داستان کوتاه

On The Rocks – Mini-Story Lesson

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 want to start by telling you about some of the idioms that you will hear me use in the story. So let’s start there.

Okay, first is “on the rocks,” okay? Now this is an idiom that can have a number of different meanings so I’m going to tell you what it means in relationship to a marriage. Okay, so if someone says a marriage is on the rocks. So if a marriage is on the rocks, it means that there is difficulty with the marriage or there are problems with the marriage, okay? Let me give you an example. When John and Beth first got married, they were in love and their marriage was perfect. But two years after they got married, their marriage was on the rocks. Okay, so what I’m saying is when John and Beth first got married, they were in love and they had a perfect marriage. But just two years later, their marriage had problems. There was difficulty with their marriage. It was on the rocks, alright?

Okay, next is “a night owl.” So if you’re a night owl, it means that you stay awake very late each day, okay? That you go to bed very late at night or even early into the morning, okay? Let me give you an example. When John was younger, he was a night owl, but now he goes to sleep at 8:00 p.m. each day. Okay, so what I’m saying is when John was younger, he stayed awake very late each day, okay? He went to sleep either very late at night or very early in the morning even. But now, he’s not a night owl anymore. He goes to sleep at 8:00 p.m. each day.

Okay, so next is “workaholic.” Okay, so a workaholic is just a person who works too much, alright? So here’s an example. When Gary was younger, he was a workaholic but now he only works two hours each day. Okay, so what I’m saying is when Gary was younger, he worked too much but now he only works two hours each day.

Okay, so next is “early bird.” So if you are an early bird, it means that you wake up very early in the morning, okay? It’s kind of almost the opposite of night owl if you think about it. But anyway, let me give you an example with early bird so you’ll understand it even better. Rebecca is an early bird because she likes to exercise early in the morning. Okay, so what I’m saying is Rebecca likes to wake up early in the morning because she likes to exercise early in the morning. She’s an early bird, okay?

Alright, so I have one more for you and it’s “to fall to pieces,” to fall to pieces. So if you fall to pieces, it means that you are very upset, alright? Here’s an example for you, and it’s a true example. When Kristin’s cat died, she fell to pieces. Okay, so what I’m saying is when Kristin’s cat died, she was very upset. She became very upset. Okay, she fell to pieces.

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 just want you to tell me the first answer that you think of. Oh, and don’t worry about making a mistake. You know, mistakes are okay if you learn from them. So if you make a mistake this time when you listen to this lesson, just try not to make the same mistake next time. And when you are answering these questions, I’d like you to speak loudly and confidently. Alright, well it’s time for our story then. So let’s begin.

This story is about Barney and Elizabeth and 11 years ago, Barney and Elizabeth got married. Yes, they got married in Los Angeles and unfortunately 9 years after they got married, their marriage was on the rocks. Yes, their marriage was on the rocks because they only saw each other for 43 minutes each day.

Okay, time for some questions. Did Barney and Elizabeth get married 11 years ago?

They did, yes, Barney and Elizabeth got married 11 years ago.

Who got married 11 years ago?

Well, Barney and Elizabeth did, Barney and Elizabeth got married 11 years ago.

And tell me this. How many years ago did Barney and Elizabeth get married?

11 years ago, they got married 11 years ago.

Did they get married more than 10 years ago?

They did, yes, they got married 11 years ago which is more than 10 years ago.

Okay, so tell me this. Was their marriage on the rocks?

It was, yes, unfortunately, their marriage was on the rocks.

Whose marriage was on the rocks?

Barney and Elizabeth’s, Barney and Elizabeth’s marriage was on the rocks.

So did Barney and Elizabeth have the perfect marriage with no problems at all?

No, no, their marriage was on the rocks so that means that they had problems with their marriage, okay? Their marriage was on the rocks. They had problems with their marriage.

So tell me this. Did Barney and Elizabeth only see each other for 43 minutes each day?

Yes, yes, they only saw each other for 43 minutes each day.

Who only saw each other for 43 minutes each day? Joe and Kristin or Barney and Elizabeth?

Barney and Elizabeth did, not Joe and Kristin, Barney and Elizabeth only saw each other for 43 minutes each day.

And now tell me this. For how many minutes each day did Barney and Elizabeth see each other?

43, they only saw each other for 43 minutes each day.

Okay, so now one more question before we continue with the story. Why was their marriage on the rocks? Why was Barney and Elizabeth’s marriage on the rocks?

Because they only saw each other for 43 minutes each day.

Well, I want to tell you more about both Barney and Elizabeth so you understand why they only saw each other for 43 minutes each day. Now Barney was a night owl. Yes, he was a night owl. He went to sleep at 5:45 a.m. each day. Now he went to sleep at 5:45 a.m. each day because he was a workaholic so he worked late each day.

Okay, so tell me this. Who was a night owl?

Barney was, Barney was a night owl.

Was Elizabeth a night owl?

No, no, Elizabeth wasn’t a night owl, Barney was a night owl.

So did Barney stay awake very late each day?

Yes, yes, he did, he was a night owl so he stayed awake late each day. He did not go to sleep until it was very late each day.

So tell me this. Did Barney stay awake until 5:45 a.m. each day? Did he go to sleep at 5:45 each day, 5:45 a.m.?

Yes, yes, he did, Barney went to sleep at 5:45 a.m. each day so that means he stayed awake until 5:45 a.m. each day.

And at what time did Barney go to sleep each day?

5:45 a.m., he went to sleep at 5:45 a.m. each day.

So tell me this. Was Barney a workaholic?

He was, yes, Barney was a workaholic.

Who was a workaholic? Barney or AJ?

Barney was, Barney was a workaholic.

So did Barney work too little or did he work too much?

Oh, he worked too much, Barney was a workaholic so that means he worked too much.

So one more question for you. Did Barney go to sleep at 5:45 a.m. each day because he was a workaholic?

Yes, yes, Barney went to sleep at 5:45 a.m. each day because he was a workaholic so he was working until very late each day.

Well, let me tell you a little bit more about Elizabeth now. Elizabeth was not a night owl, no. Elizabeth was an early bird, yes. Elizabeth was an early bird. She woke up at 5:30 a.m. each day. Now she woke up at 5:30 a.m. each day because she liked to exercise early in the morning. So as

you can see, Elizabeth and Barney only saw each other for 43 minutes each day because Barney was a night owl and Elizabeth was an early bird. So they were awake at different times during the day because they slept during different times during the day.

Alright, time for some more questions. Was Elizabeth an early bird or a night owl?

Oh, she was an early bird, Elizabeth was an early bird.

Who was an early bird?

Elizabeth, of course, Elizabeth was an early bird.

So did Elizabeth wake up very early in the morning or did she wake up very late in the day?

Early in the morning, Elizabeth was an early bird so that means she woke up early in the morning. She was an early bird.

So tell me this. Did Elizabeth wake up at 5:30 a.m. each day?

She did, yes, Elizabeth woke up at 5:30 a.m. each day.

Who woke up at 5:30 a.m. each day?

Elizabeth did, right? Elizabeth woke up at 5:30 a.m. each day.

So tell me this. Did Elizabeth like to exercise early in the morning or did she like to bicycle, take a bicycle ride early in the morning?

She liked to exercise early in the morning, Elizabeth liked to exercise early in the morning.

So did Elizabeth wake up at 5:30 a.m. each day because she liked to exercise early in the morning?

Yes, yes, she did, Elizabeth woke up at 5:30 a.m. each day because she liked to exercise early in the morning.

So one more question for you before we continue with the story. Why did Barney and Elizabeth only see each other for 43 minutes each day?

Well, they only saw each other for 43 minutes each day because Barney was a night owl and Elizabeth was an early bird.

Well, I have some unfortunate news for you, some bad news. Barney and Elizabeth got divorced. Yes, they got divorced and just two weeks after they got divorced, Barney fell to pieces. And after he fell to pieces, he stopped working late each day. And guess what? Just three weeks after they got divorced, Elizabeth fell to pieces. And after she fell to pieces, she stopped exercising early each morning.

Okay, so tell me this. Who got divorced?

Barney and Elizabeth did, Barney and Elizabeth got divorced.

And did Barney and Elizabeth go on vacation or did they get divorced?

They got divorced, of course, they didn’t go on vacation. They got divorced.

And why did they get divorced? Was it because they only saw each other for 43 minutes each day?

Yes, yes, Barney and Elizabeth got divorced because they only saw each other for 43 minutes each day.

So tell me this. Did Barney fall to pieces two weeks after they got divorced?

He did, yes, Barney fell to pieces two weeks after they got divorced.

Who fell to pieces two weeks after they got divorced?

Barney did, Barney fell to pieces two weeks after they got divorced.

And what happened to Barney two weeks after he got divorced?

He fell to pieces, Barney fell to pieces two weeks after he got divorced.

So was Barney very happy two weeks after he got divorced?

No, no, Barney fell to pieces two weeks after he got divorced so that means he was very upset two weeks after he got divorced.

And how about Elizabeth? Did Elizabeth fall to pieces three weeks after they got divorced?

Yes, she did, Elizabeth fell to pieces three weeks after they got divorced.

And who fell to pieces three weeks after they got divorced? Barney or Elizabeth?

Elizabeth did, Elizabeth fell to pieces three weeks after they got divorced.

And when did Elizabeth fall to pieces?

Three weeks after they got divorced, Elizabeth fell to pieces three weeks after they got divorced.

So three weeks after they got divorced, was Elizabeth very upset?

Yes, yes, she was, she fell to pieces so that means she was very upset. If you fall to pieces, that means that you are very upset so Elizabeth fell to pieces three weeks after they got divorced so she was very upset three weeks after they got divorced.

So tell me this. Did Elizabeth stop exercising early in the morning after she fell to pieces?

Yes, she did, she stopped exercising early in the morning after she fell to pieces.

And what did Elizabeth stop doing after she fell to pieces?

She stopped exercising early in the morning, Elizabeth stopped exercising early in the morning after she fell to pieces.

How about Barney? What did Barney stop doing after he fell to pieces?

He stopped working late each day, Barney stopped working late each day after he fell to pieces.

And when did Barney stop working late each day?

After he fell to pieces, Barney stopped working late each day after he fell to pieces.

Well, I have some more information for you now about both Barney and Elizabeth. You see, after Barney stopped working late each day, he was no longer a night owl. And after Elizabeth stopped exercising early each morning, she was no longer an early bird. And both Barney and Elizabeth loved and missed each other very, very much. So they started to spend a lot of time together, and guess what? They got married for a second time. And their second marriage was never on the rocks.

Okay, well that’s the end of our story and, y’know, I hope you enjoyed this story because now I want you to tell the story. I want you to tell this story to someone who you know. It can really be anyone who you know. And if you really cannot find someone to tell the story to, please just say the story to yourself.

But make sure you actually say the story. I don’t want you to just think about it, okay? I want you to practice speaking. And I really want you to learn this material deeply so I want you to listen to this lesson every day for at least one week.

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