Dan: Hello, Im Dan.
Alice: And Im Alice.
Dan: And this is 6 Minute English! Hmm, Ill just have some coffee. Ugh, this
coffee is disgusting! That cafe over the road serves the worst coffee!
Alice: Oh, you should complain! Tell them youre not satisfied.
Dan: Hmm, youre right; I should complain. But I dont want to make a fuss.
Alice: Ah, you dont want to make a fuss very British!
Dan: Maybe I should though! Traditionally, British people have been very bad at
complaining. We dont want to cause unnecessary problems for anyone; we
dont want to make a fuss or make a scene. But apparently were getting better
at complaining about problems. And thats the TOPic of this weeks 6 Minute
English complaining. Are you a good complainer Alice?
Alice: Oh Im a very good complainer Ill let you know when I dont like something.
Dan: Right, Ill watch out for that. But first, this weeks question for you Alice, is:
According to the Wall Street Journal, what was the cause of most airline
complaints in the US in 2010? Was it:
6 Minute English bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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a) Delayed or cancelled flights
b) Rude staff
c) Lost luggage
Alice: Mmm, Im not sure: Ill go for c) lost luggage.
Dan: OK, well, well see if youre right at the end of the programme. Now lets hear
now from Ben Page, from the surveying company Ipsos MORI. Here he is
talking about some of the reasons British people dont complain and why it
might be changing. He uses the phrases formal complaint and annoy here
Alice, so I wondered if you could explain those?
Alice: Sure. A formal complaint is a written document of your complaint. Its usually
a letter or email, and can sometimes be used as a legal document. And to
annoy is another term for to irritate. Both mean to make you a bit angry.
Dan: Also listen out for the phrase riled up; what do you think it means here?
Ben Page, Ipsos MORI
Most Brits still wont complain unless its something thats really important,
and thats because they just dont think it would make any difference. I think it
is changing, slowly; there are more channels; its easier to whack off an email
or a tweet to an organisation thats annoyed you. But overall its still a formal
complaint still takes somebody to feel pretty riled up.
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Dan: So British people need to feel pretty riled up if theyre going to make a formal
complaint.
Alice: To get riled up means to become angry or annoyed. So if an organisation has
annoyed you and youre riled up, you can now complain using new technology,
such as email or Twitter, so its much easier to complain now than it used to be.
Why else are British people complaining more now, Dan?
Dan: Ah, well some people say weve developed more a culture of complaining, and
thats in part because of television programmes that encourage people to take
action when things arent right. A television programme called Thats Life!
was regularly broadcast in the UK from the early 1970s right up to the 1990s.
It made sure that people werent ripped off, and encouraged people to complain
if they were.
Alice: To be ripped off means to pay too much for something.
Dan: So heres the programmes host, Esther Rantzen, who says that being able to
complain is a fundamental democratic right. What phrase does she use to
encourage people to complain?
Esther Rantzen
I think being able to complain is a fundamental democratic right. There are
people around who will be on your side, but its really up to you to grasp the
nettle and complain. Keep going!
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Alice: She said we should grasp the nettle and complain. A nettle is a plant that
stings you when you touch it. But if you grab it quickly it doesnt hurt so much.
So as a phrase, if you grasp the nettle, it means you do an unpleasant task
quickly, and then it wont hurt as much.
Dan: So British people should grasp the nettle and complain when somethings not
right.
Alice: As long as theyre polite about it!
Dan: Quite right! OK Alice, back to todays question: According to the Wall Street
Journal, what was the cause of most airline complaints in 2010? Was it:
a) Delayed or cancelled flights
b) Rude staff
c) Lost luggage
Alice: And I guessed c) lost luggage?
Dan: Well actually, the answer was delayed or cancelled flights. Often, lost luggage
is the main cause of complaints throughout the year, but youll remember that
in 2010, with the ash cloud and some very extreme weather, there were lots
and lots of cancelled flights, so its not very surprising that was the major cause
for complaint. So before we go, lets hear some of the words and phrases weve
used in todays programme:
Alice: OK, we had:
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To make a fuss
To make a scene
To annoy
To irritate
Formal complaint
Riled up
Nettle
To grasp the nettle
Dan: Thanks, Alice. I hope youve enjoyed todays programme and youll join us
again for more 6 Minute English next time. Im off to complain about this
coffee!
Alice: Oh, I hope you get a good result!
Both: Bye!
