| [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… |
