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• Having acne
• Why you need a good night's sleep
• Divorce – why does it happen?

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Introduction

A relationship between sisters can be one of the closest there is. Neil and Georgie tune in to a BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour special about sisterhood and teach you some useful vocabulary.

This week's question

Currently two sisters, Ellie and Rachel Reeves, are senior ministers in the British government. What is Rachel Reeves' government job?

a) Home Secretary

b) Foreign Secretary

c) Chancellor of the Exchequer

Listen to the programme to hear the answer.

Vocabulary

get on
have a good relationship

put someone on the spot
(informal) make someone answer a difficult question or make a difficult decision in the moment, often embarrassing them in the process

march to your own drum
(idiom) do things in your own way; think and behave differently from others

sibling
brother or sister

bossy
enjoy telling people what to do

spoiled
allowed to do or have whatever someone (eg. a child) wants, usually with the result that they behave badly

 

TRANSCRIPT

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Neil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.

Georgie
And I’m Georgie.

Neil
So, Georgie I’d like to know if you have any brothers and sisters, and if you get on well with them.

Georgie
Yes, I do. I have a sister and we get on very well. We didn’t used to but now that we’re adults we get on well.

Neil
Well, in this programme we’ll be discussing one of the closest relationships there is: the connection between sisters. We’ll hear from three Irish sisters reuniting on a radio show, and from a psychotherapist on some stereotypes about sisterhood. Plus, we’ll be learning some useful new vocabulary too. And remember, if you want to read along while you listen you can find the script for this programme on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

Georgie
Yeah, great idea! Now, whether you have one or not, our history and culture is full of sisters, from the fairy tale of Cinderella and her ugly sisters to tennis players, Venus and Serena Williams. And currently two sisters, Ellie and Rachel Reeves, are senior ministers in the British government. So, Neil, my question for you is this: what is Rachel Reeves' government job? Is she:

a)    Home Secretary?
b)    Foreign Secretary? or
c)    Chancellor of the Exchequer?

Neil
Well I think the answer is c) the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which is the name of the finance minister in the UK.

Georgie
OK, Neil, we'll find out if that's the correct answer later in the programme.

Neil
Nuala McGovern, the presenter of BBC Radio 4's Woman’s Hour, has two sisters.

Nuala McGovern
They both live in Ireland so they're joining me on a video call. Hello Eileen. Hello Vera. Welcome to Woman’s Hour.

Vera
Hello.

Eileen
Hello.

Georgie
Nuala was born in Dublin and moved to New York then London to work as a journalist, while her two sisters stayed in Ireland. Here she introduces her older sister, Vera, and younger sister Eileen, for a BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour special about sisterhood. Nuala was a little worried what her sisters would say about her on the radio, so let’'s listen in and find out:

Nuala McGovern
Eileen, what would you say if you were to describe our relationship as sisters?

Eileen
Very connected, I think, and we do get on very well which I'm proud to say.

Nuala McGovern
Yes, exactly. I’m going to put you on the spot, Vera. What word would you use to describe me as a sister?

Vera
I couldn't give you a word, but you definitely march to your own drum. What would that word be? 

Nuala McGovern
Independent?

Eileen
Independent?

Vera
Definitely. You like to control the situation.

Neil
Eileen thinks she gets on with her sisters. To get on with someone means to like them and have a good relationship with them.

Georgie
Nuala puts her older sister on the spot by asking Vera to describe her in one word. When you put someone on the spot, you make them answer a difficult question then and there, sometimes making them embarrassed or uncomfortable.

Neil
But Nuala didn't need to worry what her sisters would say - Vera simply said that Nuala marches to her own drum – she does things in her own way which may be different from how other people do things.

Georgie
It seems Vera, Nuala and Eileen have remained close friends as they've grown up, but the relationship between older, middle and younger sisters isn’t always so harmonious. Let's listen to BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour special programme as Nuala is joined by psychotherapist, Jennifer Gledhill:

Nuala McGovern
Thank you very much to Eileen and Vera. What a treat to have a chat with my sisters, about sisters! I want to bring in Jennifer here who's listening to it all. Some of the stereotypes around siblings, that the elder sister is bossy, the middle sister is a peacemaker, and the little sister is spoiled - that is not applying to our family - but I'm wondering, is there any substance to that? Or why does that even get bandied around?

Jennifer Gledhill
We love giving people labels, don't we? We like to put people into categories and then we can make sense of behaviours, but actually, since then, scientists find no, no proof of being these roles in families.

Neil
Nuala discusses stereotypes about siblings, a word that means either brother or sister. One stereotype is that the older sister is usually bossy – she enjoys telling people what to do.

Georgie
Another stereotype is that the younger sister is spoiled. If you describe a child as spoiled, you mean they are allowed to do anything they want, often with the result that they behave badly.

Neil
What do you think about these stereotypes, Georgie? Are they true for you and your sister?

Georgie
I'm not sure I agree with these stereotypes because the older sister is meant to be bossy, but my younger sister is the bossy one. I don’t think I’m bossy at all.

Neil
Well, that’s interesting – Jennifer did say that there's no scientific proof. Anyway, it's time now to find out the answer to your question, Georgie.

Georgie
Yes, and my question was: What is Rachel Reeves' government job? And you guessed she was the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which was… the correct answer! Well done Neil.

Neil
Hooray!

Georgie
OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned in this programme, starting with the phrasal verb, get on with someone, meaning to have a good relationship with them.

Neil
If you put someone on the spot, you cause them embarrassment by forcing them to answer a difficult question at that very moment.

Georgie
If you march to your own drum, you do things in your own unique way, regardless of how other people do them.

Neil
A sibling can mean either a brother or sister.

Georgie
People who are bossy enjoy telling other people what to do.

Neil
And finally, a spoiled child is allowed to do whatever they want, becoming badly behaved as a result. Once again, our six minutes are up, but remember to head over to bbclearningenglish.com where you can find loads more fun and helpful resources, including a worksheet and quiz for this programme.

Georgie
Bye for now!

Neil
Goodbye!