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Transcript:

Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.

In this episode:

• You’re going to learn vocabulary about flaws. That is the negative characteristic of people.
•  In the second part, we will practice speaking with a fun mini-story of questions and answers.

Remember to get the transcript of this episode at SpeakEnglishPodcast.com/podcast

Let’s start!

In a couple of previous episodes, you learned vocabulary related to virtues. You know, those good characteristics of people. As you know, you and I are full of virtues, but today we’re going to talk about negative characteristics that others have, not us, of course.

Although there are many flaws, I will focus on just a few. I have made a selection to discuss them below.

Let’s go for the first one:

1. Stinginess

A person who never wants to spend money is stingy, especially if they can afford it. I think it is convenient to distinguish between a saver and a stingy person. A saver person tries to manage his money well. On the other hand, a stingy person always tries to save every last cent. An example. Imagine a dialogue between a stingy person and a cab driver:

– How much is a ride to the airport?

– Thirty dollars.

– How much do you charge for the suitcase?

– There is no charge for the suitcase.

– Well, then take my suitcase to the airport. I’m walking.

2. Indifference

It is very common in the world we live in. An indifferent person has the attitude of not showing empathy or interest in something or someone. Sometimes it is a defense mechanism to avoid being emotionally involved in some circumstances.

One can be indifferent about many things: politics, social problems, friendships, family, etc.

Example:

– Hey, what’s the difference between ignorance and indifference?

– I don’t know, and I don’t care.

Wow, that’s really showing indifference… And ignorance. 

Let’s look at the next one:

3. Intransigence

We can say that someone who is intransigent is rigid in their positions and who is not willing to make concessions or give in to compromises under any circumstances. 

An example:

– Paul is a good teacher, but he is very intransigent. A student asked for more time to turn in his work because he had a health problem. However, Paul told the student that he would not make any exceptions.

4. Gossip

It means to speak indiscreetly or maliciously about someone.

Example:

-Did you know that Alice just got divorced and already has a boyfriend?

– Lucy, stop gossiping and get back to work.

Ok. Now it’s time for you to practice your speech with a mini-story.

(END OF THE EXTRACT)

Resources:

• Audio MP3 (right-click to save the audio)
• DOWNLOAD PDF (right-click to save the TEXT)

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