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Views #555 | Intermediate 5

Families

Senem and Brett talk about their families.

Brett: Hi, Senum, how are you?

Senum: Good, thank you Brett. How are you?

Brett: Very good. So let's talk about family today.

Senum: Alrighty then.

Brett: So, how large is your family?

Senum:Well, actually, I'm an only child, but I have a very large extended family.

Brett:What ethnicity?

Senum: I'm actualy, my families Turkish.

Brett: Really!

Senum: Yeah. We're all like, my family immigrated from Turkey about 20 years ago so we all came down to Turkey, and I was born in Australia actually, and I have a lot of family in Turkey, as well as Australia now.

Brett: Do you still practice Turkish customs?

Senum: Of course.

Brett: Even though you're living in Australia.

Senum: Definitely. We always have Turkish meals, do Turkey, celebrate Turkish days,and.

Brett: Like what kind of Turkish days?

Senum: For example we have Children's Day, and we celebrate that, where the children actually go to the elderly, the elder members of their families, and they go visit them, and they actually receive some money.

Brett: Really.

Senum: It's quite interesting. Yeah.

Brett: Ah, what other holidays do you celebrate?

Senum: Um, also we celebrate, it's called Lolliday.

Brett: Lolliday.

Senum: Yeah, and we just, the whole name of it is, once again to go to the elderly and to see them and to tell them that we care about them still, and that we are still thinking of them, though we don't see them probably every other day.
How about you Brett? How many people are in your family?

Brett: I'm, I have one younger brother and just my mom and dad.

Senum: I see, and how about your extended family?

Brett: Extended family? I have a lot of extended family, on both sides. It's too many to count, really so.

Senum: So do you get together like on the weekends or anything like that?

Brett: Ah, recent, yeah sometimes. My uncle has a very nice place that has a pool and all my cousins go out there every weekend and have a lot, usually a barbeque.

Senum: Oh, sounds so cool. I pretty much do the same. We always try to organize some barbeques, some things like that, but, down by the beach, or at the parks, and we get together, a whole bunch of people, about 20 to 30 people, have lots of meat.

Brett: Lots of meat.

Senum: Yeah. We kids go running around everywhere.

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

only child

I'm an only child, but I have a very large extended family.

If you have no brothers or sisters, you are an 'only child.'  Notice the following:

  1. She was very difficult, because she was an only child.
  2. He was an only child for the first nine years of his life.

ethnicity

What ethnicity?

'Ethnicity' is a person's racial, national or cultural background.  Most commonly ethnicity is associated with race. Notice the following:

  1. He hates questions about his ethnicity.
  2. Her ethnicity was a very important part of her life.  Most of her friends were of the same ethnic background.

thinking of them

To tell them that we care about them still, and that we are still thinking of them.

If you have someone in your thoughts, you are 'thinking of them.'  We especially use this phrase when someone is sick,has had something bad happen in her life or is going through a difficult period in life. Notice the following:

  1. We were thinking of you on your graduation day.  Sorry we couldn't be at the ceremony.
  2. I'm thinking of you and hope you feel better soon.

on both sides

I have a lot of extended family, on both sides.

To have extended family 'on both sides' means in both your mother's family and your father's family.  Notice the following:

  1. My grandparents, on both sides, always have a birthday party for me.
  2. All of her relatives from both sides were at her wedding.

bunch

We get together, a whole bunch of people, about 20 to 30 people.

A 'bunch of people' is the same as 'a lot of people,' or many. Notice the following:

  1. There were a bunch of cookies on a plate on the table.
  2. I bought a bunch of new clothes at the shopping mall today.

Vocabulary Quiz

only child • ethnicity • thinking of
on both sides • bunch
  1. That of bananas weighs over 5kg .
  2. I am an , so I am used to the attention .
  3. With Coke and Pepsi, I can see value .
  4. That is such an unusual accent, I wonder what his is.
  5. What was that song I was earlier? I can't remember.
Answer these questions about the interview.

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