Speaker 1: Have you ever been to a haunted house or haunted
mansion in Disneyland? Do you believe in ghosts? Have you
ever seen a goblin or a skeleton? Today, let's dive
into the creepy and spooky.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: 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 seven sixty eight.
Halloween Vocabulary. Halloween is just around the corner, so what
a perfect time to look at common vocabulary related to
this strange and weird holiday. I have lots of treats
and no tricks for you in this English lesson. So
let's start with haunted. What is it about the word
haunted that sends shivers down your spine? When we use haunted,
we're talking about a place that's got an unidentifiable presence,
maybe even something supernatural. Like you know that feeling when
you walk into an old house and the air is
just kind of heavy. You get the chills, right, Like
there's a feeling like someone or something is watching you,
or maybe something happened there in the past. And maybe
there are even some weird noises or you hear voices
when no one's around. That house is totally haunted. Perhaps
the line between the living and the dead is kind
of thin in that place. Oh, it's like the place
is haunted by its history, whatever it is. Something is
there in that haunted house. And that brings us to ghosts, because,
I mean, if a place is haunted, I'm guessing there
are some ghosts hanging around. A ghost the spirit of
a dead person. When we think of ghosts, we often picture,
you know, scary spirits crying or moaning, But actually the
idea of a ghost it's much more complicated than that.
In some cultures, ghosts are seen as these really scary
or mean creatures, like they want to do you harm.
But in other cultures they're seen as protectors, like they
watch over us, or they're just these lost souls who
need help finding peace. So ghosts can be scary or
they can be friendly. They're basically just hanging around. Think
of ghosts like souls who have some unfinished business. And
speaking of creatures, let's look at goblins. Unlike ghosts, goblins
are not human spirits. They're more like creatures you know
from old stories like Tengu in Japan or Mos Sinai
in China. And in the Hobbit, those evil creatures living
in the misty mountains are goblins, and goblins are usually
up to no good. They're like little trouble makers. They're mischievous.
They like to hide in the shadows and cause chaos. Okay,
so far we've got haunted places, ghosts, and goblins. All
of these are creepy and spooky. You may have heard
these two words, but did you know that there is
a subtle difference between creepy and spooky. For me, Creepy
is that unsettling feeling like something's just not right. Like
you know, you get that feeling someone's watching you, or
you're walking down a dark street and you just get
those goosebumps like something bad is about to happen. That's creepy.
Creepy is a feeling of unease, something uncomfortable for sure,
like the music in a horror movie that creates a
feeling of tension. That's really creepy. But spooky is more
on the lighthearted side. Spooky is more playful and often
connected with things like Halloween fun. Spooky is like the
thrill of a good ghost story that you tell around
a campfire or at a Halloween party. Something that's spooky
is scary in a fun way, like you know you're safe,
but you still get that little nervous rush. Spooky is
embracing the unknown, but knowing it's all in good fun.
So creepy is unsettling and spooky is more fun. Two
other things we see a lot of around Halloween are
skeletons and bats. These are two classics and found everywhere
this time of year. Skeletons and bats are truly iconic
Halloween symbols. A skeleton is the set of bones that
make up our body, and even though a real skeleton
is from a dead body, on Halloween, it's almost like
we're making fun of death a little bit, like we're
taking a little control of that kind of gross image.
Like those plastic skeletons you see hanging in people's yards,
or the glow in the dark ones, or the skeleton
costumes kids wear. It's like we're confronting our fear of death,
but in a playful way. So then what about bats?
I feel like bats have always been linked to, you know,
darkness and mystery, don't you think so. I mean, they
come out at night, they're usually associated with all of
those creepy places like caves and abandoned buildings, and they
can fly too, so I think that kind of adds
to their mystique. But on the other hand, that's actually
play a super important role in the environment. They help
us with pest control and flower pollination, So maybe they're
not as scary as we make them out to be.
I guess even the spookiest creatures can have a good side.
Keep in mind, the best way to remember vocabulary 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 and check this out. Do
you need more experience speaking English, Well, you can get
the chance to practice this kind of English with me directly.
That's right. You can get more practice using your English
when you join my podcast Learn Study group. There you
can make new friends, join us for live group lessons
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you get access to the PDF, transcript and audio download
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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 seven sixty eight. Remember,
learning another language is not easy, but it's not impossible,
and I'm here to help you on your journey.
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Speaker 1: S