Everybody ESL

Episode 399 (busybody)

Episode Summary

In this mini episode, you will learn the interesting word “busybody.”

Episode Notes

Episode 399 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the interesting word “busybody.” 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.)

Episode Transcription

Intro

“Hi, everyone. I am Gulden from Türkiye (Turkey). I hope you enjoy Everybody ESL.”

Welcome to episode 399 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 word. This is a word that describes a certain kind of person or a certain personality. The word is busybody. Busybody. That is spelled b-u-s-y-b-o-d-y. Busybody. And that is all one word. It’s not two words, busy and body. It’s busybody, all one word. 

One reason I think this is an interesting word is because the meaning of the word is not obvious. I’m sure you know those two words, busy and body. But if you try to guess the meaning of this noun, busybody, I don’t think you will be able to guess the meaning. 

What do you think a busybody is? Maybe it sounds like someone who is very busy. Maybe a busybody is somebody who has many different jobs or somebody who is always working. Or maybe it is somebody who is very active. Maybe it’s somebody who exercises a lot or who goes many different places. 

No, the word busybody does not mean anything like that. You will never guess what a busybody is. So I’m going to tell you now. 

A busybody is a person who interferes with other people’s lives. A busybody is a person who gives advice that people do not want. A busybody asks personal questions that people do not want to answer. A busybody tries to become involved in people’s lives in a way that is not appropriate and is not welcome. 

People who we describe as busybodies think that it is okay to tell other people how to live or to give their opinions about other people’s lives. 

The word busybody always has a negative feeling. If you describe somebody as a busybody, you are saying something negative about somebody. You are saying that this person is rude in a certain kind of way. This person is rude in a way that involves giving too much advice to people, or asking inappropriate personal questions, or just thinking that it’s okay to be very involved in the way other people live. 

I think busybody is an interesting and a kind of fun word, and I think that it is something you should know.

Outro

This is the end of episode 399 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 Gulden 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!