Speak Better English with Harry | Episode 86

Hi there, this is Harry and welcome back to my English learning podcast. Today, we're talking about English expressions.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

[inaudible].

Speaker 2: 0:10

Hi there, this is Harry and welcome back to our podcasts. I'm still have a little bit of a cold. So again, apologies of my is not the same as it usually is. So what do we have for you this week? While the first podcast is going to be some English expressions and I'll give you some examples of those. Uh, the second podcast is going to be something similar and then we'll have two further podcasts with sentences that will go through the various grammar points for you. Okay. So let's start with the first one. And the expressions first expression is add up a D D add up or often used in the negative. It doesn't add up. Okay. So when we mean it doesn't add up, we usually mean it just doesn't make sense. Okay. Eh, to add something means one and one is two. That's an addition that children learn at school. So when something doesn't add up to us, it doesn't make sense. Like one and one equals three that doesn't add up. It doesn't make sense. So we can use it in a business context or we can use it in our personal life to explain when something does or doesn't add up. So let me try and give you an example. If, uh, you have a business order from a client and he's ordering eh, 20 units of your product every week and he does this repeatedly, week one, week two, so for several times. And then suddenly the orders either stop or the orders change dramatically. You ask somebody in the office, what's happened, why are the orders? Why have this suddenly changed? It just doesn't add up. He usually orders 10 units or 20 units every week, every month. Now the orders have suddenly dropped, meaning they have reduced or they've suddenly increased. Okay, it's good news, but there's no reason given. So we need to talk to the client to find out why so we can understand and explain. So when something just doesn't add up, even in political life, you know, at the moment we're looking at certain problems around Europe with Brexit and a lot of the issues of Brexit, they just don't add up. You know, why is there so much opposition to a Europe within the UK? And when they've been in the EU, the European union for over 40 years, to many people that just doesn't add up. It doesn't make sense. And then when they're trying to leave the European union and three attempts to pass the legislation of degree, the, uh, what they called the divorce package that Theresa May, um, arranged that just doesn't add up to some people. Why so many people were opposed to it when they wanted to leave. But why didn't they vote for this package, which should have, um, meant that they left six or nine months ago, but they just continued to delay, delay, delay. And those delays, as I said, just didn't add up. Okay. The second expression I have for you is to draw a line in the sand. This is means when we want something to stop, uh, and from that particular point, we want things to change. So we say to draw a line in the sand means that's as far as we go. Everything after this particular time has to change. Okay? So, for example, if the government are going to change the law or practices about something, they are prepared to draw a line in the sand at a particular date and say, okay, from the 1st of November, uh, we are going to change the law. So everything up to the first November, we will forget about. Um, but after that date from the first and November onwards, you have to be aware that the law will change. And if you break that law, you will be penalized. OK. So we will draw a line in the sand, uh, around that particular issue. And after that date, things will have to change. So it could be, for example, parking it, uh, on the pavement rather than parking on the road. So, you know, people shouldn't do it. It causes problems for pedestrians. But you know, the government are prepared to, eh, turn a blind eye to forget about it up to the first November, but after that date, they will no longer will turn a blind eye. And after that date they will impose a serious fines, um, when people are not compliant with the law. So they will no longer accept it. So draw a line under something, draw a line in the sand. So it's really, you want to get agreement and you want to forget about things. And the third expression is, but in, and it's spelled B U. T. T. you can use this in two ways. You can use it in a friendly way. Do you mind if I brought in meaning, do you mind if I interrupt you? Can I join you for coffee? And they say, no, no. Grab a chair, pull up a stool. Come and talk to us that, that'd be great. Yeah. Or somebody will say, eh, please don't bought in. When I'm in the middle of my conversation, I can't hear the other person. So they might be a little bit of nod and tell you to go away. Just don't, but in don't interfere. Don't get involved in business that doesn't concern you. So, but in, in a nice way. May I button or do you mind if I bought in and then bought in in a more aggressive way? Please don't bought in or just don't bought in. When I'm in the middle of a conversation and the Americans have an expression butt out a, which actually means the same means don't interfere, go away, leave us alone. Just butt out, meaning stay out of our business. Okay. So three expressions, eh, add up or doesn't add up and draw a line in the sand under something, uh, or but in, and then as the Americans use bought out. Okay, well thanks for listening and as always, you can get me on www.englishlessonviaskype.com and when you get there, you'll find the link to the easy peasy club, which is, uh, really getting a lot of attention. We've got lots of people joining in on these prerecorded lessons, so you can join up if you still wish. And again, thanks for listening and I'll see you again soon.