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Moving As A Child Part 2 Vocabulary Lesson

Hi and welcome to the vocabulary lesson for the conversation “Moving As A Child Part 2.” This is the second part to the conversation “Moving as a Child.” Now in this conversation Joe and I each continue talking about our experiences of moving when we were younger.

Okay, let’s begin.

I start off by saying, “That makes me think, um…”

Um is just a filler here. It’s not really needed.

Then I go on to say, “when we moved, I was, we were living in Michigan.” Now Michigan is a state in America. It’s actually in the north of the middle states. Michigan.

And I go on to say, “At the time we always considered it…” Or I’m saying, we always thought of it as…

“’the North’. But actually…”

Or I’m saying, but really…

“it’s the north of the Midwestern states.”

Midwestern states. These are states in the middle of America. Midwestern states.

And then I say, “But then moving to a southern state, I definitely had a northern accent.” Now accent… This is the way it sounds when someone speaks. Accent. For example: The people in the southern part of America have a strong accent. Accent.

And then I say, “And some of the words I used were different, too, like…” Or I’m saying, such as.

“’pop’ for, for…”

Now pop… This is a drink. Pop.

And then Joe says, “Soda.”

Soda is a drink also. It’s the same as pop. Soda.

And then I finish by saying, “soda.” And then I say, “So…” And so is just a filler here. It’s not really needed.

And I go on to say, “I was, I was ridiculed by kids for my accent, for sure.” Now kids… This is just slang for children. And when I say ridiculed… Ridiculed means made a mean joke about someone. Ridiculed. For example: My brothers were mean to me when we were young. They ridiculed me a lot. Ridiculed.

Then Joe says, “Yeah…”

Now yeah is slang or casual or informal for yes.

And Joe goes on to say, “you know another difficult thing for me was that the area that we moved to was affluent.”

Now affluent… This means rich. Affluent. For example: When you drive through affluent parts of San Francisco you see very nice houses. Affluent.

And Joe goes on to say, “And, I mean…”

Or he’s saying, what I’m trying to say is that…

And he says, “we certainly were not rich.”

Or we definitely were not rich.

And Joe says, “So, y’know…”

And y’know is just short for you know. You won’t see this in written English but you will hear it in conversational English.

And then Joe says, “uh…”

And uh is just filler. It’s not really needed.

And Joe goes on to say, “and you could see it from the clothes we wore to the cars that my parents drove. I mean…” And then I just laugh. And Joe says, “y’know, we had these old clunkers…” Now old clunkers… These are old cars that have a lot of problems and look bad. Old clunkers. For example: My parents used to drive old clunkers when I was younger because we did not have a lot of money. Old clunkers.

And Joe goes on to say, “and everyone else in the neighborhood has these brand new cars…” Now neighborhood… This is the area where you live. Neighborhood. An example of neighborhood would be: There were a lot of children in my neighborhood when I was a child. Neighborhood. And when Joe says brand new cars… Brand new. This means completely new. Brand new. An example of brand new would be: I have never owned a brand new car. Brand new.

And then Joe goes on to say, “y’know. So it was pretty obvious…” Pretty obvious. This means really easy to understand. Pretty obvious. For example: Math might be pretty obvious for some people but it is difficult for me. Pretty obvious.

And then Joe says, “like…”

And like is just filler here. It’s not really needed.

“like, we would turn a lot of heads driving past people.”

Turn a lot of heads. Turn a lot of heads means to get a lot of attention or to make people look. Turn a lot of heads. For example: When the fire truck drove by it turned a lot of heads because it was so loud. Turn a lot of heads, or in this example, turn or turned a lot of heads.

And then I say, “Oh my god…”

Now I’m just showing emotion such as, I don’t believe it.

And I go on to say, “that sounds so much like, like my situation.” Or I’m saying, like what happened to me.

And I go on to say, “We moved from a very blue collar area…” Now blue collar… This is… Blue collar area. This is where the people have jobs that do not make a lot of money. Blue collar.

And I go on to say, “ my, my parents being teachers, were very blue collar as well…” Or I’m saying, they were very blue collar also.

And then I say, “to a very affluent area, a lot of doctors and lawyers. And I can remember moving.

We…” And I laugh, “My mom drove this yellow and black Gremlin.” And I laugh again.

Now Gremlin… This is the name of an American car that is no longer made. They don’t make it anymore. A Gremlin.

And then Joe laughs and he says, “Yeah, they don’t make those anymore…” And I laugh and say, “No. I…” And Joe says, “and there’s a reason for it.” So Joe is saying this because Gremlins were not very good cars. They weren’t reliable or not very good cars.

And then I laugh and I say, “I would get dropped off at school…” Or I’m saying, I would get taken to school.

“from… or come in the Gremlin. I would be so embarrassed. And then, y’know, we didn’t have the designer clothes that all the kids we went to school with wore. So…” Designer clothes. Designer clothes. These are expensive clothes. Designer clothes. For example: I have never had enough money to buy designer clothes. Designer clothes.

And then I go on to say, “So, we w-, it just…”

And just is just filler here. It doesn’t really mean anything.

And I go on to say, “was very stressful trying to keep up with the Joneses…” Stressful means makes you worry. Stressful. For example: When you have children it can be stressful.

Stressful. And when I say keep up with the Joneses… This means to try to own all the same things as people you know in order to seem as good as them. Keep up with the Joneses. For example: Let’s say when I was younger that I would come home from school and tell my mom that I wanted her to buy me some designer shirts and some designer jeans because that’s what all the other children were wearing. My mom might say, “No, I’m not buying those for you because they’re too expensive. So stop trying to keep up with the Joneses.”

And then I go on to say, “and buying these designer clothes. It was, uh, very stressful for me and my brothers. But also we put a lot of pressure on…”

Or I’m saying, we always asked our parents.

“put a lot of pressure on our parents to buy these. And they just couldn’t afford it.” Now couldn’t afford it… This means did not have enough money. Did not have enough money to buy something. Couldn’t afford it. For example: Even if I wanted to buy a new car, I couldn’t afford it.

And then Joe says, “Yeah, that sounds familiar.”

Or he’s saying, that sounds like what happened to me.

And I say, “I c-, I gotta tell you one story I can remember.” I gotta. This is short or slang for I’ve got to.

And I go on to say, “My mom actually…”

And actually is just filler here. It’s not really needed.

And I go on to say, “she can’t sew.”

Sew meaning she can’t make clothes, in this situation.

And I say, “And she had sewn me this pair of knickers…”

Now knickers… This is a type of girl’s pants that do not go below the knees. Knickers. Now when I say pair of knickers… A pair usually means two. But we say pair when talking about one pants or one pant. So I would say a pair of jeans, a pair of pants, a pair of knickers.

And I go on to say, “Knickers at one point…”

Or I’m saying, at one time.

“were back in style. Do you know what those are?”

Now back in style… This means to be fashionable again. Back in style. An example of back in style would be: Music made in the 1980s is back in style. Back in style.

And Joe says, “Yeah or yes, yeah.” And I say, “And they were horrible looking.” Now horrible means very bad. For example: The weather was horrible. It rained all day. Horrible.

And I go on to say, “And I wore ‘em to school…”

I wore ‘em. ‘Em is short for them.

“I wore ‘em to school and all the kids were makin’ fun of me on the playground.” Makin’. This is short for making. Making fun of me. This means they were teasing me. Or they were making jokes about me. They were laughing at me. On the playground. Playground is a place where children play.

Playground. For an example of playground: The park near my house has a very nice playground. I always see children playing there. Playground.

And Joe says, “Oh, my gosh.”

And he’s just showing emotion here.

And I say, “I was just standing in the corner by myself about to cry.” Or almost ready to cry. Now standing in the corner… Standing in the corner means standing away from the other children. Standing in the corner. For example: The teacher made the child stand in the corner because she was bad. Standing in the corner.

And then I go on to say, “And then I went home and I was like…” Or I’m saying, I told my mom. I was like. I told my mom.

“’Mom, I want real knickers. I want you to buy ‘em in the store for me’.” And Joe says, “Yeah, kids can be cruel.”

Cruel. This is mean. Kids can be mean. Cruel. For example: My brothers were sometimes cruel to me when I was a child. Cruel.

And then I just laugh. And Joe says, “I know kids can be cruel because, I’ll tell you what…” Now what Joe is saying here is, this is what I think. Or I’ll tell you what.

And Joe goes on to say, “I had to, uh… I had a really bad experience right before I started school the summer that I moved to Pennsylvania.”

I had a really bad experience. What Joe is saying here is I had something bad happen right before I started school. Now right is a filler word. It’s not really needed. Right before I started school. The summer that I moved to Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania this is a state in the northeast of America. Pennsylvania.

And Joe says, “I’m playin’ football with the kids in the neighborhood…” Now playin’… This is short for playing. Playin’.

And I say, “Uh-huh.”

Just to let Joe know that I understand what he’s saying or that I’m listening to him.

And Joe goes on to say, “and, of course…”

Or he’s saying, and then.

“what happens is, I get tackled…”

Tackled. This means thrown to the ground. Tackled. For example: The thief was tackled by the policeman.

Tackled.

And Joe goes on to say, “and someone falls on my leg and it breaks my ankle.” Ankle is the part of your body where the lower leg connects to the foot.

And then I laugh and say, “Oh no.”

So I’m showing emotion such as feeling sorry for Joe getting hurt.

And then Joe says, “I couldn’t believe it. So I’m sittin’ there…” Sittin’ is short for sitting.

“sittin’ there, tryin’ to…”

Tryin’ is short for trying.

“tryin’ to, y’know, act as, uh, if, like, it doesn’t hurt that much.” Or it doesn’t hurt a lot.

“But, I mean, it hurt a lot.”

When Joe says, I mean, he’s saying… Or what I’m trying to say is that it hurt a lot. So when Joe is talking about getting hurt, he’s just sitting there after he gets hurt. He’s sitting on the ground and he’s trying to show the other children that it doesn’t hurt. But it really did hurt him.

And then Joe goes on to say, “And then, y’know, the kids thought I was cryin’ wolf.” Cryin’ is short for crying. Crying wolf means to try to get attention by saying something that is not true.

Crying wolf. For example: Thomas always seems to be sick. Sometimes I think that he is just crying wolf.

Crying wolf.

And then Joe says, “They didn’t really think I was hurt at all.” And I laugh. And then Joe says, “So I have to walk away and, uh, walk home on a broken ankle. And, I mean, I just felt like screamin’ at the top of my lungs.”

Screamin’. This is short for screaming. Screamin’. Screaming at the top of my lungs. This means yelling very loud. Screaming at the top of my lungs. For example: When the thief took the woman’s purse, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

And then Joe goes on to say, “I was in so much pain.”

Or he’s saying, it hurt so much.

And Joe says, “But I couldn’t. I couldn’t do it because I didn’t want the kids to think I was, like, some wimp.”

Wimp. This is someone who is weak, not strong. They are weak.

And then I laugh and I say, “Oh, oh…”

Just showing emotion.

And Joe says, “So, it gets worse.” And then he laughs. And Joe goes on to say, “I have to go to school with a cast on my leg to start the school year.”

Cast. Cast is something that is put on your arm or leg when it is broken. Cast. For example: I broke my arm when I fell off a horse. So the doctor put a cast on it. Cast.

And then I just laugh. And Joe says, “So I’m the new kid with the thick accent…” Or he’s saying, with the strong accent.

And he goes on to say, “the clothes that look out of place…” Look out of place. This means to look like you do not belong or fit in. Look out of place. For example: Women in Las Vegas wear a lot of make up and I don’t wear any make up. So I felt like I really looked out of place when I was in Las Vegas. Look out of place.

And Joe goes on to say, “y’know. Nobody knows me and I have a cast on my foot. And my, y’know, I can’t take a shower, y’know. I can’t shower the leg…” Or he’s saying, I can’t clean my leg.

“so my toes are a little dirty…” And I’m just laughing. And then Joe goes on to say, “I mean I wanted nothin’ more than…”

Nothin’ is short for nothing. So he’s saying, I really wanted.

And he goes on to say, “to move back to New York that very moment…” Or he’s saying, right then, at that time. I really wanted to move back to New York at that time.

And then Joe says, “the first day of school.”

So the first day of school he just wanted to move right back to New York.

And then I say, “God…”

Just showing emotion.

“I bet you stuck out like a sore thumb.”

I bet. Here bet means I think. I think you stuck out like a sore thumb. Stuck out like a sore thumb. This means same as look out of place. To look like you do not belong or fit in. For example: Women in Las Vegas wear a lot of make up. And again I don’t wear any make up. So I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb when I was in Las Vegas. Stuck out like a sore thumb.

And Joe says, “Oh ma-, you can’t imagine.”

Or he’s saying, you can’t even begin to think about, about it.

And then Joe says, “It was the worst. I, I mean I think for the first two years I lived in Pennsylvania I just wanted to hop on a bus and get back to New York as fast as I could.” Hop on a bus. This means get on a bus. Hop on a bus. He’s not really hopping onto the bus. It just means to get on a bus. For example: I hopped on the bus to get to work. Hop on a bus.

And then I say, “Yep…”

This is just slang for yes.

And I say, “that was me…”

Or I’m saying, that was the same as me.

And I go on to say, “wanting to move back to Michigan, too.” And Joe says, “Wh-.” And he just laughs. And then I laugh. And Joe says, “But…”

And but is just filler here. It doesn’t really mean anything.

And Joe goes on to say, “uh, y’know, I, at least you moved at an earlier age.” Or he’s saying, it’s good that you moved at an earlier age.

And he goes on to say, “It’s a lot easier because, y’know, when you’re younger it’s just, uh… Y’know, all the kids are getting familiar with each other.”

Getting familiar with. This means getting to know. Getting familiar with. For example: Michael met a girl at a bar. They started talking to get familiar with each other. Getting familiar with.

And then Joe goes on to say, “getting familiar with each other. But when you move, and you’re a little older, the kids already know each other. Y’know, they’ve already combined the elementary schools into the middle school, uh, for when I had moved there.” So combined… This means to put together. Combined. For example: There are more people in America than in Thailand and Cambodia combined. Combined. So they’ve combined the elementary schools.

Elementary schools are primary schools. This is school for children between ages five and ten. Elementary schools. And when Joe says middle school… They’ve combined the elementary schools into the middle school. Middle school is school after primary school. So this is school for children between ages eleven and thirteen. Middle school.

And then I say, “Yeah, but you know, ironically enough…” Ironically. This means something you would not think is true but it, but it is true.

And I go on to say, “um, my older brother, I think, had an easier time adapting.” Adapting means getting used to. Adapting. For example: It can be difficult to adapt to living in another country. Adapting.

And I go on to say, “And he was starting seventh grade.”

Seventh grade. This is when children are twelve and thirteen years old in this school grade.

Then I go on to say, “I was starting third grade.”

Third grade is… Children are eight and nine years old when they’re in this school grade.

And I go on to say, “My younger brother was starting second grade.” Second grade is… Children are seven and eight years old at this time or in this school grade.

And then I say, “And my younger brother and I had a really rough time.” Or I’m saying, we had a very rough time. Now rough… This means difficult. Rough. An example of rough is: It can be rough to adapt to living in another country. Rough.

And then Joe says, “Yeah, well…”

And well is just filler here. It’s not really needed.

And Joe goes on to say, “y’know, as much as I hated it…” Or he’s saying, as much as I did not like it.

“when I first, uh, had moved to Pennsylvania, now in looking back…” Looking back. This means to think of a time in the past. Looking back. For example: I always smile when I look back on the time I lived in Thailand. Looking back.

And then Joe goes on to say, “I think it was really a blessing in disguise.” A blessing in disguise is something that is good that you do not think is good at first. Something that is good that you do not think is good at first. A blessing in disguise. For example: I hated living in Georgia when I first moved there. But it was a blessing in disguise because I got a good education. Blessing in disguise.

And then Joe goes on to say, “I mean there were so many other opportunities that came available to us…”

Or he is saying, there are so many good things that happened to us.

And he goes on to say, “from living in Pennsylvania and going to a school district…” Or going to a school within a certain area.

And Joe goes on to say, “that, y’know, was, uh, had a lot more money. And the education that we got was better. And it just provided me…”

Or it just gave me.

“uh, with a much better starting point for, uh, college.”

Or he’s saying, with a lot better starting point for college.

And then I end the conversation by saying, “Right.”

Just agreeing with Joe.

So that is the end of the conversation now, the conversation “Moving As A Child Part 2.” So before moving on to Joe’s mini-story, make sure that you have a basic understanding of the vocabulary. Go back and listen to it again if you need to. But make sure that you’re doing it in a stress-free, relaxed way. And as always, as I always say, when you’re ready to move on to the mini-story then go to it. Go for it.

And I will see you next time. Alright. Bye, bye.