In the works
Today’s expression is “in the works.” At the very end of the main content, I said that recent statements by top US diplomats and by the Lima Group suggest that a deal with Cuba may be in the works. A deal with Cuba may be in process; they may be in the middle of making a deal. Cuba’s intelligence services are giving support to Maduro; without support from Cuba and Russia, Maduro would not have the power he has. That’s why, since the Guaidó uprisings have failed, the US, Europe, and Latin American countries that support a change are trying a new strategy. Instead of supporting a change from within, they are trying to negotiate a deal from the outside—from Cuba and Russia. So a deal with those two countries for a change in Venezuela may be in the works. They may be planning something.
Do you remember our episode about shared electric scooters? They are fun, but controversial. They are not allowed here in my home city, Chicago. But a plan to introduce new electric scooter rentals is in the works. Under the plan, scooters would be allowed, but only outside the downtown area and away from the lakefront. Thank God for small favors, as they say. Anyway, the plan to bring the scooters to Chicago has not yet been implemented, but it is in the works. It’s under development and we should see the scooters here soon.
Anyone a Formula One racing fan? If so, you might know the driver Michael Schumacher, who suffered a horrific skiing accident five years ago and has been in a coma since. A new documentary about his life is in the works. That was announced at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this week. The film is in post-production now, so they are still making it. That’s why we say it’s still in the works.
Didn’t we talk about another film that’s still in the works just a week or two ago? I think I mentioned there will be another Spider-Man movie coming out soon; that one is still in the works. Still in process.
JR and I have some things in the works for this program. I can’t tell you exactly what all of them are, but—well, I can tell you this one thing. We are going to be paying more attention to social media. I haven’t dedicated much time to our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts. It’s just one of those things I haven’t gotten to, but I know I should. So JR and I have a new plan in the works to publish more to social media. Don’t check Twitter now! I mean, you can. But the new plan is in the works, so it’s not final yet. But once we have a plan, then we’ll be posting a lot more on social media.
JR’s song of the week / Quote of the week
Today’s song is a great one! Nominated by Steffen in Germany, it’s “Englishman in New York” by Sting. And it’s all about the cultural differences between the English and those in New York. At the beginning, he starts off by saying he takes tea instead of coffee; later it talks more about how Englishmen are better-mannered than the Americans he encounters on Fifth Avenue in New York. I don’t doubt it either; he says “manners maketh a man” and the song concludes with the line, “Be yourself no matter what they say.” It’s about being yourself in a place where you might seem a little alien, where you might seem a little strange. As Steffen mentioned in his note to JR, this is probably a feeling a lot of people in this very international audience can relate to. Thanks Steffen; thanks JR. If you would like to nominate a song for next week, please send your ideas to [email protected]
Great to be with you once again. I was really under the weather for a few days last week—I hope I didn’t sound too bad in Monday’s episode. But I always love coming back here to my makeshift studio and recording new episodes—preferably when I’m not suffering from a cold. I’m going on vacation tomorrow! A full week-plus in Florida. Fun in the sun. So the next few episodes won’t be quite as timely as normal—they’ll be more general topics, since I have to write them in advance. But don’t worry—we will be with you every Monday and Thursday, as we have been this whole time.
If you’d like to get some more Plain English, you’re in luck. Our e-mail list has lots of great resources, including links to English articles, extra vocabulary words, and a special message from me on the weekends. It’s all free, and you can sign up at PlainEnglish.com/mail . Just go to that link, enter your details, and you’ll get those messages from me two or three times a week. Really easy, PlainEnglish.com/mail . Thanks again for being with us, and we’ll see you again on Monday.
Use realistic expressions like a native speaker
