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Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Vocabulary.
I'm Finn. And I'm Alice.
In today's show we're going to look at chunks of language.
Yes, and by chunks of language we mean groups of words that naturally go together.
And we're going to do that by listening to Kirsten, a student from Germany, talking about her typical morning.
We'll look closely at the chunks of language Kirsten uses.
We'll have a quiz to see what we've learned.
And we'll bring you a top tip for learning vocabulary.
But before all that, we're going to hear from Kirsten, who's studying right here in London.
She's talking about her typical college day.
Now, two questions for you to think about while you listen.
First, why does Kirsten have to leave?
And second, why do you think Kirsten's English sounds a little bit unnatural?
rule let's find out my typical morning well i never go out on an unfilled stomach so before class i usually have a complete english breakfast i love it getting to class can take a big time because it is the rush period but when i get to class it's a lot of enjoyment because my classmates come from all
over the earth anyway i must go into class right now but i'll be back in a period.
So why does she have to leave?
She has to go to class.
Well done if you got that.
But why did Kirsten's English sound a little bit unnatural?
Well, we understood her but she did make some unusual word choices.
Yes, and that's because she made some mistakes when she tried to use English fixed expressions or chunks of language.
Chunks are groups of words that naturally go together.
They are fixed expressions and they can't usually be changed.
So, instead of learning them word by word, we can think of them as one complete piece of language.
Let's look at some of Kirsten's chunks.
First, she said she doesn't like going out on an unfilled stomach.
The normal way to say that you're doing something without eating first is to say you're doing it on an empty stomach.
Next, she said she likes to eat a complete English breakfast.
The usual way to describe eggs, bacon, sausage and tomato is a full English breakfast.
Feeling a bit hungry now.
And then she said that going to college takes a big time, but the chunk is to take a long time.
And it takes a long time because it is the rush period.
But the usual expression is the rush hour.
And another one, Kirsten told us that class is a lot of enjoyment, but we usually say a lot of fun.
It's fun because Kirsten's friends come from all over the earth.
normally, all over the world.
And let's listen to the last sentence again.
Anyway, I must go into class right now, but I'll be back in a period.
So, she'll return soon to talk more.
But the usual way to say this is back in a bit or back in a minute.
Great stuff! So, let's listen to Kirsten again, this time with all the correct chunks of language.
My typical morning?
Well, I never go out on an empty stomach.
So before class I usually have a full English breakfast.
I love it. Getting to class can take a long time because it is the rush hour.
But when I get to class it's a lot of fun because my classmates come from all over the world.
Anyway, I must go into class right now but I'll be back in a bit.
Well done, Kirsten.
It sounded much more natural that time.
You're listening to bbclearningenglish .com So, now it's time for a quiz.
You have to finish the sentence with the correct chunk.
Number one. I want to learn Chinese but I think it will… a.
Have a long time b.
Take a great age or c.
Take a long time The natural way to say it is c.
Take a long time. Yes, that's right.
Now, number two. People are learning English a.
All over the world b.
Around the earth or c throughout the planet.
People are learning English a all over the world.
Yes, well done if you got that.
And that brings us almost to the end of today's show.
But before we go, here's today's top tip.