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| Fergie |
Fergie the duchess of pop! American singersong-writer, fashion designer, TV host and actress. Very well known for her work with the hip-hop group ‘The Black Eyed Peas’. Let’s check out what she does on her day off.
Interview
Question: What do you usually do when you aren’t working?
Fergie: At home…I'll lie out by the pool, and Josh (Josh Duhamel-Fergie’s husband) hits golf balls to Zoe (Fergie’s dachshund) as we listen to music. In the evening, we'll order Indian or Chinese, turn on the fire pit, and talk about old times. We're pretty chill.
Fergie’s Speaking Style
Fergie answers the question with a lot of detail so the listener can imagine her usual day off from work in the daytime and evening. She paints a nice, relaxing but fun picture of her home life: by the poolside listening to music while her husband plays with the dog. The evening ‘picture’ finishes with take out food, sitting by a fire, talking about old times. It is very inviting for the listener. Fergie has given us a glimpse of her personal life in a rich storybook fashion.
With regard to grammar usage, Fergie starts by explaining a usual day with the simple future tense ‘will’ to predict or make an assumption about her next days off. It isn’t 100% but this is how she usually spends her leisure time. The verbs after follow simple present tense for a habitual/common feeling.
Fergie: “At home…I'll (=will) lie out by the pool, and Josh (Josh Duhamel-Fergie’s husband) hits golf balls to Zoe (Fergie’s dachshund) as we listen to music.”
Once again, Fergie follows the same pattern for describing her evening.
Fergie: “In the evening, we'll order Indian or Chinese, turn on the fire pit, and talk about old times.”
Then she sums up her feelings about the picture she has painted for the listener with the casual expression: “We're pretty chill.”
Casual, Common Speaking Expression
to chill = to relax, hang out, take it easy; not doing much
Feeling of the Language
As a listener, I would like to spend time with Fergie, her husband, and her dog by the poolside. Moreover, an evening of food, fire pit, and people reminiscing can be quite cozy. Her talking style is inviting and rich in imagery. You could almost say ‘idyllic’. It is also pronounced because she uses a future tense to begin the morning and evening imagery. Fergie’s English speaking style is high class. Quite often, people respond to this question using one or two sentences:
Example of common 1~2 sentence answer style
“Well, I usually ________. And then, I often _________. (That is how I spend my time off from work).
This pattern is also great/useful but not quite up to the level of Fergie “The Dutchess of Pop”!
Casual Conversation Practice
Question: What do you usually do when you aren’t working?
Answer: At home…I'll lie out by the pool, and Josh hits golf balls to Zoe as we listen to music. In the evening, we'll order Indian or Chinese, turn on the fire pit, and talk about old times. We're pretty chill.
Ex. 1
Question: What do you usually do when you aren’t working?
Answer: At home…I'll read in the backyard, and my husband weeds the garden as we listen to music. In the evening, we'll make dinner together. We're pretty chill.
Ex. 2
(Simpler style)
Question: What do you usually do when you aren’t studying at school?
Answer: At home…I'll play video games with my best friend and we watch our favorite TV shows.
Have a good one! And Enjoy some of Fergie’s Biggest hits!
Alex
Celebrity English
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