ESL Podcast 1003 - Describing Duration
feature film - a full-length movie, usually between 70 and 210 minutes long
The theater showed six previews before the feature film began.
interminable - seemingly unending; boring and lasting a very long time
The drive was interminable on the busy freeways, but we finally got back home.
to move at a clip - to advance very quickly; to move rapidly
The soldiers were ordered to move at a clip.
to drag - to move or advance slowly; to seem to move slowly because something is boring or uninteresting
The meetings used to drag, but then our manager decided that nobody would be allowed to sit down. Now everyone wants the meetings to be as short as possible, because they don't want remaining standing for a long time.
to pick up - to increase the speed or rhythm of something; to increase noticeably
Business really picked up after the holidays.
short and sweet - not taking very long, and being pleasant and enjoyable
This book is short and sweet. You can probably read it in one sitting. (one's) mind starts to wander - one loses concentration and begins daydreaming or thinking about something else, not what one should be focusing on
As Brett looked out the window of his office, his mind started to wander to his plans for the weekend.
to check out - to stop paying attention to something; to no longer focus on what one is supposed to be concentrating on
The students all look bored. I think most of them checked out a few minutes after the professor started speaking.
engrossing - very interesting, demanding one's full attention and involvement
Jenna finds her work in the lab so engrossing that she often forgets to eat lunch.
to zip by - to proceed very quickly; for something to appear to occur quickly and for time to pass quickly
Their one week vacation zipped by, but they had a great time.
to move at a snail's pace - to go very slowly, almost seeming to have stopped
The kids move at a snail's pace when they're supposed to be putting on their pajamas and brushing their teeth to go to bed.
somewhere in between - in the middle; between two extremes; not at one end or the other when referring to a range of things
Khalid's older brother always got perfect grades and his younger brother almost failed, but he was somewhere in between.
the credits are rolling - a phase used to describe the text that appears on the screen at the beginning and/or end of a movie or TV show, listing the name of people who helped to create the movie or TV show, such as the producer and the director
At the end of a movie, most people get up and start to leave when the credits are rolling, but Jacques likes to wait until the very end of a film.
no big loss - an informal phrase meaning that something is unimportant and that one does not regret it or feel bad about it
When the toy broke, it was no big loss, because she has several others.
to stick (something) out - to be persistent and not give up; to continue seeing or doing something all the way to the end, especially when doing so is challenging
Medical school is difficult, but if you stick it out, it's all worth it.
procrastination - the act of waiting to do something later instead of doing it now; the act of putting something off or waiting until the last minute to complete it
Procrastination is one of the worst habits of many college students. They wait until the night before an exam to begin studying for it.
enough said - a phrase used to show that one understands another person's idea even though he or she has not finished explaining it fully
A: The dinner party is going to include a lot of our married friends. B: Enough said. I understand. You don't want me there because I'm single.