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?
Our video this week uses the trailer for 'Wicked,’ the musical smash hit movie that tells the untold story of how the witches from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ met.
When I choose a video, I correct the subtitles and give you notes so you can understand any language and culture that’s key to understanding.
This week we have:
Video of the week. The trailer for ‘Wicked’.
Language focus. Interjections - what they are and how to use them.
Let’s get started!
1. Video of the Week: Wicked Trailer.
She’s mean and she’s green! Or is she? The story of ‘Wicked’ tells us how two friends meet at university. Glinda is popular and Elphaba is... an unusual colour. There are many songs and adventures along the way until ultimately their lives end up going in very different directions.
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 trailer? Have you seen the movie? Let me know in the comments!
2. Language Focus
Understanding Interjections: The Language of Emotion
In the trailer we hear Elphaba say ‘boo!’ and Glinda’s hat get an ‘ew!’ These are both examples of interjections.
Interjections are short, often emotional expressions that stand alone in a sentence. They show feelings such as surprise, anger, excitement, or disgust and are common in informal speech and writing. While interjections like "wow" or "oops" are common in English, they often vary in other languages. For example, the French say "ouf!" for relief, while Italians might say "boh!" to express doubt.
Today, we’re focusing on five negative interjections in English. These words show disapproval, disgust, or disappointment and are a colourful way to add emotion to your language.
Five Negative Interjections and Their Use
Boo
Definition: Used to show disapproval or disagreement, especially by an audience.
Example: "The crowd booed loudly when the referee made a bad call."
Eww
Definition: Expresses disgust, especially at something gross or unpleasant.
Example: "Eww! This milk has gone bad!"
Ugh
Definition: Shows frustration, annoyance, or disgust.
Example: "Ugh, I can’t believe I have to redo this whole assignment!"
Yikes
Definition: Indicates shock, fear, or mild dismay.
Example: "Yikes, that’s a huge spider on the wall!"
Tsk
Definition: A sound made to express annoyance, disapproval, or irritation. Often written as tsk tsk.
Example: "Tsk tsk, you really should have studied for the test."
Listen and read to a story I wrote that uses all five!
A Bad Day at Work
It was one of those days where everything went wrong. Sarah arrived at work late because of traffic. As she rushed into the office, she spilled her coffee all over the report she needed for a meeting. "Ugh," she groaned, trying to clean it up with tissues.
In the meeting, Sarah gave her presentation, but her computer froze in the middle of it. "Yikes," she muttered as her boss frowned. She tried to joke about it, but someone in the back said, "Boo!" She felt her face turn red. Later, in the break room, she opened her lunch and realised the chicken had gone bad. "Eww," she said, throwing it away. As she left for the day, her boss sighed and shook his head. "Tsk," he said. Sarah couldn’t wait for the day to end.
That’s all this week! Please let me know if you have any comments below.
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