Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 1,261.
Reading about research on health.
This is English as a Second Language podcast number 1,261.
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 dialogue is between Vivian and Eric about reading the research, the scientific studies about our health.
Let's get started.
Wait, don't use that toaster.
Why?
I want some toast for breakfast.
It isn't safe.
I've just read about a research study that found people who use toasters have higher incidences of tumors.
That's ridiculous.
I'm having some toast with my coffee.
You can't use the coffee maker either.
The use of coffee makers is linked to heart disease.
Are you putting me on?
Where are you getting this junk science?
From very reputable sources.
I bet these so-called researchers are making sweeping conclusions and fraudulent claims based on limited or non-existent data.
Stop!
I'm opening the refrigerator to get some milk.
Refrigerators emit harmful rays that can be bad for your vision.
Wait a second.
Are you having trouble sleeping again?
As a matter of fact, I am.
I haven't slept in three days.
Vivian begins by saying to Eric, wait, which here means stop.
Don't use that toaster.
A toaster T-O-A-S-T-E-R is a small machine in the kitchen that heats up bread so that it's hard on the outside.
You of course make toast with a toaster.
Eric says, why?
I want some toast for breakfast.
Americans often eat toast with breakfast.
Sometimes they'll make toast and use it for a sandwich, but it's most commonly eaten in the morning with butter or something sweet on top of it.
I like toast with my eggs in the mornings.
Vivian says the toaster isn't safe, meaning it could harm you, it could hurt you.
She continues.
I've just read about a research study that found people who use toasters have higher incidences of tumors.
A research R-E-S-E-A-R-C-H study is a scientific paper or publication usually appearing in what we would call a scientific journal, which is basically a magazine.
A research study is a report on the results of some scientific investigation, some scientific study of a certain phenomenon.
In this case, we're talking about a research study related to health how your body works, how your body functions.
The word research can also be used in singular form to refer to a group of studies or lots of different scientific investigations about a similar topic.
People will sometimes say well, the research says meaning, the scientific studies indicate or show that.
However, we don't say researches.
That is not correct.
If you want to use a plural, you would have to say research studies.
Here we're talking about a single study, just one study, that found that people who use toasters have higher incidences, I-N-C-I-D-E-N-C-E, of tumors, T-U-M-O-R-S.
Incidents refers to how often something happens.
It's a word that is often used in talking about disease and health.
The incidence of cancer would be how many people, or what percentage of people get cancer in a certain area.
A tumor is a part of the body that grows unexpectedly, often related to some disease, many times to cancer.
Eric, however, doesn't think Vivian is correct.
He says, that's ridiculous.
I'm having some toast with my coffee.
Coffee is also a popular drink in the morning.
Vivian says, you can't use the coffee maker either.
The use of coffee makers is linked to heart disease.
Vivian is telling Eric that he cannot use the machine called a coffee maker that he uses to make his coffee every morning.
Why?
Because it is linked to l i n k e d, to heart disease.
To be linked to means it's connected to or it's related to heart disease.
Refers to medical conditions that cause the heart to have problems, potentially problems that could kill you.
Eric says are you putting me on?
To put someone on is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to fool or trick someone, to deceive someone, to make him believe something that isn't true.
Eric thinks Vivian is trying to make him believe something that she knows is not true, almost as a joke.
He says, The term junk, J-U-N-K, normally refers to garbage or trash.
Things you throw away or get rid of because you no longer want them or need them.
Junk science however, refers to science that is not of a very high quality or that is perhaps not done by people who are trained scientists.
Vivian says, however, that she's getting her information from very reputable sources.
Reputable, R-E-P-U-T-A-B-L-E, means respected, having a good reputation.
We might talk about a reputable car mechanic, someone who fixes cars, someone who is reputable as someone who has a good reputation, someone who is supposed to be honest and qualified.
A source, S-O-U-R-C-E, is where you get information from.
Some people use Wikipedia as a source of information.
Other people get their information from newspapers.
These are sources.
Some of them are reputable.
Some of them are less reputable.
Eric says...
I bet these so-called researchers are making sweeping conclusions and fraudulent claims based on limited or non-existent data.
Quite a few words and terms to explain in that sentence.
Let's begin with sweeping, S-W-E-E-P-I-N-G.
The word sweeping here refers to something that is very broad, something that covers a lot of different things.
In this case it's used to apply to the word conclusions.
A conclusion is what you believe to be true after looking at different pieces of evidence, different facts?
We often use the verb to draw, D-R-A-W, with this word conclusion.
To draw a conclusion means to come to a decision about what is true or not true.
So a sweeping conclusion then, would be a conclusion that covers or includes lots of different things.
I may say, for example, that all coffee makers make bad coffee.
That's a sweeping conclusion.
I am making a determination about what is true regarding a large number of things.
Usually sweeping conclusions are false.
At least when you hear that expression sweeping conclusions the person who is using it is probably indicating that the conclusion is false because it is trying to say too much or cover too many cases.
Fraudulent F-R-A-U-D-U-L-E-N-T means false, not true.
Claims, C-L-A-I-M-S, are statements or sentences about what you think is true.
So a fraudulent claim would be saying something that you know is false, especially about a certain product or drug or other thing that is being sold.
Eric thinks these researchers are making fraudulent claims.
That is, saying things they know to be false, based on limited or non-existent data.
Data D-A-T-A refers to facts and statistics that are gathered or collected in order to try to reach a conclusion about something.
Data is technically is a plural noun, although it is now often used in the singular.
The singular of data is datum, D-A-T-U-M, from the Latin.
However, it has become quite common now for people to use data as a singular noun rather than a plural one.
Data is, data are, are both correct forms in English, at least in American English nowadays.
Non-existent, n-o-n-e-x-i-s-t-e-n-t, means it doesn't exist.
It's not real.
There is no, in this case, data.
Non-existent data would be data that doesn't exist.
Things that you basically made up.
Vivian says, stop.
Eric says, what now?
I'm opening the refrigerator to get some milk.
Vivian says refrigerators emit harmful rays that can be bad for your vision.
A refrigerator is a machine in your kitchen to keep food cool.
To emit, E-M-I-T, means to produce something and send it out immediately. to the surrounding area.
We talk about a light bulb emitting light.
Light comes from the bulb and goes out into the area around it.
Rays are lines, if you will, of heat or light that come from a single point.
It's a way we use to describe how light or other electromagnetic fields are transmitted.
Vision, V-I-S-I-O-N, refers to your eyesight, your ability to see.
Vivian is saying that refrigerators, according to her, emit or give out harmful rays that can be bad for your eyesight.
Eric says, wait a second, meaning stop.
Are you having trouble sleeping again?
Vivian says, as a matter of fact, I am.
I haven't slept in three days.
Eric now realizes that Vivian hasn't slept for three days and that's why she's saying all of these weird things.
Vivian uses a very common expression, as a matter, M-A-T-T-E-R, of fact.
As a matter of fact, is a phrase we use to emphasize the truth of what we are about to say, especially if we are correcting what another person has said or simply are adding additional information that we think is important or relevant.
Eric says I don't need any research study to tell me that people who don't sleep think kooky thoughts.
Kooky, K-O-O-K-Y, is a wonderful word.
It means crazy, weird, Unusual, strange, all of those things can be kooky.
We usually use it to refer to a person who has very strange ideas, very weird ideas, unusual ideas that are almost certainly wrong.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Wait!
Don't use that toaster.
Why?
I want some toast for breakfast.
It isn't safe.
I've just read about a research study that found people who use toasters have higher incidences of tumors.
That's ridiculous.
I'm having some toast with my coffee.
You can't use the coffee maker either.
The use of coffee makers is linked to heart disease.
Are you putting me on... Where are you getting this junk science?
From very reputable sources.
I bet these so-called researchers are making sweeping conclusions and fraudulent claims based on limited or non-existent data.
Stop!
What now?
I'm opening the refrigerator to get some milk.
Refrigerators emit harmful rays that can be bad for your vision.
Wait a second.
Are you having trouble sleeping again?
As a matter of fact, I am.
I haven't slept in three days.
I don't need any research study to tell me that people who don't sleep think kooky thoughts.
The research studies show that if you listen to English, you can understand.
Your English will get better.
Especially if you're listening to the wonderful scripts by our wonderful script writer, Dr Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thanks for listening.
Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcasts.
English as a Second Language podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2016 by the Center for Educational Development.
