In this mini episode, you will learn some interesting expressions about time.
Episode 304 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you some interesting expressions about time. Send your questions about English and your suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hello. My name is Kolia. I am from Russia. You are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 304 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 some interesting expressions that we use when we are talking about time.
The first one of these expressions is this phrase: “On the dot.” On the dot. That’s on—o-n, the—t-h-e, dot—d-o-t. On the dot. What does it mean when we say “on the dot”? We use “on the dot” to mean “at this exact time.” We always use it with an exact time. And this phrase comes after the time.
Let me give you an example, and then I’m sure you will understand how to use this phrase.
“I leave my house at eight o’clock on the dot every morning.” I leave my house at eight o’clock on the dot every morning. That means I leave my house at exactly eight o’clock every morning.
“Eight o’clock on the dot” means “exactly eight o’clock.” “On the dot” is a way of referring to a specific, exact time.
There’s another way that we can say exactly the same thing. Instead of using “on the dot,” we can use the word sharp. Sharp: s-h-a-r-p. You probably already know the meaning of the word sharp. It means “pointed or having a very thin edge that can cut something.”
We also use sharp to mean “at exactly this time” or “on the dot.”
I can say, “I leave my house at eight o’clock sharp every morning.” I leave my house at eight o’clock sharp every morning. “Eight o’clock sharp,” just like “eight o’clock on the dot” means “at exactly eight o’clock.”
There is one more word that we use in a similar way, but it is not exactly the same. And this word is flat. Flat: f-l-a-t. We use the word flat when we are talking about an exact duration of time. When we are talking about something taking a certain amount of time, or taking a certain amount of time exactly.
I can say something like this: “If the traffic is not bad, I can drive to work in 20 minutes flat.” If the traffic is not bad, I can drive to work in 20 minutes flat.
That means the duration—the time that it takes me to drive to work—is exactly 20 minutes.
These three phrases or words—on the dot, sharp and flat—are all used to talk about time.
Outro
This is the end of episode 304 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you are interested in private lessons, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Kolia 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!