Episode 204
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Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.
- We continue with the flaws in English. We're going to learn four more words.
Last week I talked about flaws. Unlike virtues, flaws are undesirable characteristics of someone's personality.
I talked about this:
Stinginess: when you don't ever want to spend money.
Indifference: When you have no interest or empathy for something or someone.
Intransigence: When you are rigid in your positions and never make concessions.
Gossip: When you are indiscreet in talking about others.
Today we are going to look at four more flaws.
Let's start!
#1 Greed
In a previous episode, I talked about stinginess. If you remember, it means trying not to spend money. Well, we have another word that may have some relation. I'm talking about the word greed. A greedy person desires to possess and acquire wealth to keep it. For sure, a stingy person can also be greedy, although not necessarily.
The idea is to accumulate wealth. Let's look at an example:
"Although their offer isn't very appealing, I have to be careful not to be greedy and spoil everything."
#2 Envy
Ah, envy. It is the feeling of longing or resentment caused by another person's possessions, qualities, or good fortune. That is, an envious person feels bad when someone else has or gets something beneficial or desirable.
Example:
- Look at Tom and his new car. How did he afford it? I wish I had a car like that.
- Maybe you're a little envious.
- Me? Envious? No. It’s just that I am a better driver than he is.
Sometimes envy can stimulate greed.
Let's continue!
#3 Unpunctuality
Who hasn't been unpunctual at some time? Being unpunctual -or being late- regularly can be quite annoying to others, as it is a waste of their time.
I love being punctual and appreciate it when others are more or less punctual. However, I have a friend who is always twenty minutes late. I guess she has no understanding of time management.
Okay, let's look at the following example:
“Alice, this is the fourth day in a row that you have been unpunctual for work.”
#4 Narcissism
I once read that the most common type of photo is a selfie. And no wonder. It seems that many have an inflated sense of self. And this leads them to have a deep need for excessive attention and admiration.
Especially young people tend to get depressed if they don't get enough "likes" on their videos or photos.
Example:
A narcissist meets a girl in a bar, and after talking for two hours about himself, he says to her, "Well, but let's not talk about me anymore, let's talk about you. What do you think of me?"
Okay. Today you've learned some more vocabulary regarding flaws. The list is huge, but we don't want to overdo it.
Now, let’s practice.
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GRAMMAR MADE EASY
POV Story: Grammar in Context
Read the same story in two different points of view and notice how the grammar changes naturally.
Past Tense - Third Person
Bill was one of the stingiest people in the whole world. He always tried to spend as little as possible. For example, he slept on a side because he thought this way it would wear out the sheets less. One of the things he liked to do was going fishing. His neighbor would lend him the boat and rod. That way he didn't have to buy anything.
One cold winter day Bill went to a fishing lake. At one point he got up to get his rod ready and a coin fell out of his pocket. He was so unlucky that the coin fell into the lake.
Bill figured that just one coin was not worth jumping into the cold water to fetch it.
So he pulled out a second coin and threw it into the lake, and said to himself, "Now, two coins are worth jumping into the water!"
Past Tense - Second Person
Bill, you were one of the stingiest people in the whole world. You always tried to spend as little as possible. For example, you slept on a side because you thought this way it would wear out the sheets less. One of the things you liked to do was going fishing. Your neighbor would lend you the boat and rod. That way you didn't have to buy anything.
One cold winter day you went to a fishing lake. At one point you got up to get your rod ready and a coin fell out of your pocket. You were so unlucky that the coin fell into the lake.
You thought that just one coin was not worth jumping into the cold water to fetch it.
So you pulled out a second coin and threw it into the lake, and said to yourself, "Now, two coins are worth jumping into the water!"
Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
Review
Vocabulary
Review the most useful words and expressions before listening again.
greed
an excessive desire for money or possessions.
envy
resentment caused by wanting what another person has.
unpunctuality
the habit of arriving late.
narcissism
excessive interest in oneself.
jealous
unhappy because another person has something desirable.
self-centered
mainly concerned with your own needs and interests.
concession
something accepted or given to reach agreement.
overdo it
do something more than is reasonable or necessary.
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