Hello, I’m Mandeep. Welcome to my Watch and Learn English substack. My aim is to teach “real-life” English using videos and topics that are in the news.
What’s on this week?
Music fans around the world celebrated last week when British rock group ‘Oasis’ announced they were reforming for 17 shows in summer 2025. Hundreds of thousands of people tried to get tickets and many were angry at how expensive it was to see the band play.
Our video this week is an interview that Noel Gallagher gave in 2021 explaining that he’d only play with ‘Oasis’ again for the right amount of money.
When I choose a video, I correct the subtitles and give you notes so you can make sense of any language and culture that’s key to understanding.
This week we have:
Video of the week. An interview with rock legend Noel Gallagher.
Language focus. Everyday expressions that mean something is not true.
Comprehension test. Check your understanding of this week’s video.
Let’s get started!
1. Video of the week - Noel Gallagher on Oasis
‘Oasis’ were one of the biggest groups of the 1990’s and fans around the world were devastated when they broke up after a huge fight before a show in 2009.
If you’ve never heard of ‘Oasis’ before, they were led by two brothers. The older brother Noel wrote the songs and the younger brother Liam was the main singer. They often had arguments and the relationship between them was an important part of the band’s success.
Over the years, many people have asked if and when they’ll get back together. Both brothers have continued to say unkind things about each other in the media. The insults they use are often unusual and honestly quite funny. Noel once said about Liam:
‘He's the angriest man you'll ever meet. He's like a man with a fork in a world of soup.’
Noel is from Manchester, a city in the north of England. He may be difficult to understand, but remember, it’s important to listen and practice with English from all over the world.
If any of this is new vocabulary for you, remember that when you watch the video, you can click on any word in the subtitles for a teacher’s note that explains everything!
Watch the video … and learn!
Click here to watch the video with clear, correct captions (not auto-generated), definitions for the key vocabulary, and an option to slow the video down to help you catch every word.
What did you think of the interview? Do you like Oasis? Let me know in the comments!
2. Language Focus
What does ‘not particularly’ mean?
In the video when Noel is asked if he wants to perform with his brother again he says ‘not particularly’. It’s funny because his answer is formal and polite and we expect him to be more direct because we know his feelings are very strong.
‘Not particularly’ is a phrase that means ‘not very much’ or ‘not really’. It's a way to say that something is true, but not to a strong degree. When you say ‘not particularly’, you’re making your opinion softer. This is more polite.
For example, if someone asks, ‘Do you like coffee?’ and you say, ‘Not particularly,' it means you don’t hate coffee, but you don’t really like it either, so you wouldn’t choose to have it. In some situations, it’s politer than just saying ‘No’ which, depending on how you say it, could be rude.
Listen to the conversation below. My friend has asked me if I want to go to the party tonight. I’ll use five expressions that mean the same as ‘not particularly’ to explain how I feel. Count as you hear them and see if you can get all five! Then read below to see if you were right.
Do I want to go to the party? If I’m being honest not really. I’d love to spend time with you but if you ask me if I want to go into town the answer is not especially. I really don’t mean to be rude but I’m not really into the music he plays and I’m not keen on some of his friends. So why don’t we just meet tomorrow instead because if you ask me if I want to go tonight the answer is not so much.
3. Comprehension questions
Now watch the video again and answer the comprehension questions. I’ll put the answers in the comments below.
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Oasis are back