Tonga: Volcano and tsunami hit: BBC News Review

There are reports of major damage in the Pacific island of Tonga,

after a huge volcanic eruption and widespread tsunami.

This is BBC News Review from BBC Learning English.

I'm Rob and joining me to talk about this story is Roy.

Hello Roy.

Hello Rob and hello everybody.

If you would like to test yourself on the vocabulary around this story,

all you need to do is head to our website

bbclearningenglish.com to take a quiz.

But now, let's hear more about this story from this BBC News report:

So, a massive volcanic eruption and tsunami hit Tonga,

an island nation in the Pacific Ocean.

At the moment, due to this event,

it has been difficult to get news from Tonga.

New Zealand has sent a plane to look at the level of damage,

and aid agencies and charities are planning to try and help,

for fear that a number of people are without shelter and water.

And we have three words and expressions from the news headlines

to help us talk about this story.

What are they please, Roy?

Yes, we do. We have 'cut off', 'step up' and 'go dark'.

That's 'cut off', 'step up' and 'go dark'.

OK. Could we have a look at the first news headline please, Roy?

OK. So, our first news headline is from the Independent and it reads:

That's 'cut off' — isolated; unable to be contacted.

Yes. So, 'cut off' is usually seen as a phrasal verb, which is separable.

First word: 'cut' — C-U-T. Second word: 'off' — O-F-F.

And, as I said, it's separable so you can 'cut somebody or something off'

or you can 'cut off' something or somebody.

And it means to... to be out of contact or to stop contact.

OK. Now, I'm familiar with those two words.

We know what a 'cut' is.

That's something you can do with...

with scissors: like 'cut' your hair.

And 'off', of course, is the opposite of 'on'.

So, it's — to stop something you turn it 'off'.

Yeah. So, for example, 'cut' is about severing a communication

or severing contact, if you like.

And in the sense of 'cut off', what it means in the headline

is that all communications have been stopped for a period of time.

Now, we also use 'cut off' when we're talking about utilities,

like electricity or water;

they get 'cut off' sometimes, don't they?

Yes, they do. If you don't pay a bill for your internet,

the provider may decide to 'cut you off': to stop your supply.

Getting back to the, kind of, natural environment,

we can use the expression 'cut off' when,

maybe, a village gets 'cut off' because the road is blocked with snow;

or if there's a storm, an island might get 'cut off' —

there's no way of getting the ships in because the sea is rough.

That's when we can say somewhere is 'cut off'. Is that right?

Yeah. I mean, in that sense, it's more about, sort of, a lack of access,

or again it's that idea of communication — being able to contact somebody —

but a village, in that sense, 'cut off' by the snow

means that there is no way to get to the village or for people to leave.

It's 'cut off', isolated, from the outside world.

Now, there is also a very...

another interesting way to use 'cut off'.

It's when somebody is speaking

and they're trying to say something like, for example, tell a story

and the other person stops them from speaking —

Oh yeah! Can I just 'cut you off' there please, Roy?

Well, you did, didn't you?

I don't want to hear one of your stories again, OK?

But it's about my dog!

I'm going to 'cut you off' there.

Great example! So, you stopped me from speaking.

You ended my communication again, if you like.

Yeah, I'm going to 'cut you off' again

and let's have a summary of that expression:

Very good.

We've talked quite a bit about coronavirus here on News Review.

Now, one of the strains that developed last year

meant that the UK was 'cut off' —

there's that expression again: 'cut off' —

because we weren't allowed to travel.

So, how can we watch that video again please, Roy?

All you need to do is click the link in the description below.

Just down below. Thank you.

Right, it's time now to look at our next news headline please.

OK. So, the next news headline comes from the Taiwan News and it reads:

So, that's 'step up' — increase intensity of something.

OK. So, it's another phrasal verb: 'step up'.

First word: 'step' — S-T-E-P. Second word: 'up'.

And it means to increase the intensity of something:

for example, 'step up' efforts.

Quite commonly we say: 'Step up my effort.'

Or: 'Step up our efforts.'

OK. And also another example, I guess,

  when a situation becomes dangerous,

we might 'step up' the security.

Yeah, that's correct.

So, for example, maybe there's a bomb threat

and people are worried,

so they decide to increase the number of security guards:

they 'step up' security.

OK. Now, my boss said the other day that I should 'step up' and take control.

I mean, what does he mean by that?

Well, this is another meaning of the word 'step up'

and it basically means to assume responsibility or to...

to take responsibility.

So, for example, he was telling you to take responsibility for the situation.

OK. Message understood.

And finally, you can have 'a step-up' or 'a big step-up' in your career as well.

Yeah, great example.

So, for example, maybe you're a worker —

just a, sort of, middle, mid-level worker,

middle management — I don't know.

And suddenly you get promoted several levels

to become the CEO of the company.

It's 'a big step-up' in your career.

The step up in that sense is hyphenated and it's a noun,

so the hyphen comes: 'step-up'.

Great. Thanks for that explanation of 'step up'.

Let's have a summary:

We've made a programme about the active and passive voice.

So, Roy, tell us how we can watch it.

Well, all you need to do is click the link in the description below.

Just down below. Great.

Let's have a look now at your next news headline please.

Yes. OK. So, our next headline comes from 9News Australia and it reads:

That's 'go dark' — stop communications, especially for a long period of time.

Yes. So, this is a two-word expression.

First word: 'go' — G-O. Second word: 'dark' — D-A-R-K.

And it means to be out of communications or to stop communication.

OK. And I've heard this expression used quite a bit in spy movies

when, you know, spies 'go dark'.

Yeah. Great example.

So, for example, maybe a spy or a secret agent is on a secret mission

and we say that they are undercover,

where they are on this secret mission pretending to be somebody different,

and then suddenly they are worried

that somebody has discovered that they are a spy,

so they decide to 'go dark',

which means they stop communications.

Effectively they... they disappear.

Yeah, just to clarify, they're not 'going dark' by turning the lights off.

No, no. An interesting expression there

is when we talk about their secret identity being discovered,

we say they have a cover identity and then we say:

'Their cover has been blown.'

To blow somebody's cover, which means to reveal them,

and that is the reason that they disappear.

They stop communicating.

They 'go dark'.

But we're not talking about spies here, are we?

We're getting back to this news story here.

No, we're not. So, for example,

in the case of the headline when we're talking about Tonga 'going dark',

it basically means, because of this situation,

their communications have gone down.

It means that they're no longer able to communicate.

Now, another way that we maybe use 'go dark' is,

for example, a celebrity on social media.

If they stop using social media for a while,

we could say that the celebrity has 'gone dark'.

Or in terms of a company, if they cease or stop activities,

or again communication,

we may say that that company has 'gone dark',

but it's... it's more commonly used to talk about general communication.

Great. Yeah, and of course, at the end the day,

when the sun sets, it 'goes dark', doesn't it?

It does. No more daylight — the end of the day.

Suddenly the world 'goes dark'.

OK. Let's have a summary of that expression:

It's time now to have a recap of the expressions we've talked about today.

Could you tell us what they are please, Roy?

Yes. We had 'cut off' — isolated; unable to be contacted.

We had 'step up' — increase intensity of something.

And we had 'go dark' — stop communications,

especially for a long time.

And don't forget — you can test yourself on this vocabulary

by going to our website, where there's a quiz,

and of course our website is the place to go to

for lots of Learning English resources.

The address is: bbclearningenglish.com.

And don't forget — you can check us out on social media as well.

Well, that's all for today's News Review.

Thank you for watching and see you next time.

Bye bye.

Bye!