839 - Independence Day

This summer, I’ve been sharing short and fun lessons about American life—what people do, eat, and celebrate. This week, we’re talking about Fireworks & Food, because it’s time for one of the biggest holidays of the summer: July 4th, officially known as Independence Day, and casually called, the fourth of July.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This summer, I've been sharing short and fun lessons about
American life, what people do, eat and celebrate in the summer.
This week, we're talking about fireworks and food because it's
time for one of the biggest holidays of the season,
July fourth, officially known as Independence Day and casually called

(00:24):
the fourth of July.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
All right, thank you, John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode eight thirty nine.
Independence Day. Hello and welcome. Thanks for joining me for

(00:57):
another episode of the Happy English. I'm your English teacher Michael,
and I'm so glad you're here with me today to
dive into the fourth of July. So, July fourth marks
the day the US declared independence from Britain way back
in seventeen seventy six. But for most Americans today, this

(01:21):
holiday is more than just history. It's really about summer vibes,
grilling in the backyard, hanging out with friends, and watching fireworks.
People love to decorate their homes with flags, balloons, and banners,
and some couples even wear matching red, white, and blue outfits.

(01:44):
Some even go a little over the top. And while
they go all out, and when you go all out,
it means you do something in a big, enthusiastic way,
no holding back. Like Jack and his wife went all
out for their Fourth of July party with a full buffet,

(02:07):
live music, and games. I mean, if you're gonna celebrate,
why not go all out right with a party like that.
They have everything you would expect, like she made hot dogs, hamburgers, cupcakes,
three salads, the whole nine yards, the whole nine yards.

(02:31):
This means everything you would possibly want or expect to have.
Here's another example. Jack packed for the trip with camping year, snacks,
games of guitar, and all that fishing year. Yep, he
had the whole nine yards. Now, the real highlight of

(02:52):
the Fourth of July is fireworks. Cities and towns across
the country host big fire works displays, and some of them,
like the one in New York City, can be seen
on TV, and in some neighborhoods, people set off their
own personal fireworks, which, by the way, may or may

(03:15):
not be legal depending on where you live. But whether
it's big or small. The idea is to end the
day by going out with a bang. Go Out with
a bang means to end something in a big, memorable,
or exciting way. Like the Fireworks Show really went out

(03:37):
with a bang. The last five minutes were non stop explosions.
Jenny's birthday party went out like a bang when they
brought out a surprise cake and a live band. Going
out with a bang on Independence Day it's the grand
finale of the day and people often cheer, clap, or

(04:00):
recorded on their phones. Fourth of July celebrations always go
out with a bang. They are loud, colorful, and definitely
one of the most exciting nights of the summer. Now
you can't talk about July fourth without talking about food. Cookouts, barbecues,

(04:21):
and picnics are everywhere. The typical Fourth of July menu
includes the star of the show, hot dogs. Did you
know that Americans eat about one hundred and fifty million
of them on this day and many of those are
consumed at the famous Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest. Next

(04:42):
time you're on YouTube, look it up. Last year's winner,
Patrick Bertollani eate fifty eight hot dogs in ten minutes.
Fifty eight hot dogs in ten minutes. Crazy right, But
it's not only hot dogs and Fourth of July. Americans
also pig out on hamburgers, potato salad, corn in the cob, sausages,

(05:07):
and plenty of desserts and drinks. They pig out, which
is a casual frasal verb that means to eat a lot,
usually in a fun way, like we totally pigged out
on hot dogs and watermelon. Here's another example. After skipping lunch,
I pigged out at dinner and had two burghers in

(05:30):
some pie. So how about you when there's a holiday
in your country? Do you go all out decorating the house?
Do you call it a day with fireworks? Do you
pig out on holidays? Whatever your style, I'd love to
hear how you celebrate summer where you live. Feel free

(05:52):
to message me with your answer, and keep in mind
the best way to remember English like this and any
other word or phrase in English, is to take that
word or phrase, write it in a sentence that's true
for you or true in your world, and then memorize
your sentences. Hey, do you want to get more practice

(06:12):
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practice these podcast lessons together. Plus you get access to
the PDF, transcript and audio download for every Happy English

(06:33):
podcast in the past and in the future. And on
top of that, each episode has exercises where you can
practice this English point with speaking and writing checked by me.
To learn more, just visit Myhappy English dot com and
choose podcast lesson eight thirty nine. Remember, learning another language

(06:55):
is not easy, but it's not impossible, and I'm here
to help you on your journey.

Speaker 2 (07:03):
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