Golden Globes 2021: BBC News Review

Hello. It's News Review from BBC Learning English.

I'm Neil. Joining me is Tom – hello Tom.

Hi Neil and hello to our audience.

Today's story is about Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony.

OK. If you want to test yourself on any vocabulary you hear in our programme,

you can find a quiz on our website: bbclearningenglish.com.

Let's hear some more about Tom's story from this BBC News report:

The Golden Globes ceremony, or the Golden Globes awards,

happened on Sunday evening.

The awards celebrate the best in TV and cinema.

British actors and talent took home several awards

and this year the award ceremony was virtual.

OK. Well, you've been looking at this story;

you've picked out three really good expressions and phrases

that we can use to talk about it. What have you got?

Our vocabulary today, Neil, is: 'red carpet', 'channelled' and 'posthumously'.

'Red carpet', 'channelled' and 'posthumously'.

Let's start then with your first headline, with that word 'red carpet'.

My first headline is from right here at the BBC – it says:  

'Red carpet' – a red-coloured carpet used for important guests on special occasions.

Now Tom, why are we talking about 'red carpet'?

Everybody knows what a 'red carpet' is!

It's perhaps a bit basic for News Review, isn't it? A 'red carpet'.

No. Red... 'red carpet' is a noun – noun phrase – and it has two meanings.

Number one is the literal meaning and it means the 'red carpet'

that you would normally see at an award ceremony,

where the movie stars walk into the building.

But we can also use the figurative meaning, which means special treatment.

That's right, yes. So, for example, I visited some friends,

before lockdown, in a foreign country – I hadn't seen for a long time –

and they really gave me and my family the 'red-carpet treatment'.

Now, that doesn't mean that they bought a red carpet

and put it outside their house for us to walk on, does it?

No, it means they gave you special treatment.

So, actually if we think of 'red carpet' as meaning special treatment,

we could look at the headline, which says:

'Golden Globes stars shine without...' special treatment of an Oscars ceremony.

You know, they did a very good job without all the normal fuss

that goes at something like the Golden Globes.

There are a couple of fixed expressions. You mentioned one, Neil.

First, I'm going to give 'roll out the red carpet'. Have you heard this one?

I have, yeah. That's similar meaning to the one that I mentioned earlier.

Yeah, if someone 'rolls out the red carpet', they make you very welcome

and they give you kind of, like, a superstar's treatment

or they 'give you the red-carpet treatment'. This was the one you gave, Neil.

I gave this second because 'treatment' is a noun,

so we need to use 'red-carpet' as an adjective structure.

So, it must be hyphenated: 'red-carpet treatment'.

Absolutely. OK. Let's get a summary of that:

Well, that was a story about the Golden Globes.

The connection to the video that we think you should watch

is the word 'global'. We have one about global warming.

Where can our audience find it, Tom?

They can find it by clicking the link.

Time now to have a look at your second headline.

My second headline, Neil, is from InStyle,

which is a website from the USA – it says:

'Channelled' – carried the spirit of a person or idea.

Yeah. So, 'channelled' here is a past simple verb of 'channel'.

You notice in the headline it's spelt with one 'L'.

This is an American website: this is the American spelling.

In British English we use two 'L's. Both are acceptable

and this word 'channel' has many meanings.

It does. Now, this word 'channel', as you mentioned, has many meanings.

It's probably really familiar to people with reference

to 'YouTube channels', 'radio channels', 'TV channels',

and also bodies of water like 'the English Channel'.

So, what's the connection?

The connection, Neil, when you talk about the noun example –

so 'TV channel', bodies of water – is the connections flow, OK.

It's sort of.... they describe, almost, movement.

You know, a 'TV channel' will direct information towards the viewer.

A 'channel' between two seas, like the English Channel,

will direct ships that want to travel between it.

So, you get this idea of flow or, kind of, directing things.

So, tell us about this word as a verb.

So, as a verb 'channel' can mean to direct or to allow to flow.

Now, if we 'channel a spirit' of someone,

we kind of allow their spirit to flow through us.

I'm trying to think of a good example.

Neil, can you give me one, please?

Oh yeah, I've got a great example, Tom.

People may have noticed, behind me here,

this electric guitar hanging on the wall.

Now, when I... when I'm not sitting here presenting News Review,

sometimes I use this room as a kind of music room

and I try and 'channel' the spirit of Jimi Hendrix.

So, what I mean is I imagine Hendrix and his music and I imagine

what it would be like for it to flow through me, down my arms...

You let that energy kind of flow through you, right?

...into my fingers and I try almost to become him...

...really unsuccessfully, I must say!

So, next week on News Review,

Neil will 'channel' the spirit of Jimi Hendrix:

he will play guitar with his teeth...!

Fantastic idea. I think, Tom, it's time for a summary:

Talking about 'channeling spirits',

we have an expression with ghosts

in a programme we think you would like to watch.

What... where can our audience find it please, Tom?

They can find it by clicking the link.

OK. Let's have your next headline.

My next headline is from Entertainment Weekly,

another source from the USA – it says:

And that word is 'posthumously'.

'Posthumously' – after death.

Now, this is a funny word, isn't it?

Because it doesn't sound like it looks for a start.

At the beginning we have the word 'post'

and then we have what looks like 'humous',

but we don't say 'post-humous', we say 'posthumous'.

Yeah. It's got a funny pronunciation. The emphasis is on the first syllable

and it's – as you say – it's not 'post', it's 'post-'.

It's 'posthumous' and the 'h' is silent.

Yeah and don't... 'Posthumously'.

Don't be confused by that 'T-H' combination.

It's not a '-th-'. It's a 'posthumously'.

So, can you give us examples of other words

that start with that prefix 'post-' or 'post-'.

'Post-' or 'post-', yeah – you could have 'postgraduate'.

So, if you do a 'postgraduate degree', you do a degree after you graduated

from your first degree – it's a second one.

Also if you write 'PS' on a letter for extra information,

that means 'postscript'.

So, it comes after the text, or the script, that you've just finished.

Yeah. Now, going back to 'posthumously' and 'posthumous',

it's a pretty formal-sounding expression, isn't it?

But, at the same time, it is often used

because it's an efficient way of saying 'after someone died'.

Exactly, yeah. It's not only an efficient way of saying 'after somebody died'

or 'after this person's death', it's also quite respectful as well.

So, for example, another word that uses this same tone is 'late'.

If you refer to a 'late actor', you mean an actor, which is dead.

But this is a way that we can refer to it without being as direct

and by being more respectful.

Yeah and we also see this word not as an adverb but as an adjective.

So, for example, you might hear about a singer or a group –

no... well, a singer, who has a 'posthumous hit'.

A 'posthumous hit', yeah. Often, in the same context as award ceremonies,

we can use it for things that people sort of achieve after they die.

For example, very brave soldiers that die in a battle:

they might get a 'posthumous medal' –

so, a medal that's given to them after they die.

And it's also used in legal terms to refer to somebody being pardoned.

So, you might hear about a 'posthumous pardon':

it's decided that somebody didn't commit the crime

that they were punished for – unfortunately they have died

and then they have their name cleared afterwards.

Exactly. So, it can be an adverb, 'posthumously',

or it can be an adjective, 'posthumous', and mind that pronunciation.

OK. Let's get a summary.

OK. Tom, time now for a recap of the vocabulary please.

Today's vocabulary, Neil: we had 'red carpet' – a red-coloured carpet,

used for important guests and special occasions.

We have 'channelled' – carried the spirit of a person or idea.

And 'posthumously', which means after death.

If you want to test yourself on the vocabulary,

take a quiz on our website bbclearningenglish.com.

You can also find us all over social media.

Thanks for joining us and see you next time.

See you next time.

Goodbye. Bye bye.