Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 994, Describing Accuracy and Inaccuracy.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 994.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
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This episode is a dialogue about vocabulary we use to describe accuracy and inaccuracy.
Let's get started.
This is impossible.
I'm never going to hit the target.
Why is it that I'm the only one in this archery class who has no aim?
You're doing fine.
I can tell you're new to this.
It takes some practice to develop any precision.
But you seem to be picking it up quickly.
I'm taking this class as a refresher.
My father taught me the rudiments of archery when I was a kid and I thought I would take it up again.
You're really good.
You've hit the bullseye three times already.
I'm using a much more forgiving bow than you are.
If I aim for the target, I can usually get the arrow in the neighborhood of the bullseye.
You're just trying to make me feel better.
I'm hitting wide of the mark every time.
Here, let me help you.
Watch out.
With my aim, I could take you out.
I'll take my chances.
The topic of this episode is describing accuracy and inaccuracy.
Accuracy, A-C-C-U-R-A-C-Y, can refer to whether something is true or correct.
Accuracy is also used sometimes to refer to precision, whether something that you are trying to accomplish is done not only correctly but precisely, that you are able, for example, to throw something and hit what you are trying to hit.
If you hit it, you are being accurate.
You are, in a sense, accomplishing what you are trying to accomplish.
We see the latter use of that term accuracy in this dialogue.
Inaccuracy, of course, would mean not accurate.
Rona starts by saying, this is impossible.
I'm never going to hit the target.
A target, T-A-R-G-E-T, is a person or thing that you are trying to hit.
That's why...
We are talking about accuracy in this dialogue, because we're talking about trying to hit something for sport as in part of a game.
This is the sport of archery, A-R-C-H-E-R-Y.
Archery is using what's called a bow and an arrow to hit a target.
The bow is usually a piece of metal or wood that has a string attached on the top and the bottom.
You put a long, narrow piece of wood or metal in the string and you pull the string back in order to shoot it.
That long, narrow thing is called the arrow.
A-R-R-O-W.
Archery is a sport that uses bows and arrows.
In this dialogue, Rona asks, why is it that I'm the only one in this archery class who has no aim?
She's trying to make the arrow hit the target, but she says she has no aim, A-I-M.
Aim here is the ability to direct something such as an arrow so that it will hit your target.
Usually in archery.
The target is a series of circles and you are supposed to hit the middle circle in the center, and that is your goal.
Rona says she doesn't have very good aim.
She isn't able to direct the arrow so that it hits the target properly.
Leonardo says, however, you're doing fine.
I can tell you are new to this.
It takes some practice to develop any precision skills.
Precision, P-R-E-C-I-S-I-O-N, is being able to be exact.
Here it's just another word for accuracy.
Rona says, but you seem to be picking it up quickly.
To pick something up is a phrasal verb, which here means to learn how to do something.
You can also pick something up literally with your hand.
You can put your hand down and pick up a pen, for example.
But in this case, it means to learn something quickly.
Leonardo says, I'm taking this class as a refresher.
A refresher is when you do something that you already have learned how to do but need to be reminded again.
You need to practice perhaps this skill some more.
A refresher would be a class you take to remind you how to do the things you've already learned how to do.
Leonardo says My father taught me the rudiments of archery when I was a kid and I thought I would take it up again.
The rudiments R-U-D-I-M-E-N-T-S of something are the basics of something, the basic skills to do something.
To take something up is to learn how to do something, to begin to learn how to do something.
To take up Playing the piano, for example, would be to learn how to play the piano.
To start learning how to play the piano.
So to take up something is to start learning how to do something.
To pick up something quickly is to learn something quickly.
To take up, emphasizes the fact that you're just beginning to learn something, that you are starting to learn it.
Rona says to Leonardo, you're really good.
You've hit the bullseye three times already.
A bullseye, B-U-L-L-S-E-Y-E, is the center of the target.
Remember I was talking about how targets in archery are usually circles, what we would call concentric circles, circles that go around other circles.
Well, the middle circle is the bullseye.
Leonardo says, I'm using a much more forgiving bow than you are.
The word forgiving here means that you can make more mistakes with it and it will still work okay.
It will function properly even though you're not great at using it.
Leonardo says if I aim for the target, if I try to shoot at the target, I can usually get the arrow in the neighborhood of the bullseye.
The neighborhood of here means close to, not exactly on the target, not exactly where you want it to go, but close to there.
Rona says you're just trying to make me feel better, you're just trying to make me happier because I'm not very good at this.
She says I'm hitting wide of the mark.
Every time The phrase wide W-I-D-E of the mark, M-A-R-K means not close to where you are supposed to be, in this case shooting the arrow.
So hitting it wide of the mark means not being very close at all.
Leonardo says, I think your arms are too tense.
And that tension is ruining your accuracy.
If you describe someone's arms or legs as tense, T-E-N-S-E, you mean that they're very tight.
Tense is the opposite of relaxed.
Accuracy, we've already discussed, is precision.
Leonardo then offers to help Rona.
And Rona says, watch out, meaning be careful.
With my aim, I could take you out.
Rona is making a joke here, to take someone out.
Here means to kill someone, to end someone's life.
Rona says with my aim, since I'm such a bad person shot, since i'm such a bad archer, i could kill you just by shooting my arrow, by accident of course.
Leonardo, of course, is interested in rona.
He's interested, in fact, in taking Rona out, but not in killing her, in taking her on a date.
That's interesting.
I've never thought about the fact that we use that phrasal verb to take out to mean both to take someone on a romantic date and to kill someone.
Interesting.
There might be some relationship there.
I don't know.
Leonardo says at the end, "'I'll take my chances.'"
He again is joking.
He says I'll take my chances, meaning I will do this even if it is risky and dangerous, because I want to help you because, of course, he likes her.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
This is impossible.
I'm never going to hit the target.
Why is it that I'm the only one in this archery class who has no aim?
You're doing fine.
I can tell you're new to this.
It takes some practice to develop any precision.
But you seem to be picking it up quickly.
I'm taking this class as a refresher.
My father taught me the rudiments of archery when I was a kid and I thought I would take it up again.
You're really good.
You've hit the bullseye three times already.
I'm using a much more forgiving bow than you are.
If I aim for the target, I can usually get the arrow in the neighborhood of the bullseye.
You're just trying to make me feel better.
I'm hitting wide of the mark every time.
I think your arms are too tense, and that tension is ruining your accuracy.
Here, let me help you.
Watch out.
With my aim, I could take you out.
I'll take my chances.
Our thanks to Dr. Lucy Say for her always accurate scripts.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2014 by the Center for Educational Development.
