Coffee Break English, Season 3, Episode 1.
Hello and welcome back to Coffee Break English.
We're back for Season 3!
My name's Josie. And I'm Mark.
And we're very happy to be here.
So Josie, how are you?
I'm very well, thank you, Mark.
I'm very happy to be back with you for our next season of Coffee Break English.
How are you? I'm very well too.
And I'm excited to be finding out about more places from around the English -speaking world.
Yes, and today we are going back to a place we've visited many times before on the podcast.
We're going back to the USA.
Excellent. And what are we finding out about?
We're finding out about the cheeseburger, the history of the cheeseburger.
So I hope you're hungry.
I'm hungry now and I will probably be more hungry later.
Is there a grammar topic that we're going to be looking at in this lesson?
There is. Today we are learning about comparative adjectives.
So how to compare different things.
Excellent. Okay, let's get started.
Hey, Josie. Hi, Mark.
This is Kate. And I'm glad to be back.
Today I'm feeling a bit hungry.
Fancy a cheeseburger?
Well, wherever you are in the world, you'll probably be able to find one.
This classic dish took the world by storm and is now on menus in hundreds of countries.
We all know what a cheeseburger is, but do you know where it came from?
People started eating cheeseburgers in the late 1920s.
Hamburgers had been popular for some time and beef was available all over America.
We don't know for sure who had the idea to add cheese or which shop first sold cheeseburgers, but many people say it was Lionel Sternberger.
Apparently, he was the first person to put cheese in a hamburger while he was working at his father's sandwich shop, The Right Spot.
The shop has since closed down, but there is now a plaque commemorating the creation of the better version of the hamburger at the shop's former location in Pasadena, California.
After its creation, the cheeseburger became more and more popular and quickly became a favorite on menus at restaurants all across America.
In recent times, the cheeseburger has traveled even further and can now be found all over the world.
Cheeseburgers have also got bigger.
The largest cheeseburger to date weighed 914 kilograms.
Cheeseburgers have become a little more unfashionable in recent years, as people have become more conscious about environmental and health issues.
However, there are now healthier versions of this classic meal.
Which cheeseburger you choose just depends on your dietary needs and preferences.
There are options for almost everyone to enjoy this timeless treat.
OK, thank you very much, Kate.
So, let's discuss this text.
Mark, could you start reading the text and we'll talk about some of the language we hear.
OK. Fancy a cheeseburger?
Great. So this word fancy, in fancy a cheeseburger, what does that mean?
It's the same as saying, do you want, do you want a cheeseburger?
Exactly. It's a slightly more informal, a slightly more friendly way to say, do you want a cheeseburger?
Usually we would say, do you fancy a cheeseburger?
But to make it even more informal, we take away the do you, and we say, fancy a cheeseburger.
I could say fancy going to the cinema?
Exactly, yeah. OK. Well, wherever you are in the world, you'll probably be able to find one.
This classic dish took the world by storm and is now on menus in hundreds of countries.
Yeah, so this classic dish, this dish that everyone knows now, took the world by storm.
What does it mean if it took the world by storm?
If something takes the world by storm, it means it's very successful.
For example, a famous actor took the world by storm in their film.
Exactly. They're very popular, very successful.
Yeah. OK. We all know what a cheeseburger is, but do you know where it came from?
Good. So that's true.
We do all know what a cheeseburger is, but do we know where it came from?
We're asking, do you know where the cheeseburger originated?
So this expression, to come from somewhere, it's the same expression that we use when we say, for example, I come from Scotland.
Good. OK. Shall we continue?
Let's continue. People started eating cheeseburgers in the late 1920s.
Hamburgers had been popular for some time and beef was available all over America.
Good. So what's a hamburger?
A hamburger is normally a round, flat shaped piece of meat which is cooked and then eaten between two pieces of bread.
That's right. Exactly.
I'm sure most of our listeners have had a hamburger before, of course.
But a hamburger is usually made from beef and beef is the meat that comes from a cow.
So we have a different word for the animal and for the meat which comes from that animal.
OK. We don't know for sure who had the idea to add cheese or which shop first sold cheeseburgers.
But many people say it was Lionel Sternberger.
Good. So he has a kind of appropriate name, doesn't he?
He does. Lionel Sternberger.
Very, very appropriate for the topic.
Absolutely. OK. Apparently he was the first person to put cheese in a hamburger while he was working in his father's sandwich shop, the right spot.
Good. So apparently he was the first person to put cheese in a hamburger.
Apparently means we don't know if this is a fact, but people say it's a fact.
We've heard this before.
OK. So the shop has since closed down, but there is now a plaque commemorating the creation of the better version of the hamburger at the shop's former location in Pasadena, California.
So there are a few things to talk about in this phrase, I think, quite a long phrase.
So the shop has since closed down.
What does closed down mean?
It has stopped being a business.
It's stopped operating.
That's right. So it's it's no longer there.
You can't see the shop anymore.
And that's a phrasal verb, to close down.
Obviously, when a shop closes, it closes at the end of the day and then the next day it opens again.
If it closes down, it closes forever.
Yeah. Good. So the shop has since closed down, but there is now a plaque commemorating its creation.
A plaque is like a sort of metal sign, which you often see outside houses or buildings where maybe famous people lived or died.
And the spelling of plaque is quite interesting, isn't it, Mark?
It is P -L -A -Q -U -E, a plaque.
That's right. So this Q -U -E makes a sound like the letter K.
OK, so this plaque is commemorating the creation of the better version of the hamburger.
I think that's what it says on the plaque.
That's what is written.
And this plaque can be found at the shop's former location in Pasadena, California.
What about former, Josie?
What does that mean?
Yeah. So former is like the shop's location in the past.
So it's old location.
So we could talk about my old English teacher.
I'm not saying my English teacher was 70 or 80 years old.
I'm saying that they were my English teacher, but they're not anymore.
Excellent. Josie, is there a comparative in this sentence?
There is, you're right.
So before I said that on this plaque is written, the better version of the hamburger.
And better is a comparative adjective.
It's actually an irregular comparative adjective.
So we're starting with the the difficult part today.
So here we're comparing these two versions of the hamburger, the hamburger and the cheeseburger.
So the hamburger with the added cheese.
Which normal adjective is better related to, Mark?
Well, better is related to good.
Exactly. So if I'm eating a hamburger, I can say, well, this hamburger is good, but a cheeseburger is better.
It means I like the cheeseburger more.
It's more delicious.
It's better. Yeah. Josie, can we say it's more good?
Good question. No, we can't.
You wouldn't hear someone say that.
It's always better.
Yes. OK, let's continue.
After its creation, the cheeseburger became more and more popular and quickly became a favorite on menus at restaurants all across America.
So we have another comparative adjective here.
The cheeseburger became more and more popular.
When we have an adjective which has more than two syllables, so quite a long adjective like popular, it has three syllables.
To make the comparative version, we simply add the word more in front of it.
So the cheeseburger became more popular than it was in the past.
We're comparing the popularity in the present with the popularity in the past.
So more popular, we could also say more beautiful, more interesting, more dangerous.
These are long adjectives.
That's right, exactly.
OK, so the cheeseburger quickly became a favorite on menus at restaurants all across America.
Yes, so it became a favorite.
Usually when we use the word favorite, we use it as an adjective.
So, for example, my favorite food is a cheeseburger.
We're describing the food.
It's my favorite food.
But here it's not an adjective, is it?
It's unknown here. It became a favorite.
That's right. So we usually use favorite as a noun when we talk about something that a lot of people like.
So it's many people's favorite food, a cheeseburger.
And there's another interesting thing about the word favorite because it's spelled differently in the UK and in the US.
That's right. Yeah.
So in the previous season, we talked quite a lot about different spellings in UK and US English.
In the UK, we spell favorite F -A -V -O -U -R -I -T -E.
But what's the difference in US English, Mark?
OK. There you would not have the U in the word.
It would be F -A -V -O -R -I -T -E, favorite.
That's right. But this word is a very common word, so you can choose how you want to spell it.
Good. In recent times, the cheeseburger has traveled even further and can now be found all over the world.
Yes. So the cheeseburger has traveled further.
This means that in the past, only people in the USA ate cheeseburgers, maybe.
But in recent years, the cheeseburger has been popular in many other countries.
It has traveled further.
What is further, the comparative version of, Mark?
It's the comparative of far.
If something is far from here, if the cheeseburger is far from here, then it means it is a long distance from here.
That's right. Exactly.
So further, it's actually another irregular comparative, so far and further.
For example, I can say your house is far from the center of Glasgow, but my house is further from the center of Glasgow.
My house is a longer distance from the city center.
OK. Cheeseburgers have also got bigger.
The largest cheeseburger to date weighed 914 kilograms.
Wow. That's a very heavy cheeseburger, isn't it?
I think it would be difficult to eat in one dinner.
Anyway, cheeseburgers have also got bigger.
Bigger is a nice, regular comparative adjective.
And to make the comparative of big, the adjective big, we just add ER to the end.
Big, bigger. Now, Josie, there's something else that we need to do here with big.
We can't just add ER.
You're right. Maybe big is not totally regular, as I said before.
Because big is a short adjective which ends in a vowel and then a consonant, we have to double the last consonant.
So we have to double that last G.
So big, the comparative, bigger, is spelt B -I -G -G -E -R.
Now, this happens with lots of single syllable short words.
Exactly. So we do the same with hot becomes hotter with two Ts and wet becomes wetter also with two Ts.
So it usually happens when you've got a very short word, as you say.
OK, so the largest cheeseburger to date weighed 914 kilograms.
What does to date mean?
So to date just means until now, until this moment.
I suppose literally it means until today's date, until whatever day it is today.
OK. And I said 914 kilograms.
But when Kate was reading this, she said 914 kilograms.
Yeah, that's right.
So because Kate is from the US, she will very often take out the and in some numbers.
So 914, 123 ,046. You and I would add an and usually, wouldn't we?
We would. OK, we're going to take a break there and we'll be back very soon to continue talking about the cheeseburger.
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Welcome back. Today we're talking about cheeseburgers.
Yes, we are. Let's continue with the text.
Cheeseburgers have become a little more unfashionable in recent years as people have become more conscious about environmental and health issues.
Yes, so cheeseburgers have become more unfashionable.
So earlier we saw more popular, this comparative structure.
And here we're doing the same thing because unfashionable is quite a long adjective.
To make the comparative, we just add more at the beginning.
But what does unfashionable mean, Mark?
Well, if something is fashionable, it means it's popular at a particular time.
So if it's unfashionable, it's not popular at a particular time.
For example, we could talk about fashionable clothes.
That's right, exactly.
And I don't want to say which clothes are fashionable at the moment, because I don't know when our listeners are listening to this and fashion can change very fast, can't it?
Yes, it can. Yes. So the reason why cheeseburgers have become more unfashionable is because people have become more conscious about environmental and health issues.
So again, conscious is a longer adjective, two syllables or more.
And so we add more to make the comparative.
And this just means they've become more aware about these issues, about environmental issues.
What does that mean, Mark?
Environmental issues are problems with the environment, for example, climate change.
Exactly. That's right.
Shall we continue? Okay.
However, there are no healthier versions of this classic meal.
Which cheeseburger you choose just depends on your dietary needs and preferences.
Yes. So there are healthier versions of the cheeseburger.
The cheeseburger can be healthier now than it was before.
So we're comparing these versions.
And to make the comparative of healthy this adjective, we don't add more.
Although it's an adjective with two syllables or more, we add er.
And this is because healthy ends in a Y.
So when an adjective ends in a Y, we take away, we remove the Y and we add ir.
Can you think of some other examples of this, Mark?
Okay. Easy would become easier.
Friendly would become friendlier.
Good. We could also have dirty becomes dirtier.
The opposite of cleaner.
Good. So this is a kind of irregular comparative, I would say.
So which cheeseburger you choose just depends on your dietary needs and preferences.
What does the word dietary mean?
Yeah. So the word diet as a noun, that describes the way that you eat.
So if you follow a particular diet, it means you eat in a particular way.
Maybe you don't eat meat or you don't eat a food because you're allergic to it, like nuts or gluten.
So dietary just means relating to your diet.
Okay. There are options for almost everyone to enjoy this timeless treat.
Yeah. So there are options for almost everyone.
That means there's vegetarian cheeseburgers, gluten -free cheeseburgers, many different choices to enjoy this timeless treat.
What does timeless mean, Mark?
Timeless is when something is always popular or always relevant.
That's right. So for example, a film or a book can be timeless if it is always relevant and people watch it again and again, many years later.
For you, which film or book is timeless, Mark?
I would say It's a Wonderful Life is a Timeless Film.
That's exactly the film that I was thinking of.
Seriously, it is. You're right.
You can watch it every Christmas and it's always relevant, isn't it?
Good. Okay. Let's listen again to the whole text.
Fancy a cheeseburger?
Well, wherever you are in the world, you'll probably be able to find one.
This classic dish took the world by storm and is now on menus in hundreds of countries.
We all know what a cheeseburger is, but do you know where it came from?
People started eating cheeseburgers in the late 1920s.
Hamburgers had been popular for some time and beef was available all over America.
We don't know for sure who had the idea to add cheese or which shop first sold cheeseburgers, but many people say it was Lionel Sternberger.
Apparently, he was the first person to put cheese in a hamburger while he was working at his father's sandwich shop, The Right Spot.
The shop has since closed down, but there is now a plaque commemorating the creation of the better version of the hamburger at the shop's former location in Pasadena, California.
After its creation, the cheeseburger became more and more popular and quickly became a favorite on menus at restaurants all across America.
In recent times, the cheeseburger has traveled even further and can now be found all over the world.
Cheeseburgers have also got bigger.
The largest cheeseburger to date weighed 914 kilograms.
Cheeseburgers have become a little more unfashionable in recent years, as people have become more conscious about environmental and health issues.
However, there are now healthier versions of this classic meal.
Which cheeseburger you choose just depends on your dietary needs and preferences.
There are options for almost everyone to enjoy this timeless treat.
Thank you again, Kate.
And thank you to everyone for listening to this episode of Coffee Break English.
We hope it's been useful for you.
We'll be back next time when we'll be traveling to Australia.
And I'm looking forward to that episode.
Me too. See you soon.
Bye -bye. Bye.
