Learn what a rhetorical question is in English and whether you should answer these types of questions
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Ryan: Hello, everyone! I’m Ryan and welcome to EnglishClass101.com |
| Chihiro: Hey, everybody, it’s Chihiro. That English Question Is Best Left Unanswered! |
| Chihiro: In this lesson you will learn how to order fast food. |
| Ryan: This conversation takes place at a fast food restaurant. |
| Chihiro: The conversation is between Drew and the Sales Representative. |
| Ryan: The sales representative will be speaking formally and Drew will be speaking casually. |
| Chihiro: Okay, let’s listen to the conversation. |
Lesson conversation |
|---|
| Sales Rep: Can I take your order? |
| Drew: Yeah, I'll have two big hamburgers and a medium soda. |
| Sales Rep: With just a dollar extra you can upgrade to the jumbo size. |
| Drew: Okay, sure, why not? |
| Sales Rep: You want fries with that? |
| Drew: Okay, sure, why not? |
| Sales Rep: With a dollar extra you can upgrade the size on that as well. |
| Drew: Okay, sure, why not? Everything else is jumbo, why skimp out now? |
| Sales Rep: Yeah, might as well. It's just a dollar extra too. For here or to go? |
| Drew: For here. |
| Sales Rep: Okay, your total is $6.25. |
| Drew: Here's a ten. |
| Sales Rep: Then $3.75 is your change. Your order will be ready in just a second. |
| English Host: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Sales Rep: Can I take your order? |
| Drew: Yeah, I'll have two big hamburgers and a medium soda. |
| Sales Rep: With just a dollar extra you can upgrade to the jumbo size. |
| Drew: Okay, sure, why not? |
| Sales Rep: You want fries with that? |
| Drew: Okay, sure, why not? |
| Sales Rep: With a dollar extra you can upgrade the size on that as well. |
| Drew: Okay, sure, why not? Everything else is jumbo, why skimp out now? |
| Sales Rep: Yeah, might as well. It's just a dollar extra too. For here or to go? |
| Drew: For here. |
| Sales Rep: Okay, your total is $6.25. |
| Drew: Here's a ten. |
| Sales Rep: Then $3.75 is your change. Your order will be ready in just a second. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Ryan: So Chihiro, do you like fast food? |
| Chihiro: I have to say half and half, because I do go to fast foods, but only for their dessert menu! |
| Ryan: Well, junk is junk anywhere right? |
| Chihiro: That's the idea! Now, America is famous for its fast food, and because of publicity and movies, it hasn't earned a good image for it. |
| Ryan: Nevertheless, it's still a very popular choice because it's relatively inexpensive, tastes good, and well.... it's fast. |
| Chihiro: Also, fast-food restaurants are located in convenient locations so that they are easily accessible to hungry crowds. People in the past have tried to hold fast-food businesses responsible for health illnesses such as obesity. |
| Ryan: And awareness about health concerns has also given rise to movements such as slow food which leans to more traditional meals that take time to cook and eat. |
| Chihiro: So, listeners, do you like fast food? |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Chihiro: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| : The first word we shall see is: |
| Ryan: order [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: food or drink requested by customer, a request for food or services |
| Ryan: order [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: order [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: hamburger [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: beef patty between two pieces of bread |
| Ryan: hamburger [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: hamburger [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: soda [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: soft drink, carbonated or bubbly drink |
| Ryan: soda [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: soda [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: to upgrade [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: to make something better |
| Ryan: to upgrade [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: to upgrade [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: extra [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: more than usual |
| Ryan: extra [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: extra [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: jumbo [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: very big |
| Ryan: jumbo [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: jumbo [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: fries [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: potatoes that have been cut and fried |
| Ryan: fries [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: fries [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Ryan: total [natural native speed] |
| Chihiro: complete |
| Ryan: total [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ryan: total [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCABULARY AND PHRASES |
| Chihiro: Let’s take a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Ryan: The first phrase is, "Skimp out. " This is a phrasal verb that is slang. The word "skimp" means to spend less money than is necessary. Drew means to say that he doesn't have a reason to limit the amount of his food now that other things are in large quantities. |
| Chihiro: Might as well. Okay, the next phrase. Sometimes bills are referred to by the monetary value they are worth by dropping the noun "bill." Drew says, "Here's a ten," meaning "here's a ten dollar bill." We can use this for bills only, and not coins. We usually refer to coins by their names, such as "penny," "nickel," "dime," and "quarter." |
Lesson focus |
| Ryan: The Focus of This Lesson Is Rhetorical Questions. Listeners, have you ever heard of this before? |
| Chihiro: Rhetorical questions are questions that don't expect an answer. We say these questions in place of a statement. They make the listener think about the answer without requiring him or her to say anything. So, for example... |
| Ryan: "Okay, sure, why not?" |
| Chihiro: Drew doesn't expect the person to answer the question with, "because it's a good idea" or anything of that sort. |
| Ryan: No. That would be awkward. |
| Chihiro: It would be a little strange. That's why this question is rhetorical. He also says, |
| Ryan: "Why skimp out now?" |
| Chihiro: Meaning he has no reason to be cheap now. Again, he doesn't expect a real response here. |
| Ryan: It's a common way of making an assertion without actually making the statement. |
| Chihiro: Now, rhetorical questions are effective in a way that a regular statement is not. So for example, compare these two statements. |
| Ryan: “You've had enough” |
| Chihiro: and, |
| Ryan: “Haven't you had enough?” |
| Chihiro: They both mean the same thing, but the second one makes the listener think for a second, while the first one tells the listener directly. |
| Ryan: Good point. Now we're going to give you some examples of rhetorical questions and the meanings behind them. Chihiro, give us the first one. |
| Chihiro: "How silly is that idea?" |
| Ryan: Chihiro is implying that she thinks the idea is bad. |
| Chihiro: "Do you expect me to believe that?" |
| Ryan: Now she's implying that she doesn't believe something. |
| Chihiro: "Why don't you get some fresh air?" |
| Ryan: Now she's suggesting that I get some fresh air. |
| Chihiro: Okay, you can sometimes respond to rhetorical questions as though they were statements. So you can agree or disagree, with yes or no. |
| Ryan: So if you say yes to the phrase "how silly is that idea?" you're agreeing with the speaker. |
| Chihiro: And if you don't agree, you can start a discussion with the speaker. But either way, the speaker has made their point. |
| Ryan: Listen for rhetorical questions when you speak English. Try to figure out which ones need answering and which ones are best left without answers! |
| Chihiro: I’m pretty sure you’ll find out pretty quick. |
| Ryan: You had to say the last line, didn’t you? Cut. |
Outro |
| Chihiro: Okay, that just about does it for today. Okay, we’ll see you soon! |
| Ryan: Bye, everyone! |
73 Comments
HideHello, thanks for your reply.
I still don't understand what exactly Ryan means when he said this?
Ryan: The sales representative will be speaking formally and Drew will be speaking casually.
Hello Suzy,
Thank you for your comment!
It is not necessarily formal, it is polite to use manners and words like 'please,' 'could,' and 'would.' She doesn't sound very enthusiastic, sometimes that is the nature of people working in a fast food restaurant.
I hope this is helpful to you. 😄👍
Regards,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Is the sales rep speaking formally when she does not use please, could, would, etc.? Plus she sounds like she does not love her job. Is that kind of attitude common in the states?
Hello Samrawit,
Thanks for getting in touch!
Feel free to ask us any questions you have throughout your studies.
Most sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
thanks.
Hello Ayan,
A big thank you for your post and the positive feedback! 😄👍
You did a wonderful job on your sample sentences! Congrats!
I would just suggest the following changes to these sentences:
"The magician made the lady disappear! How cool is that?"
"Isn't it great that he can do a backflip?"
We appreciate you taking the time to write to us. Feel free to ask us any questions throughout your studies.
Sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Hello Team EnglishClass101,
Thank you for another wonderful lesson.
I've gone through the lesson and came up with some sample sentences.
The sentences are as follows:
1). The magician just vanished the lady! How cool is that?
2). Isn't it great that, I've just finished my homework?
3). Isn't is awesome that he can do backflip?
4). Why don't you get the pizza for me? I'm starving.
Thanks and regards.
Ayan Karmakar.
Hello Hiroshi,
Thanks for your question.
The conversation between Ryan and Chihiro they are talking about 'junk food'. 'Junk food' (commonly shortened to just 'junk') is unhealthy food, often fast food. Chihiro is saying that no matter where you go (in the world) or what junk food menu you are looking at, it's all the same things.
I hope this is helpful to you. 😄👍
Sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Hello
I couldn't understand the conversation between Chihiro and Ryan as follows;
Ryan: Well, junk is junk anywhere right?
Chihiro: That's the idea!
What does it mean?
Best regards. 😳
Hi there Sina,
Thanks for writing to us.
Alisha is 25 and from the USA! 😄😄😄
Please feel free to shoot through any questions you have throughout your studies.
Sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com