Tall stories
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A tall building – the Petronas towers in Kuala Lumpur. Photo by Storm Crypt/flickr
Today we discover the word “tall”, and we learn about “tall stories”.
I guess you know what “tall” means in your own language – if you don’t, stop listening now and look the word up in a dictionary.
Here are some examples of the way we use “tall”. We can talk about a “tall man”. A tall man might be 1.9 or even 2 meters high. The tallest man who ever lived was called Robert Wadlow. He was 2.72 meters tall. He died in 1940, at the age of only 22.
We can talk about a “tall tree”. How high is a tall tree? Perhaps 20 meters. Or we can talk about a tall building. There is a photo of a tall building, in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, on the website. It is over 450 meters high.
Sometimes, we use the word “high” instead of “tall”. We can talk about a “high mountain” for example, or about a “high wall”. Ladies sometimes wear shoes with high heels. And small children sit in high chairs to eat their food. However, you cannot always use “high” instead of “tall”. We never use “high” for people or animals, for example. Robert Wadlow was the tallest man in the world, not the highest man.
I started this podcast by saying that we would talk about “tall stories”. What is a “tall story”, and how many meters high is it? Well, we say that a story is a “tall story” if it is hard to believe it. A tall story is often quite detailed, and it may even be true, but there is something about it which makes you think that it is probably false. Have you ever received an e-mail like this. It is from someone you do not know. The writer says that he has $50 million in a bank account. He explains how he got the $50 million, and tells you about his family, and why he now needs to move the $50 million to another country. Unfortunately, the bank regulations in his country will not allow him to move the money. But he has heard that you are an honest and trustworthy person, and he asks that you should help him. If you could just send him the details of your bank account, he will use it to move his money, and he will let you have $5 million for helping him.
Do you believe that story? No. You do not believe it and you do not trust the writer. It is a “tall story”. If you send him details of your bank account, of course, you will not get $5 million. Instead, you will find that your own savings disappear.
Recently, a documentary film company decided to show that it was easy to get some newspapers to publish tall stories about celebrities. They made up some stories, and then gave them to the newspapers. What sort of stories? Well, do you know the singer Amy Winehouse? She has lots of hair which she wears piled up on the top of her head in a style which in English we call a beehive. The tall story about her was that her beehive had caught fire during a party at her house. Another singer, Sarah Harding of the group Girls Aloud, is – how shall I say this ? – not well-known as an intellectual. The story about her was that in secret she reads books about quantum physics and that she had bought her own telescope so that she can observe the stars and the planets.
Amy Winehouse and her beehive hair style.
At this point, dear listeners, I must say that I am disappointed that the company did not invent a story about the celebrity podcaster at Listen to English – something about a secret holiday on a Caribbean island with a 19 year old super-model, perhaps. I am sure it would have been much more interesting than the fire in Amy Winehouse’s hair.
What adjectives can we use to describe these tall stories. They are untrue, or false, of course; they are also fabricated, or invented, or made-up; and they are far-fetched, or outlandish, or difficult to believe.
Nonetheless, the newspapers published nearly all of the stories. None of them tried to check whether they were true. Sometimes the papers even added little details of their own. And then the stories were repeated in other newspapers and on blogs and internet sites. People will believe almost anything about celebrities. Celebrities are manufactured; they are invented by the media. Sometimes they hardly seem to be real people at all. People do not want the truth about celebrities; they want entertainment. So does it matter if the media publish tall stories about them?
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Comments (26)
This file has been downloaded 56688 times
19 May 2010
hi, good PODCASTS, BUT HOW CAN I TRASLATE PODCAST TO THE SPANISH?
7 December 2009
"""Student says:
Nov 9, 2009
Odio hacer esta tarea, mi maestro, Francisco Salinas, el amor de este tipo de Homeworks, jajajaja"""""
Well, that's the reason why you are still writing is Spanish, instead of English. Get involved, learn a bit from this site, this is a great tool.
30 November 2009
Hi Peter,
thank you for your podcasts – they are excellent! I teach English and use them very often in the lessons – always with great success ;)
Greetings from Prague!
Jitka
20 November 2009
Can you please send the documentary's name that you refer?
tks
13 November 2009
Hello Peter,
I think that the media are not a problem for celebrities, but the people, who read the newspapers with gossip and watch programmes about gossip from life of celebrities. The people support the media because they are interested in gossip.
Thanks for your podcasts
9 November 2009
Odio hacer esta tarea, mi maestro, Francisco Salinas, el amor de este tipo de Homeworks, jajajaja
31 October 2009
Hello Peter, Thanks for your interesting podcast. last year I went in the CN Tower, Toronto. 1465 ft, 147 storeys equivalent and I think it was the highest building in the world. Am I right? Thanks Joy29 October 2009
I like these podcasts, they are very useful.
I would like to ask what difference is between "tall story" and "cock-and-bull story"?
Thanks for your answer.
29 October 2009
Dear Peter,
I started learning English last year. I have listened to many of your podcasts that help me improve my English.
Thank you very much.
Best regards from Lithuania,
Simona
26 October 2009
Helen
Thank you for your comment. I don't think that there is any difference between a "tall building" and a "high building". Both are correct.
25 October 2009
Hi Peter,
As usual your podcasts are stimulating and usful for learning about English language. I wonder if you could explain the difference between a tall building
and a high building?
thanks
23 October 2009
Hi Peter
Your podcasts are always interesting.
Good luck
23 October 2009
Hi Peter
Your podcasts are always interesting.
Good luck
22 October 2009
Hi Peter:
Thanks for your interesting podcast.
As young students, we are interested in hottest news about celebrities. As for me, i like to know some info about the leaders of other countries that become popular all over the world! like their life and career. I keep them as my favourite idol. That's intereting, isn't it? and sometimes people make up stories about celebrities to get money. This is not good but in reality this is existing and influences profoundly our life.
22 October 2009
Dear Mr Peter
I am Mohamed from Egypt .
your podcast is very interesting to me but i have one problem in site storynory i need to know where i find the basic story to read and listening like this podcasts.
22 October 2009
Hi Peter!
Thank you very much!
22 October 2009
: )
22 October 2009
Hi, Peter!
Thank you very much.
Your podcast is as usual interesting and cognitive,
like an intertainment.
21 October 2009
Thank you! I like your podcast. It is very helpful for me.
21 October 2009
Hi Peter I am glad to hear you again. About tall stories Now a day there are a lot of it around the world, for instance in the web, you can be the winner number thousands, and they say you have to belive them and click in the button to check what you have already winned. I never believe that kind on tall stories. I don´t know if somebody can believe it, and so on. See you next. and Thank you for your podcast.
21 October 2009
Hello, Peter! It is nice podcast as always:-) Thank you!
And, please, don't disappear for a long time and make us disturbed!
21 October 2009
Hello Peter,
i like your podcats, with them I improve my english.
It's better for me
keep care
21 October 2009
Hi Peter and mates,
Week after week I have learnt a lot from your podcast. Actually, what I think is something like this: it is not just your podcast, it is ours once we have been part of it. Do you share with me the same idea? Am I wrong? Let me know…
About tall stories, we have had a lot actually. Indeed, when we hear some politicians and people like that saying the are worried with the citizens, I immediately say: It is a tall story. How about in your country? Is it the same? Do you trust your politicians?
P.S.: I would like to exchange info with people around the world. If you are interested in Language, Linguistic, Tandem Learning, Learning throughout technology, situated learning, etc, let exchange knowledge. My email is gboechat1@hotmail.com.
Warm regards,
20 October 2009
Hello Peter.
I have listened your podcast and I think all podcast yours is very good. I like a lot britain accent and I understend a lot it than american english accent. I am a brasilian student and I want to have an accent like yours.
Keep doing greats podcasts like it. I always am here to find new podcast and listened again others.
Good work.
Bruno Rodrigues Cardoso.
20 October 2009
Hi Peter,
Interesting podcast…
The media is really a problem for the celebrities. I don't look news about celebrities. I prefer to look for podcasts like their.
Good bey.
[]'s
P_Giovani
20 October 2009
Hi Peter,
Interesting podcast…
The media is really a problem for the celebrities. I don't look news about celebrities. I prefer to look for podcasts like their.
Good bey.
[]'s
P_Giovani