Australia Network - English Bites - Series 8

Contact Us

Mailing Lists

Episode 7: Crabbing

Episode 7: Crabbing
This story is about catching crabs. We'll look at some irregular past tenses and some useful expressions.

Transcript

This story is about catching crabs. We’ll look at some irregular past tenses and some useful expressions. First, listen to the questions Weiping asks:

We take a tub,

Uh huh.

What we catch..

Uh huh.

We put the crabs in there.

Are you sure we will catch that many crabs?

Of course we will. That's why we're here.

She asks 'are you sure?'. You ask questions like this when you have doubts about what you're being told. Weiping doesn't think they'll get many crabs. Listen to the next question she asks.

When you catch a crab, all you do is turn around and put it in there.

Okay. Okay.

So you don't need to touch?

No, no, no.

This time she wants to be reassured that she doesn't have to handle a crab. By saying 'so', she's showing that she understands what she's been told, but just wants to be sure. Listen again:

When you catch a crab, all you do is turn around and put it in there.

Okay. Okay.

So you don't need to touch?

No, no, no.

She uses 'so' to check that she understands correctly. She could also use 'are you sure'. Now listen to Weiping talking about going out to where the crabs are:

When I came to the beach and then I realised how far we have to walk to get to the crabbing place. I thought it was really hard because it was very muddy and it took a lot of energy to get to the crabbing place.

She's talking about the past and uses some irregular past tense verbs. Listen again for the past tense forms of 'come', 'think' and 'take':

When I came to the beach and then I realised how far we have to walk to get to the crabbing place. I thought it was really hard because it was very muddy and it took a lot of energy to get to the crabbing place.

came… thought…took Now listen to Weiping at the crabbing place:

It's there. There's one, over there.

And then turn it, like that.

Okay, you go, you go, you go!

Turn around..

No, no, no! Don't do it.

Oh well done.

She says where the crab is like this:

It's there. There's one, over there.

These phrases are useful to know if you want to point to where something is. It's there….There's one… It's over there. Now listen for what to say if you need help:

I almost fell over and I got all wet. Myself so it's a bit embarrassing. I need a hand. I need a hand.

She says 'I need a hand'. She means she needs help.

Stop you camera!

She also used another irregular past tense, the past tense of fall, fell:

I almost fell over and I got all wet.

Let's finish with one more irregular past tense, the past tense of catch - caught:

So we caught the crabs. Now we gonna cook it.

English Bites is an informative and entertaining way to improve your knowledge of the English language.