This lesson suits advance learners. After listening, test your knowledge with our quiz.
Learning notes
Different phrases to use when talking about taking on a DIY project:
- How about we build something from a kit?
- I'm not the handiest bloke around.
- We'll tackle it one step at a time and follow the instructions.
- You've definitely been bitten by the DIY bug.
- If we mess it up, we'll just take another shot at it.
- All I'm asking from you is a bit of elbow grease.
Useful structures:
How about we + verb is a useful way of suggesting to someone that you do something together.
If you agree to a suggestion but are not certain that you will be successful, but would like to try to do it anyway, you can say ‘Let's give it a crack’ or ’let’s give it a shot’.
Colloquial expressions:
The abbreviation DIY stands for Do It Yourself. So, if you are doing a DIY project, you are taking on tasks on your own, without professional help, to make or fix something.
A can-do attitude is an attitude that is positive and confident about taking on tasks, challenges, or problems.
The handiest bloke around is a man who is very skilled at fixing things with his hands, doing repairs or DIY projects.
If you are doing something one step at a time, it means you're doing it gradually and in stages, rather than all at once.
If you’ve been bitten by a DIY bug, you've become very enthusiastic about DIY activities.
Vocabulary:
A kit is a package that you buy that contains all the pieces that you need to build something.
Bloke is a casual word for man or guy used in some English-speaking countries, like Australia and the UK.
To tackle something means to start dealing with it.
To mess something up means to make a mistake when doing something.
To put in some elbow grease means to use your own hard work to get something done.
Handy is skilled at working with your hands on a practical job. A handy man is a man who is good at small building jobs and fixing things.
Transcript:
(Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript)
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia.
Hi, Josipa here. I couldn't wait to record this episode because I wanted to share how proud I am of myself.
Over the weekend, I painted my bedroom and instead of getting someone else to do it, I did it all by myself. And, you know, although my walls aren’t perfect, this DIY project saved me a lot of money, and I feel so proud every time I look at my new walls.
By the way, are you familiar with the abbreviation DIY? It stands for Do It Yourself.
So, if you are doing a DIY project, you are taking on tasks on your own, without professional help, to make or fix something.
I know that Claire shares my excitement, because she has decided to build a birdhouse for parrots!
Australia is home to many species of parrots like the Eastern Rosella or Rainbow Lorikeet. Some of them look like a flying rainbow! Have you seen one of them yet? I hope so, they are really lovely.
But before you start looking around for parrots, let’s check how Claire and Allan are talking about Claire's DIY project.
Claire
How about we build a birdhouse from this kit I’ve just bought, eh? What do you reckon?
Allan
Claire, I'm not the handiest bloke around.
Claire
Come on, we'll tackle it one step at a time, and follow the instructions.
Allan
You've definitely been bitten by the DIY bug!
Claire
Don’t worry, I’ll do the thinking. All I'm asking from you is a bit of elbow grease. And if we mess it up, we'll just have another shot at it next week.
Allan
Alright, let's give it a crack. But I’m telling you, I wish I had your can-do attitude!
Building a birdhouse isn't easy, so let's hope Allan and Claire can do it. In the meantime, we also have some work to do. Claire first said,
How about we build a birdhouse from this kit I’ve just bought, eh?
Claire is suggesting that they build a bird house using the pieces provided in the kit she has bought. If you buy a kit of something, it has all the pieces that you need to build that thing, together with instructions.
Fool proof, right! If something is fool proof, even a fool can do it!
Let’s continue, Allan said,
I'm not the handiest bloke around.
Bloke is a casual word for a man used in some English-speaking countries, like Australia and the UK.
Allan is not the handiest bloke around. That means that he's not much of a handyman, he’s not very skilled at fixing things with his hands or DIY projects.
Cheer up, Allan. Sounds like Claire is not taking 'no' for an answer.
We'll tackle it one step at a time.
To tackle a task or problem means to start dealing with it, and if you are tackling something one step at a time, it means you're doing it gradually and in stages, rather than all at once.
So, when someone says, 'Let’s tackle it one step at a time and follow the instructions,' they are suggesting that we focus on each step as it comes along, making sure to do it right by following the directions provided with the kit they are building.
A kit is a package that you buy that contains all the pieces that you need to build something.
You've definitely been bitten by the DIY bug.
When someone says, 'You've definitely been bitten by the DIY bug,' they're not talking about a real bug, so you don't need any bug spray, and nobody has actually been bitten!
This phrase is a playful way to say that someone seems to be really keen on in doing projects by yourself.
So, if you’ve been bitten by a DIY bug, you've become very enthusiastic about DIY projects.
Personally, I'm not usually fond of bugs. But a DIY bug? That's an exception I'm happy to make – it's one 'bug' I wouldn't mind catching at all!
You can catch a ‘bug’ for many things. Let’s say, you are someone who goes to gym every day, you could say: I’ve got the fitness bug.’
All I'm asking from you is a bit of elbow grease.
'Elbow grease' means using your own effort and hard work to get something done. so, for example, if you do something by yourself without using a machine and put in a lot of effort into it, we can say that you have used a lot of elbow grease.
It's an old and funny way to say that sometimes, you just need to work hard with your hands.
Do you remember if, by the end of our dialogue, Claire managed to convince Allan to join her in making her birdhouse?
Let's see what he said.
Alright, let's give it a crack.
‘Let's give it a crack’ means ‘Let's try it’ or ‘Let's give it a shot.’
It's a way of saying that you want to try to do something, even if it's challenging. Allan also said,
I wish I had your can-do attitude!
If you have a 'can-do' attitude, you are positive and confident about taking on tasks, challenges, or problems.
Allan wishes he had Claire's can-do attitude. So, he's saying he wishes he was as positive and willing to try new things as Claire is.
A big thank you to our educational consultant, Professor Lynda Yates, and our guest Joe Antonios from .
Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire.
