Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 427, Planning a Protest.
This is English as a Second Language podcast number 427.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
You can also take a look at our ESL podcast store, which has some additional courses in business and daily English you may be interested in.
Our topic today is planning a protest, when you want to tell people that you are against something in public.
This is a dialogue between Becky and Pedro, and we'll listen to them discuss some common problems, some common issues.
When you are having a protest,
Let's get started.
I want to thank all of you for coming today.
I think we all agree that we need to organize a protest.
Hold on, Becky.
We all want to voice our opinion that we oppose what is going on here, but I'm not sure a protest is the answer.
With all due respect, Pedro, I think a rally is the best way to do that.
That may be, but I think we need to consider a few things first.
Taking to the streets means coordinating a lot of people.
That means getting them to show up, to march, and to hold up signs.
I'm not sure we have enough time to pull it all off.
Don't get me wrong.
I'm not in favor of doing anything half-assed.
If we decide to protest, we want to do it right so that we get a lot of media coverage.
I'm confident that we have enough people and time to get it all done.
Okay, but another thing we should be ready for is a counter-protest.
The other side isn't going to take things lying down.
You're right, and we'll take that into consideration.
Is there any more discussion before we start on the planning?
No?
Okay, let's get down to business.
Our episode begins with Becky saying I want to thank all of you for coming today, and Becky is obviously talking to a group of people.
She says, Something that you do to show other people you think a situation is wrong or unfair.
Pedro says This expression hold on means wait a minute, or slow down or stop for a certain amount of time.
We use it when we want someone to stop what they are saying or to let you have a chance to say something.
It's an informal expression for the most part.
Hold on, Becky, Pedro says.
We all want to voice our opinion that we oppose what is going on here.
But I'm not sure a protest is the answer.
Pedro says they all want to voice their opinion.
To voice something means to express your opinions, your ideas by speaking, letting other people know what you think.
Voice has a couple of different meanings in English.
Take a look at our learning guide for some additional explanations.
Pedro says they want to voice their opinion, that they oppose or are against something.
What is going on here?
But he's not sure a protest is the answer, meaning is the right thing to do for this situation.
Becky says with all due respect, Pedro.
That expression with all due respect means I don't want to offend you.
I don't want to make you angry, but I have to disagree with you.
Becky says with all due respect Pedro, I think a rally is the best way to do that, the best way to show people we oppose this situation.
A rally is a large meeting with many people in a public place, usually so they can show their support or opposition to something or someone.
For example, a politician may visit a city and have a rally where thousands of people come and applaud and listen to the politician speak.
Pedro says that may be meaning you might be correct that a rally is the best way to do this.
But I think we need to consider a few things first.
Pedro says.
The expression to take to the streets means to do something in public, usually to express an opinion, to do something so that everyone else can see it, usually a rally or a protest or sometimes a march, which is when people walk down the street carrying signs to protest something.
Pedro says the action of taking it to the streets means coordinating or organizing a lot of people.
That means getting them to show up, to march, and to hold up signs.
To show up is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to attend an event, to come to a place where you are expected to be.
So if you are supposed to meet your friend at the movies and you never go, we would say you didn't show up.
You may not have your friend much longer either.
Pedro says that you need to get people to show up to march, to walk with these signs in the street and to hold up signs.
To hold up a sign means to use your arms to put a sign, usually a large piece of paper that has a message on it about what you are protesting about.
Often these signs will have a piece of wood, a wooden stick that we use to hold the sign up, so that you can get it higher into the air.
Pedro says, I'm not sure we have enough time to pull it all off.
To pull something off means to be able to do something that is very difficult, to successfully complete something that is difficult.
Becky says to Pedro This is a phrase used to show that you don't want what you are about to say, what you are going to tell someone, to be misinterpreted or misunderstood.
Usually this means you're going to say something that the other person will disagree with.
It's similar to the expression Becky used earlier, with all due respect.
Becky says, don't get me wrong.
I'm not in favor of doing anything half-assed.
To be in favor of something means to be in support of something, wanting something to happen.
The expression half-assed is a very informal expression, something that is a little bit vulgar.
The word ass refers to what you sit on in your chair, but it's not a nice word, not a word you would want your children to use.
The expression half-assed means not done very well mediocre, only done partially, someone who doesn't do everything they're supposed to do.
We might describe that as half-assed.
But again it's a little bit vulgar, not something you would want to say to your boss if you wanted to keep your job.
Becky says, if we decide to protest...
We want to do it right.
We want to do it correctly so that we get a lot of media coverage.
Media refers to newspapers, television stations, radio stations, magazines, Internet websites.
All of these are part of the media.
Coverage is when they broadcast. print or air or publish something related to your story.
So press coverage or media coverage is when the media publish a story about your event.
Becky said.
I'm confident that we have enough people and time to get it all done, to get everything accomplished.
Pedro says, OK, but another thing we should be ready for is a counter protest.
A counter-protest is when one group is protesting for something and then there's another group in the same place that is protesting against something.
That same thing.
So the two protest groups are facing each other.
Sometimes this is a problem, especially if they start fighting, physically fighting.
Pedro says the other side, the people who disagree with him, isn't going to take things lying down.
To take something lying down means to accept something bad that happens, without fighting it, without disagreeing with it.
To be passive, we might say.
Becky says, you're right, and we'll take that into consideration.
We'll think about that.
Is there any more discussion before we start on the planning, she says to the group?
Okay, then let's get down to business.
The phrase let's get down to business is is used to show that you are ready to start working on something important, that you don't want to wait any longer.
You want to get started on what you are working on.
Let's get down to business.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
I want to thank all of you for coming today.
I think we all agree that we need to organize a protest.
Hold on, Becky.
We all want to voice our opinion that we oppose what is going on here, but I'm not sure a protest is the answer.
With all due respect, Pedro, I think a rally is the best way to do that.
That may be, but I think we need to consider a few things first.
Taking to the streets means coordinating a lot of people.
That means getting them to show up, to march, and to hold up signs.
I'm not sure we have enough time to pull it all off.
Don't get me wrong.
I'm not in favor of doing anything half-assed.
If we decide to protest, we want to do it right so that we get a lot of media coverage.
I'm confident that we have enough people and time to get it all done.
Okay, but another thing we should be ready for is a counter-protest.
The other side isn't going to take things lying down.
You're right, and we'll take that into consideration.
Is there any more discussion before we start on the planning?
No?
Okay, let's get down to business.
The script for this episode was written by someone who knows how to get down to business, Dr Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
This podcast is copyright 2008.
