In this mini episode, you will learn an interesting way to use the word “something.”
Episode 305 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you an interesting way to use the word “something.” 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
“This is Bing Su, from China. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 305 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 an interesting way that we use the word something. Something: s-o-m-e-t-h-i-n-g. This is a very common word, and you hear it—and probably use it—all the time.
There is kind of a strange way that we use this word. I think this strange meaning is also pretty common.
We can use the word something to mean “something or someone who is very unusual or special or remarkable in some way.” This is the interesting way of using something that I want to talk a little bit about today.
If you see a concert that you think is just really great, you might say to your friend, “That concert was something.” That concert was something. That means “That concert was a remarkable thing. That concert was a special thing. That was a really great concert.”
We also often use the word really in this kind of sentence. Really: r-e-a-l-l-y. And that’s why you will hear people say things like this: “Did you see that guy at the party last night? He was really something.” He was really something. That means “He was really unusual or remarkable or interesting or special.”
In those two examples, something has a very positive feeling. But sometimes it has a negative feeling. We usually communicate this with a different tone of voice.
If that guy at the party last night seemed especially rude or unpleasant in some way, then you might say, “Did you see that guy at the party last night? He was really something.” If you say it that way, it might convey that you have a negative feeling in mind. You are saying that this person was unusual or remarkable in a negative kind of way.
There’s one other way that we can use something to mean “a special thing or a remarkable thing.” You will also hear it used with the word else. Else: e-l-s-e.
You will hear people say, “That was something else.” Or “This restaurant is something else.” Or “My friend told me that movie was something else.” This means the same thing. It’s just another way that we use the word something to have this kind of meaning. And that is this interesting way of using something.
And it is another detail about English that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 305 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 Bing Su 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!