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The Boxer – 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 this lesson by telling you about some of the idioms that you will hear me use in the story today. So let’s start there.

Okay, first is to “look up to someone,” okay? If you look up to someone it means that you admire and respect that person. And once again, the idiom is to look up to someone and it means to admire and respect that person. Here’s an example for you. Many people in America look up to the president. Okay, so what I’m saying is many people in America admire and respect the president. Okay, they look up to him, they admire and respect him.

Okay, so next is to “follow in someone’s footsteps.” So if you follow in someone’s footsteps, it means that you do what that person did in the past, okay? Now let me give you an example on this one because I think that you’ll understand it a lot better after you hear an example. Johnny’s father used to play baseball and now Johnny wants to play baseball because he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps. Okay, so what I’m saying is Johnny’s father used to play baseball and now Johnny wants to play baseball because he wants to do what his father did in the past. Okay, he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps. Okay.

Next is to “let someone down.” So if you let someone down, it means that you disappoint that person. Here’s an example for you. Mary let her 5-year-old son down when she forgot about his birthday. Okay, so what I’m saying is Mary let her 5-year-old son down, Mary disappointed her 5-year-old son when she forgot about his birthday. She let him down. She disappointed him.

Okay, so next is “at the crack of dawn.” So at the crack of dawn means very, very early in the morning. It means the very earliest part of the day, okay? Here’s an example for you. My father did not like to sleep late so every day he woke up at the crack of dawn. Okay, and this is sort of true. My father did always like to get up early in the morning. He didn’t like to sleep late. So anyway, in this example I’m saying my father did not like to sleep late so he always woke up very early in the morning. He woke up at the earliest part of the day, the first thing in the morning, okay?

So I have one more for you and this one is to “level with someone,” okay, to level with someone. If you level with someone it means that you are open and honest with that person. Here’s an example for you. John’s lawyers advised him to level with the police officers. Okay, so what I’m saying is John’s lawyers advised him to be open and honest with the police officers. They advised him to level with them, okay?

Alright, well 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. Just tell me the first answer that you think of, okay? And don’t worry about making any mistakes. You’re going to listen to this lesson many times so if you make a mistake this time when you listen to this lesson, you probably will not make the same mistake the next time. So if you make a mistake just try and learn from it, okay? And when you answer these questions, I want you to speak loudly and confidently. Alright, well it’s time for our story then, so let’s start.

There was a kangaroo and his name was Peter and Peter was a boxer. Yes, he was a boxer. And many people looked up to Peter. They looked up to Peter because Peter won a gold medal in the Olympics.

Okay, time for some questions. Was there a cat or was there a kangaroo?

A kangaroo, there was a kangaroo.

And what was the kangaroo’s name?

Peter, the kangaroo’s name was Peter.

And what kind of animal was Peter? Was he a cat?

No, no, Peter wasn’t a cat.

What kind of animal was Peter?

A kangaroo, Peter was a kangaroo.

So was Peter a boxer or a tennis player?

He was a boxer, Peter was a boxer.

Who was a boxer? Was AJ a boxer?

No, no, AJ wasn’t a boxer.

Who was a boxer?

Peter was, of course, Peter was a boxer.

And tell me this now. Did many people look up to Peter?

Yes, yes, many people looked up to Peter.

So did a lot of people look up to Peter or did just a small number of people look up to Peter?

Oh, a lot of people looked up to Peter. Many people looked up to him so that means a lot of people looked up to Peter.

And who did many people look up to?

Peter, many people looked up to Peter.

So tell me this. Did many people admire and respect Peter?

Yes, yes, they did, many people looked up to Peter so that means many people admired and respected him. Okay, they looked up to him so they admired and respected him.

Okay, but why? Why did many people look up to Peter?

Well, many people looked up to Peter because Peter won a gold medal at the Olympics.

Who won a gold medal at the Olympics? Did Kristin win a gold medal at the Olympics?

No, Kristin did not win a gold medal at the Olympics.

Who won a gold medal at the Olympics?

Peter, Peter won a gold medal at the Olympics.

And tell me this. What kind of medal did Peter win? Did he win a silver medal?

No, no, Peter didn’t win a silver medal.

What kind of medal did Peter win?

Gold, Peter won a gold medal.

And at what competition did Peter win a gold medal?

The Olympics, Peter won a gold medal at the Olympics. That’s why many people look up to him.

Well, I have some more information for you about Peter. Peter had a son. Yes, he did. And his name was Jimmy and Peter wanted Jimmy to follow in his footsteps. Well, Jimmy did not want to be a boxer but he didn’t want to let his father down so Jimmy trained to become a boxer.

Okay, time for some more questions. Who had a son? Did AJ have a son?

No, no, AJ didn’t have a son.

Who had a son?

Peter did, of course, Peter had a son.

And tell me this. Did Peter have a son or a daughter.

A son, Peter had a son.

And what was Peter’s son’s name?

Jimmy, Peter’s son’s name was Jimmy.

So who was Jimmy’s father?

Peter was, Peter was Jimmy’s father, of course, because Jimmy was Peter’s son.

So tell me this. Did Peter want Jimmy to follow in his footsteps?

Yes, yes, he did, Peter wanted Jimmy to follow in his footsteps.

Who wanted Jimmy to follow in his footsteps?

Peter did, Peter wanted Jimmy to follow in his footsteps.

And did Peter want Kristin or Jimmy to follow in his footsteps?

Jimmy, Peter wanted Jimmy to follow in his footsteps. He did not want Kristin to follow in his footsteps.

So did Peter want Jimmy to do what Peter had done in the past?

Yes, yes, he did, Peter wanted Jimmy to follow in his footsteps so that means that Peter wanted Jimmy to do what Peter had done in the past. He wanted Jimmy to follow in his footsteps.

So tell me this. Did Jimmy want to be a boxer?

No, no, Jimmy didn’t want to be a boxer.

Who didn’t want to be a boxer?

Jimmy didn’t, Jimmy didn’t want to be a boxer.

And what didn’t Jimmy want to be? A boxer or a cook?

A boxer, Jimmy didn’t want to be a boxer.

So tell me this now. Did Jimmy want to let his father down?

No, no, of course not, Jimmy did not want to let his father down. He did not want to let his father down.

Who didn’t want to let his father down?

Jimmy, Jimmy didn’t want to let his father down.

And tell me this now. Who didn’t Jimmy want to let down?

His father, Peter, Jimmy didn’t want to let his father, Peter, down.

So did Jimmy want to disappoint his father?

No, no, Jimmy didn’t want to disappoint his father. You see, Jimmy didn’t want to let his father down so that means he didn’t want to disappoint his father. He didn’t want to let his father down.

So did Jimmy train to become a boxer?

Yes, yes, he did, Jimmy trained to become a boxer.

Tell me this. Who trained to become a boxer?

Jimmy did, Jimmy trained to become a boxer.

And what did Jimmy train to become?

A boxer, Jimmy trained to become a boxer.

Well, while Jimmy was training to become a boxer, he worked very hard. Yes, he was not lazy. For example, every day Jimmy woke up at the crack of dawn and then he ran 27 miles. Yes, and after that, he went to the gym for 11 hours. He did these things every day.

Okay, time for some more questions. While Jimmy was training to become a boxer, did he work very hard or was he lazy?

Oh, he worked very hard, Jimmy worked very hard.

Who worked very hard?

Jimmy did, of course, Jimmy worked very hard. He was not lazy.

So tell me this. Did Jimmy wake up at the crack of dawn?

Yes, yes, he did, Jimmy woke up at the crack of dawn.

So did Peter wake up at the crack of dawn?

No, no, Peter didn’t wake up at the crack of dawn.

Who woke up at the crack of dawn?

Jimmy, Jimmy woke up at the crack of dawn.

So did Jimmy wake up very early in the morning or did he sleep late into the afternoon?

Oh, he woke up early in the morning. You see, Jimmy woke up at the crack of dawn so that means he woke up very early in the morning. He woke up at the very beginning of the day. He woke up at the crack of dawn.

So now tell me this. Did Jimmy run 27 miles every day?

Yes, he did, Jimmy ran 27 miles every day.

Did AJ run 27 miles every day?

No, no, AJ didn’t run 27 miles every day.

Who ran 27 miles every day?

Jimmy did, Jimmy ran 27 miles every day.

And how many miles did he run every day?

27, Jimmy ran 27 miles every day.

So tell me this. Did Jimmy run more than 26 miles every day?

Yes, yes, of course he did, Jimmy ran 27 miles every day so that means he ran more than 26 miles every day.

So how often did Jimmy run 27 miles?

Every day, he ran 27 miles every day.

So did he run 27 miles on Thursdays?

Yes, yes, of course he did, he ran 27 miles every day so that means he ran 27 miles on Thursdays, of course.

So did Jimmy go to the gym for 11 hours every day

Yes, yes, he did, Jimmy went to the gym for 11 hours every day.

And what did Jimmy do for 11 hours every day? Did he ride his bicycle for 11 hours every day?

No, no, Jimmy didn’t ride his bicycle for 11 hours every day.

What did Jimmy do for 11 hours every day?

He went to the gym, Jimmy went to the gym for 11 hours every day.

And for how many hours did he go to the gym each day?

11, Jimmy went to the gym for 11 hours every day.

So did Jimmy go to the gym only on Wednesdays?

No, no, Jimmy went to the gym every day so that means he did go to the gym on Wednesdays. He went every day.

Well, I forgot to tell you this. Jimmy had a girlfriend. Yes, Jimmy had a girlfriend and her name was Rebecca. And on the day before Jimmy’s first fight he told Rebecca that he did not want to be a boxer. Yes, he told Rebecca that the only reason he was training to be a boxer was because he wanted his father to be proud of him and he did not want to let his father down. Well, Rebecca told Jimmy that he needed to level with his father. And Jimmy knew that Rebecca was right so he agreed to speak with his father before the fight.

Okay, time for some more questions. Who had a girlfriend? Did AJ have a girlfriend?

No, no, AJ didn’t have a girlfriend, of course.

Who had a girlfriend?

Jimmy did, Jimmy had a girlfriend.

And did Jimmy have a wife?

No, no, Jimmy didn’t have a wife, he had a girlfriend.

So tell me this. What was Jimmy’s girlfriend’s name?

Rebecca, it was Rebecca, Jimmy’s girlfriend’s name was Rebecca.

And did Jimmy tell Rebecca he did not want to be a boxer on the day before his first fight?

Yes, yes, he did, Jimmy told Rebecca that he did not want to be a boxer on the day before his first fight.

Who told Rebecca he didn’t want to be a boxer?

Jimmy did, Jimmy told Rebecca he did not want to be a boxer.

And what didn’t Jimmy want to be?

A boxer, Jimmy didn’t want to be a boxer and he told Rebecca that.

So tell me this. When did Jimmy tell Rebecca he did not want to be a boxer?

On the day before his first fight, Jimmy told Rebecca he did not want to be a boxer on the day before his first fight.

So did Rebecca tell Jimmy that he needed to level with his father?

She did, yes, Rebecca told Jimmy that he needed to level with his father.

Who told Jimmy he needed to level with his father?

Rebecca did, Jimmy’s girlfriend, Rebecca, told Jimmy that ne needed to level with his father.

And tell me this. What did Jimmy need to do?

He needed to level with his father, Jimmy needed to level with his father.

Did Jimmy need to level with his mother or his father?

His father, of course, Jimmy needed to level with his father, Peter.

So did Jimmy need to be open and honest with his father or did he need to lie to his father?

Oh, he needed to be open and honest with his father, Jimmy needed to level with his father. He needed to level with his father which means he needed to be open and honest with him.

So did Jimmy agree to speak to his father before the fight?

Yes, yes, he did, Jimmy agreed to speak to his father before the fight.

Who agreed to speak to his father before the fight?

Jimmy did, Jimmy agreed to speak to his father before the fight.

And what did Jimmy agree to do before the fight? Did he agree to cook dinner before the fight?

No, no, Jimmy didn’t agree to cook dinner before the fight.

What did Jimmy agree to do before the fight?

He agreed to talk to his father, Jimmy agreed to talk to his father before the fight.

And one more question before we continue with the story. When did Jimmy agree to talk to his father?

Before the fight, Jimmy agreed to talk to his father before the fight.

And that’s what he did. The next day, before the fight, Jimmy talked to his father. And he told his father that he wanted his father to be proud of him and he did not want to disappoint his father, but he did not want to be a boxer. Well, Peter told Jimmy that it was fine if he didn’t want to be a boxer and he told Jimmy that he would be proud of him no matter what he did in life. So Jimmy was happy that he had finally leveled with his father.

Okay, well, that’s the end of this 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 really be anyone who you know. Maybe you want to tell it to one of your friends, maybe to one of your classmates if you’re in school. You can really tell it to anybody. And if you really do not have someone to tell the story to, please just say the story out loud.

And when you tell the story, I want you to use all of the idioms that I taught you at the beginning of this lesson, okay? And I want you to learn this material deeply so I want you to listen to this lesson every day for at least seven days.

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