ESL Podcast 430 - Talking About Books

well enough - somewhat; satisfactory, but not great; so-so; not horrible, but not wonderful

I like math well enough, but I wouldn't want to solve math problems all day.

glowing recommendation - an enthusiastic statement that one should definitely do, use, see, or have something because a person likes it very much

We had the best meal ever at that restaurant, and now we give it glowing recommendations whenever we talk to other people about food.

to start off with a bang - to begin in an exciting way; to begin well

The conference started off with a bang with some great speakers, but then it became less interesting over the following few days.

suspense - the feeling of being excited and wanting to know what is going to happen, or looking forward to something that will happen in the future

Everyone waited in suspense to hear whom the presidential candidate would choose as his vice president.

to not be able to put (something) down - to not be able to stop reading something because it is very interesting or exciting

Her book was so interesting that she couldn't put it down until she had finished it.

pace - the speed or rate of something, especially of a race or of a book that one is reading

For exercise, he walks at a very fast pace.

effort - something that is difficult and/or requires concentration to do

For me, learning to ski took a lot of time and effort.

characterization - the way that fictional (not real) people are made to seem real in a book, story, or movie

Sosumi's characterization is so good that her readers feel like the people in her books are good friends.

to relate to (someone or something) - to understand someone or something; to be able to find something in one's experience that is similar to something in another person's experience

Jim asked his grandmother why it is so hard for some older people to relate to teenagers.

plot - storyline; the things that happen in a book or movie

The plot is this book is very similar to the plot in the author's last book.

to drag - to do something very slowly; to be very slow, boring, and uninteresting

The chemistry professor's lectures always drag, making the students fall asleep.

author - writer; the person who writes something, especially a book or story

Her favorite author is Mark Twain, who wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

to pull (something) off - to be able to do something successfully, especially if it is difficult and people don't believe that it can be done

Nobody thought that a hair salon would be successful on that street, but Paco opened the business and was able to pull it off.

ending - conclusion; the way that a book, story, or something else ends

Please don't talk about the movie's ending! I haven't seen it yet, and I want to be surprised.

laughable - something that is so bad that it is funny, because one cannot do anything other than laugh about it, not believing that it can be as bad as it actually is

The government's attempt to improve education by raising taxes by $0.03 per person is laughable. That isn't enough money to make a difference.

sequel - the second part of something; the continuation of a book or movie in a second book or movie

Have you seen the sequel to this movie?

that makes one of us - an informal phrase used to show that one does not agree with another person

I don't like shopping at this store, so when Chaffey said that it was his favorite store, I said, "Well, that makes one of us."