📙 Part 2: Describe an interesting conversation you had with an old person

You should say: who this person is, when and where you had the conversation, what you talked about, and explain why you think it was interesting.

This episode's vocabulary

• To speculate (verb) - to form opinions about something without having the necessary information or facts; to make guesses.
• Dramatic (adj.) - highly effective; striking.
• Meaningful (adj.) - full of meaning, significance, purpose, or value.
• While something away (phrasal verb) - to spend or pass (time), esp. in a leisurely or pleasurable fashion.
• Mundane (adj.) - everyday, ordinary, or banal.
• Engaging (adj.) - charming and attractive.
• Back-and-forth (idiom) - moving first in one direction and then in the opposite one.
• Continuity (noun) - the fact of something continuing for a long period of time without being changed or stopped.
• Viaduct (noun) - a long, high bridge, usually held up by many arches, that carries a railway or a road over a valley.
• Picturesque (adj.) - (especially of a place) attractive in appearance, especially in an old-fashioned way.
• Hamlet (noun) - a small village, usually without a church.

Questions and Answers

R: It's a while ago now. But I remember having a chat with my mother on the train going down to see some of our friends in England. It was a long journey. And my mum had forgotten her book. So we sat and talked the whole way down. At first, it was just about random things like what we would do when we got there and speculating about what the weather might be like. But then I remembered I saw this Reel on Instagram about things you should really ask your parents while they're still with you. So I broke out the questions, and we spoke about them. I think the reason I remembered the discussion so clearly is because the questions were quite deep. They included things like what do you want the most for your children? Or what do you want the most in the world for your children? And are there any family secrets left unsaid or unshared? The answers weren't too dramatic. But it was nice to spend that time talking with my mom about something meaningful and more involved than just, oh, who's your favourite singer, for example. It was a good way to while away the time, like I said. And when you think about it, hardly ever do you really talk about these things with your parents. So it certainly made an otherwise fairly mundane train journey pretty engaging. It was a nice back-and-forth. And it would give some sense of continuity from the past to the present and into the future. And it's not like there weren't other things to talk about, like the view from the windows as we passed over the viaducts, and through these sort of picturesque villages and hamlets as you get into England, but at the same time, you might also never get the chance to ask such things again. Oh, speaking of which, if I got the chance to have a similar conversation again, I think I might let Mom ask me the same questions. If somewhat modified ones, because I don't have children, for example. It would be interesting to compare answers and perspectives on life, how it's going and where it might be going.

M: And do you often have conversations with older people?

R: Not so much now. I live by myself.

Discussion

M: Hey! Thank you, Rory, for your lovely story! So dear listener, the task says, describe an interesting conversation you had with an old person. So this old person could be your parent, your grandfather, your grandmother, or a random older person. Okay? So how old is old? Oh, well.

R: You decide.

M: You decide. Yeah. Like, you can talk about a conversation with a person who is like 40 years old, and maybe if you are 20 years old, so this person is old for you. Okay? Also possible. Yeah. So choose the person. If you have never talked to an old person, imagine and lie.

R: If you have never talked to an older person, how have you lived your whole life without talking to an older person?

R: Rory started with "It's a while ago now". So it's a while ago means like, well, some time ago, I remember having a long chat with my mother. I remember talking to my grandmother. I remember talking to my uncle. So remember doing something because it already happened in the past. And the story is in the past. Okay? So past simple or past perfect. So I remember having a long chat with my mother. Use past continuous. I was going to, I don't know, England, I was travelling around Europe. I was sunbathing in Brazil, and I had a chat, a conversation or a chat with somebody about something.

R: And it's always a chat with.

M: Yeah.

R: But you chat to someone. Have a chat with someone but chat to someone.

M: So we sat on the train and talked the whole way down. So all the way down, all the journey.

R: All five hours.

M: Oh, five hours. Wow. At first, we talked about random things. So we talked about, we discussed, like random things like food, animals, love.

R: I feel like love is not something you have a random conversation about. The human condition.

M: Rory was travelling with his mom. And that's why they talked about random things like what we would do there. So they were going to a certain place. They talked about what they would do. So the order of the words, it's not a question, dear listener. So we talked about what we would do there. What the weather might be like. We talked about what we would eat. We talked about where we would go, okay? And then Rory remembered that he saw a Reel, a video on Instagram about things you should ask your parents while they are still with you. Wow. You should have sent me this video.

R: Maybe I did.

M: And Rory talked to his mom about some serious stuff. Okay, dear listener? Well done, Rory.

R: I did what I was told to by people on the internet. Go me.

M: Yeah. So he was like, Mom, why didn't you love me when I was a kid?

R: Those were not the questions. They were things like, what do you want your children to have? Like, what did you most want for your children? And is there anything that you think you should say now while you still can?

M: Wow, that's like a serious conversation. Wow.

R: It is. Yeah. Well, we had the time.

M: Wow, look at you.

R: Yeah, so Rory broke out the questions. So when you break out the questions you just ask questions, yeah?

R: Is "break out" a phrasal verb?

M: It is a phrasal verb. Yes.

R: Nice. Do you know, it would be great if someone had a course for phrasal verbs, wouldn't it?

M: It's a premium episode. Rory, you can't advertise our stuff.

R: Oh, but I didn't. You did though. You said we have stuff.

M: So we spoke about the questions. We spoke about serious things. The reason I remembered the discussion so clearly is because blah, blah, blah. So I remembered, or I remember this conversation clearly, like very well. And you can start it was a nice sentence. The reason I remember this conversation so clearly, is because the questions were quite deep. The conversation was quite deep. The questions were quite deep, like serious questions, not like, oh, do you prefer McDonald's or Burger King? Rory and his mother talked about some serious things.

R: That could be a deep question.

M: Yeah. Which castle should we buy in Scotland? Hey, mom!

R: It's bad enough having the house.

M: And then the questions. Deep questions included things like what do you want the most for your children? Because Rory is not an only child. The questions included things like and then you give examples of questions or topics you discussed. The answers weren't too dramatic, unfortunately. Was your mother telling you the truth, Rory? Maybe she just, you know... It's a white lie?

R: Well, I love it. There's like no reason to lie, is there?

M: Ah, okay.

R: I like how you say okay as if you're not convinced, yes, there is a reason to lie.

M: Bother, yeah. But like, we want drama from you, Rory. Something like a scandal, you know? Like, oh, Rory is...

R: Yes. Because in the five years that we've been doing this, all of my responses have been characterized by drama and dramatic responses to things. That's what I do, isn't it?

M: No, not really, dear listener, you know, like our Rory...

R: I'm so not very dramatic and boring.

M: No, no, you're not. So the answers were not dramatic. So they were kind of like, not really interesting. Like usual answers.

R: Run of the mill.

M: Run of the mill. Yeah. Run-of-the-mill answers, usual.

R: I like that. That's an idiom.

M: Oh, yeah. That's a good piece of vocabulary.

R: Someone should release a phrasal verbs course, oh, sorry and idioms course. Yes. Mhm. Quite. Anyway, moving on.

M: We had a meaningful discussion, or we had a meaningful conversation. Okay? Meaningful? Like a deep, meaningful conversation.

R: Not meaningless, meaningful.

M: It was a good way to while away the time.

R: Yeah. To spend the time.

M: It was a good way to spend the time, to have some quality time with my mother. I had quality time or I had quality time?

R: I had quality time.

M: I had quality time with this older person, or I had quality time with my grandparents. It was a good way to while away the time. So while away - to spend the time. And then Rory used a special structure, dear listener.

R: Did I?

M: Hardly ever do you really talk about these things with your parents.

R: What kind of structure is that?

M: This is an inversion, dear listener. Normally we do not use inversion in speaking because inversion is formal and very emotional. But Rory here is very emotional about this topic. And really, like we never talk to our parents about things like, oh, did you love me, do you love me? Or like, what do you want for me in life? You know? Maybe there are any family secrets? Like, come on. Who talks about these things with their parents? Nobody. So that's why Rory is emotional. And he goes like, hardly ever do you really talk about these things. So you see? It's kind of like, the word order is like in a question. Hardly ever do you really talk? But it's not a question, it's inversion. All right?

R: For emphasis.

M: So to make it, yeah, emphatic, kind of emotional. Like hardly ever do you really talk. Like you really talk. Do you really talk about these things with your parents? Rory, could you pronounce it once again, with your beautiful Rory intonation?

R: And when you think about it, hardly ever do you really talk about these things with your parents. So it's certainly... And then the rest of it.

M: So this conversation made a fairly mundane trade journey engaging.

R: Mundane.

M: So it turned a mundane, a usual train journey into something more engaging, into something which is pretty engaging. It was pretty engaging, it was really interesting, and exciting, instead of being mundane, and usual. And Rory was travelling by train, and he was passing through picturesque villages. So he was like sitting on the train, looking through the window, and he saw picturesque beautiful villages and viaducts. Some special things they have in Scotland.

R: A viaduct is not something special we have in Scotland. The viaduct is a kind of bridge, basically.

M: If I got the chance to have a similar conversation again, I might have it. Yeah? So if I got the chance to have a similar talk, a similar chat, a similar conversation, I would do it with pleasure. It would be interesting to compare answers and perspectives on life. Okay? When we talk to people, we usually compare our perspective on life to their perspective on life. To kind of their views on life.

R: It's important to point out, though, it's not it will, because I don't know for certain that's going to happen, but it would because I'm imagining. Would. To imagine. It would be nice to be a millionaire.

M: What helped you to organize this answer?

R: The task, really. The only thing I added, is that I noticed people doing this, so please pay attention. Sometimes people add a really long introductory sentence to things and it sounds really weird. Sometimes people say, oh, I have many conversations with old people in my life. But if I have to talk about one, and then they talk about that in a lot more detail, and then they don't have much time to talk about the task. I don't think it would lose them marks. But it just sounds really strange. So just a very short introduction to the task, like, oh, it's a while ago, like just meaning a long time ago, but I remember this conversation, and then start talking about the conversation. And then towards the end, I talked about what I would do in a similar situation in the future if I have the chance again. And I should say, if I got the chance to have a similar conversation, it's usually got the chance, I would say, not if I got a chance. I don't know why. I think it's just like a specific opportunity.

M: Sweet. Thank you so much for listening! We'll get back to you in speaking part three about older people. Bye!

R: Poor old people. Bye!

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