British Bar Chat

AUDIO British bar chat

The English Breakfast

This month two British men, Felix and Damien, are talking about the famous English breakfast. Listen to their conversation and answer these questions. Remember, you don’t have to understand every word in order to answer the questions. Just listen for the key words (the most important words in the conversation):

Exercise 1. What arguments are there in favour of the English breakfast? 2. What arguments are there against the English breakfast?

Felix: Oh, I feel great! I just had a British brekkie. I’m absolutely stuffed. Damien: But if you think having a breakfast then feeling like that afterwards is good, then I don’t understand you. Felix: Ah, it was brilliant! It was sausages, beans, tomato, bacon, egg, beans, black pudding, potatoes, mushrooms, toast, fried bread, tea, orange - the works. [mumbled speech] It was the business. Damien: You’ve just made a long list of all the types of food that none of us should be eating. It’s just completely unhealthy. Why, why abuse your body like that? Felix: Unhealthy? It’s got everything, it’s got carbohydrates, it’s got protein, it’s got vitamins in the orange juice. It’s, it’s good. It’s, like, it’s a complete meal and it’s enough to keep you going. Damien: Whatever it’s got in it, whatever it’s got in it, it’s, then you just ruin it. You just pour a load of grease on it and fry it up and it’s, that must kill any nutrient or vitamin it’s got inside it. Felix: Oh, it’s wonderful. Anyway, what do you fancy for lunch today? Damien: Oh, I don’t know. Bit of bacon, a bit of egg, few beans… Felix: What? You mean, er, a British breakfast? Damien: Ah, it’s, that’s not a breakfast. This is lunch. That’s, that’s, that’s different. G L O S S A R Y

a brekkie n inform a breakfast absolutely stuffed exp inform if you are “absolutely stuffed”, you have eaten too much and you are full the works n inform everything mumbled speech n words that are difficult to hear or understand it was the business exp inform it was really, really good like exp people use this word when they are thinking what to say. It doesn’t mean anything to keep you going exp if food “keeps you going”, it is very filling and you don’t need to eat again for a long time to pour vb to move liquid from one container to another grease n fat from food to fry up phr vb to cook food with a lot of oil anyway exp people use this expression to change the direction of the conversation er/erm exp this is the noise that people make while they are thinking about what to say next

BusinessEnglish

Learn over 500 useful business words and expressions!

Over 30 articles on up-to-date business topics! Over 100 useful business idioms & phrasal verbs! Business videos and audio files Tap here to buy! to improve your listening skills!

LOTS OF FREE CONTENT WHEN YOU FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK! www.facebook.com/LearnHotEnglish