Everyday Dialogues: Buy a Book for Christmas

In questo dialogo è possibile vedere il vocabolario e le espressioni idiomatiche comunemente usate in inglese per l'acquisto di un libro in una libreria. La cosa migliore? Con l'audio puoi esercitarti nella pronuncia.

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Daniel Francis

Speaker (UK accent)

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Molly Malcolm

Speaker (American accent)

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Joe: Can you help me find a book for my grandson for Christmas, please?

Barbara: Of course! Do you have any idea of what he is into?

Joe: He said a friend sent him recommendations, someone who was ‘making’ him read books. It was a little strange. Tok something?

Barbara: Ah, yes, it’s a hashtag, #BookTok. The social media network TikTok makes recommendations. The kids say, “TikTok made me read it.”

Joe: That’s all gobbledygook to me! He gave me a list, but I can’t find it. Which is the most popular one?

Barbara: All the must-reads for his age group are on that display table over there. And there are some in the Young Adult section on the shelves on the right.

Joe: Hmm, ‘Young Adult’… None of them are inappropriate, I hope?

Barbara: Well, some genres can be quite scary, like the post-apocalyptic novels. There are some that deal with sensitive subjects, too.

Joe: Can you choose a nice, wholesome book for me, please. Nothing controversial.

Barbara: I think you’ll like this one, then. It’s science fiction, a best-seller.

Joe: Yes, OK, I’ll take that one. Can you gift-wrap it, please?

NOW  LET’S  REVIEW  THE  VOCABULARY!

  • To be into something means that you like it.
  • You can substitute an unknown word with ‘something’.
  • A hashtag is a phrase preceded by a hash sign (#) used to tag and cross-reference online content.
  • ‘Gobbledygook’ is a colloquial phrase for ‘nonsense’. A similar words is ‘gibberish’.
  • A book that is very good and highly recommended is a ‘must-read’.
  • ‘Young Adult’ (YA) is a category of fiction aimed at twelve- to eighteen-year-olds.
  • A ‘genre’ is a category of literature, art or music, for example, fantasy, thriller, historic or magical realism.
  • A ‘novel’ is a book-length work of fiction. Short novels are called ‘novellas’.
  • If something is good for your physical, mental or moral health, it is referred to as ‘wholesome’.
  • ‘To gift-wrap’ is to wrap the product in attractive paper so it can be given as a gift. Besides paper, it can also refer to a gift bag or gift box.
453 ITA Dec 22 Cover

Questo articolo appartiene al numero Dicembre 2022 della rivista Speak Up.

Everyday Dialogues: Buy a Book for Christmas
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Everyday Dialogues: Buy a Book for Christmas

In questo dialogo è possibile vedere il vocabolario e le espressioni idiomatiche comunemente usate in inglese per l'acquisto di un libro in una libreria. La cosa migliore? Con l'audio puoi esercitarti nella pronuncia.

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