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ESL Podcast 790 – Giving Birth to Twins

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1

GLOSSARY

pregnant – for a woman to have a child growing in her body; for a female animal
to have a baby growing in her body
* Ophelia is pregnant and will have her baby in October.

twins – two children born at the same time of the same mother; two children
born during the same birth
* Angelica and Ted’s twins are very close and like to do everything together.

multiple birth – having more than one baby during one birth; for two or more
babies to be born at the same time from the same mother
* Are there any examples of multiple births in your family?

to come from a long line of – to be from a family with a history of; to be from a
family known for a particular thing or characteristic
* Julie comes from a long line of farmers and she plans to continue the farming
tradition by becoming a farmer herself.

identical twins – two babies born at the same time of the same mother who look
alike
* Our neighbors’ identical twin daughters look so much alike that I have trouble
telling them apart.

fraternal twins – two babies born at the same time of the same mother who do
not look alike
* Maria and Carlos are fraternal twins. They have similar personalities, but don’t
look alike at all.

not even the half of it – a phrase used to mean that the speaker has not yet
said the most interesting, surprising, or shocking thing yet, but is preparing to
* A: You went out Saturday night after your parents said you couldn’t?

*

B: You don’t know the half of it. I stayed out until 2:00 a.m. and when I got

home, my parents were really angry.

maternal – related to the mother; related to the mother’s side of the family;
related to being a mother
* When I visited my maternal grandfather, he told me stories about my mother’s
childhood that I’d never heard before.

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ESL Podcast 790 – Giving Birth to Twins

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triplets – three children born at the same time of the same mother; three children
born during the same birth
* You would know that Donny, Danny, and Duncan are triplets simply by looking
at them, even if they weren’t wearing the same clothes.

quadruplets – four children born at the same time of the same mother; four
children born during the same birth
* Trying to care for quadruplets is a job for two parents.

to run in (one’s) family – to have a common characteristic in one’s family
members; to be a common occurrence in one’s family
* Being overweight runs in Marla’s family, so she’s very careful about what she
eats.

immediate family – one’s closest family members, including father, mother,
sisters, and brothers, but not aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.
* Leila and Dong decided to have a very small wedding, inviting only their
immediate family and a few close friends.

octuplets – eight children born at the same time of the same mother; eight
children born during the same birth
* Having octuplets can be difficult and dangerous for the mother and for the
babies.

to survive – to continue to live despite difficulty or danger; to live even though
one has experienced or is experiencing hardship
* Monique is one of the toughest women I know, and I know she’ll survive her
husband’s death and the loss of her business.

every single one – a phrase used to emphasis that all are included, without
exception
* As punishment, you are going to clean every room in this house, every single
one!

litter – a group of baby animals born to one animal at one time
* Our cat had a litter of six black kittens.

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ESL Podcast 790 – Giving Birth to Twins

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3

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Which has the most children?
a) Octuplets.
b) Twins.
c) Triplets.

2. Why does Jerome know so much about multiple births?
a) He is a doctor.
b) Multiple births run in his family.
c) His wife had octuplets.

______________


WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

twins
The word “twins,” in this podcast, means two children born at the same time from
the same mother: “Dan thought his wife was having a boy, but just found that
she’s actually having twins.” “Twin” can also describe someone or something
that looks very much like someone or something else: “Melky wore a hat to the
party that was a twin to the one Lawrence wore last week.” Something that is a
“twin” can also be something that is closely matched or connected: “The twin
problems of this bad economy are a lack of jobs and a poor real estate market.”
Finally, a “twin bed” is a bed that is made for one person to sleep on: “Our
daughters share a bedroom, each with her own twin bed.”

litter
In this podcast, a “litter” is a group of baby animals born to one animal at one
time

: “Would you like to take home a puppy from this litter?” “Litter” is also used

to refer to trash that is left in a public place: “It’s a shame that people leave litter
all over the park, instead of putting it in the trashcans.” Or, “Leaving litter on
roads or freeways is a crime and if a police officer sees you, you’ll be fined.” “Cat
litter” is a material like sand that is used for the bottom of containers where cats
urinate (remove water from one’s body) or defecate (remove solid waste from
one’s body): “Georgina wanted a cat and so her mother said she could have one
if she remembered to clean out the litter box every day and put in fresh cat litter.”

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ESL Podcast 790 – Giving Birth to Twins

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2012). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

4

CULTURE NOTE

Trends in Giving Birth

Many babies are born in the United States every day. Most are born in hospitals,
where they are “monitored” (watched over) and cared for by a team of doctors
and nurses. However, some of these babies are born in the home of their
mother without the “aid” (help) of a doctor or a nurse.

In the U.S., one of the biggest birthing “trends” (popular things to do) at the
moment is “home birth,” or giving birth to a baby inside a person’s own home.
Some doctors say that this method of birth is more “risky” (dangerous) than
giving birth in a hospital, and the mother may feel more pain during “labor” (the
process of giving birth, when the baby is coming out of the mother’s body).

There are many ways in which a woman can get through the pain of childbirth
without the aid of pain “medications” (drugs), though, and many of these involve
breathing techniques. One such breathing technique is called “Lamaze.”
Lamaze breathing involves deep “inhaling” (taking air into one’s body through the
nose or mouth) and “exhaling” (removing air from one’s body through the nose or
mouth) to relax the “expectant” (pregnant) mother.

Lamaze may or may not be incorporated into other methods of home birth, such
as “water birth.” To have a water birth, a woman lies in a tub of warm water, as if
she is taking a bath. When the baby is born, it “emerges” (comes out) beneath
the water, which is a lot like the water and other fluids it was in when it was inside
its mother’s “womb” or uterus. Some experts say that this birthing method is the
most natural of all, because the baby is born into an “environment” (place) that is
more natural and similar to the environment that it had been growing in for nine
months.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – b

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ESL Podcast 790 – Giving Birth to Twins

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2012). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

5

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 790: Giving Birth to
Twins.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 790. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. Check out our special courses in business and daily
English on our website.

Today’s episode is about having a baby – two of them, in fact. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Jerome: Congratulations! I just heard that you’re pregnant with twins.

Paula: Thanks. We’re very excited, although I’m a little worried about a multiple
birth.

Jerome: I come from a long line of multiple births. My father is an identical twin
and he had cousins who are fraternal twins.

Paula: I see what you mean.

Jerome: That’s not even the half of it. My maternal grandmother gave birth to
triplets and my aunt had quadruplets.

Paula: Wow, multiple births certainly run in your family. What about your
immediate family?

Jerome: You’re not going to believe this, but my mother had octuplets. I have
seven brothers and sisters the same age.

Paula: And all of you survived?

Jerome: Yup, every single one of us. We often joke that my mother didn’t have
babies. She had a litter!

[end of dialogue]

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ESL Podcast 790 – Giving Birth to Twins

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2012). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

6

Our dialogue begins with Jerome saying to Paula, “Congratulations! I just heard
that you’re pregnant with twins.” “Pregnant” (pregnant) is when a woman has a
child inside her body who is going to be born. But Paula is not just pregnant with
one child but with two, and that’s why Jerome says she’s going to have twins
(twins). So, Jerome congratulates Paula, so I guess he’s not the father.

Paula says, “Thanks. We’re very excited.” Presumably she means her husband,
the father of the child. “We’re a little excited, although I’m a little worried about a
multiple birth.” “Multiple” (multiple) means more than one – multiple anything.
You could have multiple children, more than one child; multiple birth would be
giving birth to more than one child. The expression “to give birth” means to have
the child come out of the mother’s body.

Jerome says, “I come from a long line of multiple births.” Probably one of the few
times that sentence has been said in English! “To come from a long line of”
means that you have a history in your family. I could say, “I come from a long
line of teachers.” My father was a teacher, my brother was a teacher, and so
forth. Or I could say, more truthful, “I come from a long line of plumbers.”
“Plumbers” are people and fix toilets and sinks. My great-grandfather was a
plumber, and my grandfather was a plumber, and my uncles are all plumbers.
So, Jerome says he comes from a long line of multiple births, meaning there
must be a lot of twins in his family. And that, in fact, is what Jerome means. He
says, “My father is an identical twin and he had cousins who are fraternal twins.”

Well if you remember back to your biology class, you should know that there are
two kinds of twins: there are smart twins and there are stupid twins. No, that’s
not the difference! There are identical twins; these are two babies that look
exactly the same, they have the same sex – two boys or two girls, and usually
they look very much alike. My two brothers – older brothers, Mark and Mike, are
identical twins. You can also have fraternal twins. “Fraternal” (fraternal) is a
word that comes from the Latin I believe, “frater” (frater), which can mean
brother, though in the plural it often means men and women – brothers and
sisters, and that’s really the meaning here. Fraternal twins are two babies born
at the same time who may or may not be the same sex. They could be two boys
and two girls or it could be a boy and a girl, and usually they don’t look alike. Or
at least, they don’t look identical – the same, as identical twins do.

Paula says, “I see what you mean,” and Jerome responds, “That’s not even the
half of it.” This expression, “that’s not even the half of it,” means that you still
have more things to say about this topic. Jerome has mentioned two facts: that
his father is an identical twin and his father’s cousins are fraternal twins. But he
has even more information about this – even more things on this topic, and then

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ESL Podcast 790 – Giving Birth to Twins

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2012). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

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we hear what those are. Jerome says, “My maternal grandmother gave birth to
triplets and my aunt had quadruplets.” Wow! “Maternal” (maternal) comes from
“mater” in Latin – we’re having a Latin lesson today! “Mater” (mater) means
mother, and so when Jerome says “my maternal grandmother,” he means his
mother’s mother, not his father’s mother. If it were his father’s mother, we would
say his “paternal grandmother,” from, of course, “pater” (pater), Latin for father.

Jerome says that his maternal grandmother gave birth to triplets. “Triplets”
(triplets) are when you have three babies born at the same time; that’s somewhat
rare. But, even rarer – even more unusual is what happened to his aunt. His
aunt – or his aunt, either pronunciation is correct – had quadruplets.
“Quadruplets” are when you have four babies at one time. Five babies would be
“quintuplets,” and so on and so forth. Quadruplets is very rare also – well, even
rarer than triplets.

Paula says that multiple births certainly run in Jerome’s family. When we say
something “runs in your family,” we mean it’s something common in your family,
that different members of your family share. This could be anything. It could be
the height: “Tall boys run in our family.” Or it could be anything that is genetic,
although sometimes it’s used for things that are probably more from the
environment. Some people say, “Oh, playing soccer runs in our family.”
Everyone does it: my father does it, my sister does it, and so forth. Well, we
don’t mean that there is an inherited trait in that family for soccer, that it comes
from your genetics. But, it means it’s popular or it’s common in your family.

Nowadays, there are actually more people – well, more women having multiple
births, probably because there’s more use of fertility drugs, drugs that help a
woman get pregnant. And these often lead to – or at least more often, I
understand, lead to multiple births. But of course I’m not a doctor, and I have
never given birth to a child, so I’m not really an expert in this area. But Paula
asks Jerome, “What about your immediate family?” Your “immediate family” is
your mother, your father, your brothers, and your sisters. It doesn’t include
aunts, uncles, grandparents, and so forth.

Jerome says, “You’re not going to believe this, but my mother had octuplets.”
Okay! “Octuplets” (octuplets), if you know a little Latin, you’ll know this means
eight children. Well, that would be very usual, indeed! He says, “I have seven
brothers and sisters the same age.” Paula says, “And all of you survived?”
Obviously, when you have multiple birth there’s more of a risk of one of the
babies dying. But Jerome says, “Every single one of us (survived).” “To survive”
means not to die. “Every single one of us” is just another way of saying all of us
– all of us survived. “We even joke that my mother didn’t have babies. She had

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

ESL Podcast 790 – Giving Birth to Twins

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2012). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

8

a litter!” “Litter” (litter) is normally a word we use for a group of animal babies,
born to an animal at one time, like a cat would have a litter of kittens. So Jerome
is sort of joking when he says that they say to their mother that she had a litter.
“Litter” actually has some other meanings in English as well, as does the word
“twin,” and you can find both of those in our Learning Guide.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Jerome: Congratulations! I just heard that you’re pregnant with twins.

Paula: Thanks. We’re very excited, although I’m a little worried about a multiple
birth.

Jerome: I come from a long line of multiple births. My father is an identical twin
and he had cousins who are fraternal twins.

Paula: I see what you mean.

Jerome: That’s not even the half of it. My maternal grandmother gave birth to
triplets and my aunt had quadruplets.

Paula: Wow, multiple births certainly run in your family. What about your
immediate family?

Jerome: You’re not going to believe this, but my mother had octuplets. I have
seven brothers and sisters the same age.

Paula: And all of you survived?

Jerome: Yup, every single one of us. We often joke that my mother didn’t have
babies. She had a litter!

[end of dialogue]

She doesn’t have any twin brothers or sisters, but she is a wonderful scriptwriter.
I’m talking, of course, about our own Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come
back and listen to us again here on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

ESL Podcast 790 – Giving Birth to Twins

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2012). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

9

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,
hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2012 by the Center for Educational
Development.