In this mini episode, you will learn the strange and useful phrase “and change.”
Episode 455 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the strange and useful phrase “and change.” 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
“Hello! I’m Joy. I come from China. You are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 455 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 way that we use a common word.
The word is change. Change. C-h-a-n-g-e.
Change is often a verb, and sometimes it is a noun. One meaning of the noun change is “coins.” Metal money. Money in the form of coins.
There is another related meaning of the noun change. If you pay for something with more money than the price, you will get some money back. That money that you get back is called change. That change is the extra money you get back.
Okay, now that I have taught you about that—or just reviewed that with you—let me tell you about this interesting way that we use the noun change:
Actually, when we use it this way, it’s always as part of the phrase “and change.” “And change.” When we use it that way, we mean “plus a little bit extra, plus a little bit extra.” And when we use it this way, it does not have to be about money. “And change” doesn’t have to mean a little bit of extra money. It could also mean a little bit of extra time or a little bit of extra distance. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:
Imagine that your friend is going on a very long plane trip. Your friend’s flight is very long. And you ask your friend, “How long is this flight?” And she answers, “The flight is ten hours and change.” Ten hours and change. Doesn’t that sound a little bit strange? If someone says that, what she means is the flight is a little bit more than 10 hours. The flight is ten hours and change. It’s ten hours and a little bit more.
And here is another example:
Let’s say that your friend has invited you to go on a hike. You’re going to go on a difficult walk through the woods near a mountain, let’s say. You ask your friend, “How long is this hike? How long will we be walking?” And your friend says, “The hike is five miles and change.” Five miles and change. That means the walk is a little bit longer than five miles. The walk is five miles plus a little bit extra, plus a little bit more.
This is an interesting way that we can use the phrase “and change.” It can mean “and a little bit more.”
That is “and change,” an interesting and useful phrase that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 455 of Everybody ESL. Remember: If you have any 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 Joy 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!