Suez Canal: Delays continue: BBC News Review

Hello. Welcome to News Review from BBC Learning English.

I'm Tom and joining me today is Catherine. Hi Catherine.

Hello Tom. Hello everybody.

Today's story comes from Egypt, where delays

continue along the Suez Canal.

And don't forget, if you want to test yourself on the vocabulary

from today's programme, we have a quiz at bbclearningenglish.com.

Now, let's hear more about this story from a BBC radio report:

So, there's a big problem in the Suez Canal in Egypt.

A large ship called the Ever Given got stuck in the canal

on March 23rd. This has caused delays in

what is one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

At the time of recording, efforts to free the ship are still going on.

However, it's an uncertain situation at the moment.

Experts are saying it could take some time

before the Suez Canal is fully reopened.

And we've got three words and expressions that you've

found to talk about today's story, Catherine. What are they?

Yes, we have: 'stricken', 'budges' and 'stretches'.

'Stricken', 'budges' and 'stretches'. OK. Catherine,

let's have a look at your first headline for today please.

OK. We are starting in the United States with CNN – the headline:

'Stricken' – badly affected by problems.

Catherine, please tell us more.

  Yes, 'stricken'. It's an adjective.

It is spelt: S-T-R-I-C-K-E-N – 'stricken'. And we

use it when something is... when something is in a very bad condition

or to describe a very serious problem. So, in this case,

we're talking about a 'stricken' ship.

The ship cannot move: it's stuck. This is a serious, serious

situation, which prevents the ship from doing what it normally does,

so we say the ship is 'stricken'.

  So, the strict... Excuse me...

  It's a mouthful! ...the ship is 'stricken'.  

Well, this problem that it can't move.

It's badly affected. Lots of other people are 'stricken' as well,

I assume. Can we just use 'stricken' for ships?

When else can we use this adjective?

Well, we often use it for people and we can use in a number of ways for

people. We can use it when something externally affects you really badly.

So, you can be 'stricken by poverty', for example, if you're very poor.

You can be 'stricken with poverty' – is a second preposition.

So, you can be 'stricken by' or 'with' something. And we can also

use it for emotions. So, you can be 'stricken with grief'.

So, if you have a big loss and this loss is quite disabling for you:

you can't function as normal.

Same – you can be 'stricken by fear' or 'stricken with fear'.

If you're really, really frightened, you can see it in somebody's face

when they're 'stricken with fear'. The shock –

you can be 'stricken by shock'. 'Stricken with panic',

Tom – you can be 'stricken with panic' as well.

So, we've got fear, shock, panic – I think you can be

  'stricken by disease' as well. Yes.

All very negative things, right? Yes.

  They're all problems, which will very badly affect us.

Yes. It's not good to be 'stricken'.

Let's have a look at that summary slide please:

So, ships can be 'stricken' with problems.

People can be 'stricken' with problems.

Penguins can also be 'stricken' with problems.

We have a News Review from the archive about penguins

who are being stranded in South America.

Catherine, how can our audience access this video?  

Really simple. Just click that link.

Just click that link. OK. Fantastic. Catherine,

let's have a look at your second headline for today please.

OK. Let's go to the Metro in the UK – the headline:

'Budges' – What a lovely word! 'Budges' – moves.

Catherine, what can you tell us about 'budges'?

Well, I can start by telling you

it's a verb, Tom, and it's spelt: B-U-D-G-E-S.

'Budges' – there in the third person with the 's' on the end.

It's all about movement and it's a very informal word. So, if you're

sitting on a sofa with your mate, Tom, and they're taking up too much space,

then you can say...?

  I could say, 'Budge up!' You know, 'budge up',

move up, 'budge over',

'Budge along.'

Yeah, I could 'give them a budge.'

You could! Yes, just push them.

So, it's informal and it's to do with movement, right?

Are there any other kind of ways that we can use 'budges' or 'budge'?

Well, we've just done some examples of using 'budge' to

describe things that are moving, but we can also use

'budge' in the negative to describe things that won't move.

And this is really common – a common way of using the word 'budge'.

So, you've got that bottle of tomato ketchup,

Tom. You've got your fish and chips and you just want... or just your chips,

if you're a vegan, and you want to put tomato ketchup on and you're

trying to get that bottle top off and you really go 'aaaargh'...

And it won't move it – it won't... It 'won't budge'!

...it won't budge. It won't budge at all.

OK. So, 'budge' – it can have a literal meaning about, sort of, physical

movement, but we can also use it in a figurative way as well, right?

Yes, we can. We can use it to describe people who are very stubborn,

or their ideas, or plans, or things that they're not going to change.

Now imagine, Tom, you're selling your bicycle,

aren't you, for £100?

But I give you a call. Good price!

Yes! And I say, 'Tom? Mates rates –

come on, do it for 90. I'll give you £90 for your bike.'

What do you say?

Well, I'm going to say, 'Catherine,

I'm a very stubborn person. I don't want to move from my position.

So, unfortunately, I won't budge.' I won't move. I could also say,

'Sorry, you know, I just refuse to budge.'

Nice fixed expression: to 'refuse to budge'.

And we use it not just when we're selling things,

but you can talk about any sort of fixed idea:

politicians often 'refuse to budge' when they've made a decision about

something and they won't change it.

  They won't 'budge an inch', right?

Won't budge an inch!

So, that sounds like a very familiar expression

but, before we get to that, let's take a look at our summary slide please:

'Not budge an inch'. This is quite an old expression, right, Catherine?

It is. It appeared even in a Shakespeare play and we did a

lovely little animation about it. If you want to watch the animation,

learn more about Shakespeare's phrase 'not budge an inch', just click the link.

Great. Catherine, let's have a look at your next headline, please.

Yes, we're still in the UK with the Telegraph:

'Stretches' – becomes longer than normal.

Catherine, tell us about this word 'stretches'.

Yes, this one is also a verb in the third person.

The spelling is: S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-S. The pronunciation: 'stretches'.

So, 'stretch' – when... As a verb when could I 'stretch'?

  Or when might we 'stretch'?

Well, you can use 'stretch' first thing in the morning, Tom.

As soon as you wake up, what do you do?

I give it one of these. Aaaah!

I kind of make my arms a bit longer than normal.

I 'stretch' my muscles. Good example.

Yes. And then you jump out of bed because you've had a great 'stretch'

and you put on your 'stretch jeans', don't you, Tom?

I do, yes. So, if my jeans 'stretch', they kind of become longer than normal

so they fit my legs perfectly, right?

That's right, yes. So, anything that becomes

a little bit longer than normal, we can describe that as a 'stretch'.

Now, I'm not sure, but I think we're talking about ships here,

not... not what I do in the... Yes, yes.

...not what I do in the morning.

So, why is this word 'stretch' important in the headline?

OK. Well, the ship itself isn't 'stretching'.

The ship is the same length. It's not become abnormal.

But the time that is... it is stuck.

is becoming longer, and longer, and longer and none of this is normal.

So, we're using 'stretch' to describe

time here. Interestingly, 'stretch' is also the name, as a noun,

that we can give to a body of water, especially a river or a canal.

So, the headline writers have done what headline writers love to do:

they've used a word with a double meaning.

So, the time is 'stretching' and this ship is also in a 'stretch of water'.

So, the time's 'stretching', it's in a 'stretch of water' –

Do you think maybe it's also because the ship is very long?

Do you think this is why they put it in there?

Errr... I think that's a bit of a stretch, actually.

OK. That example's much better! A 'bit of a stretch'.

What do you mean, Catherine, when you say 'a bit of a stretch'?

Yeah, another meaning of the word 'stretch' is when... we use a 'stretch'

or the phrase 'a bit of a stretch' to describe something that's unlikely,

or really out of the ordinary. Not... or quite difficult.

So, for example, if you said to me:

  'Tom, let's do another News Review straight after this one.'

  I could say, 'I'm not sure Catherine...'

That would be quite tricky.

  That would be quite tricky or that would be 'a bit of a stretch'.

You know, it would be unlikely, or quite difficult to do.

Yes. Good example.

OK. Great. Well, it's not 'a bit of a stretch'...

...to get a summary slide up, so let's have a look at that one please:

Fantastic. Catherine,

can you please give us a recap of today's vocabulary?

I can. We had: 'stricken' – strongly affected by problems.

We had: 'budges' – moves.

And 'stretches' – becomes longer than normal.

Lovely. And don't forget that we have a quiz,

  so test yourself on it at bbclearningenlish.com.

And of course we are all over social media as well.

That's it from us today.

Thanks for being here and we'll see you next time.

Goodbye. Bye!