202.2. Irregular Verbs with Bonnie and Clyde

Hi everybody, my name is Shawna and this is the American English Podcast. My goal here is to teach you the English spoken in the United States. Through common expressions, pronunciation tips, and interesting cultural snippets or stories, I hope to keep this fun, useful, and interesting. Let's do it. Hi everybody, this is Episode 202.2 and today we're going to talk about one of the most famous, oh wait, infamous, couples in US history, Bonnie and Clyde. First off, what does infamous mean? It doesn't mean unfamous, that's not really a word, or not famous. And who is infamous is famous for something bad. Al Capone was infamous for running organized crime in Chicago. John Wilkes Booth was infamous for assassinating President Abraham Lincoln. During the 1930s, Bonnie and Clyde were infamous for their criminal activities. They robbed banks, stole cars, and ran from the police. Now why are we talking about Bonnie and Clyde in an English lesson? Of course, this is about language and culture, and in this story, wow, it's really good for the language aspect, because it was really easy for me to pack this story with irregular verbs. I already mentioned two, they stole cars, and they ran from the police. Words like stole and ran are the simple past tense forms of to steal and to run. And yet neither stole or ran, and in ED. It's because they're irregular, irregular verbs don't end in ED. For that reason, they're harder to memorize. It's easier, in my opinion, and a bit more fun also, to learn them in context. And what's better than a dramatic real-life story? This one will also allow you to better understand one aspect of U.S. culture. Bonnie and Clyde in the context of crime in the 1930s. As I said, this story is packed with irregular past tense verbs. Ten of them are new, they haven't been taught in previous irregular verb stories. So after the story finishes, we'll review them all. I'll give you new example sentences to reinforce the form, and then at the very end, I'll share a few fun cultural facts about the couple and their story so that, yeah, you feel like you walk out of this really well-rounded. For me, that's one of my favorite parts, is learning all those fun little extras. If you would like the video, interactive quizzes, downloadable worksheets, and more for this lesson, be sure to sign up to the Academy. You'll find the link in the episode notes. Without further ado, let's begin. When the U.S. stock market crashed in 1929, banks and businesses failed. People lost their jobs. And suddenly, almost overnight, families across the U.S. could not afford to live. We call this depressing time the Great Depression, and it lasted for about 10 years. Poverty was everywhere, and many people were unemployed. At one point, the unemployment rate was near 25%. People were angry. As a result, crime rose. People's citizens, not your typical criminals, got involved in petty crime. Petty crime means small or minor crimes that are not usually violent. They're nonviolent. More people shoplifted. In other words, they stole food or other goods from stores. Obviously, if you steal, you're not paying. They shoplifted. Others pick pocketed. In other words, they stole money or things from people's pockets or purses. During the Great Depression, many more cases of pickpocketing occurred. These were petty crimes, and they were fueled by economic insecurity. People had a lack of money. They didn't have money. Other individuals became infamous for serious or major crimes. One such couple was named Bonnie and Clyde. Their story begins in Texas in 1930 when Bonnie met Clyde. At the time, Bonnie Parker was 19 years old. She was just 4 feet 11 inches tall, or 4 foot 11, and what she loved most in the world was poetry and dressing up like a glamorous Hollywood star. She was a small town girl and had dreams of becoming a successful writer or actress. It didn't really matter which, she craved fame and recognition, which was hard to achieve in West Dallas. Yeah, it was part of a big city, but in the 20s, it was undeveloped, isolated, and opportunities were limited. So she worked as a waitress and waited for her ticket out. One day, while at a friends house, she saw Clyde Barrow. To say it simply, their first encounter was love at first sight. When their eyes met, they both knew their lives had changed. Clyde was a bit rough around the edges. He was 20, and his life had been marked by extreme poverty and crime. For meeting Bonnie, he had already been arrested for auto theft. Now, just as Bonnie was obsessed with poetry and Hollywood, Clyde was obsessed with cars. When Bonnie and Clyde fell in love, Clyde pulled her into his world. Together, Bonnie and Clyde stole cars. His favorite was the Ford V8, which was powerful, and most importantly, it was faster than nearly every police car on the road. In high-speed chases, his car allowed him to outrun the police. And behind the wheel, Clyde felt in control. He was a great driver. He drove with one hand gripping the wheel, while the other held Bonnie's. At least that's the way people thought of them, driving hand in hand down the back roads of Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Their routes typically covered five states in that area. Along the way, they committed crimes, mostly robberies, and they weren't exactly glamorous. They didn't rob large banks and steal bags of cash. No, they robbed small banks, gas stations, and rural stores. Occasionally, they walked out with just enough money for dinner. When confronted, Clyde often shot his way out of danger. And fights with the police were frequent. In fact, both Bonnie and Clyde were hurt more than once. In one escape attempt, Clyde crashed their car, and Bonnie's leg was so badly burned that she never walked the same again. Although they were constantly hunted by the police, the two weren't easily caught. Time and time again, they sped away from the scene, leaving the police in their dust. Back then, outrunning the law or law enforcement wasn't unheard of. but what made their story larger than life were the journalists. One day, when Bonnie and Clyde were forced to flee a hideout in Joplin, Missouri, they left behind Bonnie's poetry, personal photos, and a camera filled with undeveloped film. Reporters went crazy. They'd hit the jackpot. And newspapers across the US gave Bonnie and Clyde the front page. They printed Bonnie's poems and photos of the young couple together. In the pictures, Bonnie and Clyde were young and good looking. They smiled and embraced each other. They seemed like a happy couple. In other photos, they posed with their guns and cigars. They're some of the best photos we have of them today. In the stories that followed, reporters depicted them as brave and rebellious. Even though Bonnie and Clyde had started committing violent crimes, many ignored that fact and chose to admire them for challenging authority. In the eyes of sympathizers, Bonnie and Clyde were robbing the banks that had robbed them. Remember, it was the Great Depression. A lot of people blamed the banks. This is often called the Robin Hood effect when people admire outlaws because they believed they're standing up to corrupt systems. That was at least one sentiment. In other reports, Bonnie and Clyde just looked like young outlaws trying to survive the hard times. Either way, their story was relatable for many. Newspapers made them legends. Along the road, Bonnie and Clyde met other criminals like themselves. They trusted very few people and they often hid with friends, relatives, or members of their gang. That was also friends and relatives in one group. This group became known as the Barrow Gang. Traveling together made them feel safer, but it also made them easier to notice. They occasionally forgot how closely they were being watched and how easy it was for one person to rat them out. In early 1934, a group of officers from Texas and Louisiana figured out where they were. It was a tip from someone in the group's dad. They set a trap to catch them. On the morning of May 23rd, 1934, Bonnie and Clyde were driving along a quiet road in rural Louisiana in that stolen Ford and police officers were waiting for them in bushes. When the car slowed down, the officers shot more than 150 bullets at the car. It was sudden and violent. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were killed in the front seats. The law had finally beat them, ending one of the most famous crime stories in US history. All right, so that's the end of this story. That was a lot, huh? We heard that they robbed banks and gas stations. They stole cars. They drove fast, hid from the police, and lived recklessly. On the run, their story is definitely one of the most famous love and crime stories of all time. Now, I hope you enjoyed my shortened and simplified version of it. Maybe you noticed just how many irregular verbs I was able to cram in there. Did you count? I counted 26, 26 irregular verbs. Most of them we've already gone over and other irregular verb lessons. For example, to become in the past is became, to leave is left, to know is new. But wow, that's a great review. If I'm honest, on a side note from this story, I've spent a lot of time with irregular verbs, just looking at worksheets, going over which ones are the most common. And based on a lot of analysis, I've come to the conclusion that there are about 150 that are common. And if you memorize them, you're going to never have to think twice while you're speaking. It's going to be very, very quick and simple to tell stories. So, yeah, 150. In this episode alone, there were 26. So, if you just listen to this episode multiple times, you're going to hear a huge chunk of that 150 right here. I mean, just right in that very short period of time. So think about that. It's kind of cool. And yeah, let's move on to the rest of this lesson. What were the 10 new irregular verbs you heard in the story? Let's go through them. I'll give two new example sentences for each. Number one, to steal. To steal in the past is stole. Together, they stole cars. Clyde's favorite was the Ford V8. And here are two more examples. Someone stole my bike last night. He stole fruit and vegetables from the store. Number two, to meet. To meet in the past is Met. When their eyes met, they both knew their lives had changed forever. Number three, to have. To have in the past is head. They had a wonderful time driving down the country roads. They had a new Ford V8 to drive. Number four, to drive. To drive in the past is drove. He drove with one hand gripping the wheel while the other held Bonnie's. We drove all night to get home. She drove to work early this morning. Number five, to shoot. To shoot in the past is shot. Clyde shot pictures of Bonnie with a gun and a cigar. Number six, to hurt. To hurt in the past is hurt. It doesn't change. I hurt my back while lifting a box. He hurt his foot during soccer practice. Number seven, to catch. To catch in the past is caught. I caught the ball easily. She caught a cold last week. Number eight, to give. To give in the past is gave. Reporters went crazy and newspapers across the US gave Bonnie and Clyde the front page. Bonnie and Clyde stayed in contact with their families and gave them gifts. They gave his friend some advice. Number nine, to hide. To hide in the past is hid. She hid the keys under the mat. The little kid "Hyd" behind the door. Number 10 - To forget. To forget in the past is "forgot". They occasionally forgot how closely they were being watched. I forgot my phone at home. She forgot her camera and photos in the building. Thanks for listening. Before we wrap up today's lesson, let's go through a few fun facts about Bonnie and Clyde. Fact number 1 - Bonnie was married before meeting Clyde. She got married at 16 to a man named Roy Thornton. He was also a troublemaker. Fact number 2 - While in the picture's Bonnie held a gun, she didn't often shoot the guns. She'd usually wait in the car when Clyde was in shootouts. Fact number 3 - Shortly after meeting Bonnie, Clyde got sent to "Eastam Prison", which was one of the worst prisons at the time. He was not only regularly beaten there, but he had to do very difficult backbreaking manual labor. To change his line of work in prison, he asked another inmate to chop off some of his toes with an axe. So his buddy did it, he chopped off Clyde's toes. And what Clyde didn't know was that his mom had managed to get him released. And he was released six days later. So he got his toes chopped off for nothing. I don't think all of them, maybe just a few, but yeah, you can look into that. Fact number 4 - Their car, the Ford V8, that they were riding in when they were killed, is still out there today. It's still covered in bullet holes, and it's displayed at Buffalo Bills Resort and Casino in Prim, Nevada. Every year it draws thousands and thousands of tourists to it. Fact number 5 - While Clyde was on the run, he actually took the time to write a letter to Henry Ford, the creator of the Ford V8. Just to let him know how much he liked the car. This is what his letter said. "While I have still got breath in my lungs, I will tell you what a dandy car you make." Dandy is a very old-fashioned way to say nice or pleasant. We don't use that very frequently anymore unless we're trying to be silly. So he went on to say that even when being chased by police, Ford cars never let him down. When he signed that letter, yours truly Clyde Champion Barrow. So if today Clyde were still alive, he probably would have made some influencer money on that promotion, Henry Ford obviously did not want to have anything to do with him to get that reputation, but the letter was printed and the press Henry Ford did not respond. Fact number 6 - After their death, their fame continued to grow. Eventually, through songs, books, and movies, the number of songs called Bonnie and Clyde is absurd. Just type that in to Spotify or wherever you listen to music. You're going to see so many songs called Bonnie and Clyde. Jay-Z and Beyonce also released a song, "Oh Three Bonnie and Clyde." And it was so famous when I was in middle school. I still remember hearing that on the radio down to ride to the very end, me and my boyfriend. Anyway, the references in the songs usually talk about loyalty and rebellion and a couple against the world, so they still have that legacy in pop culture. And Hollywood also kept their legend alive. The 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, starring Warren Beatty and Fay Dunoway, became one of the most influential movies of its time and also cemented the couple's place in pop culture. Fact number 7 - Which brings this all to a close. We learned a little bit about Bonnie Parker in this episode. We know that she wanted to become famous, and while she did, she became infamous. She became famous for something bad. But she also became a successful writer. If you can measure success, by the amount of times someone is published. One of her most famous works is "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde," a poem. It begins, "Here is the story of Jesse James, of how he lived and died. If you still are in need of something to read, here is the story of Bonnie and Clyde." She wrote, "Some day they'll go down together, they'll bury them side by side, to few it'll be grief, to the law of relief, but it's death for Bonnie and Clyde." She had predicted their tragic end, and it came, "Before the funeral, 10,000 people went to see Clyde's body, 20,000 went to see Bonnie." Then both Bonnie and Clyde were buried in Dallas, Texas, not exactly side by side, like her poem suggested, but that's a family drama we won't get into. Had you heard about Bonnie and Clyde before this lesson, were there ever any romantic criminal couples in your country? In any case, I hope you enjoyed today's lesson. Remember, if you'd like the bonus material for this episode, be sure to check out the Academy, you'll find the link in the episode notes. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your day, and until next time, bye. Thank you for listening to this episode of the American English Podcast. Remember, it's my goal here to not only help you improve your listening comprehension, but to show you how to speak like someone from the States. 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