Coffee Break English season two episode ten.
Hello and welcome to Coffee Break English.
My name's Mark. And my name's Josie.
How are you today Josie?
I'm fine thanks. A little bit tired but not too bad.
How are you? I'm very well today.
Thank you. Where are we heading today then?
Well today we are off to the Caribbean and the Bahamas and we're going to learn about a very special beach.
Okay now that's interesting because you said Caribbean and in North America that tends to be pronounced differently.
That's right. In North American English we say the Caribbean.
Excellent. Okay to find out about this special beach we're going to hand you over to Marcia.
Hey everyone. My name is Marcia and I'm reporting to you here from the beautiful Caribbean.
Today we're traveling to the Bahamas to find out more about an interesting beach.
Let's begin. Big Major Caye is one of over 360 islands in the Exuma district of the Bahamas and at first glance it doesn't look particularly special.
It's quite small and uninhabited.
But there's a chance you've heard of it because Big Major Caye has another name.
Locals and tourists know it as Pig Beach because about 20 wild pigs live there.
The swimming pigs of the Bahamas have got famous in recent years thanks to the internet.
There are lots of videos and pictures of the cute little pigs splashing around in the sea off Big Major Caye.
No one knows for sure how they got to the island but the most popular theory is that they were left on Big Major Caye by sailors who plan to come back and eat them.
When the sailors never returned to get them, the pigs were free to make a home on the beach.
Another theory is that the pigs were on a cargo ship which sank so they swam to the nearest island to search for a new home.
Regardless of how they got to the island, the pigs get by on their own and they get on with both native Bahamians and visitors to the island.
The pigs can paddle quite well and children enjoy watching them swim around.
With its many beaches and tropical climate, the Bahamas are a popular holiday destination.
There are lots of attractions for tourists including reefs, caves, water parks, zoos and more.
So if you get the chance to visit the Bahamas, go and swim with the Pig Beach Pigs.
OK, Jossi, have you ever visited the Bahamas?
Unfortunately, I haven't.
But I would really love to.
Have you? I have not, no.
But I would like to swim with the big beach pigs, I think.
Yes, me too. They sound very cute.
OK, let's go back through the text.
Yes, let's do that.
And before we start, let's talk about the language point that we'll be looking at today.
Today we're going to focus on the verb get, which can be a little difficult in English because it has many different meanings.
So we're going to look at the different meanings of get and also some phrasal verbs using get.
Excellent. Sounds good.
OK, would you like to read the text for us, Mark?
OK, big major K is one of over 360 islands in the Exuma district of the Bahamas.
And at first glance, it doesn't look particularly special.
Good. So this island is part of a bigger group of islands, yes.
And at first glance, it doesn't look very special.
What is a glance, Mark?
A glance is a small look, a quick look like a glimpse.
I think we've seen that word before.
That's right. We saw the word glimpse when we were talking about the Loch Ness monster, Nessie.
That's right. So at first glance means the first time you look at it.
So the first time you look at this island, it doesn't look very special.
OK, it's quite small and uninhabited, but there's a chance you've heard of it because big major K has another name.
So this island, it's quite small and uninhabited.
So uninhabited means that no one lives there.
The word inhabit means live.
It's kind of a more formal word from live as it comes from Latin.
So instead of saying, I live in Scotland, what could we say, Mark?
We could say I inhabit Scotland.
It would sound quite funny, though.
Yes, we could say that, but we wouldn't.
We would always say I live in Scotland.
So uninhabited, no one lives there.
OK. Now, big major K has another name.
Let's find out what that is.
Locals and tourists know it as Pig Beach because about 20 wild pigs live there.
Yes. So although no people live on the island, we've got 20 wild pigs living there.
What does wild mean, Mark?
Wild pig means that there are no humans taking care of the pigs.
That's right. So, for example, lions living in the jungle are wild.
But my pet cat or dog, it's not wild, it's tame, which is the opposite of wild.
OK. The swimming pigs of the Bahamas have got famous in recent years thanks to the Internet.
Good. So here we have our first example of the verb get.
So the pigs have got famous in recent years.
Now, in this case, the verb get, it means to become.
So the pigs have become famous in recent years.
This is just one of the meanings that get can have.
So, for example, we could say, I'm getting hungry.
OK, so you're becoming hungry.
That's right. Or my grandfather is getting old.
OK, he's becoming older.
That's right. And it's worth mentioning that here got is actually the past participle because we are in the present perfect tense.
Have got famous. OK, here we have the swimming pigs of the Bahamas have got famous in recent years.
Would we write that or say that in the same way in other countries?
Ah, good question. No, in British English, got is the past participle, have got famous.
But in American English, it's more common to say gotten for the past participle, have gotten famous.
Yes. So both versions are correct, but one is more British and one is more American.
Excellent. Now, the pigs have got or gotten famous in recent years.
Thanks to the internet.
Can you explain that?
Yes. So thanks to the internet or thanks to something means that, well, we we could say thank you to the Internet for making the pigs famous.
So it's because of the Internet that the pigs got famous.
Good. There are lots of videos and pictures of the cute little pigs splashing around in the sea off Big Major K.
Yes. So the pigs are splashing around in the sea.
So a splash is when you jump into the water, you make a splash.
It's like when the water jumps up.
OK. And we can imagine the pigs splashing about in the water.
Yes. No one knows for sure how they got to the island.
But the most popular theory is that they were left on Big Major K by sailors who planned to come back and eat them.
Yes. So no one knows for sure how they got to the island.
Here the verb get, it doesn't mean become.
It has a different meaning.
What do you think it means here, Mark?
How they arrived, how they reached the island.
That's right. So here get just means arrive.
So, for example, I could say, I usually get to work at 9 a .m.
So you usually arrive at work at 9 a .m.
That's right. And be careful because we say get to a place, but arrive at a place.
So the preposition changes there.
Good. OK. So the most popular theory is that they were left on Big Major K by sailors.
Yes. So sailors are people who sail or drive boats that have sails powered by the wind.
OK. So when the sailors never returned to get them, the pigs were free to make a home on the beach.
Good. So lucky pigs, they were free because the sailors never returned to get them.
So here get, it doesn't mean become.
It doesn't mean arrive.
It means to take them.
OK. So, for example, I could say, Josie, can you get me some chocolate from the supermarket?
Absolutely. So that would mean, can you well, take me some chocolate?
Can you buy me some chocolate?
Can you pick up some chocolate for me?
Exactly. So there are lots of different words that we can use in place of get here.
OK. We're going to take a short break there and we'll be back in a moment to find out more about the big beach pigs.
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Welcome back. And today we are talking about the Pig Beach Pigs.
Let's continue on with the text.
OK. Another theory is that the pigs were on a cargo ship which sank.
So they swam to the nearest island to search for a new home.
Yes. So the pigs were on a cargo ship.
What does cargo mean, Mark?
Cargo refers to things that are being transported on a ship or a plane or a boat.
For example, between different countries.
Normally we're talking about food or things to trade and sell.
Yes. These pigs were on a cargo ship with lots of other things being transported.
But this ship sank, which means it got into some trouble and maybe it went to the bottom of the ocean.
Which other famous ships have sunk, Mark?
Well, I'm thinking of the Titanic.
That's right. That's definitely the most famous ship I can think of.
When the Titanic hit that iceberg, it sank.
OK. So the ship sank, the ship has sunk.
And what's the normal form of the verb?
Yes. The infinitive form or the present tense form is sink.
Sink, sank, sunk. That's right.
OK. Regardless of how they got to the island, the pigs get by on their own.
And they get on with both native Bahamians and visitors to the island.
So here we have three examples of the verb get all being used differently.
But before we talk about that, we have this word regardless.
Regardless of how they got to the island.
What does regardless mean, then?
Regardless means it's not important.
It doesn't matter. That's right.
So I could say, regardless of the weather, I'm going to the beach tomorrow.
And that means I really want to go to the beach.
So it's not important for me.
I don't care what the weather is like.
If it's rainy, I'm still going to the beach.
OK. Let's talk about these different uses of get in the sentence.
Yes. So the first one, regardless of how they got to the island, we've seen this one before in the previous paragraph, how they got to the island, how they arrived at the island.
OK. And then the next one is the pigs get by on their own.
That's right. So get by.
This is a phrasal verb.
So a verb which is made up of two or more words.
And to get by means to manage or to survive a situation, usually with some difficulty.
So the pig's life is not very easy, but they survive on their own.
They survive alone.
OK. Could we listen to another example of to get by?
Yes. So we could say the weather where I live is too cold.
I don't like it, but I get by.
I survive. OK. Or perhaps I don't speak great English, but I get by.
Absolutely. So you can use it in a lot of different situations.
Excellent. And there's one more use of get in the sentence.
Yes. Here we have another phrasal verb.
And the pigs get on with both native Bahamians and visitors to the island.
They get on. So get on with someone means to have a good friendly relationship with them.
For example, I could say I get on with my sister.
That's right. Or I could say I don't get on with my colleagues.
They're very different to me.
Oh, dear. I hope you're not talking about your coffee break colleagues.
Of course, that's just an example.
Don't worry, Mark. OK, let's continue on.
The pigs can paddle quite well and children enjoy watching them swim around.
Yes. So the pigs can paddle.
So paddle in this case means to move through water, but it's not quite the same as swimming.
So, for example, when children are learning to swim, they paddle.
They can't quite swim yet.
No, paddle has another meaning.
It does. A paddle, as a noun, is also the thing that you use to move through the water when you are in a canoe or a kayak.
You paddle with paddles.
That's right. OK. With its many beaches and tropical climate, the Bahamas are a popular holiday destination.
There are lots of attractions for tourists, including reefs, caves, water parks, zoos, and more.
Good. So it sounds like there are lots of things to do in the Bahamas.
So you could visit reefs.
And we talked about reefs in a previous episode, didn't we?
That's right. There are structures made of coral in the ocean.
Yes. And you could also visit caves, which are a kind of natural underground space, maybe on the side of a hill or in rock.
OK. So if you get the chance to visit the Bahamas, go and swim with the pig beach pigs.
Yes. So here we have our final example of the verb get.
And here, if you get the chance, how could we say get the chance in a different way, Mark?
If you have the chance, if you receive the chance.
Exactly. So here get means receive or have.
So I could say to get a present, to receive a present, or to get an email, to receive an email.
OK. So in this text, we've seen a few of the most common examples of the word get and its different meanings.
That's right. But as I said at the beginning, get has a lot of meanings in English.
So there are many more for our listeners to discover.
And we'll see them in other episodes.
We will. Let's listen again to the text.
Big Major K is one of over 360 islands in the Exuma district of the Bahamas.
And at first glance, it doesn't look particularly special.
It's quite small and uninhabited.
But there's a chance you've heard of it because Big Major K has another name.
Locals and tourists know it as Pig Beach because about 20 wild pigs live there.
The swimming pigs of the Bahamas have got famous in recent years thanks to the internet.
There are lots of videos and pictures of the cute little pigs splashing around in the sea off Big Major K.
No one knows for sure how they got to the island.
But the most popular theory is that they were left on Big Major K by sailors who plan to come back and eat them.
When the sailors never returned to get them, the pigs were free to make a home on the beach.
Another theory is that the pigs were on a cargo ship which sank.
So they swam to the nearest island to search for a new home.
Regardless of how they got to the island, the pigs get by on their own and they get on with both native Bahamians and visitors to the island.
The pigs can paddle quite well and children enjoy watching them swim around.
With its many beaches and tropical climate, the Bahamas are a popular holiday destination.
There are lots of attractions for tourists including reefs, caves, water parks, zoos and more.
So if you get the chance to visit the Bahamas, go and swim with the Pig Beach pigs.
Okay, thank you to Marcia for that.
That's it for this episode of Coffee Break English.
We hope you've enjoyed learning about the Pig Bay pigs.
If you'd like to find out more about them and get more practice on the language used in this episode, then head to the Coffee Break Academy where you'll find the full course.
That's right Marc. And if you'd like to practice your English, you can also do so on social media.
Just search for Coffee Break English on Facebook and on Instagram where we post regular language challenges and cultural information.
We'll be back again soon with more Coffee Break English.
For now, thank you and goodbye.
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