ESL Podcast 521 - Describing Speech and Language Ability

it's Greek to me - a phrase used to show that one doesn't understand anything that one is hearing or reading, usually because it is too difficult or technical

I tried to understand this chapter in the science textbook, but it's Greek to me!

fluent - with the ability to speak a language very well, almost like a native speaker

Sean is studying Arabic, but it will be many years before he's fluent.

to make out - to be able to understand or see something that is very difficult to understand or see

We can't make out what the doctor wrote on this form. Can you read her handwriting?

to get by - to be able to survive or cope, but not very well

Would you be able to get by on just $10 per day?

to have a good command of - to understand something very well; to be an expert in something; to have a lot of knowledge about something

Professor Conkling wants all of his students to have a good command of music theory.

comprehension - an understanding of what one has read or heard

Duncan is trying to improve his English comprehension skills by listening to the news on the radio every morning.

stock phrase - a group of words that one has memorized for speaking in another language, especially if one doesn't have the language skills to create that phrase on one's own

Before traveling, we tried to learn some important stock phrases, like "Where's the bathroom?" and "How much does this cost?"

haltingly - slowly and with hesitation or periods of silence between words

Sheila speaks haltingly, focusing on the pronunciation of each sound.

to freeze up - to be unable to do or say anything, usually because one is nervous or frightened

As soon as she walked onto stage, she froze up and couldn't remember what she had planned to say.

phrase book - a small book with many phrases in a foreign language, used as a tool to communicate with people who speak that language

Let's buy a Farsi phrase book and learn how to say some basic things before our trip.

to get through to (someone) - to help someone understand oneself; to be able to communicate one's ideas to someone

The Wangs are worried that they don't know how to get through to their teenage son.

articulate - able to speak clearly and be understood; able to communicate one's ideas in a way that other people can understand

Wisteria is much more articulate when she writes than when she speaks.

to cobble together - to use many different pieces of information to create something useful, especially when one doesn't have a clear plan for doing so

The professor couldn't find a textbook she liked, so she cobbled together the course from many different books, articles, and websites.

to get (one's) point across - to be able to communicate one's idea so that it is understood by someone else

He didn't give a great presentation, but it was good enough to get his point across to the audience.

to follow (one's) lead - to do what another person is doing; to copy another person's behavior

Why can't you follow your sister's lead and sit quietly while the adults talk?

to bring (something) up - to introduce a new topic of conversation; to talk about a specific thing

Don't let me forget to bring up the new sales figures in tomorrow's meeting. I forgot to talk about them last time.

to misinterpret - to misunderstand; to believe that someone's words or actions have a different meaning than what he or she had originally intended

She has always been nice to him, but he misinterpreted her friendship as romantic interest.

to run (someone) out of town - to make someone leave a city, usually because he or she has done something wrong or because everyone dislikes him or her

In the past, a woman could have been run out of town for getting pregnant before she was married.