ESL Podcast 913 - Experiencing Motion Sickness

motion sickness - the feeling of nausea (feeling sick to one's stomach) caused by being in a moving vehicle

Yolanda suffers from motion sickness, but rolling down the windows for fresh air seems to help.

to jerk around - to make many sudden, short movements so that something is not steady or smooth

The man said he was showing off a new style of dance, but to us it just looked like his body was jerking around.

dizzy - feeling as if one's head is spinning around or the world is moving in circles

The children played on the merry-go-round for so long that they became dizzy and couldn't walk in a straight line.

hand-held camera - a still camera or video camera that is small enough to be held in one's hand while being used, not resting on a tripod (a stand that supports a camera)

This smart phone has such a great camera that it's almost as good as the hand-held camera I bought three years ago!"

effect - result, influence, or outcome

How can we measure the effects of our medical program to help the poor if we don't have enough volunteers?

susceptible - likely to be affected by something, especially in a negative way

The elderly and young babies are most susceptible to the common cold.

rocking - moving back and forth many times, usually gently

Sit in this rocking chair to help the baby fall asleep.

seasick - with motion sickness caused by the movement of a boat, ship, or a floating platform over the water

The cruise ship is so big that nobody gets seasick, because passengers can't really feel the boat's movements.

nauseous - feeling sick to one's stomach, as if one is going to throw up (vomit)

Many pregnant women are nauseous in the morning, especially during the first part of their pregnancy.

carsick - with motion sickness caused by the movement of a car as it travels over roads

Jaime is more likely to become carsick on winding mountain roads than on a flat, straight highway.

road trip - a long journey traveling by car, especially when the experience of traveling by car is almost as important as the destination (where one is going)

The day after their college graduation, they started on a cross-country road trip.

barf bag - an informal term for a small paper bag that people can vomit (throw up) into, especially on an airplane

The flight had a lot of turbulence and many people reached for the barf bag in their seat pocket.

to suck - an informal word used to mean to be very unpleasant, disappointing, gross, offensive, or unwanted

That sucks that your fight was delayed and you had to spend the night at the airport.

engine - a machine that converts (transforms; changes) energy into motion and is used in most vehicles, such as cars, boats, and airplanes

Do you know much about repairing car engines?

airsick - with motion sickness caused by the movement of an airplane or helicopter as it travels through the air

I don't mind traveling on big jets, but I always get airsick on smaller planes.

vertigo - dizziness and the feeling of losing one's balance, often from looking at the ground from a very high place, caused by a disease affecting the ear

Sheila was suddenly overcome with vertigo and she had to sit down for a few minutes.