In this mini episode, you will learn an interesting way to use the word “big.”
Episode 292 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you an interesting way to use the word “big.” Send your questions about English and your suggestions for future episodes to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hi there! This is Ryoko Takao, from Tokyo, Japan. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 292 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts, on the Stitcher app, and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to everybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, I am going to teach you about an interesting way to use the word big.
If you hear someone say this, what do you think it means?
“He is a big tennis player.” Or how about this: “She is not really a big science fiction fan.” What do you think big means in phrases like that? “A big tennis player” or “a big science fiction fan”? What does big mean there?
When we use big with a kind of person or a person who does a certain activity, what we mean is “a person who does that activity,” or “a person who is very interested in that activity.” “A person who does that activity as a hobby” or “a person who has that activity as a special interest.”
So a big tennis player means “someone who plays tennis a lot, someone who is a good tennis player, someone who is very interested in playing tennis.” A big science fiction fan is someone who really likes science fiction, someone who is a real fan of science fiction.
This is one way that we use the word big. We use it with activities or hobbies to mean someone who does that thing a lot or someone who is good at that. Or someone who is especially interested in that thing.
Here is another example of this use of the word big.
My friends wanted to go to a sushi restaurant, and they asked me for my recommendation. I told them this: “I’m not really a big sushi person, so I don’t think you should ask me for my recommendation. Just go to the restaurant you want to go to.”
When I say I’m not a big sushi person, what I mean is “I don’t know about sushi. I’m not interested in sushi. Sushi is not one of my hobbies or one of my interests.”
And that is this interesting way of using big. And I think this is something you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 292 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments or suggestions for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Ryoko recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to everybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode, and until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!