In this mini episode, you will learn the useful expression “to drift apart.”
Episode 334 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the useful expression “to drift apart.” Send your questions about English and your comments and suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“This is Theodore Freeman, from Toronto, Canada. And you’re listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 334 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 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 and useful expression. This is an expression that we often use when we are talking about two people who were friends, but now they are no longer friends. Or two people who were close to one another—they were close friends—but now they are not close anymore.
The expression I’m thinking of is to “drift apart.” To drift apart. That’s drift: d-r-i-f-t, apart: a-p-a-r-t. To drift apart.
The reason I think this is interesting is because of the meaning of the word drift. When drift is a verb, it means to move or float. It often means to move or float in some kind of current. To move or float on flowing water, or in the air, in the wind. That’s why we talk about a boat drifting on the water. Or we talk about a cloud drifting in the sky. We could also talk about smoke from a fire drifting in the wind. Because to drift means to float or to move in some kind of current—airor water.
And we often use this verb when we talk about friends who are no longer friends. Or friends who are no longer very close. When we talk about people like that—people who were close but are no longer close—we often say that they have drifted apart. They have drifted apart.
They have moved or floated slowly away from each other. They’re no longer together. They have floated apart from each other. They have floated away from each other. It’s kind of a poetic expression that we often use: to “drift apart.”
You might hear someone say something like this:
“Last night, I talked with an old friend. Long ago, when we were in college together, we were very close friends. But then, after college, we just drifted apart. My friend went his way, and I went my way.”
In other words, one person went this way in life, and the other person went this other way in life. They moved apart like two clouds in the sky or like two boats on the water.
And that is to “drift apart,” an interesting and useful expression that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 334 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Theodore 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!