#1111 Shortland Street, Goodness Gracious Me, Canadian Politicans On Twitter

Show 1111 Thursday 19 November

Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.

Since I’ve been back in New Zealand I have started watching a TV program called Shortland Street with my boyfriend, knf, who is from Japan, so he’s studying English. And if you come to New Zealand and you’re studying English I highly recommend watching Shortland Street. If you can already speak English, then you possibly have better things to do with your time, but for English study, it’s brilliant.

Shortland Street is a soap opera or soap which is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio.

Shortland Street is on five nights a week from 7pm on Channel 2 . And it’s brilliant for studying because it’s ongoing which means you can get addicted to it, so it'll be fun to watch, and because they show people talking to each other in a variety of everyday situations – so there is a lot of useful language that you can pick up.

There are similar programs in other countries too, like Neighbours in Australia and Coronation Street in the UK.

Any soap like that, if you watch it regularly and get addicted to it, then I think will be good for your study.

It’s also funny watching people’s horrified reaction when you say you like watching Shortland Street … it’s kind of like telling someone your favourite food is MacDonalds. (spell?)

The dialogue from today's conversations is from a video of two actors from Shortland Street answering viewers' questions. And I think one of the actors is still on the show and the other one has left.

STICK NEWS

Kia ora, in Stick News today a Canadian politician has apologized for insulting another politician on Twitter.

Michelle Simson is a Canadian politician. On Tuesday, during a meeting, she wrote a message on Twitter about another politician who was at the same meeting.

She wrote: "Del Mastro should grow up (not out)".

Del Mastro found out about the tweet and asked her to apoligise. He said her tweet “spoke to arrogance and elitism”.

And that was Stick News for Thursday 19th November.

Kia ora.

Word of the Day

Today’s word is gracious.

Gracious is an adjective which means courteous, kind and pleasant.

It’s also an exclamation which is a polite way of expressing surprise.

And a longer version of that is: goodness gracious me.

Goodness gracious me can be used to express surprise – and also other emotions too.

Wictionary says it’s an expression of surprise, contempt, outrage, disgust, boredom, frustration.

In the video someone asks the actor: What do you think of your character’s storyline at the moment? What would you do if it happened in real life?

And he says: Goodness, gracious me, if it happened to me in real life, I’d have a meltdown.

I’m not sure what the storyline was, but it sounds like it was something about a baby, something very dramatic no doubt.

* from 2:23

conversations with sarah

#704 Bags not!

Step 1: Repeat Tim’s lines.

Step 2: Read Tim’s lines and talk to Adam.

Adam Tim, what do you think of your character’s storyline at the moment? What would you do if it happened in real life?

Tim Goodness, gracious, me, if it happened to me in real life, I’d have a meltdown.

Adam You’d say, “It’s Adams!”

Tim Totally. Not mine! Bags not!

links

today's STICK NEWS pictures

Dean Del Mastro on Twitter

Michelle Simson on Twitter

Shortland Street is made here by South Pacific Pictures

music

show start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Future Cha Cha
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

WOD start
artist: DJ iPep's
album: Home Mix 2007
track: Game Toy
from: EVREUX, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

cws start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: The Jazz Woman
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Paul D. Miller aka Dj Spooky
album: Dj Spooky's contribution for the 'One Laptop Per Child Project'
track: Moon rain
from: New York, United States
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

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