Learn English meaning of ‘portmanteaus’

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

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• portmanteau
• genius
• in your face
• came up with

• no clue
• boom
• frenemy
• emoticon

• got me

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Have you ever been glamping? Were you forced into a staycation during snowmageddon? Have you ever heard of a portmanteau? Genius words like glamping, staycation, and snowmageddon are all portmanteaus. A portmanteau is a new word created by combining two other words. So, glamping is from glamour and camping. Staycation is from stay and vacation. Snowmageddon is snow and armageddon.

Some portmanteaus are very obvious and in your face. For example, the media came up with the portmanteau Brangelina when they were talking about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Some portmanteaus have become so common that many people have no clue that they are portmanteaus, like electrocute (electric and execute) and motel (motor and hotel). Did you know that internet is a portmanteau of international and network? We bet you didn’t. Boom.

Andy has many frenemies. Frenemies are friends who sometimes act like enemies. Listen as Andy tells Dominique about his other favorite portmanteaus.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Andy_H

Dominique

Andy_H:  Oh, man, Dominique. I saw the coolest portmanteau the other day. It was this emoticon and uh…

Dominique:  Wait. What is that?

Andy_H:  Oh, portmanteau? OK, so portmanteaus are when you take two words and you just kind of plap them together. So, like, chill and relax.

Dominique:  Ah! I get it! I am always hangry. I thought I came up with that…

Andy_H:  Hey!

Dominique:  … because I’m hungry, and I’m angry because I need food. So, hangry. Oh, my gosh!

Andy_H:  You are always hangry.

Dominique:  That is what that’s called?

Andy_H:  Yeah. No, it’s…

Dominique:  Wow! I get it.

Andy_H:  There’s a ton of them. I know, right? One of my favorite ones is frenemies. Because I have, like, a thousand frenemies.

Dominique:  They smile in your face.

Andy_H:  I know, right?

Dominique:  Yeah.

Andy_H:  Just like an emoticon. Which is an emotion icon. Boom!

Dominique:  That’s what that…? That’s a good one! I had no clue.

Andy_H:  I know. You know what one really got me?

Dominique:  What?

Andy_H:  Microsoft.

Dominique:  OK. What about it?

Andy_H:  Microchip software.

Dominique:  What?!

Andy_H:  I know, right?

Dominique:  That’s crazy! Genius!

Andy_H:  I actually found that out after Brexit happened.

Dominique:  What’s that?

Andy_H:  Britain exiting the EU.

Dominique:  Oh, my gosh!

Andy_H:  I know, right?

Dominique:  I could go on for hours about this.

Andy_H:  I know! Like, uh…uh…uh…

Dominique:  Huh.

Andy_H:  Uh.

Dominique:  I can’t think of anymore.

Andy_H:  Yeah, me either. Um.

Dominique:  OK.

Andy_H:  Uh.

Dominique:  Yeah.

Andy_H:  You want to go get some food? Before you get too hangry.

Dominique:  Yeah, let’s do it.

Andy_H:  OK.

 

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