Hi, I'm Neil.

Joining me is Katherine.

Hello, Katherine.

Hello, Neil.

So, what's our story today?

Okay, so today's story Neil, is about the future off Spain.

Okay, The future of Spain, Let's hear more from this BBC World Service News Bulletin Catalans are going on strike today to protest the violence that marred the region's independence referendum on Sunday.

Catalonia's regional governments has over 90% of Sunday's voters opted for independence, but only 40% of Catalans voted so a story from Spain there now An independence referendum was held in the Spanish region of Catalonia on Sunday.

A referendum is where the public make their opinion on a particular issue, known by going to a voting station and saying what they feel now.

This referendum was unofficial In fact, the Spanish government didn't recognize this referendum, but it happened in many places.

The police were sent to try and stop it from happening and there was quite a lot of violence.

People got hurt.

No About 40% of Catalan people went to vote in this referendum.

And off those 40% 90% chose to vote for independent or they gave their opinion about independence.

Now, today there is a strike happening in Catalonia, which is a protest about the violence there.

So quite a complex story from Spain today.

Okay, Yes, a complicated story explained.

Clearly, you've been looking around the world's media at how this story is being reported and picked out three words and expressions that you can use in your everyday English.

Yes, so, looking at the headlines, three really good useful words we have the 1st 1 is map out.

Secondly, we have goes it alone on.

Thirdly, step back from the brink map out, goes it alone and step back from the brink.

So that 1st 1 map out, what's the headline?

Okay, so we're looking in The Chicago Tribune on the headline is Catalonia, Spain map out their next moves after chaotic vote for independence.

So map out meaning make a detailed plan.

Yes.

So if we think about a map, if you're lost on you want to find your way somewhere, you're going from somewhere to somewhere else.

You get a map and you look at it.

You might look at him up on your phone.

You might look at a paper map on that map from that.

Looking at that map, you know exactly what to do, where to go to get where you need to be.

So go along, turn left long, a bit more.

Turn right around the corner, very detailed, and it allows you to make a plan off your actions.

So using this idea of making a plan for your actions is what the word map out means in the wider sense.

Make a plan for your action, and the element of detail is important.

Here is a map usually isn't just a rough drawing or diagram of somewhere.

It's a very detailed one, and we're interested in detail when we use this expression.

Absolutely.

And it's also not for something small.

You don't map out what you're gonna have for lunch unless it's a very complicated special of you.

Map out things like you can map out your career.

You can map out a project.

You can map out a plan or a process, so it's really making very detailed plans for something that's quite important on a quick note on the grammar of this phrase.

Will verb we say to map out something or to map something out?

Yes, it's a separable phrase over in most cases.

Okay, let's have a look at your second headline.

All right, now we're going to look at Fox News.

Their headline is a look at what might happen if Catalonia goes it alone, goes it alone.

So goes it alone.

Does something on its own without help from others?

Yes, and it's the without help thing that's really important.

So imagine that you're working on a project and you've got lots of people involved working on it.

Helping you.

Maybe you want them to help.

Maybe you don't want them to help, probably if you just.

If you don't want them to help, you would prefer to go it alone.

And that means do something by yourself without any help from anybody else.

Often applied to, for example, members of music groups that decide to go it alone.

Zane Malik.

Yes, indeed.

So one direction really famous boy band.

There was five of them, but after a few years, one of their members.

Ain Malik decided he'd had enough.

He wanted Teoh have leave the band and have a solo career.

So Zane Malik decided to go it alone and did so quite successfully, I believe.

Yeah, so that happened in the past.

So could I say he went it alone?

It could, but it doesn't sound.

Must've.

It doesn't really sound that natural.

You'd be more likely.

Toe add a verb in the past tense in this case is a Malik decided to go it alone, so we usually use it in the in the said.

But simple present hands or present continuous.

He's going it alone on.

It's not just for pop bands.

Obviously it can be anything you decide.

You don't want to work with anybody going alone on our final headline.

Okay, so Financial Times today it's an opinion piece on the headline is Catalan separatists must step back from the brink.

Step back from the brink, meaning decide against an action which may have a bad result.

Yes, on the key word here is brink B r i N k.

Now imagine Neil, you're walking along the street or you're walking along outside somewhere and suddenly the ground that you're walking on.

Stops on you.

Look in front of you At your feet on there is a drop like a cliff Like a cliff.

Yes.

Now you're standing right at the edge on that edge where your star man is called the brink.

If you take one more step, even a smaller one, there's going to be disaster.

You're going to fall over and break every bone in your body.

God forbid, eso is a very dangerous situation.

You're on the brink off this edge.

So the best thing you can do to stay safe is take a step back, step back from the brink, step away from danger to a place of safety.

So we using that idea here, idiomatic Lee to say in this case, the cup Catalan separatists are about to do something quite to get involved in something very dangerous.

This opinion pieces saying Don't do it moved back.

Stay safe.

That's interesting, isn't it?

Because there's another expression using brink in which the consequence isn't necessarily bad.

Yes, absolutely.

If we use the word step back from the brink, it means avoiding danger.

If we just used the phrase on the brink to be on the brink of something.

It means something is going to happen.

But it could be either good or bad.

So we could say the Catalan Spain is on the brink off disaster For some people, we could say that scientists are on the brink off discovering a cure for cancer, for example, which would be a good thing.

So on the brink off means something good or bad is about to happen.

Okay, well, we are on the brink off our recap of vocabulary.

But of course, before we do that, we always have a look at our Facebook challenge.

Now we've heard the phrase over but to map something out.

And here's another expression involving maps to put something on the map.

What does it mean?

Does it mean a to find somewhere be to draw a location or C to make something famous?

So how was the response to that then?

Very good response.

Pretty much everybody got the right answer where we will have a look at the contribution we got from handy.

Oh Pandey, who said see, to make something famous?

I'm not sure with my answer handy.

A panda.

You are absolutely right well done to you, To Andrea, Vaszi, Errani and everybody else who said Answer C yes, well done.

And now just time for a recap of our vocabulary, please.

Okay, here we go.

So we had mapped out.

Make a detailed plan, Goes it alone.

Does something alone without help from others on step back from the brink.

Decide against an action which may have a bad result.

If you would like to test yourself on today's vocabulary, there is a quiz on our website BBC Learning english dot com, where you can find all sorts of other videos and activities to help you improve your English.

And also, news review is now available as a podcast, and you can find that we find all of our other podcasts.

Thanks for joining us and good bye bye, He's review from BBC Learning English.