Hottest March ever: BBC News Review

A record hot March.

Is this a new stage of climate change?

This is News Review from BBC Learning English,

where we help you understand news headlines in English.

I'm Beth. I'm Georgie.

Make sure you watch to the end to learn the vocabulary

you need to talk about this.

And remember to subscribe to our channel to learn more English

from the headlines. Now,

today's story. Last month was

the world's warmest March on record. The past ten months have all broken

heat records with above-average temperatures across the globe,

including in Antarctica and Africa.

It is becoming harder to make predictions about future temperatures,

although, because of climate change,

scientists say that hotter weather is now expected.

You've been looking at the headlines.

What's the vocabulary that people need to understand

this news story in English?

We have usher in, on borrowed time and caps.

This is News Review from BBC

Learning English.

  Let's have our first headline.

This one's from CNBC. An extraordinary run

of record heat could usher in a long, hot summer - 'and not in a good way'.

So, this headline says this run,

that's a continuous situation, a run of record heat could usher

in a long, hot summer.

We're looking at usher in and, Georgie,

this reminds me of the theatre.

Yes, an usher is someone who shows you where your seat is

in a theatre or cinema or a wedding,

for example. But that's a person,

a noun, but here

it's used as a verb.

It literally means

show someone where to go. Now 'usher in' is metaphorical.

There are no people involved.

And it means to mark the beginning of something new.

Now, with the headline, the previous months of heat

are metaphorically showing the next few months where to go

and what to do next. Again, break

heat records. That would mean we get a long, hot summer.

So, the heat is ushering in a long, hot summer.

It is showing the summer the way to go. Exactly.

And we're going to usher in our next word.

But first, let's look at that again.

Let's have a look at our next headline.

This is from Al Jazeera. On borrowed time: World

marks new global heat record in March.

So, we're looking at on borrowed time.

This is an idiom.

Can you break it down for us?

Well, can I borrow your script?

Yes. So I'm borrowing this.

I have it now, but I'll have to give it back later because it's not mine.

I'm only borrowing it.

I can't keep it. So here, you go. Thank you.

Now, if something is on borrowed time,

it means it's lasting longer than expected, but time will run out

eventually. Yes, the world is heating up and,

for many, it's still liveable, but it won't be if climate change continues

and the heat continues to rise.

So, we're on borrowed time because eventually humans won't be able to cope.

Now, we often also hear the expression living on borrowed time.

So, imagine a criminal -

they keep breaking the law, they're going to get caught

eventually. They are living on borrowed time. Yes,

they'll get caught and go to prison sooner

or later. OK. Let's look at that again.

Let's have our next headline.

This one's from Deutsche Wella. Record

hot March caps warmest twelve months on record – report.

So we are looking at the word caps and, Georgie,

what are you wearing?!

It's a cap, Beth. Is that not the word we're

talking about? Well, yes!

Your cap is at the top of your head.

It's at the top of your body.

It finishes off your outfit and that might help you to understand what

caps means in the headline.

Yes. 'March caps the warmest twelve months' means March is at the end of,

or finishes off, the warmest twelve months.

Just like how a real cap is at the top or end of your body.

Exactly. Now, the last twelve months have been the hottest ever

and March is the most recent month because it was just last month.

OK, let's look at that again.

We've had: usher in – show where to go,

on borrowed time –

lasting longer than expected and caps –

completes. Now, if you're interested in learning more about

the language of climate change, we have other programmes.

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Thanks for joining us.

Bye. Bye!