Being Scared

Marco: Hello English learners! Welcome back to EnglishPod! My name is Marco.

Erika: And I’m Erica.

Marco: And today we have a fun and scary dialogue.

Erika: That’s right, this lesson is full of language you can use to talk about being scared.

Marco: Alright, so, we’re gonna be looking at a scary lesson today and we have nothing to preview. So, let’s listen to this dialogue and see why everyone is so scared.

Erika: Well, that sounds really scary, but actually it kind of reminds me of another TV show.

Marco: Heh, very similar to another TV show, but, uh, it’s different.

Erika: Okay, but some interesting language that you can use to talk about things that are scary, so why don’t we look at that now in “language takeaway”?

Voice: Language takeaway.

Marco: So, let’s start with the very first line of our dialogue. Shabby described the mansion to be ultra spooky.

Erika: It’s ultra spooky.

Marco: Spooky.

Erika: So, okay, we’ve got two interesting words here – ultra and spooky. Now, spooky is scary, right?

Marco: It’s a little bit scary. It maybe makes you feel a little bit uncomfortable or maybe it makes you feel a little bit scared.

Erika: Okay, so, not very scared.

Marco: Not… not super scared.

Erika: But ultra spooky.

Marco: So, ultra is another way of saying super or very or really spooky.

Erika: So, if it’s ultra spooky, then it’s…

Marco: Very scary.

Erika: Okay.

Marco: Hehe.

Erika: Alright, so, our next word. They said that in the house there is a ghost haunting the house.

Marco: Okay, there is a ghost haunting his house.

Erika: Okay, so, the verb - to haunt.

Marco: Okay, to haunt. So, the ghost is coming to the house frequently and not letting them live in peace.

Erika: When a ghost haunts something, it visits it often and scares it.

Marco: Exactly. Now, they were all afraid and they didn’t wanna go in and so Wilma called everyone cowards.

Erika: Stop being such cowards.

Marco: Cowards.

Erika: So, a coward.

Marco: A coward is a person that’s not brave.

Erika: A person who’s scared of everything.

Marco: Exactly, so, they were being cowards; they were afraid, so that’s why they didn’t go in.

Erika: Well, speaking of being afraid, Shabby said “I’m getting goosebumps”.

Marco: Goosebumps.

Erika: To get goosebumps.

Marco: Alright, to get goosebumps. Now, goosebumps, it may sound a little bit strange, but it’s very easy. When you’re scared or maybe you’re cold…

Erika: Uhu.

Marco: The skin on your arms or on your back, it gets a little bit bumpy.

Erika: So, your skin looks like chicken skin.

Marco: Exactly, chicken skin. And that’s actually how we call it in Spanish – chicken skin. But this is goosebumps. So, I guess it’s kind of similar – a goose.

Erika: Yeah, yeah, same idea.

Marco: Goosebumps.

Erika: Alright and finally Scruffy said “Shabby is a scaredy cat”.

Marco: A scaredy cat.

Erika: A scaredy cat.

Marco: You’re a scaredy cat.

Erika: Well, a scaredy cat is not really a cat, right?

Marco: No, no, no, it’s a person who is afraid of everything.

Erika: Okay.

Marco: Similar to a coward.

Erika: But more informal.

Marco: More… much more informal. So, somebody is a scaredy cat. And I think even a little bit more juvenile. As adults…

Erika: So, children use it.

Marco: Yeah, as adults you wouldn’t say you… he’s a scaredy cat.

Erika: Alright, great, so, some interesting scary language. I think we need to hear it one more time slowed down in the dialogue.

Marco: Okay, so, now that we understand all the vocabulary we saw in language takeaway, why don’t we take a look at two phrases now in “fluency builder”?

Voice: Fluency builder.

Erika: Well, Shabby said, uh, we’re at this scary looking mansion.

Marco: Scary looking mansion.

Erika: So, a scary looking mansion.

Marco: Okay, so, the mansion looks scary.

Erika: Alright, so, a mansion is a big house, right?

Marco: Uhu.

Erika: That looks very scary. Now, this is a really useful and helpful, um, pattern you can use with English – uh, something looking. So, adjective looking.

Marco: Right, so you can say good looking.

Erika: Uhu, and there’s lots of examples, so, why don’t we hear a few more now?

Voice: Example one.

A: That guy is making me nervous. He’s really creepy looking.

Voice: Example two.

B: I saw the craziest looking house today. It was built upside down.

Voice: Example three.

C: What a nice looking dog! Can I pet him?

Marco: Alright, great examples and now we know how we can combine looking with different adjectives.

Erika: Our next phrase, Shabby said “This place gives me the creeps”.

Marco: Alright, gives me the creeps.

Erika: To give someone the creeps.

Marco: So, if something gives you the creeps…

Erika: It makes you feel uncomfortable and scared.

Marco: Maybe scared, maybe nervous.

Erika: Uhu, okay, so, why don’t we give some examples? I could say “Hey, Marco, see that guy over there? He keeps looking at me; he’s giving me the creeps!”

Marco: Okay, or I can say “Clowns give me the creeps”.

Erika: Oh, that’s right, you’re afraid of clowns.

Marco: I am afraid of clowns.

Erika: Okay.

Marco: They give me the creeps.

Erika: Alright, well, so… a really helpful, useful phrase to use when you’re talking about being afraid. Now, why don’t we listen to the dialogue one final time?

Marco: Okay, so, an interesting dialogue about ghosts and haunted houses. So, what do you think, Erika, do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever seen a ghost?

Erika: Hm, no, I… I totally do not believe in ghosts, but I understand that you disagree with me.

Marco: Uh, well, I’ve experienced strange things, but I don’t know if it was a ghost or an alien. I don’t know, it could have been anything.

Erika: An alien!

Marco: An invisible alien.

Erika: Okay.

Marco: Uh…

Erika: So, what happened?

Marco: Well, once, I was having dinner with my parents and we had a table and on top of the table there was a g… a glass full of water.

Erika: Uhu.

Marco: And all of a sudden it started to move across the table and then it started to spin while it moved.

Erika: So, was there an earthquake or something happening?

Marco: No, no, no, nothing, we were just… the only thing in… on the whole table that was moving was that and we all just kind of stared at the glass moving and we didn’t know what to do. And then my mom started kind of giggling and nervous laugh and we really didn’t know what happened.

Erika: No, I understand that in, um, Latin America people are more superstitious. They’re more… they believe more in ghosts, right?

Marco: Exactly, in Latin America people are very superstitious. They believe in ghosts or in spirits or… We have a lot of urban legends about, you know, like a leprechaun that lives under a bridge or, you know, somebody’s grandma that comes and haunts them…

Erika: Hm.

Marco: Or visits them at night and stuff like that. So, yeah, Latin American people are very, uh, superstitious in this sense.

Erika: Yeah, I think in Anglo countries it’s a little bit less common to… to say that you believe in ghosts, like maybe inside you, you th…

Marco: Hehe.

Erika: You think ghosts are true, but you wouldn’t really tell people that.

Marco: Right, I think the difference would be that you have a different type of superstition like people are afraid of, uh, black cats.

Erika: Right.

Marco: Or the floor… or the number thirteen.

Erika: Yeah, or opening your umbrella in a house.

Marco: Exactly.

Erika: Yeah.

Marco: So, because they consider it to be bad luck…

Erika: Uhu.

Marco: But not because something like a ghost or an alien’s gonna come out and eat them.

Erika: So, listeners, why don’t you tell us what you think about ghosts? Are… are people superstitious in your country? Do they believe in ghosts?

Marco: Come to our website englishpod.com and let us know and we’ll see you guys there.

Erika: Well, thanks for downloading and… Good bye!

Marco: Bye!