Welcome to a new episode of English Vocabulary Booster.
My name is Lara and I'm a SALSA-certified English teacher.
Learning new vocabulary usually takes a long time, but we'll do it in a way that's easy, quick and efficient.
In every episode, we'll learn how to use five new English words or expressions, so that you too can start speaking like a native.
So let's get learning!
Welcome everyone.
So I got to tell you something weird that happened to me last night.
I was walking around Seville with my boyfriend.
We had just finished having dinner and we were just chatting and all of a sudden, this guy who's not wearing a mask appeared, approaches me.
He was a pretty tall guy.
I'm really short if you don't know it.
And he approaches me and he gets super close to me.
I'm talking like, I don't know, a few inches away from my face.
So he puts his face right next to my face.
Again, he was not wearing a mask.
I was.
And he says, coronavirus.
Exactly.
Like kind of with this voice.
Okay.
Scarier.
Okay.
And And then I just walked away.
And I was just like, what the?
What just happened there?
I didn't know how to react.
And my boyfriend, he starts laughing.
Do you think that's an appropriate reaction?
I feel like it isn't.
Anyway, I'm still recovering from that moment.
I mean, who does that?
My boyfriend says that guy was drunk.
I don't care if he was drunk.
That's totally inappropriate.
Anywho, okay, let's begin with today's story.
We're talking about Fancy.
Oh, sweetie, come here.
Mommy's got something very important to tell you.
Mommy and Daddy have been invited to a very important black tie event this Saturday.
All right?
And we've decided to take you with.
Okay?
Look, Mommy's going to wear this beautiful gown she just bought.
And you, look what I got for you.
This tuxedo.
Do you think it will fit you?
Come on.
Let's put it on.
All right.
Let's see.
Okay, so just a few things.
Table manners are really important at these events.
The last event I went to, Mrs Archer's son wouldn't stop touching all the hors d'oeuvres with his dirty little fingers.
Ugh, disgusting.
I cannot eat anything after seeing that.
Also, try to be quiet.
I know you're a good boy, but sometimes you can be a bit loud.
Alright, one more button and that's it.
Oh my gosh, look at you.
You look adorable in this tuxedo.
Let's show daddy.
Honey, look at Alfred.
Doesn't he look cute?
Um, sweetie, why is our dog wearing a tuxedo?
Because he's coming with us.
He's part of the family now.
Don't worry.
I told him he needs to behave.
Ruff!
Ruff!
What did you think of my dog impression?
I practiced it a few days ago.
I was sitting on the couch and I just barked without saying anything because I wanted to see if I could make a dog sound.
And my boyfriend turned around and he was like, what the hell is happening?
So I'm pretty proud of my dog impression.
I hope you've enjoyed it.
Let's talk about expression number one, black tie event.
Mommy and daddy have been invited to a very important black tie event this Saturday.
Is a black tie event a formal or informal event?
A black tie event is a formal event.
When is a black tie event usually hosted?
In the morning or at night?
It's usually hosted at night.
So we're talking about like in the evening, like around dinner time.
If I am invited to a black tie event, do I have to wear black?
No, even though it's called a black tie event, that doesn't mean that you have to wear black.
Black tie just means formal.
So the dress code is formal, but you can wear other colors.
You know, it only refers to the fact that it's a formal event.
Have you ever been to a black tie event?
Or can you think of any famous black tie events?
I've never been to a black tie event, thank goodness.
I said it a few episodes ago that I don't like to dress formally.
It's not my style.
But I think one of the best examples of a black tie event that everybody can relate to, not relate to I'm talking about the Oscars.
I'm talking about the night of the Oscars.
I don't think we've ever participated in the event, but we know what it looks like.
So That is the dress code is very formal there.
So it's a black tie event.
Expression number two, gown.
Mommy is going to wear this beautiful gown she just bought.
Is a gown normally worn by women or men?
A gown is a clothing item that's usually worn by women.
And is a gown a long dress or a short dress?
A gown is a long dress.
So it goes all the way to almost the floor.
And on which occasions are women usually expected to wear a gown?
Well, like we said, you should wear a gown at a black tie event or whatever. at a formal event.
You can also talk about wedding gowns.
So at your wedding, a lot of obviously you don't have to wear a gown, but you know the long white dress that is a wedding gown.
And even you know, at weddings many, many women will choose to wear a gown, even if they're not getting married.
Expression number three, tuxedo.
And you, look what I got for you, this tuxedo.
Is a tuxedo normally worn by women or men?
Again, anybody can wear whatever they want to wear.
But normally, usually, it's men that wear a tuxedo.
Does the term tuxedo refer to just the jacket or the entire suit?
So the tuxedo is... It refers to the jacket, most importantly.
So it's that very...
Nice, very formal jacket.
It's usually black, but again, it can be in different colors.
But it can also refer to the entire suit.
So when you're wearing the jacket, the dress shirt, the tie, the nice pants, the whole thing can be referred to as a tuxedo.
And that's usually very, very expensive.
What color can a tuxedo be?
It can be black, can be blue, can be burgundy, green.
I don't know.
I guess lots and lots of colors.
Does a tuxedo look comfortable to you?
It's not that uncomfortable.
I'm sure there's a lot of... I guess a gown would be more uncomfortable because it's very long.
It's not as easy to walk in it.
At least you're wearing pants, so...
It's not too bad.
I would wear a tuxedo.
I would prefer to wear a tuxedo than to wear a gown.
Expression number four, table manners.
Table manners are really important at these events.
Does the term table manners refer to the way you act before eating or while you're eating?
Table manners refers to the way you're supposed to act while you're eating.
The things that you're supposed to do while eating and the things that you're not supposed to do while eating.
What are some examples of good table manners?
What about bad table manners?
So a few examples of good table manners would be chewing with your mouth closed or excusing yourself before getting up to go to the bathroom.
These are good table manners.
What about bad table manners?
So putting your elbows, I guess, on the table while you're eating, right?
Again, speaking with your mouth full, that's a bad table manner.
That's actually, I think it's pretty rude.
Do you think you have good table manners?
Hmm.
I think I have.
Okay, table manners.
And it depends on who I'm with.
If it's just me and my boyfriend or just me and my family, I guess I don't really care.
I'm not going to burp in front of everyone.
But I don't, you know, I'm a little more relaxed.
I guess, if I'm with someone that I don't know, or my boyfriend's family, I try to act a little more, a little better, just a little, try to be a little more careful with what I do or what I don't do.
Expression number five, hors d'oeuvres.
Mrs. Archer's son wouldn't stop touching all the hors d'oeuvres with his sturdy little fingers.
Now, this is a tricky word to pronounce.
It's a French word and it's pronounced hors d'oeuvres.
So the H is silent in this case.
So are hors d'oeuvres served before the meal or during the meal?
Hors d'oeuvres are served before the meal begins.
Are hors d'oeuvres often meant to be eaten with your hands or with a fork?
Because hors d'oeuvres are usually so small, you can eat them with your hands.
They're usually, it's not too messy.
They're usually meant to be picked up with your hands, and that way you can put them directly in your mouth.
You don't need a plate or anything.
There's many different types of hors d'oeuvres.
You know, it can be anything.
It can be fish or meat or a combination of both or vegetables.
And are hors d'oeuvres normally sweet or savory?
Hors d'oeuvres are usually savory because they usually come before the meal you don't want to have.
I don't know, chocolate cake before you have pasta or meat or I don't know.
So yeah, they're usually savory.
Again, fish, meat, vegetables, a combination of these things.
Do you serve hors d'oeuvres before a meal?
No.
Not really.
I feel like hors d'oeuvres are usually more common at fancier events.
So you know, sometimes you have like even waiters with a platter with a bunch of hors d'oeuvres on it and they just walk around and the guests can eat whatever they choose to eat.
We don't really, at least in my family, we don't do that.
We just sit down, put everything on the table, you know, from start to finish.
So we have appetizers, the first course, the second course, sometimes even dessert, right there on the table and you just eat whatever you want, whenever you want.
So yeah, no hors d'oeuvres in my family at least.
And that is it for today.
And remember, if you want to access the transcript, as well as lots of other resources, visit enboocom.
That is E-N-B-O-O-O dot com.
Have a great day.
