RUTH: Welcome to another programme in the series 'Say It Again'. My name is Ruth. Each week I have an English language student here with me. Welcome back, Bela.

BELA: Hello Ruth. We're going shopping again today, aren't we?

RUTH: Yes Bela, we are. In today's programme, Grace and her brother Paul go to the supermarket to buy the food for Grace's birthday party. We've being looking at 'shopping' for a number of 'Say It Again' programmes. Do you remember the verb 'to go shopping'?

BELA: Yes, I think I do. 'To go shopping' - I think we went on to say, 'They are going shopping.' Also, 'I went shopping to the market.'

RUTH: But 'shopping' by itself is also a collective noun. Do you remember? It's a noun for all the things they have bought. They had lots of shopping to carry home. Listen then to this conversation between Grace and her brother Paul. They go shopping at a supermarket. Here in England, supermarkets are very large shops that sell many different types of food. They are normally very busy places. Grace or Paul, I'm sure, is pushing a shopping trolley. These are very awkward things to push but they do hold a lot of shopping. Listen out for a list of the food they buy.

Conversation

RUTH: Did you hear them mention a shopping list?

BELA: Yes I did. Shopping is an adjective. They were using a shopping trolley. That's one of those big baskets on wheels that you push around. Is that right?

RUTH: Yes it is. We've talked about shopping before. 'You go shopping.' 'You get some shopping.' 'You make a shopping list.' Each time, the word 'shopping' is used differently. As a verb - 'to go shopping'. As a noun - 'to get some shopping'.

BELA: And then as an adjective - 'a shopping list'. Let me repeat those again. 'You go shopping' - that's a verb. 'You get some shopping' - that's a noun. And 'you make a shopping list' - that's an adjective. I think I remember that.

RUTH: We'll repeat all of those again at the end of today's programme.

RUTH: Bela, as you listened to Grace and Paul, did you hear any words used to describe the quantity they needed?

BELA: Words like - 'a packet of bread rolls' and 'cans of coke', 'bottles of lemonade'. But it's 'a jar of coffee'.

RUTH: Well yes! But what quantity did they ask for?

BELA: Do you mean 'how many?' I think they kept asking for dozens. 'Two dozen white bread rolls', 'two dozen brown bread rolls'. A dozen means 12, doesn't it?

RUTH: Yes, that's right. Let's listen to that part again. Listen out for the amount of bread they bought and see if you can hear how many cans of Coke Paul bought.

Conversation

RUTH: How many rolls did they buy?

BELA: They bought four dozen rolls. That will be in total 48 rolls.

RUTH: How many cans of coke were bought?

BELA: They bought two dozen cans of coke. That's 24 cans. They also bought two dozen sausage rolls. That's 24 sausage rolls.

RUTH: At the end of today's programme, we'll practice the verb, noun and adjective of 'shopping'. There will also be the chance to practice using the word 'dozen' in a sentence.

RUTH: Today's true story is about an American man called Harold Conell. Harold's wife was sick and his life seemed to have reached as low as it possibly could. In this first part of two stories, Harold finds himself going to prison. His story is being read by Andrew.

Story Testimony

The judge looked up at me from across his massive oak desk. With a stroke of his pen, he could change the course of a man's life. What was he going to do with mine? My wife had been ill with cancer for several months, and it was just a matter of time before she died.

"The things that I'm about to say to you, can never be used beyond this office," he began. "I will deny ever having said them. You see, we knew you were innocent, but because of the bad name your company has received, and the publicity generated by the trial, it is my opinion that someone from the sales force should go to prison. A worker should do the time, not someone who works for the management. You are that person."

His words made me very angry. I wanted to hit him again and again. I did not understand why he was doing this. I was completely innocent. I was going to prison for a crime that I had not committed. It didn't matter to him that my wife was dying or that I had to leave a seven year old daughter - his reputation was all that mattered, not justice. He had used his power to destroy my life, and at that moment, I wanted to destroy his! But just as quickly, God's Holy Spirit came to me and gave me peace.

From the beginning, when I knew the company I worked for was in trouble, and I would have to go to trial, my wife would say to me, "Don't worry, everything will be alright, I'll never see you go to prison."

Nine days after this happened, my wife got worse, and had to go into hospital. Later on that evening, she died.

RUTH: In our next 'Say It Again' programme, there will be the opportunity to hear the second part of Harold's true story. There's a little time left before we finish today's programme. We can practice some of the phrases that Bela and I were talking about at the beginning. We were looking at the word 'shopping'. Do you remember? Bela, can you give me a sentence using the word 'shopping' as a verb?

BELA: 'You go shopping every day.'

RUTH: I'll repeat Bela's sentence, then why don't you say it again with Bela after me? 'You go shopping every day.'

BELA: 'You go shopping every day.'

RUTH: I'll say a sentence using 'shopping' as a noun. Why don't you say it after me with Bela? 'Will you buy some shopping?'

BELA: 'Will you buy some shopping?'

RUTH: And lastly, we'll use the word 'shopping' as an adjective. 'Will you use a shopping list?'

BELA: 'Will you use a shopping list?'

RUTH: The last thing we practised earlier was to do with the word 'dozen'. Bela, how many things do you get in a dozen?

BELA: You get twelve things in a dozen.

RUTH: Now I'll say a sentence using the word 'dozen'. Bela, will you say it after me? 'Please will you buy me two dozen cans of coke? Thank you.'

BELA: 'Please will you buy two dozen cans of coke for me? Thank you.'

RUTH: That's 24 cans of coke. We could have a party! We're having a party soon here on 'Say It Again'. We've almost reached our first anniversary. In our drama, Grace will also be having a party. Lee Kee will be back with us as we celebrate Grace's birthday and our first anniversary. Until then goodbye from Bela and me.

BOTH: Goodbye.