ESL Podcast 203 – Text Messaging

I was supposed to meet Jenny at the library, but I was late. Jenny texted me: "I M @ lib wher r u?"

I’m not very good at texting so I used a template to say I was going to be late. When I arrived at the library, Jenny laughed at me because she knew I didn’t know how to text.

Richard: I don’t know how to use this thing. The phone kept making up words for me.

Jenny: That's because you were composing¹ in predictive text mode². You have to change your settings³ to normal tap mode so only the characters you want show up in the screen.

Richard: Okay, but everything still shows up in capital letters.

Jenny: You can change the option⁴ by pressing the button. See? The screen will show you what kind of letters or numbers you can get, and you keep pushing the button until the one you want comes up.

Richard: What about the symbol you used in your message?

Jenny: You press the 1 button or the 0 button for those. I use them as abbreviations⁵ to save time when I am texting. I always use the symbols "@" and "&" for "at" and "and." Simple words like "you," "are," and "be" can be spelled with the letters "u," "r," and "b." It saves time.

Richard: Thanks. I think I’ve got it, but it’ll take some practice for me to get up to speed.

Jenny: No problem. Each time I get a strange message that doesn’t make any sense, I’ll know it’s from you.


Script by Clara Asuncion

1 composing   

n.著作，构成，组成v.组成( compose的现在分词 )；调解；[印刷]排（字）；使安定

参考例句：

• "I'm composing a poem," replied Tung, without raising his head. 董斜川头都不抬道：“我在写诗。” 来自汉英文学 - 围城
• The act of composing had given him a heady pleasure. 几句文章一做，他就快活得飘飘然了。 来自辞典例句

2 mode   

n.方式，样式，模式，风格，时兴；[音乐]调式

参考例句：

• Wearing jeans is out of mode at present.现在穿牛仔裤过时了。
• His mode of doing business is offensive to me.他干事情的方式叫我很不喜欢。

3 settings   

n.镶嵌( setting的名词复数 )；环境；装置；（某事、戏剧、小说等的）背景

参考例句：

• to study behaviour in laboratory and naturalistic settings 研究实验室里的以及仿自然环境中的行为
• This machine has two settings: fast and slow. 这种机器有两种可调的速度：快速和慢速。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 option   

n.选择，取舍，选择权，选择的自由

参考例句：

• You will have to pay them;you have no option.你必须付给他们钱，别无选择。
• The option for peace should never be closed off.和平的选择之门永远不应被关死。

5 abbreviations   

n.缩写( abbreviation的名词复数 )；缩写词；略语

参考例句：

• Scratch the subject of defence and acronyms, abbreviations, and buzzwords fly out. 话题触及国防，缩合字，缩写字和行话就满天飞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All abbreviations are to be written out. 所有的缩写都要完整地写出来 来自辞典例句