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Moon Guitar – 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’m going to start today’s lesson by telling you about the idioms that you will hear me use in today’s story. So let’s start.

First is to “cut class,” to cut class. So if you cut class it means you don’t go to class, okay? You’re supposed to go to class but you don’t go. So let me give you an example. Mary got a D in chemistry because she cut class on one of the days they had a test. Mary got a D in chemistry because she didn’t go to class on one of the days that they had a test.

Okay, so next is to “hit the books.” So if you hit the books it just means that you study, okay? And I remember that when I was studying at university during finals, I would hit the books every day for two weeks. So what I’m saying is I studied every day for two weeks. I hit the books every day for two weeks.

Okay, so next is to “run away from home.” So if you run away from home it means that you leave home and you don’t plan to come back and you don’t tell anybody where you’re going, okay? And I remember once when I was 7 years old I got into a fight with my mother and I ran away from home. I got into a fight with my mother and I left home and I didn’t tell her where I was going and I didn’t plan to go back. And this is actually a true story but I went to my friend’s house and my friend’s mother called my mother to tell her I was there so it was kind of an ineffective way to run away from home.

Okay, so next is to “hit it off,” okay? So if you hit it off with another person it means that you become friends with that person right away. Okay, you meet that person and you become friends right away. Okay, so let me give you an example. When AJ and I first met, we went to a concert with some mutual friends and we hit it off. Okay, so what I’m saying is when AJ and I first met, we went to a concert with some mutual friend and we became friends right away, okay?

Alright, next is “straight As,” straight As. So straight As means As in all of your classes, okay? So if you get straight As it means that you got As, a grade of an A, in every one of your classes. So let me give you an example. John was very smart so he always got straight As in school. John was very smart so he always got As in all of his classes at school.

Okay, so I have one more for you and this is one I like a lot. It’s to “turn over a new leaf.” So if you turn over a new leaf it means that you change your behavior in a positive way, okay? It means if you were acting badly, you start to act nicely, okay? So let me give you an example. After the thief got out of jail, he swore that he was going to turn over a new leaf. Okay, so what I’m saying is after the thief got out of jail, he swore that he was going to behave in a positive way, okay? He was going to turn over a new leaf.

Okay, so now I’m going to tell you a story but I’m 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 right away, okay? Just tell me the first thing that comes into your mind when you hear the question. And don’t worry about making a mistake. You’re going to listen to this lesson many times.

So you may make a mistake this time when you listen to this lesson but you probably will not make the same mistake the next time you listen to it. And, as always, whenever you’re speaking, I want you to speak with confidence, okay? And when you answer these questions speak loudly, too, okay? Alright, it’s time for our story then. So let’s begin.

There was a monkey and his name was Michael and Michael was 16 years old. And Michael hated going to school. Yes, it’s true. Michael hated going to school so he cut class every day. And when he cut class he went to the beach. And after he got to the beach each day, he sat in the sand and played his guitar.

Okay, time for some questions. Was there a monkey or a rabbit?

A monkey, there was a monkey, there was not a rabbit.

What was the monkey’s name?

Michael, his name was Michael.

And what kind of animal was Michael?

He was a monkey, yes, Michael was a monkey.

So how old was Michael? Was Michael 26 years old?

No, no, Michael was not 26 years old.

How old was Michael?

16 years old, he was 16 years old.

Who was 16 years old? Was AJ 16 years old?

No, AJ was not 16 years old.

Who was 16 years old?

Michael, of course, Michael was 16 years old.

And did Michael love going to school?

No, no, he didn’t, he hated going to school.

Who hated going to school?

Michael did, Michael hated going to school.

And what did Michael hate doing?

Going to school, yes, Michael hated going to school.

Tell me this now. Did Michael cut class every day?

Yes, yes, he did, he cut class every day.

Who cut class every day? Did AJ or Michael cut class every day?

Michael did, Michael cut class every day.

And what did Michael do every day?

He cut class, yes, Michael cut class every day.

So did Michael not go to class every day?

Yes, yes, Michael cut class every day so that means he didn’t go to class every day or you could say he didn’t go to class and he did that every day, okay?

So when Michael cut class, where did he go? Did he go to the library or did he go to the beach?

The beach, he went to the beach.

Who went to the beach?

Michael did, Michael went to the beach.

And when Michael went to the beach did he play guitar or did he play piano?

Guitar, yes, Michael played guitar at the beach.

Well, I have some bad news for you about Michael, yes. Michael failed all of his classes. Yes, you see, he had five classes and he failed all of them. So his parents were very upset with him and his parents wanted him to then hit the books every day after school for five hours each day. But Michael refused to hit the books. Instead, Michael went to his bedroom and he played the guitar. So Michael’s father took his guitar away. Yes, and then he told Michael that if he wanted his guitar back then he had to improve his grades.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Michael fail all of his classes?

Yes, yes, he did, he failed all of his classes.

Who failed all of his classes?

Michael did, Michael failed all of his classes.

And did Michael fail just some of his classes?

No, no, he didn’t, he failed all of his classes.

How many classes did Michael have?

Five, he had five classes.

So did Michael fail five classes?

Yes, he did, he failed all five of his classes.

So were Michael’s parents upset with him?

They were, yes, they were upset with him.

Who was upset with Michael?

Michael’s parents, Michael’s parents were upset with Michael.

And tell me this. Were Michael’s parents upset with AJ or Michael?

Michael, they were upset with Michael.

Okay, but why? Why were they upset with Michael?

Well, they were upset with Michael because he failed all of his classes.

So tell me this now. Did Michael’s parents want Michael to hit the books for five hours every day after school?

Yes, yes, they did, they wanted him to hit the books for five hours every day after school.

Okay so tell me this. Who wanted Michael to hit the books?

His parents, Michael’s parents wanted Michael to hit the books.

And who did they want to hit the books?

Michael, they wanted Michael to hit the books.

So did Michael’s parents want Michael to study?

Yes, yes, they did, they wanted him to hit the books so that means they wanted him to study. If you it the books it means that you study.

Okay, so how often did his parents want him to hit the books? Did they want Michael to hit the books just on Saturdays?

No, no, they didn’t want him to hit the books just on Saturdays.

How often did they want him to hit the books?

Every day, yes, they wanted him to hit the books every day.

And when did they want him to hit the books each day?

After school, they wanted him to hit the books every day after school.

Okay, but how long did they want him to hit the books for each day?

Five hours, Michael’s parents wanted Michael to hit the books for five hours every day after school.

So tell me this. Did Michael hit the books every day after school?

No, no, he didn’t, Michael refused to hit the books.

Who refused to hit the books?

Michael did, Michael refused to hit the books.

So did Michael refuse to study?

Yes, yes, he did, he refused to hit the books so that means he refused to study. Michael refused to hit the books. He refused to study.

So what did Michael do instead of studying? Did he play the guitar?

Yes, he did, he played the guitar instead of studying.

So did Michael’s father take away Michael’s guitar?

Yes, yes, he did, he took away Michael’s guitar.

Who took away Michael’s guitar?

Michael’s father did, Michael’s father took away Michael’s guitar.

And tell me this. What did Michael’s father take away from Michael?

Michael’s guitar, he took his guitar away from him.

So did Michael’s father tell Michael that if he wanted his guitar back he had to improve his grades?

Yes, yes, he did, he told Michael that if he wanted his guitar back he had to improve his grades.

So what did Michael have to do to get his guitar back?

Improve his grades, he had to improve his grades in order to get his guitar back.

Well, Michael was made at his father. He was mad at his father because his father took away his guitar. So Michael ran away from home. Yes, he ran away from home and he went to the moon. Michael went to the moon. You know why he went to the moon? This one’s obvious. Because there were a lot of guitars on the moon. Michael went to the moon because there were a lot of guitars on the moon.

Okay, time for some more questions. Was Michael mad at his father?

He was, yes, Michael was mad at his father.

Who was mad at his father?

Michael was, Michael was mad at is father.

And who was Michael mad at? Was he mad at his mother?

No, Michael was not mad at his mother.

Who was Michael mad at?

His father, Michael was mad at his father.

Okay, but why? Why was Michael mad at his father?

Well, he was mad at his father because his father took away his guitar.

Okay, so tell me this. Did Michael run away from home?

Yes, yes, he did, Michael ran away from home.

Who ran away from home? Did Kristin or Michael run away from home?

Michael did, Michael ran away from home. Kristin did not run away from home.

So did Michael leave home without telling anyone where he was going and with no plan to come back?

Yes, yes, he ran away from home and if you run away from home that means that you leave home and you don’t tell anyone where you’re going and you don’t plan to come back. He ran away from home, Michael did, Michael ran away from home.

So where did Michael go when he ran away from home?

The moon, Michael went to the moon.

Okay, but why? Why did Michael go to the moon?

He went to the moon because there are a lot of guitars on the moon.

So tell me this. Where were there a lot of guitars? Were there a lot of guitars on the sun?

No, no, there weren’t a lot of guitars on the sun.

Where were there a lot of guitars?

The moon, there were a lot of guitars on the moon and that’s why Michael went there.

Well, after Michael arrived on the moon he met a monkey named Charlie. And Michael and Charlie hit it off because they both played guitar. But, unfortunately, Michael was not allowed to play guitar on the moon. You see, Michael was not allowed to play guitar on the moon because he didn’t get straight As and only monkeys who got straight As were allowed to play guitar on the

moon. So Charlie was allowed to play guitar on the moon because Charlie got straight As but Michael was not allowed to play guitar on the moon because Michael did not get straight As.

Okay, time for some more questions then. Did Michael meet a monkey named Charlie after he arrived on the moon?

Yes, yes, he did, Michael met a monkey named Charlie after he arrived on the moon.

And tell me this. Who did Michael meet?

Charlie, he met Charlie.

And was Charlie a rabbit or a monkey?

A monkey, Charlie was a monkey. He was not a rabbit.

Okay, so tell me this then. When did Michael meet Charlie? Did he meet Charlie before he arrived on the moon?

No, no, Michael did not meet Charlie before he arrived on the moon.

When did Michael meet Charlie?

After he arrived on the moon, Michael met Charlie after he arrived on the moon.

So did Michael and Charlie hit it off?

Yes, yes, they did, they hit it off.

Who hit it off?

Michael and Charlie, Michael and Charlie hit it off.

And tell me this. Did Michael and Charlie become friends right away?

They did, yes, they hit it off so that means they became friends right away.

Okay, but why? Why did Michael and Charlie hit it off?

Well, they hit it off because they both played guitar.

Which two people played guitar?

Michael and Charlie, Michael and Charlie both played guitar.

And did Michael and Charlie both play piano?

No, no, they didn’t both play piano, they both played guitar.

So tell me this. Was Michael allowed to play guitar on the moon?

No, no, Michael was not allowed to play guitar on the moon.

And what wasn’t Michael allowed to do on the moon?

Play guitar, he wasn’t allowed to play guitar on the moon.

Okay, but why? Why wasn’t Michael allowed to play guitar on the moon?

Because he didn’t get straight As, Michael wasn’t allowed to play guitar on the moon because he didn’t get straight As. You see, only monkeys that got straight As were allowed to play guitar on the moon.

So tell me this. Did Charlie get straight As?

Yes, yes, he did, Charlie got straight As.

So was Charlie allowed to play guitar on the moon?

Yes, he was, Charlie was allowed to play guitar on the moon. Michael was not allowed to play guitar on the moon.

Well, Michael really wanted to play guitar with Charlie on the moon so he turned over a new leaf. Yes, Michael turned over a new leaf. He went home and he started going to school again and he

never cut school. And every day after school he hit the books for seven hours and the result was positive because that year at school Michael got straight As.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Michael want to play guitar with Charlie on the moon?

Yes, yes, he did, Michael wanted to play guitar with Charlie on the moon.

So tell me this. Who turned over a new leaf? Did Charlie turn over a new leaf?

No, no, Charlie did not turn over a new leaf.

Who turned over a new leaf?

Michael did, Michael turned over a new leaf.

So did Michael change his behavior in a positive way?

Yes, yes, he did, he turned over a new leaf so that means he changed his behavior in a positive way.

So where did Michael go after he left the moon?

Home, he went home.

Who went home? Did Charlie go home or did Michael go home?

Michael did, Michael went home.

And did Michael start going to school again?

He did, yes, he did, Michael started going to school again.

Tell me this now. Did Michael cut class?

No, no, Michael did not cut class after he started going to school again. He used to cut class but when he went back to school he did not cut class anymore.

And tell me this then. Did Michael hit the books every day after school for seven hours?

He did, yes, Michael hit the books every day after school for seven hours.

Who hit the books every day after school for seven hours?

Michael did, Michael hit the books every day after school for seven hours.

And how often did Michael hit the books?

Every day, Michael hit the books every day.

Did Michael hit the books before school or after school?

After school, Michael hit the books after school.

And how many hours did he hit the books for?

Seven hours, he hit the books for seven hours every day after school.

So tell me this. Did Michael study for seven hours every day after school?

Yes, yes, he did, he hit the books for seven hours every day after school so that means he studied for seven hours every day after school.

Okay, so tell me this then. Did Michael get straight As in school?

Yes, he did, he got straight As in school.

So did Michael get an A in all of his classes?

Yes, he did, Michael got straight As in school that year so that means he got an A in each one of his classes that school year.

Well, after Michael got straight As in school, his dad gave him his guitar back but Michael didn’t stay at home. No, Michael went back to the moon and every day he played guitar with Charlie.

Okay, so that’s the end of our story and I hope that you enjoyed this story because now it’s your turn 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 do not have someone to tell the story to, just tell the story to yourself. But don’t just think of it in your mind. I want you to tell the story out loud, okay? I want you to have practice speaking. And I want you to listen to this lesson every day for at least seven days.

Okay, well, that’s all for this mini-story lesson then. I’ll see you next time.