Do you like telling stories? Well, what happens when you want to introduce a surprising turn of events? We have just the expression for you!
Jiaying
Welcome to The English We Speak with me, Jiaying…
Neil
… and me, Neil. Are you OK? You look really stressed!
Jiaying
Well, I had a crazy lunch. I went to the park to eat my lunch, but then I couldn’t find my nuts. Then, I saw who’d stolen them.
Neil
Was it Rob?
Jiaying
No, it wasn’t. I’d looked everywhere, and lo and behold, a squirrel had stolen them.
Neil
What? What did you say? Lower and below?
Jiaying
No, Neil – I said ‘lo and behold’, which is often used to express surprise at an event or introduce an unexpected part of the story.
Neil
Ahhh that makes sense – like a strange coincidence. Like the other day, I wanted some biscuits, but lo and behold, guess who’d eaten them all?
Jiaying
Rob! Let’s talk about some other surprising twists after these examples.
Examples
I was just thinking about my uncle when, lo and behold, he rang.
I’d completely forgotten to finish just one task, and lo and behold, it was the only one my boss asked for!
My wife was so angry the other day. Lo and behold, it was her birthday and I’d forgotten.
Jiaying
You’re listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, and we’re talking about the expression ‘lo and behold’. We use this expression to introduce a surprising event to a story we are telling.
Neil
So, what happened after you saw the squirrel had stolen your nuts in the park?
Jiaying
Well, I said to the squirrel – ‘Hey you, give me back my nuts’, and lo and behold, the squirrel returned my food!
Neil
That’s amazing! That squirrel must have felt really guilty!
Jiaying
Yes, he apologised. You see, he didn’t mean to steal my nuts, but he needed them. Lo and behold, he has a young family. So I gave him the nuts. Guess what happened next?
Neil
The squirrel asked if you’d like to join him for dinner?
Jiaying
Don’t be ridiculous, Neil! He ran off!
Neil
Oh, OK. That’s not as surprising as I imagined!
Jiaying
Bye, Neil.
Neil
Bye.
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