The English We Speak – At the movies

Jan 072015

BBC Learning English: The English We Speak – At the movies: ‘Whodunnit’ is short for ‘who has done it’. The point of these films is for the audience to try to guess who committed a serious crime – usually murder. ‘Romcom’ is a word which takes the first two halves of the words ‘romantic’ and ‘comedy’. ‘Sci-fi is a word which takes the first two halves of the words ‘science’ and ‘fiction.’

Neil and Feifei discuss movie genres. Do you like romantic stories which are funny? What about a detective story in which you can try to be Sherlock Holmes? And don’t forget the futuristic movies – the ones with sophisticated robots and space travel. Grab the popcorn and listen to the programme.

_______Show Transcript______

Neil
Hello. I’m Neil. In this programme, we’re going to talk about movies. Now, what kind of movies do you like, Feifei?

Feifei
I love romcoms, Neil! ‘Romcom’ is a word which takes the first two halves of the words ‘romantic’ and ‘comedy’. And what about you, Neil, what sort of movies do you like the most?

Neil
Well, I can’t resist a ‘whodunnit’. ‘Whodunnit’ is short for ‘who has done it’. The point of these films is for the audience to try to guess who committed a serious crime – usually murder.

Feifei
Ah, you like detective movies! In a ‘whodunnit’ you can try to beat the detective and work out who committed the crime. That’s the fun of it! Sherlock Holmes is a perfect example.

Neil
Yes, ‘romcom’ and ‘whodunnit’ are today’s expressions in The English We Speak. And … there’s one more. See if you can guess this one now Feifei: ‘Hello. I’m a robot sent from the future to prevent war and destruction!’

Feifei
A sci-fi movie! ‘Sci-fi is a word which takes the first two halves of the words ‘science’ and ‘fiction.’ These films usually feature robots, aliens and inventions from the future. I love sci-fi too. But sometimes it’s scary!

Neil
Well, there’s no need to be scared of BBC Learning English – because we explain everything to you so clearly. Let’s hear some examples of today’s three movie-related expressions.

Examples

My favourite sci-fi movie is Star Wars. I can’t wait for the next film in the series!

I’m catching a movie with my friends after work. We’re going to watch the latest romcom.

Alfred Hitchcock was the master of the whodunnit. Nobody makes better films in that genre than he did!

Feifei
That’s it! I am fetching the popcorn!

Neil
And I’m going to get some drinks!

Feifei
Let’s catch a movie! A sci-fi?

Neil
Yes, indeed! We’re going to catch a movie… I am a robot who came from the future to catch a movie with you, Feifei.

Feifei
You deserve an Oscar! Let’s go! Bye!

Neil
Bye!

The English We Speak – At the movies Transcript Video