Hi, this is Samantha from China, and you are listening to Everybody ESL.
Welcome to episode 438 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English or just learn more English.
My name is Ben and I have a mini episode for you today where I am going to teach you about one English topic.
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Okay, let's get on with this mini-episode.
In this episode I am going to teach you a strange and interesting kind of expression that you probably will never see in a textbook or a regular English lesson.
The expression is earth to and then someone's name.
Earth to someone's name.
That's earth, E-A-R-T-H. to T-O, earth to someone's name.
For instance, earth to John, earth to Mary.
What does it mean when we say earth to someone's name?
What does it mean when we say that to somebody?
First let me tell you when we use this expression, and then maybe you can guess what it means and why we use it.
We use this expression when we are trying to get someone's attention, but the other person seems very distracted.
Maybe they are just not paying attention to you or to what is happening around them.
This person might be lost in a daydream or lost in a fantasy, really just not paying attention to what is happening.
That's the kind of situation where we say this to somebody, but why?
Why do we say it to somebody in that kind of situation?
The reason is simple.
Earth 2, and then a person's name is supposed to sound like somebody on Earth talking to an astronaut or somebody who is in outer space, somebody who is on a rocket in space or on a space station.
So it is supposed to sound like you are talking to someone very far away from Earth, somebody who is very far away from what's happening.
This is how people might talk to astronauts, especially in a science fiction movie.
Let's imagine that an astronaut is in a rocket that is called Rocket 101.
Somebody down here on Earth trying to communicate with that astronaut might say Earth to Rocket 101, Earth to Rocket 101.
They might say that into their radio or whatever they use to communicate with astronauts in outer space.
And so if you see somebody a friend of yours probably who is not paying any attention, it might seem like they are somehow in outer space.
Their mind is in outer space.
Their thoughts or their attention are in outer space.
And so if you are trying to communicate with this person, you could do it, the same way somebody might try to communicate with an astronaut.
Earth to John or Earth to Mary, can you hear me?
Are you paying attention?
Hello?
What's happening?
Where are you?
Where are your thoughts?
Or where is your attention right now?
When you hear people use this expression, they are almost always using it in a teasing kind of way, almost like they are teasing somebody for not paying attention.
And that is earth to somebody, a very common and interesting expression that I think you should know.
This is the end of episode 438 of Everybody ESL.
Remember if you have questions about English or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes.
The same way, Samantha recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode.
Send an email to everybodyesl at gmailcom.
I'll be back soon with a new episode.
And until then, keep going, keep practicing and keep learning.
I'll see you soon.
Goodbye.
