018_ Bad_News

018_ Bad_News

What kind of responses should you make when someone is telling you some bad news. Kevin talks with Nichibei student Do Yong and instructor Arthur Stanley about some appropriate phrases and vocabulary.

Kevin:

Hello and welcome to another episode of Nichibei Kaiwa Gakuin Podcasting. A great place to review English words and phrases. My name is Kevin Jones. This episode we are talking with Nichibei Student Do Young.

Do Young:

Hello Kevin.

Kevin:

And Nichibei Instructor Arthur Stanley . Hello Arthur.

Arthur Stanley:

Hello Kevin.

Kevin:

Do Young, you said you had a tricky English situation recently. Could you explain exactly what it was?

Do Young:

Sure, I got a call from an American friend of mine from university.

Kevin:

What’s his name?

Do Young:

His name is Dennis and he lives in New Jersey. Anyway, he called me with some bad news.

Kevin:

Nothing too serious I hope.

Do Young:

Well, he lost his job and the next day he was in a car accident.

Kevin:

Was he OK?

Do Young:

Yeah, he was alright, but he was feeling pretty bad.

Arthur Stanley:

I can imagine.

Do Young:

So he was telling me about what happened to him and I’m afraid I didn’t know how to respond.

Kevin:

What do you mean exactly?

Do Young:

Well, as he was telling me the story I guess I didn’t say anything other than “oh” and “I see”. I think he felt a little angry about my lack of response. So I’d like to know what some appropriate responses are when someone is telling you some bad news.

Kevin:

OK. Arthur, what’s your opinion on this kind of situation.

Arthur Stanley:

Well, first of all I can understand your friend’s feelings. It sounds like he had a pretty bad day and he was probably looking for someone to commiserate with.

Kevin:

Perhaps you should explain commiserate with.

Arthur Stanley:

To commiserate with someone means to feel sorry for someone, to feel sympathy for them and to try to comfort them.

Kevin:

Thanks. Now, how should Do Young have responded when he was listening to his friends bad news?

Arthur Stanley:

When someone is talking about bad news to a friend, they will pause at then end of sentence and wait for the other person to respond. This response should show that the person listening understands and is sympathetic with the speakers situation. An example of some of these short responses would be “Oh No”, and “Really?!” or “that’s terrible!”. There are also phrases with which you try to guess how the person felt, such as “you must have been upset” or “you must have felt terrible” or “you must have been angry”.

Do Young:

Are these phrases good for all bad news situations?

Arthur Stanley:

No. I should point out that when someone has died, or I should say “passed away”, you should use some very specific and more formal phrases.

Do Young:

Like what?

Arthur Stanley:

Such as, “I’m sorry”, or “I’m sorry for your loss” or “my condolences”

Do Young:

“My condolences?”

Arthur Stanley:

Yes, that’s right. This phrase is usually only used when someone has died. If you are writing a letter a very formal sentence would be “I offer my sincere condolences on the loss of your grandfather”. If you were talking with a friend, you should just say “I’m so sorry for your loss”.

Kevin:

OK Do Young, there are some suggestions for responding to bad news. Let’s give it a try with Arthur.

Do Young:

OK.

Arthur Stanley:

Alright.

Arthur Stanley:

Oh! I’ve had such a bad day.

Do Young:

Really? what happened?

Arthur Stanley:

Well, when I went outside this morning to drive to work, my car was gone. It had been stolen!

Do Young:

Oh no!

Arthur Stanley:

Yeah. It took me two hours to finish talking to the police and my insurance company.

Do Young:

Really?.

Arthur Stanley:

Yeah. And on top of that, I had a big business presentation today and my computer and all my notes for the presentation were in the car!

Do Young:

Oh no! That’s terrible!

Kevin:

OK Do Young, that sounded very good

Arthur Stanley:

Great job, I think you’ve got it!

Do Young:

Thank you so much for your help.

Arthur Stanley:

Happy I could help.

Kevin:

Now let’s review the target vocabulary and phrases for this episode. Commiserate, Oh no, really?, That’s terrible. You must have been upset, You must have felt terrible, You must have been angry. And also the phrases, Passed away for someone who has died and the very special word condolences. My condolences.

END