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Earthquakes Mini-Story Lesson

Hello, welcome to the mini-story lesson for the conversation titled “Earthquakes.” Let’s get started with the story.

Luke lives in San Francisco.

Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour. Luke told his friend George. George thought this seemed far-fetched. He thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” he said to Luke.

So Luke bet George $100 that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Luke ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes then all of a sudden the ground started to shake. There was an earthquake due east of San Francisco. Luke was not surprised because earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

“When you live in San Francisco, it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake,” said Luke.

“Totally,” said George.

Then Luke ate the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes so George had to give him $100.

Okay, so that’s our story. Now I will start at the beginning of the story and as I read the story I will ask questions and as always, please answer the questions out loud.

If you need a little more time then you can pause your iPod or your mp3 player and take as much time as you need to answer the questions.

Of course, if you just feel like listening to the questions and not answering them, that’s fine as well.

Okay, so here we go.

Luke lives in San Francisco.

Does Luke live in San Francisco?

Yes, he does. Luke lives in San Francisco.

Who lives in San Francisco?

Luke. Luke lives in San Francisco.

Does Larry or Luke live in San Francisco?

Luke does. Luke lives in San Francisco.

Does Larry live in San Francisco?

No, Larry doesn’t live in San Francisco.

Where does Luke live?

San Francisco. Luke lives in San Francisco.

Does Luke live in New York or San Francisco?

San Francisco. He lives in San Francisco.

Does Luke live in New York?

No, Luke doesn’t live in New York.

Does Luke live in San Francisco?

Yes, yes, that’s correct. Luke lives in San Francisco.

Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can Luke eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Yes, he can. I mean that sounds like a lot of eggs but he can do it. He can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

What can Luke do?

Well, he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can Luke eat fifty eggs in one hour or read a book in one week?

He can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can Luke read a book in one week?

No, no, Luke’s not reading a book in one week.

Who can eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Luke. Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can Luke’s brother Stanley eat fifty eggs in one hour?

No, no, Stanley.

Can Luke eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Yes, he can. Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

What can Luke eat in one hour? Can he eat fifty eggs or two pieces of bread?

Fifty eggs, he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

How many eggs can Luke eat in one hour?

Well, he can eat fifty. He can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can he eat fifty or sixty eggs in one hour?

Fifty, he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

How much time does it take Luke to eat fifty eggs?

Well, it takes him one hour. He can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can Luke eat fifty eggs in one hour or ten minutes?

One hour. He can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Can Luke eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Yes, he can. Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Luke told his friend George.

Did Luke tell his friend George?

He certainly did. Luke told his friend George.

What did Luke do?

That’s right, he told his friend George.

Did Luke eat some eggs or tell his friend George?

He told his friend George.

Who told his friend George? Did Luke’s brother Stanley tell George?

No, it wasn’t Stanley.

Did Luke tell George?

Yes, he did. Luke told George.

Who did Luke tell? Did he tell his mother?

No, he didn’t tell his mother.

Did he tell George?

Yes, yes, that’s correct. He told George.

What did Luke tell George? Did he tell him the score of the football game?

No, that’s not what he told him.

Did he tell him that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour?

He certainly did, that’s what he told him.

Did Luke tell George that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Yes, he did. That’s what he told his friend George.

George thought this seemed far-fetched.

Did George think this seemed far-fetched?

Yes, he did. George thought this seemed far-fetched.

What did George think? Did he think that it was going to rain?

No, George didn’t think that it was going to rain.

Did he think that it seemed far-fetched?

Yes, yes, he did. He thought it seemed far-fetched.

Did he think that it seemed believable?

No, he didn’t think that it seemed believable. Far-fetched does not mean believable.

Did he think that it seemed unbelievable?

Yes, yes, he did. George thought that this seemed far-fetched, which is the same thing as saying that he thought that it seemed unbelievable.

What did George think was far-fetched? Did he think that Luke being able to eat fifty eggs in one hour was far-fetched?

Yes, yes, that’s correct. That’s what he thought was far-fetched or unbelievable.

Did George think that Luke could eat fifty eggs in one hour?

No, he didn’t. He thought that it seemed far-fetched or unbelievable.

Who thought that it seemed far-fetched? Did Luke think that it seemed far-fetched?

No, Luke didn’t think that it seemed far-fetched.

Did George think that it seemed far-fetched?

Yes, yes, he did. George thought this seemed far-fetched.

Did George think that it seemed unbelievable?

Yes, he did. He thought it seemed far-fetched or he thought it seemed unbelievable. Far-fetched means unbelievable.

He thought that Luke was pulling his leg,

Did he think that Luke was pulling his leg?

Yes, he did. He thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

What did he think Luke was doing?

Pulling his leg, he thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

Did he think that Luke was pulling his leg or biting his hand?

Pulling his leg, he thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

Did he think that Luke was pulling his leg?

Yes, he did. He thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

Did he think that Luke was making a joke by lying to him and pretending that the lie was true?

Yes, yes, he did. When someone is said to be pulling your leg, that person is making a joke by lying to you and pretending that the lie was true. So that’s what he thought Luke was doing.

Who thought that Luke was pulling his leg? Did George or Leo think that Luke was pulling his leg?

George. George thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

Did George think that Luke was pulling his leg?

Yes, he did, he thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

Who did he think was pulling his leg? Did he think that Luke’s mother was pulling his leg?

No, he didn’t think Luke’s mother was doing it.

Did he think that Luke was pulling his leg?

Yes, Luke, he thought Luke was pulling his leg.

Did George think that Luke was making a joke by lying to him and pretending that the lie was true?

Yes, he did. He thought that Luke was making a joke by lying to him and pretending that the lie was true, which is the same as saying he thought that Luke was pulling his leg.

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” he said to Luke.

Did he tell Luke that he’s gotta be kidding?

Yes, yes, that’s exactly what he said. He said to Luke “You’ve gotta be kidding.” Did he tell Luke that he cannot be serious?

Yes, yes, he did. He said, “You’ve gotta be kidding,” which is the same thing as saying you cannot be serious.

Who told Luke he’s gotta be kidding? Did Stanley tell him?

No, it wasn’t Stanley.

Did George tell Luke he’s gotta be kidding?

Yes, that’s correct. George told Luke he’s gotta be kidding.

Did George tell Luke that he cannot be serious?

Yes, he did. Remember you’ve got to be kidding is the same thing as saying you can’t be serious.

Why does George think that Luke has gotta be kidding? Well, he does not think that Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Does George think that Luke can eat fifty eggs in one hour?

No, no, he doesn’t. He said to him “You’ve gotta be kidding,” which means he did not think that what Luke said was true. And Luke had told him that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour. And then that’s when George said, “You’ve gotta be kidding.”

So Luke bet George $100 that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Did Luke bet George $100 that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Yes, he did. Luke bet George $100 that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Okay, so what did Luke do?

Well, he bet George $100 that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

Who bet George $100? Did Luke or Stanley bet George?

Luke did. Luke bet George.

Did Stanley bet George?

No, Stanley didn’t bet George.

Did Luke bet George?

Yes, he did. Luke bet George, he bet him $100.

How much money did Luke bet George?

One hundred dollars, he bet him $100.

Did Luke bet George $500?

No, he didn’t bet him that much money.

Did Luke bet George $100?

Yes, that’s correct. He bet him $100.

Who did Luke bet? Did Luke bet George or Stanley?

Well, he bet George. He made a $100 bet with George.

What did Luke bet George? Did he bet him that he can bake a cake?

No, he didn’t bet him that he can bake a cake.

Did Luke bet him that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour?

Yes, he did. That’s what he bet him. He bet him that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour.

How many eggs does Luke have to eat to win the bet? Does he have to eat fifty eggs or one hundred eggs?

Fifty eggs, he has to eat fifty eggs in order to win the bet.

How much time does Luke have to eat the fifty eggs? Does he have one hour or one day to eat the eggs?

Well, he has one hour to eat the eggs.

If Luke eats twenty eggs in one hour, does he win the bet?

No, he doesn’t. He has to eat fifty eggs in one hour in order to win the bet.

If Luke eats twenty eggs in one hour, does George win the bet?

Yes, he does. If Luke eats twenty eggs in one hour, that means that Luke loses the bet and George wins the bet.

Luke ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes

Did Luke eat fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes?

Yes, he did. He ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes.

What did Luke do in the first ten minutes?

Well, he ate fifteen eggs.

Did Luke eat ten pieces of bread or fifteen eggs?

Fifteen eggs, he ate fifteen eggs.

Did Luke eat ten pieces of bread?

No, he didn’t eat any bread.

Did Luke eat fifteen eggs?

Yes, he did. He ate fifteen eggs.

Who ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes?

Luke did. Luke ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes.

Did George or Luke eat fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes?

Luke did. Luke ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes.

Did Will Smith eat fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes?

No, it wasn’t Will Smith.

Did Luke eat fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes?

Yes, that’s correct. Luke ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes.

How much time did it take Luke to eat fifteen eggs? Did it take him thirty minutes?

No, it didn’t take him that long.

Did it take Luke ten minutes to eat fifteen eggs?

Yes, that’s correct. It took him ten minutes. Luke ate fifteen eggs in the first ten minutes.

then all of a sudden the ground started to shake.

Did the ground start to shake all of a sudden?

Yes, yes, it did. All of a sudden the ground started to shake.

What happened?

Well, the ground started to shake all of a sudden.

Did the ground start to shake or a tree start to fall?

The ground started to shake.

Did a tree start to fall?

No, a tree didn’t start to fall.

Did the ground start to shake all of a sudden?

Yes, that’s correct. The ground started to shake all of a sudden.

Did the ground start to shake right away?

Well, yes, it did, because it started to shake all of a sudden.

Did the ground start to shake without any warning?

Yes, yes, it did. It started to shake all of a sudden, which is the same as saying it started to shake right away and without any warning.

Did the ground start to shake all of a sudden?

Yes, yes, it did. All of a sudden the ground started to shake.

There was an earthquake due east of San Francisco.

Was there an earthquake due east of San Francisco?

Yes, there was. There was an earthquake due east of San Francisco.

What was there? Was there an earthquake or a rainstorm?

An earthquake, there was an earthquake.

Where was the earthquake?

Due east of San Francisco, the earthquake was due east of San Francisco.

Was the earthquake east of San Francisco?

Well, yes, yes, it was. It was due east of San Francisco which is the same thing as saying it was east of San Francisco.

Was there an earthquake due east of San Francisco?

Yes, there was. There was an earthquake due east of San Francisco.

Luke was not surprised

So was Luke surprised?

No, he wasn’t. He was not surprised.

Who was not surprised? Was Will Smith not surprised?

No, we’re not talking about Will Smith here.

Was Luke not surprised?

Yes, that’s correct. Luke was not surprised.

What was Luke not surprised about? Was he not surprised that gas prices increased?

No, that’s not it.

Was he not surprised that there was an earthquake?

Yes, that’s correct. He was not surprised. He was not surprised that there was an earthquake.

because earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

Are earthquakes a dime a dozen in San Francisco?

Yes, they are. Earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

Okay, so what are a dime a dozen in San Francisco? Are red cars or earthquakes a dime a dozen in San Francisco?

Earthquakes are. Earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

Are red cars a dime a dozen in San Francisco?

No, not red cars.

Are earthquakes a dime a dozen in San Francisco?

Yes, they are. Earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

Are earthquakes very common in San Francisco?

Yes, that’s correct. Earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco, which is the same thing as saying earthquakes are very common in San Francisco. A dime a dozen means very common.

Why was Luke not surprised? Was he not surprised because earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco?

Yes, yes, that’s true. He was not surprised because earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco.

Was Luke not surprised because earthquakes are very common in San Francisco?

Yes, that’s true, that’s why. Luke knew that earthquakes are a dime a dozen in San Francisco so he wasn’t surprised when he felt an earthquake, because he knows earthquakes are a dime a dozen or that earthquakes are very common in San Francisco.

“When you live in San Francisco, it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake,” said Luke.

Is it a given that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco?

Yes, it is, that’s what Luke has said.

Is it doubtful that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco?

No, it’s not doubtful, it’s a given and when something is a given that means that there is no doubt about it.

Is there any doubt that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco?

No, there isn’t. There is no doubt, it’s a given. It’s a given means that there is no doubt.

Is it a given that you will feel an earthquake if you live in New York?

No, not New York, we’re talking about San Francisco.

Is it a given that you will feel an earthquake if you live in San Francisco?

Yes, that’s correct. It’s a given that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco.

What is a given when you live in San Francisco? Is seeing a red car or feeling an earthquake a given when you live in San Francisco?

Well, feeling an earthquake is. It’s a given that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco.

Does Luke believe that you will feel an earthquake if you live in San Francisco?

Yes, he does. He said it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake.

Does Luke have any doubt that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco?

No, he has no doubt. He says it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake.

“Totally,” said George.

Does George think that what Luke said is true?

Yes, yes, he does. George said, “Totally,” which means definitely, so he was agreeing with what Luke said.

Does George agree with what Luke said?

Yes, he does. He said, “Totally,” which means definitely, I definitely think what you said is true is what he meant.

Does George think that it is a given that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco?

Yes, yes, he does. He definitely agrees with Luke and Luke said that it’s a given that you will feel an earthquake when you live in San Francisco so that means George also thinks that.

Then Luke ate the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes Did Luke eat the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes?

Yes, he did, that’s what he did. Luke ate the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes.

So what did Luke do?

He ate the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes.

Did Luke eat the rest of the eggs or watch the football game?

He ate the rest of the eggs.

Did Luke watch the football game?

No, he didn’t watch the football game.

Did Luke eat the rest of the eggs?

He certainly did. He ate the rest of the eggs.

Who ate the rest of the eggs?

Luke did. Luke ate the rest of the eggs.

Did George eat the rest of the eggs?

No, George didn’t eat the rest of the eggs.

How much time did it take Luke to eat the rest of the eggs?

Twenty-two minutes. Luke ate the rest of the eggs in twenty-two minutes.

Did it take him fifteen minutes or twenty-two minutes?

Twenty-two minutes. It took him twenty-two minutes to eat the rest of the eggs.

so George had to give him $100.

Did George have to give him $100?

He certainly did. George had to give him $100.

What did George have to do?

Well, he had to give him $100.

Did George have to eat fifty eggs or give him $100?

Give him $100. He had to give him $100.

Who did George have to give $100 to?

Luke, he had to give $100 to Luke.

Did George have to give $100 to Bill Clinton or Luke?

Luke, he had to give $100 to Luke.

Did Luke have to give $100 to George?

No, he didn’t have to give him $100. George had to give Luke $100.

How much money did George have to give to him?

One hundred dollars, he had to give him $100.

Did he have to give him $100 or $700?

One hundred dollars.

Why did George have to give him $100?

Well, he had to give him $100 because Luke ate all fifty of the eggs in less than one hour.

Did George lose the bet?

Yes, yes, he did. George lost the bet because Luke ate all fifty of the eggs in less than one hour.

Did Luke win the bet?

Yes, he did. Luke won the bet because he ate all fifty eggs in less than one hour.

Okay, that brings us to the end of our story which means we have come to the end of the mini-story lesson for the conversation “Earthquakes.”

Now it’s your turn to tell the story by yourself.

Remember you do not have to memorize every word in the story but you should use the idioms that we went over.

The idioms that we used were: “far-fetched,” “pulling his leg,” “you’ve got to be kidding,” “all of a sudden,” “due east,” “a dime a dozen,” “it’s a given,” and “totally.”

Okay, so now tell the story on your own and remember, if you need to listen to this lesson more times, you can do that.

Okay, thanks a lot and we’ll see you next time.