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Swearing
Swearing

Learn English with this swearing English lesson

Date: Dec 31 2019

Themes: Family

Grammar: Past Progressive Tense

Intro

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Swearing can be one hard habit to break. In some families, it’s common and OK. Saying a bad word might happen every day. But in others, it’s totally taboo. Using language that’s considered rude can result in serious punishment, like getting one’s mouth washed out with soap.

And what about swearing around children? Should you try not to have a potty mouth around kids, or are they going to learn it at school anyway? Most parents at least try to follow etiquette when young people are present. Some people find that just being around children causes them to stop cussing, but others really have to concentrate.

Find out how Marni feels about using bad language around her child and Lily’s ideas about one way the problem can be handled.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Marni

Lily

Lily

Marni:  I was just walking down the street. And there was this woman just letting out the f-bombs. Just letting them fly. She just had the worst potty mouth! You know, now that I’m a parent, I am really trying not to swear around my child. It is just bad news. I feel like it’s totally not OK. There needs to be more etiquette around swearing.

Lily:  It’s odd to me that it’s kind of taboo in our culture to curse around kids. I heard swear words at my elementary school among the kids. It was just part of the slang. It was actually kind of exciting when someone said a bad word. You know what I mean?

Marni:  Oh my goodness, but you would get them in trouble. That’s what happened to me. Whenever I said a bad word, I would just be so afraid that my mom would wash my mouth out with soap, because that was the punishment I would get if I ever said a bad word. And I think we just need to have some more decorum, be better spoken. Bad words should not be socially accepted.

Lily:  Let’s concentrate on vocabulary instead of slang. How about that? Instead of outlawing swear words, try augmenting your vocabulary.

Marni:  All right, I will work on that, and I will also make my goal of not swearing.

Lily:  Right on.

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Marni was shocked to hear a woman swearing loudly in public. Now that she’s a mom, Marni’s trying to stop swearing around her child. She thinks that using bad language is not OK, and she wishes more people would stop.

Lily’s surprised that swearing is such a big deal. She heard bad words all the time when she was growing up… in fact, it was kind of exciting when a friend was brave enough to use one. It doesn’t sound like Lily’s into the idea of outlawing swearing, but she is in favor of everyone learning more vocabulary. To Lily, if we knew more words to express ourselves, we might swear a lot less.

Do you agree? Would people swear less if they knew more vocabulary? Or is Marni right, and we should just concentrate on using more polite language?

 

Comments

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ola3

ola3Super Member!

Ukraine

Well, it’s a custom to swear, especially in a male circle. It’s one of the thing that makes them recognizalbe among the peers, make them cooler in their own views. it’s easy to swear, no sweat almost – a couple of rude words and looks like you’re a ‘tough’ guy. Much more difficult to control yourself and be a little bit different then the others. When I hear somebody’s swear, i just put my deaf ear and don’t participate. But, honestly, how the youth can avoid this bad mouth culture, when it’s in the movies, songs… 

02:29 PM Feb 14 2018 |

GWTA

GWTASuper Member!

Germany

I try to avoid swearing but sometimes I can´t. sorry  

01:47 PM Feb 14 2018 |

jef_maiko

jef_maiko

Brazil

I think people should take care about what the say, mainly when they bad words. Our lives do not improve with it. The people are not obliget on listen to bad words. I try and police myself when I get angry…

04:06 PM Mar 31 2014 |

kamila111

kamila111

Azerbaijan

I think we should pay attention to our words in every situation.Vocabulary is not so important.We use it actually when we are angry.

07:04 PM Mar 22 2014 |

leilahavaneh

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i agree but as long as both sides should have learned to speak politely.children are able to learn everything quickly and school is where they learn alot  so it’s better have a suppervission on them and start learning from young ages .

02:06 PM Sep 23 2013 |

fcf515

fcf515

Taiwan

Swearing could become a habit. Some people can’t help but swear. If they don’t, they don’t feel right. Personally, I don’t like saying and hearing bad words. I agree with Marni that we need to have some more decorum, be better spoken. Bad words should not be socially accepted.

06:19 AM Sep 21 2013 |

Drmahsa1995

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i think marni is right ….we sould be careful a bout what we are going to say and  also ;how we r going to treat with others ..we shoulds try to use nice words cuz that showes our personality

07:02 PM Sep 19 2013 |

Nijar

Nijar

Egypt


  • I bet if any religion or belief supports swearing, we know that well, so why you  do?

  • I bet if anyone loves to be sworn ,it hurts, so why you don’t care ?

  • We talk about civilization day and night, so why some act mean?

  • Some think such a word is okay it’s popular-wait- please check?

  • Other say etiquette is rules, who see that frankly don’t know!!

  • It’s hard for some turn off anger, really?! So why others able to?

  • I’ll try not in front of kids, ‘kids only’, seriously?! Are you kidding me?!

  • Cheap language mustn’t be in your dictionary ,so when you will nip it all?!


09:18 PM Sep 18 2013 |

mitya09

Russian Federation

As for me, we should communicate with very different people if we want to have some positive result. And when the dialog takes place using same language or slang we can get success more quickly.


Why I need to think about bad words and concentrate my mind in using sweares if we learn words only with one goal: understanding information?

06:57 PM Sep 18 2013 |

Ya Nina

Kazakhstan

I suppose that swearing is a very bad habit. Certainly, adults use the such words in their language by different reasons. I mean there are “light swear” and “rude hard swear”. There are such cases when we need using the swear words for the expression. In such cases, if we use simple words, we can’t show our intelocutor all force of our emotion, nervousness etc. it can sound ridiculous, but it is so. The second reason when we use the such words at youth, we want to show that we are adults, tough and cool. It sounds very upset but it is true. When we were young, most of us thought that swearing is cool.
On the other hand, I agreed with Marni and assure that all people need to control themselves using such words. In such topics, concern about our children is a good big argument. Besides, let’s not to forget that we are that we eat, do and eat. So, we have to try so that we wasn’t surround the bad words and bad thoughts.

04:16 PM Sep 18 2013 |

jef_maiko

jef_maiko

Brazil

I think it is a matter of raising and environment in which someone is being exposed. And it depends on mainly of ourselves to say more polite languages or not.

04:02 PM Sep 18 2013 |

timchang

Germany

Swearing is a guage of respect for yourself and others. 


Some people may not think swearing is such a big deal until their kids start calling them bith, ho, cmsucker, and many other choice words I’ve heard or can creatively and easily come up with. 


I agree with Marni, expanding one’s vocabulary is not the answer.  Using polite language shows restraint.  And people lacking restraint usually get themselves in trouble.     

03:49 PM Sep 18 2013 |

aspire1

Germany

Concentrate on using polite language because swear words can hurt people you don´t want to hurt. If you are used to distasteful language you´re definitely going to find yourself guilty in a dispute. Just because you´re losing your temper doesn´t mean that you need to lose your respect for others. Besides, curse words just add fuel to the fire. If someone starts addressing you with foul words, remain in respectful language, that´s inclined to settle a fight.

02:59 PM Sep 18 2013 |

rastak

rastak

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

thanks it was good.

02:13 PM Sep 18 2013 |

Jasonlongo

Jasonlongo

Congo, Democratic Republic Of The

Even though in my country swearings are more fluent, so that kids, mothers and fathers are used to saying bad words all the time when they are angry. But me I’m not kind of that, it’s a taboo to me.

02:01 PM Sep 18 2013 |

Seiyf_khawas

Turkey

be away from F-bombs and swearing !!!


01:50 PM Sep 18 2013 |

1 person likes this

DarknessLight

Germany

I totally agree!! I’ve always used to say that people who swear a lot have a vocabulary problem, and this totally proved my point, I’m so glad! lol! 


I think finding euphemisms for swear words would help people stop cursing. Because if you noticed, most of the swear words can be altered to something better, it just needs some determination. I totally hate the fact that people think swearing would make them sound cooler, which is totally the opposite.


Trying to “concentrate” on using more polite words would be much harder, since people are hugely affected by the surrounding environment. Some people are used to curse since a very young age, and that would make it a whole lot harder for them to stop. But still, nothing is impossible.

12:34 PM Sep 18 2013 |

comrade_navid

United Kingdom

There is proverb about this respect:


Bad words usually will use in the absence of proper words. So try to study to cover your vocabulary. 


 

10:03 AM Sep 18 2013 |

1 person likes this

yousefkohpeyma

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I go along with the idea that if people learn more vocabulary along with keeping their temper,it is likely that many of them quit using swearing words,whereas it is not true about some other,since they have inculcated using such words.Both of the above-mentioned ways are good,but if a number of people observe it and the rest don’t,it is not very effective,especially for children who learn them so fast,it would be much better if it is done by everybody‏.‏

07:49 AM Sep 18 2013 |

2 people like this

NuriaRuiz

NuriaRuizSuper Member!

Spain

I don’t know what is f-bomb?

06:23 AM Sep 18 2013 |

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