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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Expressions Related to Amounts
John: I'm John.
Sydney: And I'm Sydney!
John: In this lesson, you'll learn expressions related to amounts.
John: These expressions are often used when talking about amounts.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
John: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are:
Sydney: bazillion
Sydney: hella
Sydney: small kine
Sydney: nothing much/not much
John: Sydney, what's our first expression?
Sydney: bazillion
John: meaning "a huge amount."
Sydney: [SLOW] bazillion [NORMAL] bazillion
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Sydney: bazillion
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: "A bazillion" means "a lot or a huge amount." Many larger numbers in English end with -illion, for example, "a million," "a billion," or "a trillion." While "a bazillion" is not a real number, it can be used to say that there was a lot of something.
Sydney: This word is used only in informal contexts.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Sydney: [NORMAL] "There were like a bazillion questions on the test." [SLOW] "There were like a bazillion questions on the test."
Sydney: [NORMAL] "There were like a bazillion questions on the test."
John: Okay, what's the next expression?
Sydney: hella
John: meaning "very, a lot."
Sydney: [SLOW] hella [NORMAL] hella
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Sydney: hella
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: If you're traveling in northern California, you will hear this word used a lot by younger people. "Hella" comes from "hell of a" or "hell of a lot." It can be used to replace "very" or "a lot."
Sydney: Be careful using this word though, since it is very informal and some people don't like it.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Sydney: [NORMAL] "Do you have any water? This burrito is hella spicy!" [SLOW] "Do you have any water? This burrito is hella spicy!"
Sydney: [NORMAL] "Do you have any water? This burrito is hella spicy!"
John: Okay, what's our next expression?
Sydney: small kine
John: meaning "a little bit."
Sydney: [SLOW] small kine [NORMAL] small kine
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Sydney: small kine
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: "Small kine" is actually Hawaiian pidgin, meaning "a little." Think of it like "small kind" or "small thing." Because the US is so large, there's a lot of regional slang that might not even be understood in other parts of the US. Since Hawaii is so far from the rest of the United States and has a unique cultural background, the slang is very different.
Sydney: You probably won't find this slang useful if you're visiting other parts of the United States, but that just shows how culturally distinct states can be.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Sydney: [NORMAL] "I like it small kine." [SLOW] "I like it small kine."
Sydney: [NORMAL] "I like it small kine."
John: Okay, what's the last expression?
Sydney: nothing much, or not much
John: meaning "not busy; no plans."
Sydney: [SLOW] nothing much, not much [NORMAL] nothing much, not much
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Sydney: nothing much, not much
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Many people believe that the phrase "How are you?" is synonymous with "What's up?" While these expressions may be similar, the responses one gives are different. While the responses to "How are you?" vary from "I'm fine," to "Pretty good," and so on, the proper response to "What's up?" should be "Nothing much," if you aren't busy or don't have any plans. This is because "What's up?" is actually closer to "What have you been doing recently?"
Sydney: Therefore, if your friend wants to know how your life has been going, he or she may ask, "What's up?" If you haven't been doing a lot, you can respond with "Not much," or "Nothing much."
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Sydney: [NORMAL] “What's up Ben?” "Not much, just been working a lot." [SLOW] “What's up Ben?” "Not much, just been working a lot."
Sydney: [NORMAL] What's up Ben? "Not much, just been working a lot."
QUIZ
John: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I will describe four situations, and you will choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready?
John: A girl gets lots of tips from her job during Christmas.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Sydney: hella
John: "very, a lot"
John: A child waits for his mother for what feels like forever.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Sydney: bazillion
John: "a huge amount"
John: A girl spends her weekend at home, relaxing.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Sydney: nothing much, not much
John: "not busy; no plans"
John: A boy asks for a small amount of ketchup on his hot dog.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Sydney: small kine
John: "a little bit"

Outro
John: There you have it; you have mastered four English Slang Expressions! We have more vocab lists available at EnglishClass101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks everyone, and see you next time!
Sydney: Goodbye!

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