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Try more episodes of 6 Minute English:
A relationship between sisters can be one of the closest there is. Neil and Georgie tune in to a BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour special about sisterhood and teach you some useful vocabulary.
Currently two sisters, Ellie and Rachel Reeves, are senior ministers in the British government. What is Rachel Reeves' government job?
a) Home Secretary
b) Foreign Secretary
c) Chancellor of the Exchequer
Listen to the programme to hear the answer.
get onhave a good relationship
put someone on the spot(informal) make someone answer a difficult question or make a difficult decision in the moment, often embarrassing them in the process
march to your own drum(idiom) do things in your own way; think and behave differently from others
siblingbrother or sister
bossyenjoy telling people what to do
spoiledallowed to do or have whatever someone (eg. a child) wants, usually with the result that they behave badly
TRANSCRIPT
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.
NeilHello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.
GeorgieAnd I’m Georgie.
NeilSo, Georgie I’d like to know if you have any brothers and sisters, and if you get on well with them.
GeorgieYes, I do. I have a sister and we get on very well. We didn’t used to but now that we’re adults we get on well.
NeilWell, in this programme we’ll be discussing one of the closest relationships there is: the connection between sisters. We’ll hear from three Irish sisters reuniting on a radio show, and from a psychotherapist on some stereotypes about sisterhood. Plus, we’ll be learning some useful new vocabulary too. And , if you want to read along while you listen you can find the script for this programme on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
GeorgieYeah, great idea! Now, whether you have one or not, our history and culture is full of sisters, from the fairy tale of Cinderella and her ugly sisters to tennis players, Venus and Serena Williams. And currently two sisters, Ellie and Rachel Reeves, are senior ministers in the British government. So, Neil, my question for you is this: what is Rachel Reeves' government job? Is she:
a) Home Secretary?b) Foreign Secretary? orc) Chancellor of the Exchequer?
NeilWell I think the answer is c) the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which is the name of the finance minister in the UK.
GeorgieOK, Neil, we'll find out if that's the correct answer later in the programme.
NeilNuala McGovern, the presenter of BBC Radio 4's Woman’s Hour, has two sisters.
Nuala McGovernThey both live in Ireland so they're ing me on a video call. Hello Eileen. Hello Vera. Welcome to Woman’s Hour.
VeraHello.
EileenHello.
GeorgieNuala was born in Dublin and moved to New York then London to work as a journalist, while her two sisters stayed in Ireland. Here she introduces her older sister, Vera, and younger sister Eileen, for a BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour special about sisterhood. Nuala was a little worried what her sisters would say about her on the radio, so let’'s listen in and find out:
Nuala McGovernEileen, what would you say if you were to describe our relationship as sisters?
EileenVery connected, I think, and we do get on very well which I'm proud to say.
Nuala McGovernYes, exactly. I’m going to put you on the spot, Vera. What word would you use to describe me as a sister?
VeraI couldn't give you a word, but you definitely march to your own drum. What would that word be?
Nuala McGovernIndependent?
EileenIndependent?
VeraDefinitely. You like to control the situation.
NeilEileen thinks she gets on with her sisters. To get on with someone means to like them and have a good relationship with them.
GeorgieNuala puts her older sister on the spot by asking Vera to describe her in one word. When you put someone on the spot, you make them answer a difficult question then and there, sometimes making them embarrassed or uncomfortable.
NeilBut Nuala didn't need to worry what her sisters would say - Vera simply said that Nuala marches to her own drum – she does things in her own way which may be different from how other people do things.
GeorgieIt seems Vera, Nuala and Eileen have remained close friends as they've grown up, but the relationship between older, middle and younger sisters isn’t always so harmonious. Let's listen to BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour special programme as Nuala is ed by psychotherapist, Jennifer Gledhill:
Nuala McGovernThank you very much to Eileen and Vera. What a treat to have a chat with my sisters, about sisters! I want to bring in Jennifer here who's listening to it all. Some of the stereotypes around siblings, that the elder sister is bossy, the middle sister is a peacemaker, and the little sister is spoiled - that is not applying to our family - but I'm wondering, is there any substance to that? Or why does that even get bandied around?
Jennifer GledhillWe love giving people labels, don't we? We like to put people into categories and then we can make sense of behaviours, but actually, since then, scientists find no, no proof of being these roles in families.
NeilNuala discusses stereotypes about siblings, a word that means either brother or sister. One stereotype is that the older sister is usually bossy – she enjoys telling people what to do.
GeorgieAnother stereotype is that the younger sister is spoiled. If you describe a child as spoiled, you mean they are allowed to do anything they want, often with the result that they behave badly.
NeilWhat do you think about these stereotypes, Georgie? Are they true for you and your sister?
GeorgieI'm not sure I agree with these stereotypes because the older sister is meant to be bossy, but my younger sister is the bossy one. I don’t think I’m bossy at all.
NeilWell, that’s interesting – Jennifer did say that there's no scientific proof. Anyway, it's time now to find out the answer to your question, Georgie.
GeorgieYes, and my question was: What is Rachel Reeves' government job? And you guessed she was the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which was… the correct answer! Well done Neil.
NeilHooray!
GeorgieOK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned in this programme, starting with the phrasal verb, get on with someone, meaning to have a good relationship with them.
NeilIf you put someone on the spot, you cause them embarrassment by forcing them to answer a difficult question at that very moment.
GeorgieIf you march to your own drum, you do things in your own unique way, regardless of how other people do them.
NeilA sibling can mean either a brother or sister.
GeorgiePeople who are bossy enjoy telling other people what to do.
NeilAnd finally, a spoiled child is allowed to do whatever they want, becoming badly behaved as a result. Once again, our six minutes are up, but to head over to bbclearningenglish.com where you can find loads more fun and helpful resources, including a worksheet and quiz for this programme.
GeorgieBye for now!
NeilGoodbye!
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