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##Bear University – 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 have a great story for you in this lesson but before we get to the story, I want to tell you about some of the idioms that you will hear me use in that story. So let’s start there.

Okay, first is to “get on someone’s nerves.” So if you get on someone’s nerves, it means you annoy or you bother that person. Here’s an example for you. Sam got on Patty’s nerves because he spoke too much. Sam annoyed or he bothered Patty because he spoke too much. He got on her nerves. He bothered or he annoyed her.

Okay, next is a “go-getter.” A go-getter is someone who works very hard to be successful, okay? A person who is willing to do whatever it takes to be successful. Here’s an example for you. I knew that Harry would be a great stockbroker because he is a go-getter. Okay, so what I’m saying is I knew that Harry would be a great stockbroker because he works very hard to be successful. He’s willing to do anything to be successful, okay? He’s a go-getter.

Okay, next is a “slacker.” And a slacker is the opposite of a go-getter. Okay, a slacker is a person who is very lazy, a person who is unmotivated, someone who doesn’t care about success. Okay, they’re very lazy. Let me give you an example to help you understand this one. Bob did not care when he failed all of his classes because Bob is a slacker. Bob did not care when he failed all of his classes because Bob is unmotivated. He’s lazy. He doesn’t care about success. Bob is a slacker.

Okay, so next is to “blast something,” like something that you listen to. Like, for example, to blast your stereo or to blast some music, okay? And what it means is to listen to it very loudly. Let me give you an example. This one’s actually very easy once you hear how it’s used, so let me give you an example. Sam blasted some music from his stereo after he got his new car. Sam listened to some music very loudly on his stereo after he got a new car. Okay, he listened to the music very loudly. He blasted the music.

Okay, I have one more for you, it’s the “wee hours.” And really what I’m talking about is the wee hours of the night or the wee hours of the morning, okay? So if you do something until the wee hours of the night, it means you do it until very late at night. Or you could even say the wee hours of the morning which means you do it until very early in the morning. Okay, whatever it is, it means very, very late at night or very early in the morning. Okay, and you can say the wee hours of the night or you can say the wee hours of the morning. It means the same thing. Let me give you an example to help you understand this. On the day that Jake and Maria got married, they partied until the wee hours of the night. Okay, so what I’m saying is on the day that Jake and Maria got married, they partied until very late at night. They partied until the wee hours of the night.

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 by just telling me the first answer that you think of after you hear the question. Okay, and don’t worry about making mistakes. Y’know, mistakes are okay as long as you learn from them.

So if you make a mistake when you listen to the lesson this time, just try to learn from it. Try not to make the same mistake the next time you listen to this lesson. And, as always, I want you to speak loudly and confidently when you answer these questions. Alright then, well it’s time for our story, so let’s begin.

There was a bear and his name was Scott. And Scott was a student at Bear University in Los Angeles. And guess what? Scott had a roommate, what I mean is someone who lived with him, and his roommate’s name was Bob. And Bob was also a bear and Bob also attended Bear University. But unfortunately, Scott had a problem. Bob was getting on Scott’s nerves.

Okay, time for some questions. So I mentioned someone named Scott. Was Scott a bear or was he a bird?

He was a bear, Scott was a bear, he wasn’t a bird.

And was Scott a student at Bear University in Los Angeles?

He was, yes, Scott was a student at Bear University in Los Angeles.

Who was a student at Bear University?

Scott, right? Scott was a student at Bear University.

So tell me this. Where was Scott a student at? Was he a student at Harvard University?

No, Scott was not a student at Harvard University.

At what school was Scott a student?

Bear University, Scott was a student at Bear University.

And where was Bear University? Was it in London?

No, no, it wasn’t in London.

Where was Bear University?

Los Angeles, Bear University was in Los Angeles.

So tell me this. Did Scott live alone or did he have a roommate?

Oh, he had a roommate, Scott did not live alone. He had a roommate.

And what was his roommate’s name?

Bob, his roommate’s name was Bob.

So was Bob a dog?

No, no, Bob wasn’t a dog.

What kind of animal was Bob?

He was a bear, Bob was a bear.

And was Bob a student?

He was, yes, Bob was also a student.

And at what school was Bob a student?

Bear University, Bob was a student at Bear University.

So were both Bob and Scott students at Bear University?

Yes, they were, they were both students at Bear University.

Okay, so now tell me this. Was Bob getting on Scott’s nerves?

Yes, yes, he was, Bob was getting on Scott’s nerves.

Who was getting on Scott’s nerves?

Well, Bob was, Bob was getting on Scott’s nerves.

And on whose nerves was Bob getting? Bob was getting on whose nerves, that’s a better way to ask it.

Scott’s, Bob was getting on Scott’s nerves.

So was Scott getting on Bob’s nerves?

No, no, Scott was not getting on Bob’s nerves, Bob was getting on Scott’s nerves.

So was Bob annoying or was he bothering Scott?

Yes, yes, he was, he was getting on Scott’s nerves so that means he was annoying Scott or he was bothering Scott. Bob was getting on Scott’s nerves.

Well, one of the reasons that Bob was getting on Scott’s nerves was because Bob and Scott were very different people. They were like opposites. Now, yes it’s true that they were both bears, and it’s true that they both attended Bear University. But that is where the similarities ended. After that, they were total opposites. For example, Bob was a slacker and Scott was a go-getter. You see, Scott majored in business and he wanted to be a stockbroker. Now Bob, he didn’t want to major in business. He wanted to major in partying. Yes, it’s true. But there was no major in partying so Bob had no major. Bob’s major was undeclared so he had no focus for his studies.

Okay, time for some questions. Who was a go-getter? Was Bob a go-getter?

No, no, Bob was not a go-getter.

Who was a go-getter?

Scott was, Scott was a go-getter.

And how about Bob? Was Bob a slacker or was he a go-getter?

Oh, he was a slacker, Bob was a slacker.

Who was a slacker?

Bob was, Bob was a slacker.

So was Bob very motivated and did he work really hard?

No, no, Bob was a slacker so that means he was unmotivated. He did not care about success. He was very lazy.

How about Scott? Was Scott…was he lazy? Was Scott lazy or was Scott a person who worked very hard to become successful?

Oh, Scott worked very hard to become successful. Scott was a go-getter so that means he was willing to do whatever it took to be successful so that means he worked very hard.

Okay, so tell me this. Did Scott major in business?

Yes, yes, he did, Scott majored in business.

And tell me this. What did Scott want to be? Did he want to be a janitor?

No, no, Scott didn’t want to be a janitor.

What did Scott want to be?

A stockbroker, Scott wanted to be a stockbroker.

So how about Bob? Did Bob want to major in business also?

No, no, Bob did not want to major in business.

What did Bob want to major in?

Partying, Bob wanted to major in partying, but of course, there was no major in partying so Bob’s major was undeclared. He had no major. You see, remember now, Bob was a slacker.

Well, guess what, I want to tell you another reason why Bob was getting on Scott’s nerves. You see, Scott studied a lot and Bob, he didn’t study at all. In fact, he never did any school work. Remember, he was a slacker. Instead of doing school work, Bob sat at home and he blasted his music all day long. So Scott was unable to study at home. Scott was unable to study at home because Bob blasted his music all day long.

Okay, so tell me this. Did Scott study a lot?

Yes, yes, he did, Scott studied a lot.

Who studied a lot?

Scott did, right? Scott studied a lot.

How about Bob? Did Bob study a lot?

No, no, Bob did not study a lot. In fact, Bob never did any school work.

So tell me this. Who blasted his music all day long?

Bob did, Bob blasted his music all day long.

So did Bob blast his music for just an hour or two during the day?

No, no, he did not blast his music for just an hour or two during the day, he blasted it all day long.

So tell me this now. Did Bob listen to his music very quietly or did he listen to his music very loudly?

Oh, he listened to his music very loudly. Remember, Bob blasted his music so that means he listened to his music very loudly.

So was Scott able to study at home?

No, no, Scott was unable to study at home.

Who was unable to study at home?

Scott, Scott was unable to study at home.

And tell me this. What was Scott unable to do at home?

Study, he was unable to study at home.

Okay, one more question though before we continue with the story. Why? Why was Scott unable to study at home?

Well, he was unable to study at home because Bob blasted his music all day long.

Well, guess what? I want to tell you another reason why Bob was getting on Scott’s nerves. Yes, there’s another reason. You see, Bob loved to party so he partied every day and every day he partied until the wee hours of the night. And Bob was very loud when he partied so Scott was unable to sleep at night. He was unable to sleep at night because Bob partied until the wee hours of the night every day.

Okay, time for some more questions. Who loved to party?

Bob did, Bob loved to party.

How about Scott? Did Scott love to party?

No, no, Scott did not love to party, Bob did. Bob loved to party.

And what did Bob love to do? Did he love to study or party?

Party, Bob loved to party, he did not love to study. Remember, he was a slacker.

So tell me this. Did Bob party every day?

Yes, yes, he did, he partied every day.

Who partied every day?

Bob did, Bob partied every day.

So tell me this. Did Bob party on Mondays?

Of course, yes, he partied on Mondays.

How about Wednesdays? Did he party on Wednesdays?

Yes, of course he partied on Wednesdays. Remember, he partied every day.

And tell me this. Did Bob party until the wee hours of the night?

Yes, he did, Bob partied until the wee hours of the night.

Who partied until the wee hours of the night? Bob or Scott?

Bob did, Bob partied until the wee hours of the night.

So did Bob party until very early in the evening or did he party until very late at night?

Oh, he partied until very late at night because he partied until the wee hours of the night so that means he partied until very late at night. If you do something until the wee hours of the night it means you do it until very late at night.

So tell me this. Was Bob very quiet when he partied or was he very loud?

He was very loud, Bob was very loud.

So was Scott able to sleep at night?

No, no, Scott was unable to sleep at night.

Who was unable to sleep at night?

Scott, Scott was unable to sleep at night.

Okay, but why? Why was Scott unable to sleep at night?

Well, he was unable to sleep at night because every day Bob partied until the wee hours of the night and he was very loud when he partied.

Poor Scott. Poor Scott. Well, I have another reason to tell you why Bob was getting on Scott’s nerves. You see, Bob spent all of his money on beer because he partied every day. So he didn’t have any money to buy honey and, y’know, that’s what bears eat. They eat honey. So guess what he did? He ate all of Scott’s honey. Yes, that’s right. Bob ate all of Scott’s honey so Scott had no honey to eat. He had no honey to eat because Bob ate all of Scott’s honey.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Bob spend all of his money on beer?

Yes, he did, Bob spent all of his money on beer.

Who spent all of his money on beer?

Bob did, right? Bob spent all of his money on beer.

And tell me this. What did Bob spend all of his money on? Did he spend all of his money on honey?

No, no, Bob did not spend all of his money on honey.

What did Bob spend all of his money on?

Beer, he spent all of his money on beer.

So did Bob eat all of Scott’s honey?

He did, yes, Bob ate all of Scott’s honey.

Who ate all of Scott’s honey? Did AJ eat all of Scott’s honey?

No, no, it wasn’t AJ.

Who ate all of Scott’s honey?

Bob did, Bob ate all of Scott’s honey.

And what did Bob eat?

He ate Scott’s honey, yes, Bob ate all of Scott’s honey.

So did Scott have any honey to eat?

No, Scott did not have any honey to eat.

Why not? Why didn’t Scott have any honey to eat?

Because Bob ate all of Scott’s honey.

Well, I have some more information for you about Bob and Scott. At the end of the semester, both Bob and Scott got their grades and you’ll be surprised to know that Scott failed all of his classes and Bob received an A in all of his classes. So Scott couldn’t believe it. So the next semester, Scott acted like Bob did. Yes, Scott partied every single night and he never did any school work. And that semester, Scott received an A in every one of his classes. He couldn’t believe it. Who knew that the key to academic success was to party every night and to ignore all of your school work.

Okay, well that’s the end of our story and I hope you enjoyed it because now I want you to tell the story. I want you to tell the story to someone who you know. It can be anyone who you know. And if you really do not have someone to tell the story to, just say the story to yourself. Okay, but look in the mirror so you can pretend you’re telling someone. And don’t just think of the story in your mind, okay? I want you to practice speaking. I want you to practice using these idioms so I want you to speak out loud when you tell the story, okay? And I want to listen to this lesson every day for at least one week.

Alright then, that’s the end of this mini-story lesson. I look forward to seeing you again soon. Bye-bye.