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Why does English have so many words that have twins? Here's how we got to have two vocabularies, one based in Germanic roots, and one based in Latin. Produced for Mental Floss.

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Are you happy?

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In episode 1, you'll get to know Ebenezer Scrooge. Nobody seems to be able to get a kind word or even a smile out of him.

Listen to what he has to say and, after that, test your skills with our quiz.

Transcript

Narrator
This is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a man who loved money and didn't like Christmas. There he was, on Christmas Eve, in his office. He was keeping an eye on his clerk Bob Cratchit. Scrooge wanted to get every little bit of work from Cratchit before allowing him to spend Christmas Day at home. Scrooge thought Christmas was a waste of time! Even his nephew couldn't convince him that it wasn't.
IN SCROOGE'S OFFICE
Scrooge's Nephew
A Merry Christmas, uncle!

Scrooge
Bah! Humbug!

Scrooge's Nephew
You don't mean that, I'm sure!

Scrooge
What's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money? You find yourself a year older, but not an hour richer! What good has it ever done you?

Scrooge's Nephew
I've always thought of Christmas as a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time. A time when men and women seem to open their hearts freely. It's never put money in my pocket, but I believe that it's done me good!

Scrooge
Humbug!

Scrooge's Nephew
Come on, uncle, come and have dinner with us tomorrow.

Narrator
Scrooge's nephew was persistent but the old man wouldn't change his mind. He was in his usual bad mood when two gentlemen came to his office to ask for a donation to offer Christmas dinner to the poor. Scrooge worked in the money-lending business. No donation from him...

Scrooge
Gentlemen, are there no prisons and workhouses, where the poor receive food and accommodation in return for some work?

Gentleman
We wish we could say there aren't any, Mr Scrooge. Many poor people would rather die than go to prison or the...

Scrooge
They should die and decrease the surplus population. And... well, it's none of my business anyway. They cost a lot of money, and the poor should go there. Goodbye, sir.

Narrator
Typical Scrooge! He feels sorry for no-one, helps no-one. With him, it's all about money. He thought of nothing else. His partner, Jacob Marley, had died seven years before, at Christmas. Marley was like Scrooge when he was alive. But now he was gone. Or was he?
AT SCROOGE'S HOUSE
Scrooge
Who's there? I'm finally home and I want some peace!

Marley
Scroooge... Scrooooooge...

Scrooge
What is this? A ghost?! It's not possible! I must be having indigestion and seeing things that aren't there!

Marley
Scrooge. In life I was your partner, Jacob Marley.

Scrooge
Marley, is it really you?! And what is this strange metal chain you are wearing? It's made of cash-boxes, keys, locks, heavy purses...

Marley
I wear the chain I made in life. Of my own free will I wore it when I was alive. Is its pattern strange to you? Or do you wish to know the weight and length of the heavy chain you are carrying yourself?

Scrooge
Don't say that, Jacob. And why is this happening to you? You were always a good man of business...

Marley
Business!? Mankind was my business. Charity, kindness - were all my business. Why did I walk through crowds of people with my eyes turned down? I'm here to warn you, that you still have a chance of escaping my fate. You'll be visited by three spirits. Expect the first spirit tomorrow at one o'clock in the morning. And remember what I've told you.

Narrator
Marley disappeared into the night, flying out of an open window with other ghosts which looked as miserable as him. Scrooge was shocked. I'll tell you about the visit of the first spirit next time.

Vocabulary

keeping an eye
watching closely

clerk
office worker

humbug
old expression meaning 'fake' which came to be closely associated with this story by Charles Dickens

persistent
someone who does not give up on things easily

donation
article or money that you give to somebody when you don't expect to get anything back

workhouses
(singular: workhouse) places where people got food and accommodation in return for some work

surplus
excess; too much of something

indigestion
discomfort in the stomach after eating too much food or bad food

Quiz

Question 1: Who is Bob Cratchit?

a) Scrooge's nephew

b) Scrooge's clerk

c) Scrooge's partner

Question 2: Why did Scrooge refuse to donate money to the poor?

a) He didn't have much money for himself

b) He thought they were robbing him and should be in prison

c) He said he paid taxes to support places where the poor could go to and he didn't need to give more

Question 3: Why did Marley's ghost pay Scrooge a visit?

a) To wish him Merry Christmas

b) To give him indigestion

c) To tell him he was going to be visited by three spirits

Answers

Question 1: The correct answer is (b)

Question 2: The correct answer is (c)

Question 3: The correct answer is (c)

Credits
Adapted and produced by Graciela Damiano Cast: Sophie Napleton, Darren Benedict, Rob Carter, Matt Howells, Harry Haynes. Illustration: Carolina Thwaites-Lastra English Language Teaching consultant: Nicola Prentis Studio Manager and Post Production: Neva Missirian Studio Manager: Anna Veale Sound research: Vera Harte

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BBC Learning English - Dramas from BBC Learning English / A Christmas Carol - Part 1: Marley's ghost

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In this episode, you'll get to know Ebenezer Scrooge. Nobody seems to be able to get a kind word or even a smile out of him.

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Alice is an ordinary girl, until the day she meets a talking rabbit and enters a Wonderland of adventure...

Transcript

Narrator
Hello. This is the story of an ordinary girl called Alice. Our story begins on an ordinary summer's day. Let's meet Alice: here she is, sitting next to the river with her sister on a very hot summer's afternoon. Her sister is reading a book, and with no-one to talk to, Alice is bored... and a bit sleepy. Soon, she'll be in a Wonderland full of strange and wonderful adventures... but Alice doesn't know that yet...

Ohh... There's nothing to do... except lie on the grass and pick daisies. Shall I make a daisy chain for my dear little Dinah? Oh... I don't know... it's sooo hot...

White Rabbit
Oh dear! Oh dear! I'm late! I'm so very late! Oh dear oh dear!

Alice
A white rabbit! A talking white rabbit? Perhaps. But a rabbit with a pocket-watch? A rabbit with pockets? I must see where he's going!

Narrator
Alice had never seen a rabbit with a pocket, or a waistcoat, or a pocket-watch before. So, she ran after the rabbit as fast as she could, and when the rabbit jumped down a large rabbit hole, Alice jumped straight after him.

Oohhhh... Either this hole is very deep or I'm falling very slowly. And what a curious rabbit-hole! Who would think a rabbit-hole would have bookshelves ... and books ... and maps ... and jars of marmalade?

Narrator
Alice fell down, down, down. She fell for so long that she began to think about Dinah, her cat.

Alice
Dinah will miss me tonight! I hope they'll remember her milk at tea-time. Dinah, my dear, I wish you were down here with me!

Narrator
Alice was beginning to feel quite sleepy when suddenly, her fall was over and she found herself sitting on a pile of leaves and grass.

Alice
Ouch! Who's there?

White Rabbit
Oh, my ears and whiskers! How late it's getting!!

Alice
Wait! Please sir, wait a moment!

Narrator
The White Rabbit ran down a long tunnel. Alice ran after him. But when she reached the end of the tunnel she found only a long hall with doors all the way round. Alice tried to open the doors - but they were all locked. Then she saw a table with a tiny key on it.

These doors are all too big. There must be a smaller door somewhere. I wonder... hmmm, let me look behind this little curtain... ooh! a tiny little door! Let me try the key... What a beautiful garden! But how can I visit it? The door is so tiny - I can't even fit my head through! Oh! It's no use. I wish I could fold up like a telescope! Wait a minute... what's this? It certainly wasn't here before. A bottle - I wonder what it is? Let me see the label. Hmmm: Drink me... Oh! Oh! Ohhhhhh!!!! What a curious feeling! I'm folding up like a telescope!

Narrator
And so she was! Alice got smaller and smaller until she was small enough to fit through the door. But she'd forgotten something ...

Alice
The key!

Narrator
Alice was too small to reach the key on the table. She tried and tried to climb up the table leg but it was too slippery. When she had tired herself out with trying, poor little Alice sat down and cried.

It's no use. I can't reach the key, so I can't get into the garden and that's that. There's no use crying like that! Alice! I advise you to stop this minute! Oohh... what's this? A little glass box... with cake inside! Ooh: and there's a note. Eat me. Hmmm. I wonder if it will make me grow... if I grow, I will be able to reach the key. But what if makes me even smaller? Well, if it makes me smaller, I will be able to creep under the door.

Narrator
And Alice began to eat the cake. Did she grow big enough to reach the key? Or perhaps the cake made her small enough to creep under the door and into her beautiful garden. I'll tell you what happened next time. Goodbye.

Vocabulary

curious
wanting to know everything about everything

daisies (singular: daisy)
small garden flowers that are white with yellow centres

marmalade
a kind of jam made from oranges

telescope
a metal tube with glass at the end that you use to see things that are very far away. Some telescopes are made from several tubes of different sizes that can fit inside each other

creep
to move very carefully and secretly so that nobody sees you

Credits

Produced by Catherine Chapman
Cast: Darren Benedict, Alice Brown, Sophie Napleton
Illustration: Shan Pillay
Scriptwriter: Nicola Prentis
Sound: Paul Scott
Music: Vera Harte

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BBC Learning English - Dramas from BBC Learning English / Alice in Wonderland: Part 1: Down the rabbit hole

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Alice is an ordinary girl, until the day she meets a talking rabbit and enters a Wonderland of adventure... Narrator Hello. This is the story of an ordinary girl called Alice. Our story begins on an ordinary summer's day. Let's meet Alice: here she is, sitting next to the river with her sister on a very hot summer's afternoon.

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Congratulations

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Cats

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Numbers

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Married

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I agree