Summary
The coronavirus pandemic has been an event which has arguably changed the course of history. There have been many new words and terms that have popped up during this time, or even older words that have become more common. Feifei and Roy talk about 'frontliners' in The English We Speak.
Transcript
Feifei
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I’m Feifei.
Roy
And I'm Roy! My legs are really aching. I've been standing all day!
Feifei
Well, there's an easy fix for that, Roy. Sit down!
Roy
No, sorry – I can't. I want to be at the front of the queue when we go to watch Rob's Biscuit Band tonight.
Feifei
Firstly, I'm not going with you. Secondly, I think you've mixed up front of the queue with ‘frontliner’ – which is the word we're talking about in this programme.
Roy
Ahhh – right. A frontliner is a person who works in an advanced position. It's been mentioned quite a lot recently due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Feifei
Yes. Doctors and nurses who have direct contact with patients are sometimes referred to as frontliners.
Roy
Yes, because they work on the frontline. Right, now I'm going to sit down - seeing as we're not queuing to be at the front of the line.
Feifei
Yes, you should. Let's listen to these examples.
Examples
Ahmed is a frontliner and works in the hospital as a doctor helping patients recover from diseases.
Wellington's mother is a frontliner and attends many accidents as a first responder.
Roberta always wanted to be a teacher growing up, and now she works in a school as a frontliner
Feifei
This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English and we’re talking about the word 'frontliner'. This is a term that refers to people who work in an advanced position during a pandemic, such as doctors and nurses.
Roy
They do amazing jobs. Sometimes they get referred to as a 'frontline doctors and nurses' or 'frontline workers'. Many people see them as heroes.
Feifei
Yes, these frontliners have been risking their lives to save people from the virus recently.
Roy
In the UK, a lot of people took part every week in something called 'Clap for Carers'. It's now become an annual event where people go outside and clap to celebrate the difficult and brave work of frontliners.
Feifei
And to all the people who listen to The English We Speak who are frontliners – a round of applause.
Feifei
Bye!
Roy
Bye!