Vocab - BBC Sketch Comedy - My Blackberry Is Not Working!


A. Pre-viewing
You are going to watch a short comedy clip in which a man complains to a fruit stall salesperson about a blackberry he has recently brought home from that stall. Complete the following two tasks before watching the video. This will help you understand the video better.

I. The items in the box are related to the content of the video you are about to watch. Drag their names to their corresponding pictures.




II. Match the following words with their definitions. Each word should be used twice. Consult a dictionary when necessary.

B. Vocabulary in Context
Click here to watch the video

Video ©BBC ONE
1.Man: “What’s the matter, it’s run out of juice?”
  tired of Incorrect
  used up Correct
  run after Incorrect
  
2.Man: “Would you get my Blackberry working?”
Salesperson: “Well, could be an application issue.”
  problem Correct
  publication Incorrect
  product Incorrect
  
3. Man: “It was on my desktop.”
Salesperson: “Well, you could use a mouse to drag the blackberry to the trash”
  force Incorrect
  push Incorrect
  pull Correct
  
4.Salesperson: “Well, you could use a mouse to drag the blackberry to the trash then after you’ve done that you might want to launch the blackberry from the desktop.”
  start or set in motion Correct
  introduce Incorrect
  celebrate (something new) Incorrect
  
5. Salesperson: “Well, we’re doing a special on these. I can’t make head or tail of them but the kids seem to like them: egg box... £360.”
  making a special dish out of the eggs Incorrect
  producing larger amounts of these products Incorrect
  selling these at a reduced price for a short period Correct
  
6. Salesperson: “Well, we’re doing a special on these. I can’t make head or tail of them but the kids seem to like them: egg box... £360.”
  provide them with what they have wanted Incorrect
  understand them Correct
  handle them Incorrect
C. Homonym

Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and the same pronunciation, but have different definitions depending on the context. A few homonyms are used in the comedy, for example, date (refers to both a fruit and a calendar day), frozen (past participle of the verb freeze, describes both a frozen fruit and an out-of-order phone), boot (refers to both kicking something and starting an application), etc.

The application of homonyms can cause confusion and misunderstandings if their meanings are not explicit enough. Learning and memorizing homonyms will therefore help you determine when to use them and how to make correct associations to their meanings.

Complete the following exercise to learn more about some common homonyms. Consult a dictionary whenever necessary.


1.Select the sentence in which the word ‘bank’ refers to ‘a pile or mass of earth, clouds, etc.’
  I need to go to the bank to deposit these checks Incorrect
  He sat down on the river bank and began to unpack his fishing gear Incorrect
  A dark bank of cloud loomed on the horizon. Correct
  
2.Select the sentence in which the word ‘ruler’ refers to ‘the leader of a country’.
  He drew a straight line on the blackboard with a ruler. Incorrect
  The place was without a ruler after the queen died. Correct
  If you really care about accuracy, you should of course validate the printout against a high-quality ruler. Incorrect
  
3. Select the sentence in which the word ‘trip’ refers to ‘a period of time when you experience a particular feeling strongly’
  We can't afford another trip abroad this year. Incorrect
  She broke her ankle when she had a nasty trip on the stairs. Incorrect
  She's been on a real power trip since she became the office manager. Correct
  
4.Select the sentence in which the word ‘light’ refers to ‘pale’
  Melissa has green eyes and light brown hair. Correct
  Have you got a light, please? Incorrect
  My suitcase is pretty light. I didn’t pack that much stuff. Incorrect
  
5. Select the sentence in which the word ‘wave’ refers to ‘a larger than usual number of events of a similar, often bad, type, happening within the same period’.
  He seems to think I can wave a magic wand and everything will be all right. Incorrect
  If she leaves her hair to dry on its own, it just waves naturally. Incorrect
  The country was swept by a wave of strikes. Correct
  
6. Select the sentence in which the word ‘bear’ refers to ‘accept and endure something unpleasant’
  It’s your decision so you must bear the responsibility if things go wrong. Correct
  Their children bear a strong likeness to their grandparents. Incorrect
  The chair collapsed because it is too fragile to bear the weight of heavy Mandy. Incorrect
  
7. Select the sentence in which the word ‘row’ refers to ‘loud noise’.
  We had seats in the front row of the theatre. Incorrect
  They’ve gone for a row to the island.            Incorrect
  I can’t concentrate because of the row the builders are making. Correct
  
D. Vocabulary Roundup
Complete the following sentences using the words in the box. Use the correct grammatical form of the words.

Script- BBC - My Blackberry Is Not Working!
Man: I bought something from you last week, and I’m very disappointed.
Salesperson: Oh yeah? What’s the problem?
Man: Yeah, well, my blackberry is not working.
Salesperson: What’s the matter, it’s run out of juice?
Man: No, no, it’s completely frozen!
Salesperson: [knocking on table] Oh, yeah, I can see that. I tell you what: let’s try it on orange.
Man: That’s got a few black spots, you see…
Salesperson: Oh, dear, yes. Sorry about that.
Man: Well, is there anything I can do to get my blackberry working?
Salesperson: Well, could be an application issue. Where’d you store that Blackberry?
Man: Well, it was on my desktop.
Salesperson: Well, you could try using a mouse to drag the blackberry to the trash. Then after you’ve done that, you might wanna launch the blackberry from the desktop.
Man: Well, I’ve already tried that a few times. I mean, all it did was mess-up windows.
Salesperson: [clears throat] Well, it might be worth waiting a couple of weeks. They’ve got the latest blackberries coming in then.
Man: Well, could you give me a date?
Salesperson: Certainly [pass the man a date].
Man: Let me put that date in my diary.
Salesperson: Anything else I can help you with?
Man: Yes, yes. I’ve also got a problem, to be honest, with my apple.
Salesperson: Oh, dear, oh, dear. That is an old apple, isn’t it?
Man: Yeah.
Salesperson: When’d you buy that?
Man: Last week.
Salesperson: Last week? They’ve brought out two new apples since then! What’s the problem with it?
Man: Well, I tried to put my dongle in it…and it won’t fit.
Salesperson: Oh, yeah. And how big’s your dongle?
Man: Well, I don’t know much about these things, but my wife’s seen a few dongles in her time…and she says a little bit on the small side.
Salesperson: Well, I’m afraid there’s not a lot I can do about that. Tell you what: let me try booting it. [glass shatters] Now it’s crashed. Anything else I can help you with?
Man: Well, funnily enough, yes. My grandson’s birthday’s soon.
Salesperson: Oh, yeah.
Man: Now, he’s already got an apple and a blackberry. I mean, have you got anything else that he might just like?
Salesperson: Well, we’re doing a special offer on these. I mean, I can’t make head or tail of them, but the kids seem to like them.
Man: Oh yeah?
Salesperson: “Eggs box,” £3.60.
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