Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.
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Feifei: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak,
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I’m Feifei.
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Neil: And I’m Neil! How are you today, Feifei?
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Feifei: Yes, I’m well thanks – is everything OK
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with you Neil? You seem very smug!
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Neil: I’m doing great! I’ve had a very busy,
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but very productive day – my most recent
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video has reached 100,000 views, my new
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project has been commissioned by a top
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TV company, I’ve recorded and edited
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three videos, written two scripts and now
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I’m here in the studio recording with you.
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Feifei: Wow! You are on fire today, Neil!
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Neil: What? Fire! Where? Put it out!
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Where’s the extinguisher? Evacuate the
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building!
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Feifei: Woah! Just calm down there.
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There isn’t an actual fire. It’s just an
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expression!
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Neil: Phew! Thank goodness! I thought
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you were saying I was burning!
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Feifei: Really, Neil! Just take a breath and
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think before acting! When someone has
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had a string of successes, we can say
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they are ‘on fire’.
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Neil: Ahhh, I get it. Shall we give some examples?
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I can’t believe my team have won ten
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games in a row – they’re on fire.
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My friend is taking two extra classes and
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I thought she’d be exhausted by now –
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but she’s on fire! She’s getting really good
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grades in every subject.
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The actor was on fire in the early 2000s,
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but his recent performances haven’t been
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to the same standard.
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Feifei: This is The English We Speak from
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BBC Learning English and we’re talking
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about the phrase ‘on fire’. Though this can
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mean that something is burning, a more
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informal use is to say that someone is
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experiencing a series of successes,
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one after another.
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Neil: That’s right, Feifei, so for example,
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I’ve been on fire this month – I exceeded
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all my targets at work and earned a bonus
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for my success!
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Feifei: That’s great, Neil – congratulations!
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Your work is on fire!
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Neil: Hmmm, not quite, Feifei! That would
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mean my scripts are burning! You can
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only use this expression to describe the
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person or people who are experiencing
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success.
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Feifei: Ah OK – so we can say a footballer
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is on fire if he has scored lots of goals,
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but we can’t say his football is on fire.
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Neil: That’s 100% right, Feifei! It seems
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we’re both on fire today!
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Feifei: I couldn’t agree more, Neil! Join us
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again for more The English We Speak. Bye!
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Neil: Goodbye!
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