Acquired Savant

August 2014
www.deepenglish.com
ACQUIRED SAVANT
INDEX
ACQUIRED SAVANT
02
Deep English, 2011-2014
www.deepenglish.com
03
ACTIVE LISTENING MAIN STORY
06
ACTIVE LISTENING VOCABULARY
07
ACTIVE SPEAKING - PART A
11
ACTIVE SPEAKING - PART B
15
ACTIVE SPEAKING - PART C
19
FUTURE
22
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
25
PAST CONTINUOUS
28
PRESENT PERFECT
30
CONVERSATION LESSON
39
CONVERSATIONAL VOCABULARY
ACTIVE
LISTENING
VOCABULARY
ACTIVE
SPEAKING
FOUR
TENSES
CONVERSATION
LESSON
ACTIVE LISTENING MAIN STORY

ACQUIRED SAVANT
The almost magical transformation from caterpillar to butterfly has fascinated humans for
thousands of years. While the butterfly symbolizes transformative change, the caterpillar reminds
us of hidden potential. Who could ever imagine that such an earthbound, worm-like creature could
transform so effortlessly into a creature of flight, color, and grace?
You probably know that a caterpillar grows a shell and, after about a month, out pops a butterfly.
This shell is called a chrysalis, and what happens inside a chrysalis might not be what you expect.
You might think that the caterpillar sprouts wings, but if you were to cut a chrysalis open, all you
would see is liquid goo. There would be no sign of the caterpillar whatsoever. The eyes, the antenna,
the legs, and the organs would all be gone. They would seem to have melted into a milky liquid. And
somehow out of that liquid a transformation would happen. This led many early scientists to believe
that the caterpillar had to completely die for the butterfly to be born.
In the 17th century a man named Jan Swammerdam cut open a caterpillar and found thin
transparent wings and antennae rolled up within the caterpillar. When the caterpillar grows its shell,
these ghostly wings and antennae become part of the shell. When you look inside the shell, there is
only liquid, but within the shell is the link between the caterpillar and the butterfly. The butterflys
future self was hiding all along inside the caterpillar.
Perhaps humans are the same way. What sort of butterflies do we humans have within us? What
kind of hidden potential do we have, just waiting to be unlocked by the right conditions? What kind
of transformation can happen to us?
03
www.deepenglish.com
Derek Amato was a man who, like the caterpillar, seemed to have his future self locked up inside. He
seemed to be waiting for something to trigger an awakening of great change. One day, while
horsing around with his friends, Derek dove into the shallow end of a pool and hit his head on the
bottom. Derek was rushed to the hospital, where doctors said he had a massive concussion. Derek
made a recovery, but he lost 35 percent of his hearing and some of his memory, too.
But then something incredible happened when he got out of the hospital. Derek suddenly began
playing the piano with professional skill and artistic creativity. He just spontaneously started
hearing music and seeing black and white squares appearing in his head. These squares
represented melodies, and compelled his fingers to move along the piano. Yet Derek had never
played the piano before. He didnt even know how to read music. He had some experience with
drums and guitar, but admits he was pretty lousy at both before the accident.
Doctors diagnosed Derek with Acquired Savant Syndrome. This is a condition where mental
impairment results in extraordinary skills. You might already be familiar with the term savant. It was
made famous by Dustin Hoffmans character, Raymond, in the movie Rain Man. Raymond was
based on a real person, named Kim Peek. Unlike Derek, Kim was an Autistic Savant. An autistic
Savant is someone who suffers from autism, while possessing an extraordinary skill.
In Kims case, he didnt seem very bright, and had a terrible time relating to other people emotionally
and socially. He couldnt operate a light switch or even button his shirt. However, he possessed an
extraordinary ability to count things, make calculations, and remember details. Kim's nickname was
Kim-puter because his ability to remember things was like a computer. Kim was a voracious
reader, finishing most books in one hour. He had the unusual habit of reading the left page with his
left eye and the right page with his right eye. Over the course of his life he read over 12,000 books
and could recall them all in detail.
Unlike Kim, Derek Amato didnt have such a huge cost to pay for his savant-like talents. Luckily, he
hasnt suffered any loss of social skills from his head injury. While his memory and hearing were
somewhat affected, he has still been able to lead a fairly normal life. In fact, some may say his
sudden new talent has increased his quality of life. Derek now has a career as a successful
professional musician. He has released several albums and has performed in front of thousands.
04
www.deepenglish.com
Derek isnt the only one to experience Acquired Savant Syndrome through some sort of head injury.
Tony Cicorio, a New York doctor, also unlocked a hidden musical talent after an accident. He taught
himself to play piano and write music after being struck by lightning while talking on the phone.
Orlando Serrell was hit in the head with a baseball bat. Afterwards, he suddenly found himself with
the ability to instantly name the day of the week for any date in history. Alonzo Clemons suffered a
bad fall at a young age and acquired the ability to sculpt animals with a high degree of precision.
So clearly the head injury is causing something mysterious to happen within the brain. How this is
leading to the sudden development of these amazing abilities is still unknown.
Darold Treffert is a retired professor and an expert on Acquired Savant Syndrome. Treffert has
studied Derek Amato and 30 other cases where people gained amazing abilities after head trauma.
In most of these cases, Treffert reports some kind of damage to the left side of the brain. This
causes the right side of the brain to compensate. The right side of the brain is associated with
creativity and intuition.
Trefferts subjects saw increases in mathematical skills, artistic skills, musical skills, and/or
photographic memory. But might there be more unhidden abilities waiting to be unlocked?
Howard Gardners theory of multiple intelligences is a window of what type of abilities may be
possible. He has identified nine different types of intelligences that each human possesses to a
certain degree. These are spatial, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, logical, linguistic,
kinesthetic, naturalist, and existential. Derek Amatos extraordinary musical ability, for example,
shows a high level of musical intelligence. Kim Peeks rare ability to calculate numbers would place
him in the logical category of intelligence. While Alonzo Clemons ability to sculpt animals would be
an example of spatial intelligence.
Did Derek Amato always have those musical talents hidden deep inside him, just waiting to come
out? Or was it just the result of a freak accident? Some say that its impossible for him to instantly
have the talent to play over eight instruments. He must have had those talents deep inside him for
years. If this is true, then how many other talents and abilities do we carry within us? What are we
potentially capable of doing? They say we only understand about 10% of how the brain actually
functions. And it makes you wonder what might be possible if scientists can discover how to unlock
these potentials.
Imagine scientists figuring out how to boost ones interpersonal intelligence. Such a procedure could
help people suffering from poor communication skills. Or how about figuring out how to unleash
Naturalist intelligence? This could allow people to deeply understand how to live in harmony with the
environment.
05
www.deepenglish.com
Being able to unlock hidden abilities seems to hold great potential not just for individuals, but also for
society. Could this lead to a social transformation as wonderful as that of the caterpillar-to-butterfly?
Or might there be unforeseen dangers in releasing these powerful abilities?
If you could release an extraordinary ability hidden within your mind, what would it be? And how
would it change your reality? Would it transform it for the better? Or would it simply make things
different?
ACTIVE LISTENING VOCABULARY

ACQUIRED SAVANT
transformation: dramatic change
fascinated: strongly pulled or interested in
symbolizes: represents
recovery: return to health
massive: huge, very big
spontaneously: happening naturally, without planning
compelled: forced or pressured to do something
diagnosed: having an illness already identified by a doctor
impairment: state of being weakened or damaged
acquired: learned or developed
potential: the capacity to do something or become something in the future
precision: state of being exact and accurate
06
trauma: a powerfully distressing experience, either emotional or physical

horsing around: playing with someone excitedly or roughly
www.deepenglish.com
voracious: enthusiastic for eating or any other activity
ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART A

ACQUIRED SAVANT
The almost magical transformation from caterpillar to butterfly has fascinated humans for thousands
of years.
What transformation has fascinated humans for thousands of years? The transformation
from caterpillar to butterfly has fascinated humans for thousands of years.
While the butterfly symbolizes transformative change, the caterpillar reminds us of hidden potential.
What doe the butterfly symbolize? The butterfly symbolizes transformative change. What
does the caterpillar remind us of? The caterpillar reminds us of hidden potential.
Who could ever imagine that such an earthbound, worm-like creature could transform so effortlessly
into a creature of flight, color, and grace?
What kind of creature does the caterpillar transform into? The caterpillar transforms into a
creature of flight, color, and grace.
You probably know that a caterpillar grows a shell and, after about a month, out pops a butterfly.
What does the caterpillar grow? The caterpillar grows a shell. What pops out of the shell after
about a month? After about a month, out pops a butterfly.
This shell is called a chrysalis, and what happens inside a chrysalis might not be what you expect.
07
www.deepenglish.com
What is the shell called? The shell is called a chrysalis.

You might think that the caterpillar sprouts wings, but if you were to cut a chrysalis open, all you
would see is liquid goo.

ACQUIRED SAVANT
What is inside the shell? Inside the shell is liquid goo.
There would be no sign of the caterpillar whatsoever.
Would you see any sign of the caterpillar? No, there would be no sign of the caterpillar
whatsoever.
The eyes, the antenna, the legs, and the organs would all be gone.
What would be gone? The eyes, the antenna, the legs, and the organs would all be gone.
They would seem to have melted into a milky liquid.
Would they seem to have melted into a milky liquid? Yes, they would seem to have melted
into a milky liquid.
And somehow out of that liquid a transformation would happen. This led many early scientists to
believe that the caterpillar had to completely die for the butterfly to be born.
In the 17th century a man named Jan Swammerdam cut open a caterpillar and found thin
transparent wings and antennae rolled up within the caterpillar.
08
www.deepenglish.com
What did he cut open? He cut open a caterpillar? What did he find inside? He found thin
transparent wings and antennae rolled up inside.
When the caterpillar grows its shell, these ghostly wings and antennae become part of the shell.
Do these wings and antennae become part of the shell? Yes, these wings and antennae
become part of the shell.

ACQUIRED SAVANT
When you look inside the shell, there is only liquid, but within the shell is the link between the
caterpillar and the butterfly.
What kind of link is within the shell? Within the shell is the link between the caterpillar and
the butterfly.
The butterflys future self was hiding all along inside the caterpillar.
What was hiding inside the caterpillar? The butterflys future self was hiding inside the
caterpillar.
Perhaps humans are the same way.
What sort of butterflies do we humans have within us? What kind of hidden potential do we
have, just waiting to be unlocked by the right conditions? What kind of transformation do you
believe can happen to us?
Derek Amato was a man who, like the caterpillar, seemed to have his future self locked up inside.
He seemed to be waiting for something to trigger an awakening of great change.
What was he waiting for? He was waiting for something to trigger an awakening of great
change.
09
www.deepenglish.com
One day, while horsing around with his friends, Derek dove into the shallow end of a pool and hit his
head on the bottom.
Was Derek horsing around? Yes, Derek was horsing around. Who was he horsing around
with? He was horsing around with his friends. What did he dive into? He dove into the
shallow end of a pool. Did he hit his head? Yes, he hit his head on the bottom.

ACQUIRED SAVANT
Derek was rushed to the hospital, where doctors said he had a massive concussion. Derek made a
recovery, but he lost 35 percent of his hearing and some of his memory, too.
What did the doctors say? The doctors said he had a massive concussion. Did Derek make a
recovery? Yes, Derek made a recovery. How much of his hearing did he lose? He lost 35% of
his hearing. What about his memory? Did he lose some of that too? Yes, he also lost some of
his memory.
10
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ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART B

ACQUIRED SAVANT
Something incredible happened when he got out of the hospital.

Did something incredible happen? Yes, something incredible happened. When did something
incredible happen? Something incredible happened when he got out of the hospital.
Derek suddenly began playing the piano with professional skill and artistic creativity.
Who suddenly began to play the piano? Derek suddenly began to play the piano. Did he play
well? Yes, he played with professional skill.
He just spontaneously started hearing music and seeing black and white squares appearing in his
head.
What did Derek see in his head? Derek saw black and white squares in his head.
These squares represented melodies, and compelled his fingers to move along the piano.
What did these squares represent? These squares represented melodies. Did they compel
his fingers to move? Yes, they compelled his fingers to move.
Yet Derek had never played the piano before. He didnt even know how to read music. He had some
experience with drums and guitar, but admits he was pretty lousy at both before the accident.
11
www.deepenglish.com
Had Derek played the piano before? No, Derek had never played the piano before. Had he
played the drums and guitar before? Yes, he had some experience with drums and guitar.
Was he good at playing the drums and guitar? No, he was pretty lousy at both of them.
Doctors diagnosed Derek with Acquired Savant Syndrome.

ACQUIRED SAVANT
Who diagnosed Derek? Doctors diagnosed Derek. Did they diagnose him with Acquired
Savant Syndrome? Yes, they diagnosed Derek with Acquired Savant Syndrome.
This is a condition where mental impairment results in extraordinary skills. You might already be
familiar with the term savant. It was made famous by Dustin Hoffmans character, Raymond, in the
movie Rain Man.
Have you seen the movie Rain Man?
Raymond was based on a real person, named Kim Peek. Unlike Derek, Kim was an Autistic Savant.
An autistic Savant is someone who suffers from autism, while possessing an extraordinary skill.
Was Kim Peek a real person? Yes, Kim Peek was a real person. Was he an Autistic Savant?
Yes, he was an Autistic Savant.
In Kims case, he didnt seem very bright, and had a terrible time relating to other people emotionally
and socially.
What did Kim have a terrible time with? Kim had a terrible time relating to other people
emotionally and socially.
He couldnt operate a light switch or even button his shirt.
12
www.deepenglish.com
What couldnt he do? He couldnt operate a light switch or even button his shirt.
However, he possessed an extraordinary ability to count things, make calculations, and remember
details.

ACQUIRED SAVANT
Did he have an extraordinary ability to count things? Yes, he had an extraordinary ability to
count things. Did he have an extraordinary ability to make calculations? Yes, he had an
extraordinary ability to make calculations. Did he have an extraordinary ability to remember
details? Yes, he had an extraordinary ability to remember details.
Kim's nickname was Kim-puter because his ability to remember things was like a computer.
What was Kims nickname? Kims nickname was Kim-puter. Why was he called Kim-puter?
He was called Kim-puter because his ability to remember things was like a computer.
Kim was a voracious reader, finishing most books in one hour.
How long would it take Kim to read a book? Kim would read most books in one hour. Was he
a voracious reader? Yes, he was a voracious reader.
He had the unusual habit of reading the left page with his left eye and the right page with his right
eye.
How did he read books? He read the left page with his left eye and the right page with his
right eye.
Over the course of his life he read over 12,000 books and could recall them all in detail.
13
www.deepenglish.com
How many books did he read? He read 12,000 books. How many could he remember in
detail? He could remember all of them in detail.
Unlike Kim, Derek Amato didnt have such a huge cost to pay for his savant-like talents.

ACQUIRED SAVANT
Who paid a higher cost for his ability Kim or Derek? Derek paid a higher cost for his ability.
Luckily, he hasnt suffered any loss of social skills from his head injury.
Has Derek suffered any loss of social skills? No, he hasnt suffered any loss of social skills.
While his memory and hearing were somewhat affected, he has still been able to lead a fairly normal
life. In fact, some may say his sudden new talent has increased his quality of life.
Has Dereks new ability increased or decreased the quality of his life? Dereks new ability has
increased the quality of his life.
14
www.deepenglish.com
ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART C

ACQUIRED SAVANT
Derek isnt the only one to experience Acquired Savant Syndrome through some sort of head injury.
Tony Cicorio, a New York doctor, also unlocked a hidden musical talent after an accident.
Who is Tony Cicorio? Tony Cicorio is a New York doctor. Did he also have an accident? Yes,
he also had an accident. Did he also unlock a hidden talent? Yes, he also unlocked a hidden
talent.
He taught himself to play piano and write music after being struck by lightning while talking on the
phone.
Who taught Tony to play piano? He taught himself to play piano. When did he teach himself
to play piano? He taught himself to play piano after being struck by lightening.
Orlando Serrell was hit in the head with a baseball bat. Afterwards, he suddenly found himself with
the ability to instantly name the day of the week for any date in history.
What new ability did Orlando find? Orlando suddenly found himself with the ability to
instantly name the day of the week for any date in history.
Alonzo Clemons suffered a bad fall at a young age and acquired the ability to sculpt animals with a
high degree of precision.
What new ability did Alonzo acquire? Alonzo acquired the ability to sculpt animals with a high
degree of precision.
15
www.deepenglish.com
So clearly the head injury is causing something mysterious to happen within the brain. How this is
leading to the sudden development of these amazing abilities is still unknown.
Darold Treffert is a retired professor and an expert on Acquired Savant Syndrome.

ACQUIRED SAVANT
Who is Darold Treffert? Darold Treffert is a retired professor and an expert on Acquired
Savant Syndrome.
Treffert has studied Derek Amato and 30 other cases where people gained amazing abilities after
head trauma.
How many cases of amazing abilities after head trauma has he studied? He has studied 30
other cases of amazing abilities after head trauma.
In most of these cases, Treffert reports some kind of damage to the left side of the brain. This
causes the right side of the brain to compensate. The right side of the brain is associated with
creativity and intuition.
What is the right side of the brain associated with? The right side of the brain is associated
with creativity and intuition.
Trefferts subjects saw increases in mathematical skills, artistic skills, musical skills, and/or
photographic memory. But might there be more hidden abilities waiting to be unlocked?
What kind of increases did Trefferts subjects see? Trefferts subjects saw increases in
mathematical skills, artistic skills, musical skills, and/or photographic memory.
16
www.deepenglish.com
Howard Gardners theory of multiple intelligences is a window into what type of abilities may be
possible. He has identified nine different types of intelligences that each human possesses to a
certain degree.
How many different types of intelligences has he identified? He has identified nine different
types of intelligences.

ACQUIRED SAVANT
These are spatial, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, logical, linguistic, kinesthetic, naturalist, and
existential. Derek Amatos extraordinary musical ability, for example, shows a high level of musical
intelligence.
What kind of intelligence does Dereks ability show? Dereks ability shows a high level of
musical intelligence. Are you musically intelligent?
Kim Peeks rare ability to calculate numbers would place him in the logical category of intelligence.
What kind of intelligence does Kims ability show? Kims ability shows a logical intelligence.
While Alonzo Clemons ability to sculpt animals would be an example of spatial intelligence.
What kind of intelligence does Alonzos ability show? Alonzos ability shows spatial
intelligence. Are you spatially intelligent?
Did Derek Amato always have those musical talents hidden deep inside him, just waiting to come
out? Or was it just the result of a freak accident? Some say that its impossible for him to instantly
have the talent to play over eight instruments. He must have had those talents deep inside him for
years.
What do you think? Did he have those talents deep inside him all his life?
17
www.deepenglish.com
If this is true, then how may other talents and abilities do we carry within us? What are we potentially
capable of doing? They say we only understand about 10% of how the brain actually functions. And
it makes you wonder what might be possible if scientists can discover how to unlock these
potentials.
What percentage of how the brain actually functions do we understand? They say we only
understand about 10% of how the brain actually functions.

ACQUIRED SAVANT
Imagine scientists figuring out how to boost ones interpersonal intelligence. Such a procedure could
help people suffering from poor communication skills.
What kind of person could be helped by boosting interpersonal intelligence? People
suffering from poor communication skills could be helped by boosting interpersonal
intelligence.
Or how about figuring out how to unleash Naturalist intelligence? This could allow people to deeply
understand how to live in harmony with the environment.
Could Naturalist intelligence help us understand how to live in harmony with the
environment? Yes, Naturalist intelligence could help us live in harmony with the environment.
What kind of intelligence would you like to boost?
Being able to unlock hidden abilities seems to hold great potential not just for individuals, but also for
society.
Do you think that unlocking hidden abilities could benefit society?
Could this lead to a social transformation as wonderful as that of the caterpillar-to-butterfly? Or might
there be unforeseen dangers in releasing these powerful abilities?
18
www.deepenglish.com
If you could release an extraordinary ability hidden within your mind, what would it be? And
how would it change your reality? Would it transform it for the better? Or would it simply
make things different?
FUTURE
ACQUIRED SAVANT
Howard Gardners theory of multiple intelligences will be a window into what type of abilities may be
possible.
What kind of window will the theory of multiple intelligences be? The theory of multiple
intelligences will be a window into what type of abilities may be possible.
He is going to identify nine different types of intelligences that each human possesses to a certain
degree.
Who is going to identify nine different types of intelligences? Howard is going to identify
nine different types of intelligences.
These will be spatial, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, logical, linguistic, kinesthetic, naturalist,
and existential. Derek Amatos extraordinary musical ability, for example, is going to show a high
level of musical intelligence.
What kind of intelligence will Dereks ability show? Dereks ability will show a high level of
musical intelligence.
Kim Peeks rare ability to calculate numbers will place him in the logical category of intelligence.
What kind of intelligence will Kims ability show? Kims ability will show logical intelligence.
While Alonzo Clemons ability to sculpt animals will be an example of spatial intelligence.
19
www.deepenglish.com
What kind of intelligence will Alonzos ability show? Alonzos ability will show spatial
intelligence.
FUTURE
ACQUIRED SAVANT
Is Derek Amatos musical talent going to be hidden deep inside him from birth, just waiting to come
out? Or will it just be the result of a freak accident? Some will say that its impossible for him to
instantly have the talent to play over eight instruments.
Will some say that his instant musical ability is impossible? Yes, some will say that his
instant musical ability is impossible.
One day, maybe scientists are going to figure out how to boost ones interpersonal intelligence.
Are scientists maybe going to figure out how to boost ones interpersonal intelligence? Yes,
one day, maybe scientists are going to figure out how to boost ones interpersonal
intelligence.
Such a procedure will help people suffering from poor communication skills.
Who will this help? This will help people suffering from poor communication skills.
They are going to figure out how to unleash Naturalist intelligence.
What are they going to figure out how to unleash? They are going to figure out how to
unleash Naturalist intelligence.
This will allow people to deeply understand how to live in harmony with the environment.
20
www.deepenglish.com
Will this will allow people to deeply understand how to live in harmony with the
environment? Yes, this will allow people to deeply understand how to live in harmony with
the environment.
FUTURE
ACQUIRED SAVANT
Being able to unlock hidden abilities is going to create great change, not just for individuals, but also
for society.
Is this going to create great change for individuals and society? Yes, this will create great
change for individuals and society.
This will lead to a social transformation as wonderful as that of the caterpillar-to-butterfly.
What kind of transformation will this lead to? This will lead to a social transformation as
wonderful as that of the caterpillar-to-butterfly.
21
www.deepenglish.com
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
ACQUIRED SAVANT
Derek Amato is a man who, like the caterpillar, seems to have his future self locked up inside. He is
waiting for something to trigger an awakening of great change.
What is Derek waiting for? He is waiting for something to trigger an awakening of great
change.
He is horsing around with his friends. Derek is diving into the shallow end of a pool when he hits his
head on the bottom.
Is he riding a horse? No, he isnt riding a horse. What is he doing? He is horsing around with
friends. What is he doing when he hits his head? He is diving into the shallow end of a pool
when he hits his head.
Derek is being rushed to the hospital, where doctors say he has a massive concussion. Derek is
soon making a recovery, but he is losing 35 percent of his hearing and some of his memory, too.
Where is Derek being rushed to? Derek is being rushed to the hospital. Is he making a
recovery? Yes, he is making a recovery. What percent of his hearing is he losing? He is
losing 35 percent of his hearing. What else is he losing? He is also losing some of his
memory.
But then something incredible is happening when he gets out of the hospital. Derek is suddenly
playing the piano with professional skill and artistic creativity.
22
www.deepenglish.com
What is Derek suddenly doing? Derek is suddenly playing the piano with professional skill
and artistic creativity.
He is spontaneously hearing music and seeing black and white squares appearing in his head.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
ACQUIRED SAVANT
What is Derek hearing? Derek is hearing music. What is he seeing? He is seeing black and
white squares appearing in his head.
These squares are representing melodies, and compelling his fingers to move along the piano.
What are the squares representing? The squares are representing melodies. Are they
compelling his fingers to move along the piano? Yes, they are compelling his fingers to
move along the piano.
Yet Derek has never played the piano before. He doesnt even know how to read music. He had
some experience with drums and guitar, but is saying that he was pretty lousy at both before the
accident.
What is he saying? He is saying that he was pretty lousy at both before the accident.
Doctors are diagnosing Derek with Acquired Savant Syndrome.
What are doctors diagnosing Derek with? Doctors are diagnosing Derek with Acquired
Savant Syndrome.
Darold Treffert is a retired professor and an expert on Acquired Savant Syndrome.
Treffert is studying Derek Amato and 30 other cases where people gained amazing abilities after
head trauma.
23
Is Treffert studying Derek? Yes, Treffert is studying Derek. How many other cases is he
studying? He is studying 30 other cases.
In most of these cases, Treffert is reporting some kind of damage to the left side of the brain.
www.deepenglish.com
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
ACQUIRED SAVANT
What is Treffert reporting in most of these cases? In most of these cases, Treffert is
reporting some kind of damage to the left side of the brain.
This is causing the right side of the brain to compensate. Treffert is saying that the right side of the
brain is associated with creativity and intuition.
What is Treffert saying about the right side of the brain? Treffert is saying that the right side
of the brain is associated with creativity and intuition.
Trefferts subjects are seeing increases in mathematical skills, artistic skills, musical skills, and/or
photographic memory. But might there be more unhidden abilities waiting to be unlocked?
Are Trefferts subjects seeing increases in different abilities? Yes, Trefferts subjects are
seeing increases in different abilities. What skills and abilities are they seeing increases in?
They are seeing increases in mathematical skills, artistic skills, musical skills, and/or
photographic memory.
24
www.deepenglish.com
PAST CONTINUOUS
ACQUIRED SAVANT
Kim Peek was an Autistic Savant, someone who was suffering from autism, while possessing an
extraordinary skill.
What was Kim suffering from? Kim was suffering from autism.
Some people were thinking Kim wasnt very bright.
What were some people thinking about Kim? Some people were thinking Kim wasnt very
bright.
Kim was having a terrible time relating to other people emotionally and socially.
Was Kim relating well to other people? No, he was having a terrible time relating to other
people emotionally and socially.
However, he was doing all kinds of extraordinary things.
Was he doing very normal things? No, he was doing extraordinary things.
He was making calculations and remembering things at a level that no one else could match.
Was he making calculations and remembering things at a high level? Yes, he was making
calculations and remembering things at a very high level.
25
www.deepenglish.com
His friends were calling him Kim-puter because his ability to remember things was like a computer.
Why were his friends calling him Kim-puter? His friends were calling him Kim-puter
because his ability to remember things was like a computer.
PAST CONTINUOUS
ACQUIRED SAVANT
Kim was a voracious reader. He was finishing most books in one hour. He was reading in a very
unusual way. He was reading the left page with his left eye and the right page with his right eye.
Was he finishing some books in one hour? No, he was finishing most books in one hour.
Was he reading in a very unusual way? Yes, he was reading in a very unusual way. How was
he reading? He was reading the left page with his left eye and the right page with his right
eye.
Unlike Kim, Derek Amato wasnt suffering any loss of social skills from his head injury.
Was Derek also suffering a loss of social skills? Yes, Derek was also suffering a loss of
social skills.
While his memory and hearing were being affected, his life was mostly normal.
What was being affected? His memory and hearing were being affected.
In fact, some were saying, his sudden new talent increased his quality of life.
What were people saying? Some were saying his sudden new talent increased his quality of
life.
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Derek was having a lot of success as a professional musician. He was releasing several albums
and was performing in front of thousands.
Was Derek having a lot of success? Yes, Derek was having a lot of success. What was he
releasing? He was releasing several albums. Was he performing in front of thousands? Yes,
he was performing in front of thousands.
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ACQUIRED SAVANT
Derek wasnt the only one experiencing amazing abilities after a head injury.
Was Derek the only one experiencing amazing abilities? No, Derek wasnt the only one
experiencing amazing abilities.
Tony Cicorio, a New York doctor, was also unlocking a hidden musical talent after an accident.
What was Tony unlocking after an accident? Tony was unlocking a hidden musical talent
after an accident.
He was teaching himself to play piano and write music after being struck by lightning while talking
on the phone.
When was struck by lighting? He was struck by lightning while talking on the phone.
After being hit in the head with a baseball bat, Orlando Serrel was finding himself with new memory
powers.
What kind of powers was Orlando finding? Orlando was finding himself with new memory
powers.
He was naming the day of the week for any date in history. After a bad fall, Alonzo Clemons was
finding himself with the ability to sculpt animals with a high degree of precision.
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What ability was Alonzo finding? Alonzo was finding himself with the ability to sculpt
animals with a high degree of precision.
PRESENT PERFECT
ACQUIRED SAVANT
The almost magical transformation from caterpillar to butterfly has fascinated humans for thousands
of years.
What has fascinated humans for thousands of years? The transformation from caterpillar to
butterfly has fascinated humans for thousands of years.
While the butterfly has symbolized transformative change, the caterpillar has reminded us of hidden
potential.
What has the butterfly symbolized? The butterfly has symbolized transformative change.
What has the caterpillar reminded us of? The caterpillar has reminded us of hidden potential.
Who could ever have imagined that such an earthbound, worm-like creature could transform so
effortlessly into a creature of flight, color, and grace?
You probably have known that a caterpillar grows a shell and, after about a month, out pops a
butterfly. This shell has been called a chrysalis, and what happens inside a chrysalis might not be
what you expect.
What has the shell been called? The shell has been called a chrysalis.
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You might have thought that the caterpillar sprouts wings, but if you were to cut a chrysalis open, all
you would see is liquid goo. There would be no sign of the caterpillar whatsoever. The eyes, the
antenna, the legs, and the organs have all seemed to disappear.
Has the goo seemed to disappear? No, the goo hasnt seemed to disappear. Have the eyes
and the antenna seemed to disappear? Yes, the eyes and the antenna have seemed to
disappear. What else has seemed to disappear? The legs and the organs have also seemed
to disappear.
PRESENT PERFECT
ACQUIRED SAVANT
They have seemed to melt into a milky liquid. And somehow out of that liquid a transformation has
happened.
What kind of liquid have they seemed to melt into? They have seemed to melt into a milky
liquid. Has a transformation happened out of that liquid? Yes, a transformation has
happened out of that liquid.
This has led many early scientists to believe that the caterpillar has to completely die for the
butterfly to be born.
A man named Jan Swammerdam has cut open a caterpillar and has found thin transparent wings
and antennae rolled up within the caterpillar.
Who has cut open a caterpillar? Jan Swammerdam has cut open a caterpillar. What has he
found? He has found thin transparent wings and antennae rolled up within the caterpillar.
He has discovered that these ghostly wings and antennae have become part of the caterpillars
shell.
What has he discovered? He has discovered that these ghostly wings and antennae have
become part of the caterpillars shell.
He has discovered the link between the caterpillar and the butterfly. The butterflys future self has
been hiding all along inside the caterpillar.
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Aaron:
Tell me about Derek Amato.
Dan:
Derek Amato. He was the guy who had an accident. He was at a pool party at his
friends house, and he dove into the pool, accidentally dove into the wrong end. He
dove into the shallow end and ended up smashing his head onto the bottom of the
pool floor. He was rushed to the hospital and he was in very bad shape. I think he
was out of the hospital in a day or two, but he was completely out of it for a while.
When he was recovering, he was visiting a friend who had a piano and he felt drawn
to the piano, which he had never played that instrument before. He sat down and he
just started to play. He said that from that point, not only did he know how to play; he
was almost like his fingers would move by themselves. Even when he wasnt playing,
he would see these strange black and white squares passing across his field of vision
that was kind of his own personal, musical notation.
Aaron:
So he wasnt playing Mary Had A Little Lamb or anything like that?
Dan:
No, hes playing quite complex music. If you listen to it, its not my cup of tea
but it
sounds kind of loungy. You can tell it sounds like somebody whos been
playing for many, many years. His fingers are just flying up and down the keyboard.
Aaron:
So he just suddenly had this ability to play this amazing music?
Dan:
Thats what he says. He claims that his only musical experience was in high
school when he played drums and guitar in a garage band. He said on a scale of 1 to
10, he would rank his guitar and drum playing at a two or a three. So very poor, he
said he would not consider himself as a musician.
Aaron:
But suddenly out of the blue, he was able to jump from a level 2 to a level
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10?
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Dan:
Right. On an instrument that he never played before. And now in addition to piano, he
can play eight different instruments.
Aaron:
That sounds like something pretty amazing, and it raises the question: Do we have,
all of us, some kind of unlocked potential just lying there, waiting to be released? I
just wonder if thats what happened in his case. Maybe that brain injury stimulated
something or unlocked some kind of ability to do this, and I wonder if we all have that.
Dan:
Yeah. If that was something waiting to come out the whole time or did it knock his
brain in some strange way where it was reducing some sort of filters that allowed him
to perceive music in a different way, nobodys really sure what was happening.
Aaron:
But it does raise the question if scientists can figure out what actually is going on in
cases like Derek, that maybe they could find a way - through technology - to do similar
things without the head trauma involved, but find ways to stimulate our brain to unlock
these areas that might give us powers over and beyond what we have in our normal
lives.
Dan:
A lot of people talk about, in the future with gene manipulation, maybe well be able to
evolve the human race and do a race of super humans with amazing abilities or
physical abilities or mental abilities. But of course thats looking at from the time of
birth that this points to the ability that perhaps, even as adults, we have the potential
for amazing, almost instant change. The military, whos doing a lot of research into
unlocking human abilities or enhancing human abilities
Aaron:
For their soldiers, right?
Dan:
Right. Theyre often involved in this kind of cutting-edge research because they have
so much money at their disposal. Unfortunately, theyre looking at it not for ways that
are going to benefit humanity, but ways that they can be killers.
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Aaron:
Perform better on the battlefield and go for weeks without food or something like that.
Being able to perceive things before they happen...
Dan:
A couple of different things that theyre doing is research into drugs that improve
human performance. One thing that started with the military was this medication called
Provigil which is actually used for narcoleptics people who cant control falling
asleep. So it is a stimulant without being an amphetamine. Its not the same coin of
speedy effects as, say Ritalin, which is a common ADD drug or of course like an illegal
drug like methamphetamine.
Aaron:
It just allows you to stay aware and awake longer periods of time without all the
shaking and the
Dan:
Theres no sense of jitteriness and it doesnt seem to be any side effects, it doesnt
seem to be any coming down where youre diminished in any way. So the military has
been working with this drug using it on air force pilots to help them stay focused, and
apparently theyre able to maintain the same amount of focus in the air. Imagine
theyre doing this in flight simulators, but in flight simulators theyre able to maintain
focus for something like 36 hours which is high level of focus.
Aaron:
Really? Thats phenomenal.
Dan:
Often, these kind of discoveries first start with the military because they have the
funding for it and then it starts to spread out. Now its becoming a big thing in
Academia. In the US, a lot of students are taking this to help them focus better and a
lot of professors are taking this to help them maintain their focus during their research.
Recently, even in the business world, a lot of businessmen are taking this.
Aaron:
Surely there must be side effects, though. It doesnt sound like a very healthy thing to
put in your brain.
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Dan:
No. It seems like whenever there is some positive there must be a negative, there
must be some balancing of the scales but thats not what people say about this stuff,
Provigil. Obviously, the government doesnt agree. It is something you need a
prescription for but a lot of doctors are prescribing it off-label.
Aaron:
Aside from drugs, you mentioned something about possibly stimulating the brain in
other ways.
Dan:
Right, electrical stimulation. Applying electrodes to the head which gives very mild, not
convulsive shocks, very mild electrical currents to certain areas of the brain seems to
unlock abilities of focus and being able to maintain awareness of multiple things at the
same time. The military is also using this with sniper training and apparently even
when they have run these experiments with non-soldiers, journalists even come in to
learn about what kind of research theyre doing. They do this research with video
games, very immersive video games, where you have to maintain awareness of
multiple attackers in this video game scenario and then take them out. And I was
reading about this one journalist experience, she had no gun training at all. She went
in there, played the video game, did terrible at it, and then did this electrical stimulation
throughout the day. They put her in the simulator again and she said it was like time
slowed down.
Aaron:
So she was able to focus on everything and perform much better?
Dan:
Yes, she did incredibly well and scored lots of points, which in this game was killing
people. And she said she felt like she could see what was going to happen next before
it happened. She felt like time was slowing down. In fact she thought she was being
tricked. She thought that the researchers had lowered the ability of the game down
and she said afterwards, Give me the real game, the real difficulty, but that was the
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ACQUIRED SAVANT
real thing. So electrical stimulation, thats something that apparently doesnt take a lot
of technology to do. Apparently you can go to your local electronics hardware store
and for less than $100 you can come up with a gear to apply this current to your brain.
Aaron:
Youd have to be a little crazy to do that.
Dan:
Yeah, but a lot of regular people are.
Aaron:
It sounds crazy to me.
Dan:
And I havent checked this out, but apparently if you go to YouTube and search for
electrical stimulation, brain stimulation, youll find lots of people reporting on the effects
of it. And Ive heard, again I havent seen these videos, but I heard that some people
are using it to look at-- if they can improve the rate that they learn. And some people
are even trying this with language learning and reporting some positive results. Me, I
wouldnt be
Aaron:
I would never put electric currents through my brain because you just dont know what
is happening.
Dan:
And even if you got some positive effect, who knows what kind of negative effect that
you are producing, what kind of permanent damage you could be doing. But electrical
stimulation, another thing that some researchers have worked with is magnetic
stimulation. I dont know if thats electromagnetic waves or some sort of magnetic
stimulation. Theres a professor at some university named Persinger and he has
developed whats nicknamed The God Helmet.
Aaron:
Okay, whats that?
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Dan:
Its this helmet that has these magnets within it placed on certain parts to stimulate
certain parts of the brain that seems to induce some sort of paranormal experience, some
transcendental experience. A lot of people report out-of-body experiences or they
sense a presence of a higher power. Theres all these different ways theyre trying to
manipulate different parts of the brain and it seems to be the new frontier whether its
through drugs or through electricity or magnetic waves. I think theyre still trying to
map out what areas do what, and of course what they dont know is what kind of
potential permanent damage they could be doing.
Aaron:
Its interesting. Lets imagine that research goes on for 10, 20 years, and scientists are
able to understand the mechanism of whats actually happening in these cases where these latent
potentials are being suddenly released. And theyre able to replicate that through
some sort of way, whether it be through a pill that you take or whether it be through
some sort of change that they can stimulate in the brain. It makes you wonder, whats
out there? What kind of hidden potentials are there? Weve seen cases in the
examples of people who suddenly develop a strong musical ability or a mathematical
ability. But there could be all kinds of other abilities and it makes me think of one of our
listening fluency lessons that we put out quite a while ago about multiple intelligences.
And how when we use that term intelligent, we often immediately think of people like
Albert Einstein who could just do amazing things with their brains, whether its
mathematically or linguistically. But there are actually many types of intelligences
like--. Oh go ahead.
Dan:
In fact that seems to be not necessarily with acquired savants, but autistic savants,
what we find is they often have a very low IQ matched with an amazing ability, whether
its through an art or music or memory or calculation.
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Aaron:
It makes you wonder if you could choose some sort of intelligence to unlock and
release, what would it be? Would it be something that is normally associated with
cognitive ability? Or would it be something kinesthetic, which means using the body as
an athlete would, or a dancer would? Or would it be something interpersonal, the
ability to really communicate well with people and to really connect with them
outwardly through conversation and your body language? Some people are really
super good at that and it makes you wonder whats possible, whats out there.
Dan:
Id like to have a photographic memory.
Aaron:
Itd be convenient, wouldnt it?
Dan:
I wouldnt like that memory where I couldnt let go of things but where I could not be
troubled by these memories but just be able to access them when I want to. Because I
feel like people who have photographic memory have a really they got an unfair
advantage. They can appear so much more intelligent than they are because theyre
able to draw on so many facts.
Aaron:
Previous experiences and things.
Dan:
But of course, one of the ways that you can measure intelligence is the way that you
can put new ideas together in novel ways, and the more than you can draw from, the
smarter youre at least going to be perceived.
Aaron:
Thats actually a good point youre bringing up: the smarter youre going to be
perceived. And I wonder if this is going to be good or not. I mean, so what if you can
have some superhuman ability? How does that benefit society? How does that benefit
you as a human being? I mean, by what measure are we looking at this situation?
Maybe, the ability to do things like that, to have some amazing ability, could actually
CONVERSATION LESSON
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lower your quality of life. Maybe it adds certain stresses to your life because youre so
different from other people. Maybe life becomes more complicated. Maybe youre not
as balanced and maybe youre not as happy, and therefore life becomes more difficult.
So I wonder if this really represents human desire, an egotistical desire to be more
powerful or to be stronger. And to do that so quickly, maybe thats not such a good
thing.
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Dan:
Its interesting point you make. Should the goal be in this kind of research, happiness?
Aaron:
It doesnt seem like it is. It seems like the goal in this research is to find out how to
become superhuman, stronger, better, more powerful.
Dan:
I imagine that these things, just like having more money in your life, they found in so
many studies, doesnt make you a happier person. That having amazing musical
ability isnt going to make you a happier person or being able to calculate things or put
ideas together in novel ways isnt going to make you happier. But perhaps it is going
to improve the experience of the human race. I mean certainly if youre a scientist, it
allows you to discover the cure for cancer. Or youre an incredible artist and it allows
you to make some creation that propels society into thinking in new ways.
Aaron:
Totally. And I think for guys like you and me, just normal human beings, its not going
to happen in our lifetime assuming we dont get hit over the head with something.
Maybe the answer for us is gradual improvement, and thats knowing yourself and
knowing the areas you want to improve in and start taking action on a regular,
consistent, daily basis. Slowly making that transformation, slowly improving, so that
over time you stay in touch with all of your core values and you know who you are and
you just slowly grow. Maybe thats the path thats actually the best.
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Dan:
It doesnt seem to be the case with actually it does with Derek Amato. He did suffer
some negative effects. He got migraine, headaches. But socially it seems to be, a lot
of people, theres something weakened or lost when they suddenly develop these
abilities.
Aaron:
I think Dr. Treffert, the guy thats studying this, pointed out that in many cases the
damage is through the left hemisphere of the brain and the right hemisphere, which is
generally associated with creativity, somehow compensates. He called that a
compensatory response. The right side of the brain is compensating for the left side of
the brain, and maybe that is what is bringing on these savant-like abilities.
Dan:
I wonder if its possible to have dramatic change without some sort of loss. How can
you maintain equilibrium if certain things change so quickly?
Aaron:
And maybe that really is the answer, is gradual change.
Dan:
Right. Like you were saying, I think thats what we focus on at Deep English. We focus
on trying to improve your fluency quickly, but also realistically, which means daily
practice.
Aaron:
Its not going to happen overnight. Daily practice. Staying focused.
ACQUIRED SAVANT
Okay. Aaron here. Hello everyone. I'm going to talk now about the conversation Dan and I had. In
that conversation we say some things that I would like to talk about a little bit and introduce to you.
1. in bad shape
The first is the phrase, in bad shape. Dan is talking about Derek Amato and he says that he dove
into the shallow end and ended up smashing his head onto the bottom of the pool floor. He was
rushed to the hospital and he was in very bad shape. You'll hear this phrase, in bad shape and that
means in poor condition or in terrible condition. Derek Amato was in bad shape after he hit his head
on the bottom of the pool. He had to go to the hospital. He may have been in a coma. He was
definitely in intensive care. He was in very bad shape. His body was in bad shape. He was not well.
We might say, After the typhoon, the neighborhood was in bad shape. Some of the houses had
fallen down. Windows were broken. Trees were cracked and they had fallen down and there was
debris everywhere. The neighborhood was in bad shape.
My laptop caught a virus and the hard drive was in bad shape. In fact, it was in such bad shape I
had to replace the operating system. It was in bad shape. To be in bad shape means to be in poor,
terrible condition.
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We can also say, out of shape. Sometimes we talk about our body. Our physique has been out of
shape. Oh I've been working so hard, I haven't exercised recently. I'm really out of shape. Also, we
can be bent out of shape, which means to get upset. My father got bent out of shape when all of
the children were making lots of noise so he got very upset. He got bent out of shape. It's important
not to get bent out of shape in difficult situations. Try to keep your cool. Try to keep calm. That's
important. You don't want to get bent out of shape. Those are some uses of out of shape.
ACQUIRED SAVANT
2. out of it
The next one is out of it. Actually, the next three use the word out, so we'll talk a little bit about
out. The first one is out of it. Dan says, I think he was out of the hospital in a day or two but he
was completely out of it for a while. He's talking about Derek Amato and when he says He's out of
it, he means he's out of action. He's unaware. He's unable to do anything. In fact he might even be
completely unconscious. He's out of it. We can use this to mean completely confused or completely
unaware. Some people drive like they're completely out of it. They're not aware of what's going on
around them. They make turns quickly without signaling. They move in front of you when you're
driving and they can almost cause accidents because they're out of it. Some people drive like
they're out of it.
Another example might be, I got to work this morning and I realized that I forgot my wallet. And I
forgot my keys. I was so sleepy from being up so late last night that I was out of it this morning. I
was completely out of it. No wonder I forgot my wallet and keys! I was out of it. To be out of it
means to be unaware, to be unable to remember or do anything or just be aware of what's going on
around you. Try not to be out of it, because if you are, bad things might happen.
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3. out of the blue

The next one is out of the blue. I'm talking, actually. I'm talking about Derek Amato and I say, But
suddenly, out of the blue, he was able to jump from a level two to a level ten. Of course, I'm talking
about his musical ability. When you say out of the blue, you're talking about an event that occurs
unexpectedly, unpredicted without any warning. This comes really from out of the blue skies. If you
imagine something coming completely out of the blue sky, you look up, you see a clear blue sky,
and suddenly something is falling out of the blue, out of the blue sky. And it means just
unexpectedly, without any warning.
One example might be, I was riding the train yesterday on my way to work, and I met this really
nice guy. He started talking to me. He was very friendly. He was polite. He was well-dressed.
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ACQUIRED SAVANT
Then just suddenly, out of the blue, he asked me for money! It was totally unexpected. I didn't think
this guy would ask me for money. I thought he was just talking to me because he was a nice guy.
Another example might be, I was sitting around the house one day and the doorbell rang. Just out
of the blue, it was an old friend from high school who I havent seen in 25 years! He just showed up
out of the blue and rang my doorbell. I couldn't believe it. So, out of the blue, unexpected.
4. take them out
Next one is, Take them out. Dan is talking about the military's research with certain drugs and he's
talking about a video game where the person has to shoot people with guns. Dan says, they do this
research with video games, very immersive video games, where you have to maintain awareness of
multiple attackers in this video game scenario and take them out. In this context, take them out
means to kill, to disable, to remove permanently from the situation. We often use this in situations
where we're talking about killing. Unless you happen to kill people as part of your job, then you'll
hear this phrase often in the context of a game, especially video games.
But it could be used in a game like chess. To take them out, to take that guy out, to take that
character out means to kill it or destroy it or remove it from the game. There are other meanings.
You could take out the trash and that means to just take the garbage from your house out to the
street, and that's taking out the trash. It doesn't mean killing the trash. But usually when we talk
about people in the context of a game or in the context of war, to take them out means to kill them
or eliminate them. It has kind of a violent meaning.
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5. not my cup of tea

The next one is not my cup of tea. This one is when Dan is talking about Derek Amato's music and
he says, No, no. He's playing quite complex music. If you listen to it, it's not my cup of tea, but it
sounds kind of loungy. When you say It's not my cup of
ACQUIRED SAVANT
tea, this is quite a common expression. It's quite a common idiom and it means it's not for me, it's
not to my liking, it's not my style. So we might say, Well, heavy metal music is not my cup of tea. I
prefer Mexican Jazz. That means that heavy metal is not really what I like. It's not my style. It's not
what I enjoy listening to. I prefer listening to jazz, specifically Mexican Jazz.
Another example might be, Jogging is not my cup of tea. I prefer hiking or swimming. Or Traveling
by bus is not my cup of tea. I prefer taking the train. That's a very common collocation, not my cup
of tea. Now you could say, It is my cup of tea and you could use it in a positive sense, but
generally it's used in a negative sense. I could say, Oh yeah, hiking and swimming, that's my cup of
tea. People will understand you but it's not the most common way to use that idiom. We usually
say, not my cup of tea. What is your cup of tea? I wonder.
6. loungy
The next one is loungy. Actually, Dan says this. He says, It's not my cup of tea, but it sounds kind
of loungy. Loungy is not really an adjective that you will hear very often. Actually, this comes from
the phrase lounge music which is a kind of genre of music. There are many genres of music and
Dan says, It sounds kind of loungy. He's taking this noun lounge and he's turning it into an
adjective by putting the -y on the end, so lounge becomes loungy.
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You can do this with a lot of different nouns. You can just add the -y or the -ey and turn it into an
adjective, and people will generally understand what you're trying to say. Dan, just as easily, could
have said, It sounds kind of jazzy, meaning jazz music. Or It sounds kind of rockish. There's the ish. You can add that to a noun and turn it into an adjective. It sounds kind of rockish or It sounds
kind of country-like. You can add the -like to the end as a suffix to any noun and turn it into an
adjective. Yeah, it sounds kind of country-like, like country music. Be aware that you can add things
like -ish, the -y or -ey, and you can add -like to the end of a noun and you can change it into an
adjective. Be aware it may not be grammatically correct, but it's a way to communicate, that people
will understand you. That's important especially for developing fluency.
ACQUIRED SAVANT
7. flying up and down
The next open is, flying up and down. Dan's talking about Derek Amato and his newfound ability to
play the piano like a complete genius, like a professional. He's saying, You can tell it sounds like
someone who's been playing for many, many years. His fingers are just flying up and down the
keyboard. This verb 'fly', we can use that, and it is used quite frequently to describe fast or quick
movement. Derek's fingers fly up and down the keyboard, so that means he's playing so quickly and
so fluidly, so skillfully that his fingers are moving so fast, they're flying up and they're flying down the
keyboard.
Another example of how we might use the verb 'fly' in this instance is the famous idiom, Time flies.
We'll often hear that. Time flies. It goes so quickly, it goes so fast. Time flies. Or I might say to my
wife, Hey come on! We're running late, we need to fly! Let's hurry up, let's fly!
Or I might say, Hey, my brother, he was flying down the street in his brand new sports car when he
was stopped by the police and he got a ticket for speeding. He was flying. He was going really fast
and he deserved to get the ticket because speeding is dangerous. It kills. It'll destroy lives when you
speed. It's very dangerous. You shouldn't do it. Never fly down the street in a car or a motorcycle. It
will only bring trouble. So flying, you can use that to mean going very, very fast.
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8. cutting edge
The next one is, cutting-edge. Dan, in this instance, is talking about the military and their research.
He says, Right, they're often involved in this kind of cutting-edge research because they have so
much money at their disposal. When you use this term cutting-edge, you think of a razor blade or
a scalpel or a knife or a very sharp blade of a brand new knife or sword or razor, that's so sharp and
so crisp. Basically this means the newest, the latest, the most advanced, the most contemporary.
We'll often use this to describe research. Cutting-edge research or cutting-edge technology, cuttingedge methodology, cutting-edge techniques. It just means the brand new, the latest, the most recent
research, the most recent technology, cutting-edge technology.
ACQUIRED SAVANT
You'll also hear this term, on the cutting edge in that phrase and it means the same. Her
research, for example, is on the cutting edge of advancements in laser technology. In addition,
you'll sometimes hear on the bleeding edge. Bleeding-edge. If you imagine a very sharp razor or a
very sharp knife that cuts you and your hand or your skin starts to bleed and this is called a bleeding
edge. We might say, His research is on the bleeding edge of advancements in biotechnology. So
bleeding edge, cutting-edge, it means the same thing - very new, the most advanced, the latest in
technology.
9. at their disposal
The next one is, at their disposal. In the very same sentence, Dan was talking about the research
and he says, They're often involved in this kind of cutting-edge research because they have so
much money at their disposal. Disposal means at their command, or management, or power to
control or to use. It's another way of saying at hand, having access to, being able to use freely. In
this case, the military, they have lots and lots of money, the American military. Lots of money at their
disposal, meaning they can take the money and they can do whatever they want with it freely,
powerfully, to do whatever they need to do with it. We might also say, The doctors have lots of
drugs and medicine at their disposal. Bankers have lots of money at their disposal. Chefs have lots
of ingredients at their disposal to make many delicious dishes. What do you have at your disposal?
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10. jitteriness
The next one is jitteriness. In this case, Dan is talking about the military using a special type of
drug to help people focus. Dan says, When you use this drug, there's no sense of jitteriness. There
doesn't seem to be any side effects. There's no coming down where you're diminished in any way.
This comes from the adjective jittery, so what Dan is doing is he's taking the adjective and he's
turning it into a noun by adding the suffix n e s s or -ness. This is kind of opposite to what he did
with the noun lounge before. He turned it into an adjective by adding the -y, loungy. Lounge
became loungy. In this case, he's doing the reverse. He's taking an adjective jittery and he's turning
it into a noun by adding -ness, jitteriness. Of course, jittery means shaking and nervous, and he's
turning it into the noun jitteriness, the state of being nervous and shaky.
ACQUIRED SAVANT
We can really do the same thing with any adjective we want. Whether or not the noun is even a real
word or not. If you're not sure what the noun is for any given adjective, you can change it into a
noun by adding -ness to it and people will understand you even if it's not grammatically correct. One
example might be, insane, which means crazy. The noun would be insanity, but a lot of people
might not know that insanity is the noun, and that's okay. Just add -ness to the adjective. So if you
know the adjective is insane, you would just say insaneness.
Another example might be breakable. Certain things are breakable, especially things made of
glass, they're breakable. The noun would be fragility, meaning fragile or fragility, but we might not
know that. We may not know that the noun is fragility, so we would say breakableness. It's a little
awkward and it's a little cumbersome, but the fact is people will understand you if you say
breakableness, which is the noun for the adjective breakable. Add -ness to any adjective and turn
it into a noun. Don't worry if it's grammatically correct or not. The important point is that people will
understand you, and that's important for developing fluency.
11. Thats phenomenal!
Finally, Dan's talking about pilots being able to focus when they take this drug for 36 hours straight
in flight simulators. And I say, Really? That's phenomenal! When you say phenomenal, that
comes from the noun phenomenon, which is an occurrence or a happening. But really when you
say, That's phenomenal! it's a phrase that means, That's amazing. That's unbelievable. That's
incredible. That's out of this world. That's phenomenal. I just can't believe it!
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This is something you say when you are confronted with an event or a situation which is just
incredible, you can't believe it, it's phenomenal. The idea of pilots being able to focus for 36 hours
straight without any sleep, without any errors, it's hard to believe. That's phenomenal. That's why I
say that's phenomenal, that's amazing, it's incredible.
If you can develop fluency in a matter of months, that would be phenomenal! Absolutely
phenomenal!
PHOTO CREDITS
ACQUIRED SAVANT
Photo Cover: Remco Wigham,(https://www.flickr.com/photos/remcowighman/12674778464/in/

photostream/)
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Acquired Savant

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August 2014

ACTIVE LISTENING MAIN STORY

ACTIVE LISTENING VOCABULARY

ACTIVE SPEAKING - PART A

ACTIVE SPEAKING - PART B

ACTIVE SPEAKING - PART C

ACTIVE LISTENING MAIN STORY

ACTIVE LISTENING VOCABULARY

trauma: a powerfully distressing experience, either emotional or physical

Deep English, 2011-2014

voracious: enthusiastic for eating or any other activity

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART A

What is the shell called? The shell is called a chrysalis.

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART A

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART A

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART A

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART B

Something incredible happened when he got out of the hospital.

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART B

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART B

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART B

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART C

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART C

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART C

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART C

Deep English, 2011-2014

Tell me about Derek Amato.

So he wasnt playing Mary Had A Little Lamb or anything like that?

So he just suddenly had this ability to play this amazing music?

For their soldiers, right?

Really? Thats phenomenal.

So she was able to focus on everything and perform much better?

Youd have to be a little crazy to do that.

Yeah, but a lot of regular people are.

It sounds crazy to me.

Okay, whats that?

Id like to have a photographic memory.

Itd be convenient, wouldnt it?

Previous experiences and things.

And maybe that really is the answer, is gradual change.

Its not going to happen overnight. Daily practice. Staying focused.

3. out of the blue

Deep English, 2011-2014

5. not my cup of tea

Photo Cover: Remco Wigham,(https://www.flickr.com/photos/remcowighman/12674778464/in/

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