Learn what a rhetorical question is in English and whether you should answer these types of questions
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| 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! |
Comments
Hide