informal phrases we use are: ‘hold on there a second’ or ‘wait a minute, I’m not so sure about that’.
Rich: If you want to look at this type of language in more detail we have lots more examples, the transcript and activities on the Premier Skills English Podcast page on the website.
Roleplay: Responding to good news
Jack: At the beginning of the podcast, we told you that we were going to talk about important or surprising news.
Rich: We hear good news all the time. It’s much more common than bad news, honestly.
Jack: People pass exams, get married, have children, get promotions, get new jobs and win competitions or football matches.
Rich: In this next section, we’re going to look at how to respond to good or surprising news in English.
Jack: Here are two little roleplays. How do I respond to Rich’s good news?
Roleplay 1
Jack: How are you today?
Rich: Very well thank you. Actually, I have some good news.
Jack: What’s that then?
Rich: I’m going to be getting married in July.
Jack: Fantastic. That is good news. Congratulations. Are you excited?
Rich: Yes, very.
Jack: So, when's the big day?
Rich: The tenth of July.
Jack: Brilliant. I’m very happy for you both.
Roleplay 2
Jack: How are you today?
Rich: Very well thank you. Actually, I have some good news.
Jack: What’s that then?
Rich: I’ve got a new job.
Jack: That’s great news. You deserve it. When do you start?
Rich: The beginning of the month.
...
Jack: We usually respond to good news with one very important word: congratulations.
Rich: But we also say ‘that is’ or ‘what’ followed by a strong positive adjective like fantastic or brilliant. We say things like That’s fantastic news or What brilliant news!
Jack: And we usually use additional questions to ask how the person is feeling such as ‘Are you excited?’ or ‘When do you start?’ to show interest.
Task
Jack: This week’s task is to tell us about a time when you shared an important or surprising piece of news. Try to think of a happy event.
Rich: These are the three questions we want you to answer: Question one: What was your piece of good/surprising news?, Question two: Who did you share your news with? And question three: How did they react to your news?
Jack: To help you, we’ve asked someone to do this task so you can hear an example.
Rich: We asked Adam, who works for the British Council in Vietnam, to answer those three questions we’ve just given you - thanks for helping us out with this, Adam.
Jack: So, before you do the task we want you to listen to Adam doing the task. While you are listening we want you to answer the same questions:
Rich: Question one: What was Adam’s piece of good or surprising news?, Question two: Who did Adam share his news with? And question three: How did they react to his news?
ADAM AUDIO
…
Feedback
Jack: OK, did you answer those three questions? What was the answer to question one, Rich?
Rich: What was Adam’s piece of good or surprising news? Adam’s news was that he was going to move from England to Vietnam. Question two, Jack?
Jack: Who did Adam share his news with? He first told his parents and then the rest of his family and friends. And question three?
Rich: How did they react to his news? This was the most difficult to answer but his parents were happy for him on the outside but a little bit worried in reality. His friends thought that he wouldn’t last long in Vietnam and took bets on how long it would be before he came home!
Jack: OK, so that’s your task this week. Tell us about some surprising or important news in the comments section at the bottom of the page on the Premier Skills English website.
This week’s football phrase:
Jack: The final section this week is this week’s football phrase.
Rich: The football phrase this time is ****** ******. This is a phrase that means that a club has lots of players that can not play because they got hurt in training or in a previous match. If a club’s ****** ****** is really bad they may have to play youth players in the first team or might not have enough players for the substitutes bench.
Jack: Quite a difficult phrase this week. Let’s see who can get it right! If you know the answer, write your answer in the comments section at the bottom of the page. We will announce your name in next week’s podcast if you get it right.
Rich: We also need to give you the answer to the football phrase we set at the beginning of the show. The answer as many of you know already was shin pads.
Jack: Right, that’s all we have time for this week. Bye for now and enjoy your football!
Vocabulary
How much did you understand?
In the podcast, Rich, Jack and Adam used some words and phrases that might be new for you. Do you know the words in bold?
Did you see that pass from Pogba … absolutely sensational!
It was a great pass but the other team - they were rubbish!
We hear good news all the time. It’s much more common than bad news, honestly!
To go from this very rural life to the hustle and bustle of Vietnam's largest city ... that'd have been very surprising to a lot of people.
My parents weren't totally thrilled when I told them about my decision but they're generally really supportive.
There were a few more tricky words and phrases in the podcast. Do you know what they all mean? Try the activity below, then, listen to the podcast again to hear how we used the words. This can really help your understanding.
Activity 1
Speaking Skills
Interrupting
In this week's podcast, Jack and Rich spoke about the language we use when we interrupt someone.
Interrupt = to say or do something to make someone else stop talking or doing something
Interrupting someone can be done in a polite way or an impolite way. The way people interrupt can be different in different cultures and countries and if you want to learn more about cultural differences, take a look at this article from the BBC. If we look just at the language of interrupting there are phrases that are more polite than others. Take a look at these two sentences:
Sorry for interrupting but why didn't you invite me to the match?
Hold on! Why didn't you invite me to the match?
In the sentences above, the first sentence is more polite than the second, which is more informal. In the podcast, we looked at some phrases that you can use in formal and informal situations.
Formal and Polite
Sorry for butting in, but I think that guy over there is trying to get your attention.
Excuse me for interrupting, but I think you may have dropped something.
Sorry for interrupting, but I was wondering if you could help me.
These phrases are often used when you want to interrupt a group of people that you may not know. We also often need to interrupt work colleagues or classmates during meetings or class discussions. We often want to add something to a discussion or have an opinion. Here are some phrases you could use:
Could I just mention something here?
May I add an additional point here?
Informal and Polite
The phrases above are used less frequently with friends or in more informal situations, but it's still important to be polite. Here are some phrases we used in the podcast that are used to interrupt people in more informal situations:
Actually, Jack. I’m not so sure. It was a great pass but the other team - they were rubbish!
Hold on there a second. I'm not so sure ...
Wait a minute. I'm not sure about that ...
Rude
It's also important to know what not to say when you are interrupting someone. In general, it's good to say phrases like 'excuse me' and 'sorry, but' when you interrupt someone. On the other hand, there are some phrases that you should avoid unless you are angry and want to be rude or impolite. You may notice that even if the rest of the sentence is using a polite form, the sentence is still rude because of the phrase in bold!
Will you let me speak for just one second here? Pogba played well but I don’t think he was the best player on the pitch.
Could you be quiet so I can speak?
Would you mind shutting up for one minute? Nobody else can get a word in edgeways!
In this activity, take a look at some more phrases we use to interrupt people and decide if they are polite or impolite.
Activity 2
Vocabulary
Reacting to good news
In the podcast, Rich gave Jack two pieces of good news. When we share good news the most important word to use is 'congratulations'. We also use the structure 'that's/what + strong adjective + news'. Take a look at these reactions:
You're getting married! Congratulations! What fantastic news!
A promotion! That's brilliant news! Congratulations!
Look at the pieces of good news in the table below. Imagine a friend or relative tells you this news. Think about how you would react.
| Football team wins the cup | Passes university exams |
| A new baby | Passes driving test |
| Buying a house | A new job in a new country |
Quiz
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Task
Sharing good news
This week’s task is to tell us about a time when you shared a good or surprising piece of news. In the podcast, Adam shared some important news with you. Listen to Adam again and then try to tell us about the good news that you shared. Here are the three questions we would like you to answer:
- What was your piece of good/surprising news?
- Who did you share your news with?
- How did they react to your news?
Click on the audio to listen to Adam again:
Write your answers in the comments section below and don't forget to make a guess at our football phrase.
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Comments
30/10/2021
points
Task
1-I passed in-house exam and become fully-authorized auditor. It was a sensational event in my career life.
2-I shared it with my parents.
3-They were very happy.
30/10/2021 16:27
Tottenham Hotspur
5558
Task
1-I passed in-house exam and become fully-authorized auditor. It was a sensational event in my career life.
2-I shared it with my parents.
3-They were very happy.
18/04/2021
points
The most surprising news for me ı can say it was when I want to go abroad to continue my university education. first of all, I wanted to tell my family, after giving them the information there were very happy about this news and they are proud of me. After that, I talk with my friends, they were so happy for me.
18/04/2021 08:15
Liverpool
17
The most surprising news for me ı can say it was when I want to go abroad to continue my university education. first of all, I wanted to tell my family, after giving them the information there were very happy about this news and they are proud of me. After that, I talk with my friends, they were so happy for me.
02/06/2020
points
I think this week's football phrase is ( full listed injury ) but I am not sure
02/06/2020 19:50
Manchester United
6539
I think this week's football phrase is ( full listed injury ) but I am not sure
02/06/2020
points
Well , I have to say that one of the most surprising news for me undoubtedly when I was successful in my CELTA course from Cambridge university as it was a complete month of isolation and hard work that was crowned by the prestigious certificate and once I got the certificate , I called my mum to tell her the great news and she was absolutely jubilant for me and I think there was a tear in her eye then I told my siblings and the rest of my family and friends
All of them were greeting me and were so happy for my achievement and success. It was one of the highlights of my life so far indeed :)
02/06/2020 19:44
Manchester United
6539
Well , I have to say that one of the most surprising news for me undoubtedly when I was successful in my CELTA course from Cambridge university as it was a complete month of isolation and hard work that was crowned by the prestigious certificate and once I got the certificate , I called my mum to tell her the great news and she was absolutely jubilant for me and I think there was a tear in her eye then I told my siblings and the rest of my family and friends
All of them were greeting me and were so happy for my achievement and success. It was one of the highlights of my life so far indeed :)
18/05/2020
points
1.It was back in 2012 when I applied for the passport, and it was ready for collection.
2.I told my family and friends.
3.They were all excited.
18/05/2020 00:53
AFC Bournemouth
3
1.It was back in 2012 when I applied for the passport, and it was ready for collection.
2.I told my family and friends.
3.They were all excited.
12/08/2019
points
1. It was in 2014 when I got the first job in Singapore. I was very glad and difficult to describe the feeling.
2.The first person I share the news is my Dad. I straightly called to him and he also felt very happy.
3. They told me that you have to move forward and keep trying your best.
12/08/2019 14:19
Arsenal
285
1. It was in 2014 when I got the first job in Singapore. I was very glad and difficult to describe the feeling.
2.The first person I share the news is my Dad. I straightly called to him and he also felt very happy.
3. They told me that you have to move forward and keep trying your best.
31/03/2019
points
Task
1.It was back in 2012 when I applied for the passport, and it was ready for collection.
2.I told my family and friends.
3.They were all excited.
31/03/2019 21:33
Chelsea
1749
Task
1.It was back in 2012 when I applied for the passport, and it was ready for collection.
2.I told my family and friends.
3.They were all excited.
13/03/2019
points
It was when I told my family that I had passed my International English Exam.
I shared it with my parents and siblings.
They were absolutely happy because it was very important to me.
13/03/2019 03:30
Leicester City
7
It was when I told my family that I had passed my International English Exam.
I shared it with my parents and siblings.
They were absolutely happy because it was very important to me.
13/03/2019
points
Congratulations on passing your International English exam, Eliana!
Rich - The Premier Skills English Team
13/03/2019 09:06
Liverpool
594
Congratulations on passing your International English exam, Eliana!
Rich - The Premier Skills English Team
05/03/2019
points
This week fooball phrase is something like list of injured players.
I like to surround myself with good,positive people.Generally I prefer to be happy with small things.We have quote here in my country that say it's not a happy one who has a lot, but one who needs a little bit
I try to avoid bad,negative people and bad news and what remains is good news.
I would like to congratulate Adam because his story is really good news.
05/03/2019 06:45
Manchester United
2663
This week fooball phrase is something like list of injured players.
I like to surround myself with good,positive people.Generally I prefer to be happy with small things.We have quote here in my country that say it's not a happy one who has a lot, but one who needs a little bit
I try to avoid bad,negative people and bad news and what remains is good news.
I would like to congratulate Adam because his story is really good news.
13/03/2019
points
Sound like good advice to me, Milos!
13/03/2019 09:12
Liverpool
594
Sound like good advice to me, Milos!
01/03/2019
points
I guess the football phrase this week is "****** ******".
01/03/2019 05:52
Manchester United
38
I guess the football phrase this week is "****** ******".
28/02/2019
points
I was always good at school. For my successful secondary level exam my grandfather offered me a bilingual Koran version which surprised me a lot because my studies were delivered in French in the sixties. My old parent from a religious background like all Marabout Kabyle couldn't think of any other gift for awarding the more successful of his grandchildren.
My father was also very proud of me when I got my Baccalaureat which is like a A level success . He was French literate educated and since the winning laureats were published in the unique newspaper in French and broadcasted through the French canal tuner he discovered the big news on radio. My mother said me that he was happy when giving me a watch from my father. No vocal congratulations nor any chat directly with him.
28/02/2019 12:24
Manchester City
3988
I was always good at school. For my successful secondary level exam my grandfather offered me a bilingual Koran version which surprised me a lot because my studies were delivered in French in the sixties. My old parent from a religious background like all Marabout Kabyle couldn't think of any other gift for awarding the more successful of his grandchildren.
My father was also very proud of me when I got my Baccalaureat which is like a A level success . He was French literate educated and since the winning laureats were published in the unique newspaper in French and broadcasted through the French canal tuner he discovered the big news on radio. My mother said me that he was happy when giving me a watch from my father. No vocal congratulations nor any chat directly with him.
13/03/2019
points
Your father sounds like a man of few words but very proud of you!
13/03/2019 09:08
Liverpool
594
Your father sounds like a man of few words but very proud of you!
27/02/2019
points
Football phrase guess is ******* ******.
27/02/2019 18:40
Manchester City
3988
Football phrase guess is ******* ******.
27/02/2019
points
Great podcast, but first the football phrase because last week I missed the shout-out. It might be "****** ******".
27/02/2019 09:21
Liverpool
2903
Great podcast, but first the football phrase because last week I missed the shout-out. It might be "****** ******".
27/02/2019
points
Quite a tricky football phrase this time. This will be my last attempt: the phrase could be '****** ******'.
27/02/2019 08:20
Watford
4417
Quite a tricky football phrase this time. This will be my last attempt: the phrase could be '****** ******'.
27/02/2019
points
Third time lucky, Liubomyr! Well done!
27/02/2019 10:11
Liverpool
594
Third time lucky, Liubomyr! Well done!
26/02/2019
points
Once I was quite overweight. A man living in cities of China tends to become fat after his marriage, and I was no exception. Five years ago, I made a resolution to lose my weight and build up my shape. Two years later, I had had a six pack when I posted my photo on the social media. My friends were amazed and admired my will, because most of them were big-bellied and nutritionally endowed.
The football phrase is "****** status"?
26/02/2019 16:08
Chelsea
337
Once I was quite overweight. A man living in cities of China tends to become fat after his marriage, and I was no exception. Five years ago, I made a resolution to lose my weight and build up my shape. Two years later, I had had a six pack when I posted my photo on the social media. My friends were amazed and admired my will, because most of them were big-bellied and nutritionally endowed.
The football phrase is "****** status"?
13/03/2019
points
Congratulations! I hope to follow your lead!!
13/03/2019 09:10
Liverpool
594
Congratulations! I hope to follow your lead!!
27/02/2019
points
Well, is it "****** ******"?
27/02/2019 15:06
Chelsea
337
Well, is it "****** ******"?
26/02/2019
points
I guess the phrase maybe "***** ******",such as ManU have suffered recently.
26/02/2019 13:08
Manchester United
80
I guess the phrase maybe "***** ******",such as ManU have suffered recently.
25/02/2019
points
When I was in secondary school after I finish the examination of the third class in someday evening while I were playing football with my friends my mum called me because my uncle was at phone I returned home and picked the phone from my mother . My uncle said to me can you guess which degree you are scored , I said 81 , he said no , a little bit more , he told me I was scored 85.9% , I really surprised and I was so happy my mum was the first one who said congratulations , I went out side to my friends and told him my degree all of them congrats me and their reaction was they took me on their necks and then they threw me into the air and then picked me up. It was a wonderful day.
25/02/2019 20:46
Arsenal
10
When I was in secondary school after I finish the examination of the third class in someday evening while I were playing football with my friends my mum called me because my uncle was at phone I returned home and picked the phone from my mother . My uncle said to me can you guess which degree you are scored , I said 81 , he said no , a little bit more , he told me I was scored 85.9% , I really surprised and I was so happy my mum was the first one who said congratulations , I went out side to my friends and told him my degree all of them congrats me and their reaction was they took me on their necks and then they threw me into the air and then picked me up. It was a wonderful day.
13/03/2019
points
I second the congratulations from Ahmed Adam! Well done!
13/03/2019 09:11
Liverpool
594
I second the congratulations from Ahmed Adam! Well done!
27/02/2019
points
Congrats Odai! That's indeed a great achiement. Scoring 85+ in the Sudan Secondary School Certificate Exams is like winning the Champions League, so it's understandable why they threw you up in the air like that! I really wish I could taste this celebration one day.
Good to see you here.
Btw, you didn't tell me that you support Arsenal!
27/02/2019 09:55
Liverpool
2903
Congrats Odai! That's indeed a great achiement. Scoring 85+ in the Sudan Secondary School Certificate Exams is like winning the Champions League, so it's understandable why they threw you up in the air like that! I really wish I could taste this celebration one day.
Good to see you here.
Btw, you didn't tell me that you support Arsenal!
25/02/2019
points
Uhm, my second attempt to guess the phrase is '****** plague'
25/02/2019 16:10
Watford
4417
Uhm, my second attempt to guess the phrase is '****** plague'
24/02/2019
points
My piece of good news is that I have received a scholarship to study and research physics. First, I told the news to my parents and then some friends. They were all happy and congratulated me.
24/02/2019 11:42
Tottenham Hotspur
615
My piece of good news is that I have received a scholarship to study and research physics. First, I told the news to my parents and then some friends. They were all happy and congratulated me.
13/03/2019
points
Congratulations and in our most recent podcast you've had the chance to speak about gravity! What a coincidence!
13/03/2019 09:10
Liverpool
594
Congratulations and in our most recent podcast you've had the chance to speak about gravity! What a coincidence!
22/02/2019
points
I think that the phrase is '******-ravage'
22/02/2019 16:27
Watford
4417
I think that the phrase is '******-ravage'