Three people after some hesitancy, stood up. He wanted to know if I was going to stand up and I told him I was not. And he told me he would have me arrested. I told him he may do that.
– Rosa Parks
Hi, everybody. My name is Shana and this is the American English Podcast. My goal here is to teach you the English spoken in the United States. Through common expressions, pronunciation tips and interesting cultural snippets or stories, I hope to keep this fun, useful, and interesting. Let’s do it!
*****
Hi, everyone. Hope you’re well. This is episode number 122. In that introduction, you heard Rosa Parks, who was a civil rights activist and has been named "The Mother of the Freedom Movement."
Most people know Rosa Parks as the woman who refused to give up her seat in a bus for a white passenger at a time when black and white Americans were segregated by law in the South.
Rosa’s act at the right place and the right time triggered a number of other events in the civil rights movement. She has a very intriguing story, and you’re going to hear that story of strength and courage in part two of this episode. It’s inspiring, and it’ll make you want to stand up and fight for what’s right. Be sure to stay tuned for that.
In part one, we’ll be going over the expression once in a blue moon. As usual, we’re going to begin with a joke. Are you ready?
What did the moon say to Saturn?
Any ideas?
Give me a ring sometime.
Ooh, that’s one cheesy joke.
Saturn is the sixth planet away from the sun. And in our solar system, it’s the second largest. You might have an image in your mind of Saturn, and if you’ve got the right planet, you’re thinking of the one with the very obvious rings around it. Nasa’s website told me there’s actually thousands of them.
The humor in this joke comes with the wordplay, as usual.
To give me a ring means call me. I could tell Lucas, I’ll give you a ring when we leave the house. In other words, I’ll call you.
Let’s hear the joke one more time.
What did the moon say to Saturn?
Give me a ring some time.
Let’s move on to the expression of the day. We’ll learn the individual words of once in a blue moon.
To access the full transcript and bonus material to practice English with this content, be sure to join Season 3 OR All Premium Content.
