Hello and welcome to The English We Speak with me, Feifei
and me, Roy.
We may sound a little different – that’s
because we are not able to record in our normal
studios during the coronavirus outbreak. In this
programme, we have a phrase that means
to keep talking about something - usually
in a boring or annoying way. You kept talking
about some band this morning.
What were you banging on about?
What do you mean ‘banging on’? I wasn’t
hitting anything this morning with a pan!
I was just talking about music with Neil.
Exactly! You were talking about it so much,
and I was trying to work.
‘Banging on about something’ isn’t literal,
and why would you mention a pan?!
It means you were talking about something to
a level that it became annoying.
Ahhh, the way in which you kept talking about
that film ‘Unicorns Eat Bananas in the Stars’!
You banged on about it so much last week that
people left the room.
That film is amazing.
Feifei, you kept giving people spoilers, and
nobody went to see the film in the end because
you kept banging on about everything that happened.
Well, that’s your opinion, Roy.
Anyway, let’s listen to these examples…
My friend keeps banging on about where he’s
going to go when he buys his new car.
It’s really frustrating.
That person on the bus was really annoying.
She kept banging on about how the prices had gone up.
Will you please stop banging on about my project!?
If you think you could do a better job,
you can do my work for me.
This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning
English and we’re talking about the expression
‘bang on about something’, which is used
to say that someone is talking about something
so much that it is annoying or irritating.
Sorry, Feifei. I didn’t mean to say you
were banging on about that film. Everyone
did love your enthusiasm about it.
I’m sorry too, Roy. I just wanted to know
more about the band you were talking about,
so I found it annoying that I didn’t understand.
Well, next I’ll tell you more about it.
That’s OK. I think I’ve heard enough about
your taste in music for one lifetime,
but thanks anyway. Bye, Roy.
Bye.