Lesson #37

This lesson is a follow-up to what we did in SML#36. In our final clip, CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward is talking about the most difficult aspect of her job. I found the whole interview very interesting. But first things first: before you watch the clip, let’s learn and practice three new words/phrases.

Our word #1 is to square something with something

If you square two different ideas or actions with each other or if they square with each other, they fit or match each other:

That explanation squares with the facts, doesn’t it?

Reference: COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Please take a look at this example and repeat it out loud:

(You have to reload the page if you want to watch the clip more than once.)

Our phrase #2 is to reckon with sth

: to deal with a difficult or powerful person or thing:

If you harm her, you’re going to have the police to reckon with.

Reference: Definition of reckon with sb/sth from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press

Please take a look at this example and repeat it out loud:

(You have to reload the page if you want to watch the clip more than once.)

Our phrase #3 is to get to do sth

: to have the opportunity to do something:

 We got to meet all the stars after the show.

Reference: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Please take a look at this example and repeat it out loud:

(You have to reload the page if you want to watch the clip more than once.)

Please fill in the blanks out loud with our word/phrase #1, 2, or 3:

Time for the final clip. Listen to it first and then fill in the blanks:

(You have to reload the page if you want to watch the clip more than once.)

Reference: “Clarissa Ward reveals the hardest part of covering Afghanistan.” CNN. YouTube, Aug 23, 2021, https://youtu.be/VW4HZDqBqhk

Thank you 

Questions for a Coffee Session:

These questions can be helpful if you want to organize your own Coffee Session. Paste them in the Zoom chat, so you and your partner can see them. I strongly encourage you to organize your own Coffee Sessions. Contact other Club Members and schedule your own meetings on Zoom. The more practice your English, the better 🙂

1. Ask your partner questions with the following words:

  • to reckon with sth – the challenges that come your way/the consequences of your actions/the issue of …
  • to square something with something – plans with reality/explanation with facts/actions with values or principles/travel plans with available flight options
  • to get to do sth – travel/meet interesting people/work on exciting projects/enjoy the beautiful scenery in the countryside

2. Discuss in pairs the following questions:

  • What do you think of journalists who report in war zones? What kind of challenges do they have to reckon with?
  • What good does journalism do in the world?
  • How would you define professional journalism?
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