Real ESL

You need to use indirect speech when you are telling about an experience in your life because you have to explain what other people said. In my last blog post, I talked about how to do this. In this video blog, I tell you about taking my one-year-old daughter to get surgery on her foot. (to get surgery = to go to the hospital to have an operation) Use the comments to tell us about an experience you had and make sure you use indirect speech. (make sure you … = try to…)

By the way, you may be able to hear children playing in the background (behind the main sound). Those are my children! And there is some wind in this one. But, you know, this blog is called Real ESL for a reason. I want to give you a real look into my life and I want you to learn realistic English. This is not a textbook or a pristine classroom (perfect). This is real life. This is what you’re going to have to deal with. (to face s.t., especially s.t. difficult). I hope you enjoy these little glimpses. (a quick look at something) If you tune in (watch) every day, or every couple days, and you try to learn English in quick moments throughout your day, you will learn faster. After all, I know you have real, busy lives too.

Partial Transcript and vocabulary explanation

Yesterday, we talked about indirect speech.

I’m going to use an example from my life.

I took my daughter to the Cedars-Sinai Outpatient Surgery Center because she had to get an operation on her foot.

We checked in with the receptionist. (the secretary/person who is behind the first desk when you come in to a business)

She asked me to fill out some forms. So I did this and we went in. (to put answers in the blanks on a form)

A nurse asked me to verify the information. (to check if something is correct)

She also asked me if she was feeling alright, if she was sick.

And we said that no she was not.

Next the anesthesiologist came and also asked us if she was feeling fine. (a type of doctor who gives the gas/medicine to make you go unconscious or to manage your pain)

I guess this is pretty important if you are going under, which means you are going unconscious. They give you the mask and you go unconscious. When a small child is going under, they really can’t be sick.

We told her she wasn’t.

We talked to the surgeon. (doctor who will cut her foot)

He told us she’d probably need another surgery after this one. (when a doctor cuts open your body to fix something that’s not working right)

So, that was a bummer, but we said that was fine. (a disappointment)

They took her away.

About two hours later, we came back and she was all fine.

Okay, so I want you to look … to listen to the times I tell you what someone else said.

Tell us a story … and you have to relate what people told you. If you want, you can write this in an email to me. I’d love to see it.