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##Tandem Bicycle – Mini-Story

Hi, I’m Joe Weiss and I’m one of the teachers and directors of Learn Real English and I’d like to welcome you to this mini-story lesson. Okay, I’m going to start today’s lesson by telling you about some of the words and phrases that you’ll hear me use in today’s story. So let’s start.

Okay, first is to “propose to someone.” So if you propose to someone it means that you ask that person to marry you, okay? You ask that person to marry you. Let me give you an example to help you understand this one. Two years after Nate had started dating Stephanie, he proposed to her. Okay, so what I’m saying is two years after Nate had started dating Stephanie, he asked her to marry him. He proposed to her.

Okay, so next is a “flat tire.” So a flat tire is a tire with no air in it, alright? Here’s an example for you. After John rode over a piece of glass on his bicycle, he had a flat tire. Okay, so what I’m saying is after John rode over a piece of glass on his bicycle, he had a tire with no air in it, okay? He had a flat tire.

Okay, so next is “color blind,” color blind. So if a person is color blind, it just means that person is unable to see colors. Okay, the person can see everything, but they’re unable to see what color things are. Here’s an example for you. John did not know that his shirt was blue because he was color blind. Okay, so what I’m saying is John did not know that his shirt was blue because he was unable to see colors. He was color blind.

Okay, so next is “tandem bicycle,” a tandem bicycle. A tandem bicycle is a bicycle that two people can ride at the same time. So it has two seats. It has two handlebars, two sets of pedals. The things that a person would require to ride a bicycle, it has two of those, okay? And you ride the bicycle with two people. It’s called a tandem bicycle. Let me give you an example. John and Maureen loved riding bicycles together so they purchased a tandem bicycle. John and Maureen loved riding bicycles together so they purchased a bicycle that two people can ride at the same time. They purchased a tandem bicycle.

Okay, so I have one more for you and this is one I really like. It’s an idiom, it’s a phrase, and that phrase is “just in the nick of time,” or you might even hear someone say “in the nick of time.” Same thing, okay? So if you do something just in the nick of time, it means you do it just in time. You do it at the last possible moment. Let me give you an example to help you understand this one. John had to be at work at 9:00 in the morning each day and if he arrived at work after 9:00 then his boss yelled at him because he was late. So one day last week John arrived at work one second before 9:00 so he arrived just in the nick of time. Okay? John arrived at work one second before 9:00, the time he had to be at work by, so he arrived at the last possible moment. He arrived just in time or just in the nick of time.

Okay, so now I’m going to tell you a story but I’m also going to ask you a lot of questions as I tell you the story. So when I ask you a question, I want you to answer that question quickly, okay? Just tell me the first answer that you think of. And don’t worry about making a mistake. You may make a mistake when you answer the question this time when you listen to the lesson but you’re going to listen to this lesson many times so the next time you listen to this lesson you probably will not make the same mistake. And when you answer these questions, I want you to speak loudly and confidently. Okay, well, it’s time for our story then. So let’s begin.

There was a bear and her name was Katherine and Katherine had a boyfriend. And he was also a bear and his name was Charlie. And one day Charlie proposed to Katherine. Yes, he did. And Katherine was very happy when Charlie proposed to her. Katherine loved Charlie very much so when Charlie proposed to her, she said yes. Katherine said yes when Charlie proposed to her.

Okay, time for some questions. Was there a bear or was there a dog?

Oh, there was a bear, there was a bear. There wasn’t a dog.

And what was the bear’s name? Tell me that?

Katherine, right? The bear’s name was Katherine.

And was Katherine a dog?

No, no, Katherine wasn’t a dog. Katherine was a bear.

So tell me this now. Did Katherine have a boyfriend or a girlfriend?

A boyfriend, Katherine had a boyfriend.

Who had a boyfriend?

Katherine did, Katherine had a boyfriend.

And what was her boyfriend’s name?

Charlie, Katherine’s boyfriend was Charlie.

Was AJ Katherine’s boyfriend?

No, no, AJ was not Katherine’s boyfriend, Charlie was. Charlie was Katherine’s boyfriend.

So tell me this. Did Charlie propose to Katherine?

He did, yes, Charlie proposed to Katherine.

Who proposed to Katherine?

Charlie did, Charlie proposed to Katherine.

So tell me this now. Did Katherine propose to Charlie?

No, no, Katherine did not propose to Charlie. Charlie proposed to Katherine.

So did Charlie ask Katherine to marry him?

Yes, yes, he did, Charlie proposed to Katherine so that means he asked Katherine to marry him. He proposed to her. He asked Katherine to marry him.

So was Katherine very happy when Charlie proposed to her?

Oh yes, she was, she was very happy when Charlie proposed to her.

Who was very happy?

Katherine was, Katherine was very happy.

And when was Katherine very happy?

When Charlie proposed to her, Katherine was very happy when Charlie proposed to her.

So tell me this. What did Katherine say when Charlie proposed to her? Did she say yes or did she say no?

Oh, Katherine said yes, Katherine said yes when Charlie proposed to her.

Well, I have some more information for you about Katherine. Katherine had a brother and his name was Bill. And Bill had a new car, yeah. It was a very nice car and it was pink. He had a new pink car. And Bill loved to drive his car. So Katherine asked Bill to drive her to the church on the day of her wedding. And, of course, Bill loved his sister Katherine very much so he said yes. Bill agreed to drive Katherine to the church on the day of the wedding.

Okay, so who had a brother? Did Charlie have a brother?

No, no, Charlie didn’t have a brother.

Who had a brother?

Katherine did, Katherine had a brother.

And what was her brother’s name?

Bill, Katherine’s brother’s name was Bill.

So did Bill have a sister?

Yes, yes, of course, he did, he had a sister and his sister was Katherine because Katherine had a brother and her brother was Bill.

So tell me this. Who had a new car?

Bill did, Bill had a new car.

And what did Bill have that was new? Did he have a new house?

No, Bill didn’t have a new house.

What did Bill have that was new?

A car, Bill had a new car.

And what color was the car?

It was pink, Bill had a pink car. It was a new car and it was pink.

So tell me this. What did Bill love to do? Did he love to swim?

No, no, Bill didn’t love to swim.

What did Bill love to do?

Well, Bill loved to drive his car. He loved to drive his new pink car.

So tell me this. Did Katherine ask Bill to drive her to the church on the day of her wedding?

She did, yes, Katherine asked Bill to drive her to church on the day of her wedding.

Who asked Bill to drive her to the church?

Katherine did, Katherine asked Bill to drive her to the church.

And when did Katherine want Bill to drive her to the church?

On the day of the wedding, Katherine asked Bill to drive her to the church on the day of the wedding.

So tell me this. Did Katherine ask Bill to drive her to the beach?

No, no, Katherine did not ask Bill to drive her to the beach. She asked Bill to drive her to the church on the day of her wedding.

So did Bill agree to drive Katherine to the church on the day of the wedding?

Yes, yes, of course, he did. Bill loved his sister Katherine very much so he agreed to drive Katherine to the church on the day of her wedding.

Well, on the day of Katherine’s wedding, Bill drove to Katherine’s house and Katherine got in Bill’s pink car and then Bill started to drive to the church. It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining brightly and it wasn’t too hut. And Katherine looked beautiful in her white wedding dress. It was really the perfect start to the day. But soon there was a problem. Yes, there was a problem because a purple car hit Bill’s car when Bill was driving to the church. Now, there was a man driving the purple car and his name was Carlos. And Carlos hit Bill’s car because he didn’t stop at a red traffic light. Yes, Carlos didn’t stop at the red traffic light because he didn’t know the traffic light was red. You see, Carlos didn’t know the traffic light was red because Carlos was color blind.

Okay, time for some questions. Who started to drive to the church?

Bill did, Bill started to drive to the church.

And did Bill start to drive to the beach or to the church?

The church, Bill did not start to drive to the beach. He started to drive to the church.

So tell me this. Who was in the car with Bill? Was Bill’s mother in the car with him?

No, no, Bill’s mother wasn’t in the car with him.

Who was in the car with Bill when he started to drive to the church?

Katherine was, right? Katherine was in the car with Bill.

So tell me this now. Did a purple car hit Bill’s car when Bill was driving to the church?

Yes, yes, unfortunately a purple car hit Bill’s car when Bill was driving to the church.

So tell me this. What was Bill doing when the purple car hit his car?

He was driving to the church, right? Bill was driving to the church when the purple car hit his car.

And what color was the car that hit Bill’s car? Was it yellow?

No, the car wasn’t yellow.

What color was the car that hit Bill’s car?

It was purple, right? A purple car hit Bill’s car.

Okay, so tell me this. Who was driving the purple car?

Carlos was, Carlos was driving the purple car.

And did Carlos stop at the red traffic light?

No, no, Carlos did not stop at the red traffic light.

Who didn’t stop at the red traffic light?

Carlos, Carlos didn’t stop at the red traffic light.

And now tell me this. What color was the traffic light? Was it green?

No, no, the traffic light wasn’t green.

What color was the traffic light?

It was red, that’s why Carlos needed to stop at the traffic light, because it was red. But unfortunately, Carlos didn’t know the traffic light was red.

So tell me this. Why didn’t Carlos know the traffic light was red?

Because he was color blind, Carlos didn’t know that the traffic light was red because he was color blind.

Who was color blind? Was Bill color blind?

No, no, Bill wasn’t color blind.

Who was color blind?

Carlos was, Carlos was color blind.

So was Carlos able to see colors?

No, no, Carlos was color blind so Carlos was unable to see colors. Carlos was color blind so he was unable to see colors.

Well, I have some good news for you. No one was injured in the car accident. What I mean is no one was injured when Carlos’ car hit Bill’s car, fortunately. But unfortunately, Carlos’ car…excuse me, Bill’s car had a flat tire. Yes, Bill’s car had a flat tire. And there wasn’t enough time to get a new tire before the wedding. You see, it was already 12:00 and the wedding was to start at 12:30. So Bill was unable to drive to the church. And unfortunately, Bill and Katherine were unable to walk to the church because the church was too far away from them. The church was still five miles away. So Katherine was upset because she didn’t want to be late for her wedding but she didn’t know how to get to the church.

Okay, time for some more questions. Was anyone hurt in the car accident?

No, no, fortunately, no one was hurt in the car accident. No one was hurt in the car accident, fortunately.

But tell me this. Did Bill’s car have a flat tire?

Yes, yes, it did, Bill’s car had a flat tire.

Whose car had a flat tire?

Bill’s did, Bill’s car had a flat tire.

And did all four of the tires on Bill’s car have air in them?

No, no, Bill had a flat tire so that means one of the tires on Bill’s car had no air in it. A flat tire is a tire with no air in it so one of the tires on Bill’s car was a flat tire which means it had no air in it.

So tell me this. At what time was the wedding to start?

12:30, the wedding was to start at 12:30 and it was already 12:00 so there was no time to get a new tire for Bill’s car.

So was Bill able to drive to the church?

No, no, Bill was unable to drive to the church because he had a flat tire and there was no time to get a new tire for his car before the wedding.

So tell me this now. Were Katherine and Bill able to walk to the church?

No, Katherine and Bill were unable to walk to the church.

Who was unable to walk to the church? Tell me that.

Katherine and Bill were, Katherine and Bill were unable to walk to the church.

Okay, but why? Why were Katherine and Bill unable to walk to the church?

Because it was too far away, the church was too far away.

How far away was the church?

Five miles, the church was five miles away so it was too far to walk to the church so Katherine didn’t know how to get to the church. Poor Katherine.

Well, fortunately, I have some good news for you and it involves Carlos. You see, Carlos was married and he and his wife loved to ride bicycles. But Carlos and his wife never had a lot of money so they were only able to buy one bicycle so they bought a tandem bicycle. And guess what? The tandem bicycle was in Carlos’ car that day. So Carlos gave the tandem bicycle to Katherine and Katherine and Bill rode the bicycle all the way to the church. It took them 29 minutes to ride all the way to the church. So they made it just in the nick of time. They made it to the church just in the nick of time.

Okay, time for some more questions. Who was married? Was Bill married?

No, no, Bill wasn’t married.

Who was married?

Carlos was, right? Carlos was married.

And tell me this. What did Carlos and his wife like to do? Did they like to hike?

No, no, they didn’t like to hike.

What did they like to do?

They liked to ride bicycles, Carlos and his wife liked to ride bicycles.

Now did Carlos and his wife have one bicycle or two bicycles?

Oh, they only had one, they just had one bicycle because they didn’t have a lot of money.

What kind of bicycle did Carlos and his wife have?

A tandem bicycle, Carlos and his wife had a tandem bicycle.

So tell me this. Did Carlos and his wife have a bicycle that two people can ride at the same time?

Yes, yes, they did, Carlos and his wife had a tandem bicycle and a tandem bicycle is a bicycle that two people can ride at the same time. They had a tandem bicycle so two people can ride the bicycle at the same time.

So where was the tandem bicycle? Was it at Carlos’ house?

No, it wasn’t at Carlos’ house.

Where was the tandem bicycle?

In Carlos’ car, the tandem bicycle was in Carlos’ car.

So did Carlos give the tandem bicycle to Katherine?

Yes, he did, Carlos gave the tandem bicycle to Katherine.

Who gave the tandem bicycle to Katherine?

Carlos did, Carlos gave the tandem bicycle to Katherine.

And what did Carlos give to Katherine? Did he give her a toaster oven or did he give her a tandem bicycle?

A tandem bicycle, Carlos gave Katherine a tandem bicycle. He did not give her a toaster oven.

So tell me this. Who rode the bicycle all the way to the church?

Bill and Katherine did, Bill and Katherine rode the bicycle all the way to the church.

And what kind of bicycle did Bill and Katherine ride to the church?

A tandem bicycle, Bill and Katherine rode a tandem bicycle to the church.

Okay, so tell me this. How long did it take them to ride the bicycle to the church?

29 minutes, it took them 29 minutes to ride the bicycle to the church.

So did Bill and Katherine arrive at the church just in the nick of time?

Yes, yes, they did, Bill and Katherine arrived at the church just in the nick of time.

Who arrived at the church just in the nick of time?

Bill and Katherine did, Bill and Katherine arrived at the church just in the nick of time.

So tell me this. Did Bill and Katherine arrive at the church just in time? Did they arrive at the church at the last possible moment?

Yes, yes, they did, they arrived at the church just in the nick of time so that means they arrived just in time or you could even say they arrived at the last possible moment. They arrived just in the nick of time.

Well, I have some more information for you about Charlie and Katherine. That day Charlie and Katherine got married at the church and it was a beautiful ceremony and all of their family and friends were there. And one year after their wedding, Charlie and Katherine became the proud parents of not just one baby, but two, because Katherine had twins. And for their first birthday, their Uncle Bill got them a special present, a tandem bicycle.

Okay, well that’s the end of our story and I hope you enjoyed this story because now I want you to tell the story. I want you to tell the story to someone who you know and if you really don’t have someone to tell the story to, please just tell the story out loud to yourself. Don’t just think about it now. Say it out loud because I want you to practice speaking, okay? And I want you to listen to this lesson every day for at least seven days. More is better, okay? If you want to listen to it more than seven days, that’s even better because you’ll learn the material even deeper then.

Alright, well that’s the end of this mini-story lesson then. I’ll see you next time.