Episode 28
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Today I'm going to talk about the word bear.
And with a mini-story, you will practice your English conversation skills.
Hi! I’m Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.
Before we start, get the transcript at SpeakEnglishPodcast.com/podcast
Very well. Let's get started!
The word BEAR is normally used as a noun when we're referring to a large furry animal that likes eating honey. In the second part of this podcast, you'll meet two funny bears, Yogi and Boo-Boo.
The word BEAR can also be a verb. In that case it has several meanings:
A few of them are: to hold, to support, to exhibit, to stand, or to give birth to.
For example, if I say that "I can't BEAR" something, I mean that I can't tolerate it or stand it. It's just too much, or it makes me very unhappy.
Here are some more examples:
Usually, we use the verb to BEAR when we need to accept, or tolerate something, especially something unpleasant:
Examples:
"The pain was almost more than Jason could bear." "How can you bear to eat that food?"
There are some other similar expressions. Instead of saying, "I can't bear it," you could say I can't stand it, or I can't put up with it.
Example:
"I love going to the beach, but my sister can't stand it."
"I just can't put up with my friend's dog."
We can use the word BEAR in many different ways.
For example, when you need to deal with something painful, we say that you BEAR the pain:
Example:
"Sometimes it's hard to bear the pain of being lonely."
Other times, you need to take responsibility for the negative effects of your actions. It's when we say that you BEAR the consequences:
Example:
"She's quitting her job anyway, so; she won't be here next month to bear the consequences."
That’s it for now. I hope you enjoyed learning new expressions with the word BEAR.
Now let's continue with a mini-story.
Continue practicing with my complete English courses. Choose the course that fits
your level and goals, and learn to speak more naturally and confidently.
IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING
Mini-Story: Speaking Practice
Answer the questions aloud with short and quick responses. Repeat the Mini-Story several times to improve your speaking and listening.
Yogi and Boo-Boo were two bears who lived in Jellystone Park.
Were Yogi and Boo-Boo tigers?
No. No. They weren't tigers. They were bears.
Were they sheep?
No. No. Yogi and Boo-Boo were bears.
Did they live in Jellystone or a zoo?
Not a zoo. They lived in Jellystone Park.
Where did the two bears live?
In Jellystone Park. The two bears lived in Jellystone Park.
Yogi was a grizzly bear, and he used to say he was smarter than the average bear.
Was Yogi a polar bear?
No. Not a polar bear. He was a grizzly bear.
Was Yogi smart or dumb?
Smart. Not dumb. He was smarter than the average bear.
Yogi always came up with a plan to steal the tourist's picnic baskets.
Did Yogi sometimes come up with a plan?
No. Not sometimes. He always came up with a plan.
What was his plan?
He planned to steal the tourist's picnic baskets.
Whose baskets did Yogi want to steal?
Boo-Boo's Baskets?
No. No. Not Boo-Boo's baskets. He wanted to steal people's picnic baskets.
His friend Boo-Boo always tried to stop Yogi from getting in trouble.
Did Yogi's friend try to stop him?
Yes. Yogi's friend, Boo-Boo, always tried to stop him.
Who tried to stop Yogi?
Boo-Boo. Yogi's friend tried to stop him.
Yogi tried to stop Boo-Boo, right?
No. No. Not Yogi. It was Boo-Boo who tried to stop Yogi. Not the other way around.
Boo-Boo couldn't bear Yogi stealing picnic baskets. So he often asked his friend to hunt for food.
What couldn't Boo-Boo bear?
He couldn't bear Yogi stealing picnic baskets.
Boo-Boo asked Yogi something about hunting. Right?
Yes. He asked Yogi to hunt for food instead of stealing picnic baskets.
Yogi's friend wanted him to steal baskets, right?
No. No. Boo-Boo didn't want Yogi to steal anything. He wanted him to hunt for food.
Yogi used to say hunting is for losers, and a picnic basket had everything a bear needed.
Did Yogi say that hunting was for losers or winners?
For losers. He said that hunting is for losers. Not for winners.
Was the picnic basket everything a bear needed?
Yes. According to Yogi, the picnic basket was everything a bear needed.
Yogi couldn't bear the consequences of stealing. So he always ran away from the forest ranger.
Did Yogi bear the consequences of stealing?
No. He didn't bear the consequences. So, he ran away from the forest ranger.
Why did Yogi run away?
To avoid the consequences of stealing?
Yes. He ran away to avoid the consequences of stealing. He didn't want to bear the consequences of his actions.
So Boo-Boo ran away from the ranger, right?
No. No. Not Boo-Boo. Yogi! He ran away from the ranger.
Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
Review
Vocabulary
Review the most useful words and expressions before listening again.
Bear
As a verb, to tolerate, support, or endure something.
Can't bear
To be unable to tolerate or stand something.
Can't stand
To strongly dislike or be unable to tolerate something.
Put up with
To tolerate something unpleasant.
Bear the pain
To endure physical or emotional pain.
Bear the consequences
To accept responsibility for the negative results of an action.
Tolerate
To accept something unpleasant without stopping it.
Unpleasant
Not enjoyable, comfortable, or agreeable.
Continue practicing with my complete English courses. Choose the course that fits
your level and goals, and learn to speak more naturally and confidently.
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