Hey there! This is TOP episode 187. The Last Of Us: 10 Phrases You Need To Know
My name’s Ola and I believe you can eliminate your language blockade. You can speak English with more confidence, slay that fear and enjoy communication.
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Hello there! Another English Live Class behind us, this time we met to talk about the first episode of ‘The Last Of Us’. It’s a great show, quite surprisingly highly useful for daily conversations. I do recommend watching for pleasure but also for education. Last Tuesday we had a live class, you can purchase access to that English Live Class in my shop at teacherola.com. What you get is access to the recording from our lesson. Additionally, you’ll receive materials to help you get ready for the lesson. It’s a checklist and a list of questions. After watching the recording of English Live Class, do your homework, it’s also included. I picked ten phrases from the checklist for further practice. Let’s begin:
One. At war. The original phrase from the show is this: ‘Mankind has been at war with the virus from the start’. To be “at war with” someone or something means that there is a state of conflict, hostility, or disagreement between two parties. It often refers to a military conflict, but it can also refer to a non-physical conflict. Here are two example sentences:
The two neighbouring countries have been at war for years over a disputed border region.
Ever since she got promoted to manager, she’s been at war with her own work-life balance.
Two. To pose a threat. A sentence fro ‘The Last Of Us’: ‘just to be clear, you do think microorganisms pose a threat’. To pose a threat. When something poses a threat, it has the potential to cause harm or damage if not addressed or avoided. Example sentences:
The wildfire posed a threat to nearby homes and forced residents to evacuate.
The rising tensions between the two countries posed a threat to global security.
Three. And it gets worse. Listen to this bit, it’s an excerpt from the script of the first episode, first scene: ‘The fungus starts to direct the ant’s behaviour, telling it where to go, what to do, like a puppeteer with a marionette. And it gets worse. The fungus needs food to live, so it begins to devour its host from within, replacing the ant’s flesh with its own, but it doesn’t let its victim die’. It gets worse. It’s often used to indicate that a situation or problem is becoming increasingly difficult or negative. Here are some other sentences with this phrase:
I thought I had already hit rock bottom, but it gets worse – my car broke down.
First, we missed our flight, and then our luggage got lost – it gets worse, we had to spend the night at the airport.
Four. He’s dependent on me. It’s about Tommy, Joel’s brother. To be dependent on something means to rely on it, to need it in order to function or achieve a certain goal. It refers to a situation where one cannot do without a particular thing or substance, and may experience negative consequences or difficulties if it is not available or accessible.
John has become so dependent on his medication that he cannot function without it.
The economy of the small town is heavily dependent on the local factory.
Five. Supposedly. A fragment from the script: ‘FEDRA’s got a factory down there in the QZ. Supposedly only makes two things. Pills and bullets, bullets and pills’. ‘Supposedly’ means something is believed to be true, but there’s no proof or it’s not confirmed.
The novel is supposedly based on a true story.
Supposedly, the new restaurant in town serves the best pizza, but I haven’t tried it yet myself.
Six. I’m not supposed to be here. This is what Ellie said in the first episode when she was kept by Marlene and Fireflies. Listen to these two example sentences:
He was supposed to meet me at the train station, but he didn’t show up.
The cake was supposed to be chocolate, but it tastes like vanilla.
Seven. Shake it off. This is what Tess said to Joel: ‘Now we just shake it off, and we go get our cards back, or the battery’. ‘To shake something off’ means to get rid of something that’s bothering you physically or mentally. For example:
The athlete tried to shake off his injury and get back in the game.
She tried to shake off the feeling of disappointment and focus on the positive aspects of the situation.
Eight. He’s gonna get the wind of it. It’s the same conversation between Joell and Tess about the battery. So, this idiom, to get the wind of something means to hear about or find out something, usually something that is meant to be kept secret or private.
The journalist got wind of a scandal involving the mayor and began to investigate.
I got wind of a new job opening at a great company.
Nine. the team will not jeopardise that. This was said by Marlene to Tess and Joel and Ellie. And to jeopardise something means to put something at risk or in danger of harm or loss. For instance:
The athlete didn’t want to jeopardize his chances of winning by competing with an injury.
Not studying for the test would jeopardize their chances of getting a good grade.
Ten. You mumble in your sleep. Ellie said this to Joel before they started their journey. He was killing time by having a nap. Anyway! To mumble means to speak or say something unclearly and quietly, so that it’s difficult to understand what’s being said. Examples:
When he’s tired, my dad tends to mumble and I have to ask him to repeat what he said.
The actor mumbled his lines during the play.
There you go! Ten expressions from ‘The Last Of Us’ episode one. Listen to some of the sentences once again and this time, say them out loud.
The two neighbouring countries have been at war for years.
The wildfire posed a threat to nearby homes.
I thought I had already hit rock bottom, but it gets worse – my car broke down.
John has become so dependent on his medication that he cannot function without it.
The novel is supposedly based on a true story.
He was supposed to meet me at the train station, but he didn’t show up.
She tried to shake off the feeling of disappointment.
I got wind of a new job opening at a great company.
The athlete didn’t want to jeopardize his chances of winning by competing with an injury.
The actor mumbled his lines during the play.
Awesome! Now, go to your inbox and get the worksheet to test yourself. Translate the sentences into English. If you aren’t a member of TOPeople download the worksheet from teacherola.com/187.
Don’t forget to visit my shop at teacherola.com and get access to English Live Class with that very episode of ‘The Last Of Us’ we’ve talked about today.
If you find this episode useful, tell your friends about my podcast. Thank you so much for doing so! I’ll see you next Wednesday! Happy learning. Take care! Stay fearless and say it out loud! Bye!