Hi guys,
I got this video from my English teacher. She told me to listen to it and write down what the narrator tells us about Charles Dickens.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/bleakhouse/animation.shtml
I understood the main content. But there are phrases I just don't catch.
I need a little help with these ones:
1. "John, a ............... (profession?) always spent beyond his means (?)........"
2. Why was John Dickens put in prison? I didn't get that part.
3. "In 1827 he began work at a "???" clerks .......... his collected names and characteristics...." I couldn't understand that whole part.
4. "John began journalistic career, writing became his passion.... .....working for (???) by day and (?????) by night"
5. "The next few years ........... resulted in much writing and many children." (What resulted in much writing and many children?)
6. (Everything after that "much writing and many children part, the scenes with three guys, one drunken, one who is covered in white clothes and one with that raven pet, I couldn't understand what the narrator said here. Like.... what's with Charles Dickens here? "Bla bla bla rumours" What does she say? Can you be so kind and write down what she said until "grotesque" (?) (that part until the sailing to America), please?)
7. "He sailed to America, on landing in Boston he was "mobbed" by crowds"? Was it "mobbed"?
8. What inspired him? There's this scene with the "Boston Asylum" and "Orphanage" and the crazy-looking guys and the narrator said something with "inspired him" and the "unusual" (???) but I didn't get that.
9. "Upon his return, he began to look for a new (????)"? (New... what?)
10. what's with that newspaper he writes for? I understood "radical newspaper" but that sounds soooo strange. ANd with that "public readings"?
11. "He bought (name of the house I didn't catch... "Gasp Ville???").................... it symbolizes the "??????" of achieve."
12. While sticking to "bla bla bla ????" he met ..... ????????????????
13. When the train crashed I couldn't understand what she said anymore. Especially the part after that "crash" sound of the train. " bla bla bla dying and Charles bla bla bla"
14. "The incident left Charles very shaken (?). For a while, he maintained "blubb bla blubbb"
15. How did he die? I couldn't get that sentence either....
Poooooooooh.... So, native speakers and good English speakers/ listeners, please help me out.
Thank you very much in advance.
Monkey
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Please Help Me With This English Listening Task! CHARLES DICKENS - Cartoon of BBC - Listening
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Posted 03 December 2008 - 02:10 PM
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candy, honey and money.
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Posted 05 December 2008 - 09:26 PM
Here you go.. I dunno if you still need it, probably not, but whatever =P
1. "John, a ............... (profession?) always spent beyond his means (?)........"
Naval clerk? I think..
"always spent beyond his means" means he spent too much money, more than he made.
2. Why was John Dickens put in prison? I didn't get that part.
He owed a lot of money so he was put into a debtor's prison.. for people who owe money
3. "In 1827 he began work at a "???" clerks .......... his collected names and characteristics...." I couldn't understand that whole part.
Solicitor's clerk = lawyer's clerk. He takes notes about the people he sees in the office.
4. "John began journalistic career, writing became his passion.... .....working for (???) by day and (?????) by night"
Working for the paper (newspaper) by day and on his own work by night.
By the way this was Charles, not john
5. "The next few years ........... resulted in much writing and many children." (What resulted in much writing and many children?)
of fervent activity = a lot of activity
6. (Everything after that "much writing and many children part, the scenes with three guys, one drunken, one who is covered in white clothes and one with that raven pet, I couldn't understand what the narrator said here. Like.... what's with Charles Dickens here? "Bla bla bla rumours" What does she say? Can you be so kind and write down what she said until "grotesque" (?) (that part until the sailing to America), please?)
Don't remember it all, but they were basically talking about how Charles Dickens was strange. Therefore there were a lot of rumors about how he was often drunk, was admitted to an asylum (for insane people), and his pet raven... basically people are just talking about him as he gets more famous.
7. "He sailed to America, on landing in Boston he was "mobbed" by crowds"? Was it "mobbed"?
Yes.. means there were a lot of crowds eager to greet him.
8. What inspired him? There's this scene with the "Boston Asylum" and "Orphanage" and the crazy-looking guys and the narrator said something with "inspired him" and the "unusual" (???) but I didn't get that.
Dickens interest lay in visiting the unusual, which inspired his writing.. he looks for unusual stuff to investigate and then writes about it in his novels.
9. "Upon his return, he began to look for a new (????)"? (New... what?)
diversions = distractions, new ways to pass time
10. what's with that newspaper he writes for? I understood "radical newspaper" but that sounds soooo strange. ANd with that "public readings"?
Radical just means progressive/new ideas.. He edited the newspaper. He read his works (novels) at public readings = out loud to an audience.
11. "He bought (name of the house I didn't catch... "Gasp Ville???").................... it symbolizes the "??????" of achieve."
The house is Gad's Hill Place. "pinnacle of achievement" = highest achievement. Next time try Wikipedia haha.
12. While sticking to "bla bla bla ????" he met ..... ????????????????
While Dickens (not sticking) was organizing a theatrical production, he met Ellen Terman, a young actress.. then he had an affair with her, etc.
13. When the train crashed I couldn't understand what she said anymore. Especially the part after that "crash" sound of the train. " bla bla bla dying and Charles bla bla bla"
The train crashed, then Charles helped the other passengers wipe off blood and stuff.. he only barely remembered to get his copy of Our Mutual Friend (one of his novels) from the train wreck.
14. "The incident left Charles very shaken (?). For a while, he maintained "blubb bla blubbb"
... his busy itinerary, then his health began to decline.
15. How did he die? I couldn't get that sentence either....
He suffered a stroke.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroke
1. "John, a ............... (profession?) always spent beyond his means (?)........"
Naval clerk? I think..
"always spent beyond his means" means he spent too much money, more than he made.
2. Why was John Dickens put in prison? I didn't get that part.
He owed a lot of money so he was put into a debtor's prison.. for people who owe money
3. "In 1827 he began work at a "???" clerks .......... his collected names and characteristics...." I couldn't understand that whole part.
Solicitor's clerk = lawyer's clerk. He takes notes about the people he sees in the office.
4. "John began journalistic career, writing became his passion.... .....working for (???) by day and (?????) by night"
Working for the paper (newspaper) by day and on his own work by night.
By the way this was Charles, not john
5. "The next few years ........... resulted in much writing and many children." (What resulted in much writing and many children?)
of fervent activity = a lot of activity
6. (Everything after that "much writing and many children part, the scenes with three guys, one drunken, one who is covered in white clothes and one with that raven pet, I couldn't understand what the narrator said here. Like.... what's with Charles Dickens here? "Bla bla bla rumours" What does she say? Can you be so kind and write down what she said until "grotesque" (?) (that part until the sailing to America), please?)
Don't remember it all, but they were basically talking about how Charles Dickens was strange. Therefore there were a lot of rumors about how he was often drunk, was admitted to an asylum (for insane people), and his pet raven... basically people are just talking about him as he gets more famous.
7. "He sailed to America, on landing in Boston he was "mobbed" by crowds"? Was it "mobbed"?
Yes.. means there were a lot of crowds eager to greet him.
8. What inspired him? There's this scene with the "Boston Asylum" and "Orphanage" and the crazy-looking guys and the narrator said something with "inspired him" and the "unusual" (???) but I didn't get that.
Dickens interest lay in visiting the unusual, which inspired his writing.. he looks for unusual stuff to investigate and then writes about it in his novels.
9. "Upon his return, he began to look for a new (????)"? (New... what?)
diversions = distractions, new ways to pass time
10. what's with that newspaper he writes for? I understood "radical newspaper" but that sounds soooo strange. ANd with that "public readings"?
Radical just means progressive/new ideas.. He edited the newspaper. He read his works (novels) at public readings = out loud to an audience.
11. "He bought (name of the house I didn't catch... "Gasp Ville???").................... it symbolizes the "??????" of achieve."
The house is Gad's Hill Place. "pinnacle of achievement" = highest achievement. Next time try Wikipedia haha.
12. While sticking to "bla bla bla ????" he met ..... ????????????????
While Dickens (not sticking) was organizing a theatrical production, he met Ellen Terman, a young actress.. then he had an affair with her, etc.
13. When the train crashed I couldn't understand what she said anymore. Especially the part after that "crash" sound of the train. " bla bla bla dying and Charles bla bla bla"
The train crashed, then Charles helped the other passengers wipe off blood and stuff.. he only barely remembered to get his copy of Our Mutual Friend (one of his novels) from the train wreck.
14. "The incident left Charles very shaken (?). For a while, he maintained "blubb bla blubbb"
... his busy itinerary, then his health began to decline.
15. How did he die? I couldn't get that sentence either....
He suffered a stroke.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroke
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