Has there been any time, perhaps when you were younger, as a teenager, I don't know sitting there in your chair at home and you look across the table and on the table there is a glass of water and you try to make that glass go up, move upwards off the table.
How?
Not by touching it, but just by looking at it and concentrating hard, using your powers of concentration to make it move.
Impossible?
Well, if you did do it, it would probably be a miracle.
And not many of us unfortunately, are able, or fortunately are able, to carry out or perform miracles.
This story today is about miracles.
It's actually called the man who could work miracles.
So you can work a miracle, you can work a miracle, or you can perform a miracle.
Those are the collocations to make a miracle happen.
The story was written by H. G. Wells, the famous English writer who lived between 1866 and 1946.
He wrote famous books such as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, and The Invisible Man.
All of those books have been made into films, and especially The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds were blockbuster films.
You may remember Tom Cruise in The War of the Worlds.
H.G.
Wells also wrote a number of short stories, and the story that I'm going to read you today is one of those The Man Who Could Work Miracles.
This is going to be a B2 podcast.
I have rewritten the story, the short story, to B2 level.
So for all my B2 learners out there, this would be ideal for you.
We've got some vocabulary as well in the story, which I will explain to you.
Then you can listen out for it during the story and there'll be a short test afterwards.
So here we go.
Hello and welcome to Practicing English.
My name is Mike Bilbre and these are podcasts for students of English at B1 or B2 levels.
For transcripts, please go to practicingenglish.com.
Would you like to see my books for learning B1 and B2 level English?
Then go to the show notes at your podcast app, and just below today's lesson you'll see a link to Amazon and there you'll be able to read about my new B1 book and my B2 book.
Check it out today.
My vocabulary then for today, the B2 vocabulary which you will hear in the story.
I won't spell these words, as you will find them at your podcast show notes and also at my website, practicingenglishcom.
Podcast 297.
There you'll be able to find an explanation of the words which I'm going to Explain to you now seven words and expressions and also read the full transcript to the story.
So my first word is define.
This is a B2 word, which means to give a meaning, to explain the meaning of something, say what something is.
If I define something, I tell you what it is.
Now, often something might be difficult to explain what it is without a definition, which is the noun of this verb define.
My example sentence is It is sometimes difficult to define success because it means different things to different people.
OK, to define success.
Yeah, it's different, isn't it?
Some people's idea of success may not coincide with another person's.
Number two, an act of will.
So this is then, something which is related to performing miracles, although perhaps many Miraculous or almost miraculous acts are performed by many people, because what they're doing is particularly difficult and sometimes, for some people, might be impossible.
So an act of will is the ability to control your thoughts and actions in order to achieve what you want to do.
So my example sentence is this.
Finishing the marathon after injuring his ankle was purely an act of will.
So it's saying then, that running a marathon when your ankle, that's the part of your foot, is hurting very painfully?
And most people perhaps might just drop out of the race.
But he went on or she went on.
And finished the race.
And it was an act of will.
All her concentration, all her willpower, we say, was there to help her get to the end.
And during these lovely Winter Olympics in Milan, Cortina.
Well then, there's a lot of this sort of act of will happening.
To finish, to win a race slalom skating, ice hockey.
There are many acts of will being performed there.
Number three, upside down.
It's a nice word, actually.
You probably know what it means.
Upside down means something can be the right way up.
So if you imagine a glass of water, if it's the right way up, the open part will be at the top.
If you tip the glass upside down, well then all the water will come out.
It's the part that the up is actually on the downside, so it's upside down.
Nice words there like, for example, inside out, is another interesting one, where perhaps when you get dressed in the morning, You're rather sleepy as you get up, or it's dark in your bedroom and you put your socks on inside out.
So that means the side which should be outside is on the inside.
Okay.
Upside down and inside out.
Number four.
What on earth happened?
What on earth?
So this is actually an expression in H.G.
Wells' book, and it's one which is still used today.
What on earth?
When there's something that happens which we find difficult to believe, we say, what on earth?
So that word earth, E-A-R-T-H, is referring to our planet earth.
What on earth?
My example sentence for this one is, What could have happened?
Burglars, perhaps?
Or just naughty children?
Number five.
To do something daring.
So there's the verb dare, D-A-R-E, and the adjective daring.
And this is to do something which requires courage.
Courage or bravery.
To be brave.
My example sentence is she decided to do something daring and quit her job to start her own business.
OK, so that was daring, because you lose your employment and all that stability and income that it provides, and you take the risk of starting your own business.
Daring or not?
Of course.
Number six, to stare in disbelief.
So to stare, we've had before, which is to look at something over a long period of time, maybe because you're very interested fascinated, or perhaps it's something horrific, but you can't take your eyes away, you stare at it.
In this case in disbelief.
Nice little collocation to stare in disbelief to look at something or somebody, because what has happened is very difficult to comprehend.
My example sentence is he could only stare in disbelief when he saw his small village on the international news.
OK, so he lives in a insignificant town.
Nobody knows about it.
Then suddenly it's on the news.
So, wow, you stare at the television and think, wow, why is my town, my little village on the news?
Number seven and the last one, another little expression like what on earth?
In this case, it's don't talk nonsense.
So nonsense then is one word with the word sense there.
And sense is your ability to think straight, to think correctly.
So nonsense is something which is, well, doesn't make sense.
It's difficult to believe.
It's ridiculous.
It's not true.
My example sentence is, Don't talk nonsense.
Of course you can pass the exam if you prepare properly.
Don't talk nonsense.
Somebody saying, I can't do this exam.
It's too difficult for me.
I don't have time to revise.
Of course you can.
Don't talk nonsense.
It's rubbish what you're saying.
You can do it.
Right.
That is my vocabulary.
Listen out for it during the story.
OK, so here we go with H.G.
Wells is short story at a B2 level.
The man who could work miracles.
And this is part one.
And you will hear part two next week.
Here we go.
George, fathering Gay, was standing at the bar, arguing loudly with a man named Toddy Beamish.
Miracles are impossible, George said firmly.
They go against the laws of nature.
They simply can't happen.
So you say, replied Beamish calmly.
This annoyed George.
He regarded the answer as ridiculous.
Let's define a miracle, George continued.
A miracle is something done by an act of will, something that wouldn't happen naturally.
So you say, Beamish repeated.
George pointed at a lamp hanging from the ceiling.
Now, that lamp couldn't burn upside down, could it?
You say it couldn't, said Beamish.
Well, it couldn't.
George cried.
And if I stood here and said, turn upside down and keep burning.
He stopped speaking.
The lamp had turned upside down.
It hung in the air, its flame pointing downwards, burning calmly.
Everyone stared.
Miss Maybridge, the barmaid, screamed.
George's face turned pale.
I can't keep it up, he cried.
The lamp fell, hit the bar, smashed on the floor and went out.
There was silence.
Then the landlord shouted, you fool.
George didn't argue back.
He was too shocked.
He went home in confusion, his mind sorting through these strange events.
In his small bedroom back at home, he sat on his bed and whispered, What on earth happened?
Suddenly he had a thought.
What if he had truly willed it?
He looked at the candle. and pointed.
Be lifted up, he said.
The candle rose into the air.
George's mouth opened in amazement.
Then the candle fell and broke on the carpet.
It did happen, he whispered.
He searched for a match, but found none.
Then he thought of something daring.
Let there be a match in my hand.
A match fell into his palm.
He stared at it in disbelief.
He lit the candle by simply saying, Be lit!
It worked.
Then he began to experiment.
He turned water pink and then green.
He created a snail and then made it disappear.
He even gave himself a new toothbrush.
By one in the morning, fear had slowly turned into excitement.
I must have a special kind of will, he said proudly.
Finally, he said, let me be in bed.
At once he was in bed, comfortably asleep.
And he was.
The next morning George wondered if it had all been a dream.
But at breakfast he created a fresh goose egg in secret, just to be sure.
At work he found concentration on his work tasks very difficult.
His thoughts became more creative.
He imagined wealth, fame and power.
He even made a new suit for himself, but quickly changed it back to his old one when somebody walked past.
This gift needs care, he thought to himself.
I must think things through.
That evening, he went out into a quiet lane to practice.
He pushed his walking stick into the ground and said, "'Flower!'
It became covered in roses.
Then he said, "'Go back!'
What he had meant was, "'Turn back!'
But the rosebush raced backwards along the lane.
Then there was a shout, "'Oh, throw that at me!'
It was Constable Winch, the local policeman.
George panicked.
I was working a miracle, he said weakly.
Don't talk nonsense, Winch replied.
You're the one who doesn't believe in miracles.
George felt confused, and in the end he just lost his temper.
Oh, go to hell, he shouted. and Winch disappeared.
George stood alone.
Oh dear, he whispered, that was a bit too much.
Feeling guilty, he quickly sent Winch to San Francisco instead.
That must be safer than being in hell, he muttered to himself.
Although, if the truth be told, George had no idea what San Francisco was like.
And that is the end of part one of The Man Who Could Work Miracles.
Right, so I'm just going to quickly go through where those words and phrases were used in the story.
So, define.
Let's define a miracle.
George continued.
An act of will?
A miracle is something done by an act of will.
Something that wouldn't happen naturally.
Upside down?
That lamp couldn't burn upside down, could it?
What on earth?
In his small bedroom he sat on his bed and whispered, What on earth happened?
Daring.
Then he thought of something daring.
Let there be a match in my hand.
To stare in disbelief.
The match fell into his palm.
He stared at it in disbelief.
Don't talk nonsense.
I was working a miracle, he said weakly.
Don't talk nonsense, Winch replied.
You're the one who doesn't believe in miracles.
Now a quick test.
I'm going to give you seven example sentences, and in each one there is one of these words or expressions
Define an act of will upside down.
What on earth?
Something daring.
He stared in disbelief. and don't talk nonsense.
OK, so you'll hear a bleep when I go to the word which is missing, sounding like this.
And wait till the end of the sentence and then say the word which is missing from the sentence.
I will then mention the word afterwards so you know the answer.
So here we go with the test.
There are seven words or expressions.
Number one.
Don't talk.
There's no way we can finish this project in one day.
Nonsense.
Don't talk nonsense.
Number two.
Posting her opinion online was something.
Considering how controversial.
The topic was daring, something daring.
Number three.
She stared in when she heard that she had won the competition.
Disbelief.
She stared in disbelief.
Number four.
What on... happened to your car?
It looks completely different.
Have you painted it?
Earth.
What on earth happened?
Number five.
Getting out of bed on such a cold morning felt like an act of...
Will.
An act of will.
Number six.
The teacher asked us to... the word before using it in our essays.
Define.
Define the word.
Number seven.
The picture was hanging... which made everybody laugh.
Upside down.
The picture was hanging upside down.
And that's it.
The end of the test and the end of my podcast for today.
And you can read the story and look at the B2 language there.
Other words as well, which are in bold for you to study at my website at practicingenglishcom.
Podcast 297.
Until next time.
Goodbye for now.
