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

Okay, first is to “set someone up on a date.” So if you set someone up on a date it means that you arrange a date for that person. Here’s an example for you. I set John up on a date after he got divorced. Okay, so what I’m saying is I arranged a date for John after he got divorced.

Okay, so next is to “catch a cold” and this is a really common idiom. I hear it used a lot, actually. So if you catch a cold it means that you get a cold, okay? You acquire a cold. It means that you are sick, okay? Or you are ill, we could even say. Here’s an example for you. When John was a teacher, he caught a cold every month. Okay, so what I’m saying is when John was a teacher, he got a cold every month or we could even say that he got sick every month, okay? He caught a cold.

Okay, so next is to “take it in stride,” to take it in stride, you might even hear someone say take it all in stride. So what it means is if you take it in stride you do not get upset if something unfortunate happens or unpleasant happens or if something unexpected happens. It means you do not get upset about it, okay? Here’s an example for you. When John lost his job, he took it in stride. Okay, so what I’m saying is when John lost his job he did not get upset, okay? He heard something that was unpleasant or something unpleasant happened to him, something unexpected happened to him, and he did not get upset. He took it in stride.

Okay, so next is to “pull an all-nighter.” So if you pull an all-nighter it means you do not sleep that night, okay? And, y’know, I used to hear this a lot when I was studying at university, okay? I would hear people say that they pulled an all-nighter if they studied all night long for an exam. But let me give you an example just to make sure you understand this one clearly. John had a physics exam on Tuesday so on Monday he pulled an all-nighter because he was studying for the entire night, okay? So what I said is John had a physics exam on Tuesday so on Monday he did not sleep because he was studying all night. He pulled an all-nighter.

Okay, so I have one more for you. This one is to “give someone the cold shoulder.” So if you give someone the cold shoulder it means that you ignore that person. But you don’t ignore them by accident. You do it purposefully. Okay, you mean to ignore them. Here’s an example for you. After Mark canceled his date with Mary, Mary gave Mark the cold shoulder, okay? So what I’m saying is after Mark canceled his date with Mary, Mary purposefully ignored him, okay? She did not ignore him by accident. She meant to do it. She ignored him.

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. Just tell me the first answer that you think of, okay? And don’t worry about making a mistake. If you make a mistake and you learn from it, this can actually be a good thing, alright? 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 begin.

There was a man and his name was John and John was a student. Yes, John was a student at New York Medical School. You see, John wanted to become a doctor. But unfortunately, John had a problem. John did not have a girlfriend. He wanted to have a girlfriend but he did not have one.

Okay, time for some questions. Was there a man or was there a woman?

There was a man, yes, there was a man.

And what was the man’s name?

John, his name was John.

And tell me this. Was John a student or a teacher?

Oh, he was a student, yes, John was a student.

And at what school was John a student? Was John a student at San Francisco Medical School?

No, no, he wasn’t a student at San Francisco Medical School.

At what school was John a student?

New York Medical School, John was a student at New York Medical School.

So what did John want to become after he finished school?

A doctor, that’s why he was going to medical school, John wanted to become a doctor.

So tell me this. Did John have a girlfriend?

No, no, John did not have a girlfriend.

Who didn’t have a girlfriend?

John didn’t, John didn’t have a girlfriend. He wanted to have a girlfriend but he did not have one.

Well, John had a brother and his brother’s name was Carlos. And one day Carlos set John up on a date. Yes, he set John up on a date with a girl named Mary. And John and Mary were both excited for their date but unfortunately, the day before the date John caught a cold. So John had to cancel his date with Mary. And although Mary was disappointed, she agreed to reschedule the date with John.

Okay, time for some more questions. Who had a brother? Did Mary have a brother?

No, no, Mary didn’t have a brother.

Who had a brother?

John did, right? John had a brother.

And what was John’s brother’s name?

It was Carlos, John’s brother was named Carlos.

So did Carlos set John up on a date?

He did, yes, Carlos set John up on a date.

Who set John up on a date?

Carlos did, Carlos set John up on a date.

And tell me this. Who did Carlos set up on a date?

His brother John, Carlos set John up on a date.

So did Carlos arrange a date for John?

He did, yes, Carlos set John up on a date so that means Carlos arranged a date for John. He set John up on a date.

So who did Carlos set John up on a date with?

Mary, Carlos set John up on a date with Mary.

So tell me this. Who caught a cold? Did Carlos catch a cold?

No, no, Carlos didn’t catch a cold.

Who caught a cold?

John did, John caught a cold.

So did John get a cold or an illness?

Yes, sure, John caught a cold so that means he got a cold or he got an illness, okay? John caught a cold so he got a cold or an illness.

So did John have to cancel his date with Mary?

Yes, yes, he did, John had to cancel his date with Mary.

And what did John have to do?

Well, he had to cancel his date with Mary.

Okay, but why? Why did John have to cancel his date with Mary?

Because he caught a cold, John had to cancel his date with Mary because he caught a cold so he didn’t want Mary to get sick also.

So tell me this. Did Mary agree to reschedule her date with John?

Yes, yes, she did, she agreed to reschedule her date with John.

And what did Mary agree to do?

She agreed to reschedule her date with John.

Well, after a few days John was feeling better. He didn’t have a cold anymore. So John called Mary. He called Mary because he wanted to schedule another date with her. So John and Mary talked on the phone and they scheduled another date. And they planned to go to a concert for their date. But unfortunately, there was a problem again. You see, this time on the day of the concert, John was unable to start his car. So John had to cancel his date with Mary. It was the second time that he had to cancel his date with Mary. And although Mary was disappointed, she took it in stride. Yes, when John canceled his date with Mary, Mary took it in stride and she agreed to reschedule the date with John again.

Okay, time for some more questions. Who did John call?

Mary, yeah, John called Mary.

And tell me this. Why did he call Mary?

Well, he called Mary because he wanted to schedule another date with Mary. That’s why he called her.

John wanted to schedule another date with Mary.

So tell me this. Did John schedule another date with Mary?

Yes, yes, he did, John scheduled another date with Mary.

And what did John and Mary plan to do for their date?

Well, they planned to see a concert together, John and Mary planned to see a concert together.

Who planned to see a concert together?

John and Mary did, John and Mary planned to see a concert together.

So tell me this. Did John and Mary see the concert?

No, no, they didn’t, unfortunately, John had to cancel the date.

Why did John have to cancel the date?

Well, he had to cancel the date because on the day of the concert John was unable to start his car.

Okay, so tell me this. Who was unable to start his car?

John was, John was unable to start his car.

And what was John unable to do?

He was unable to start his car, yes, John was unable to start his car.

And when was John unable to start his car?

On the day of the concert which is also the day of his date with Mary, that’s when he was unable to start his car and that’s why he had to cancel his date with Mary.

So tell me this. Was it the first time or the second time that John had to reschedule his date…excuse me, was it the first time or the second time that John had to cancel his date with Mary?

It was the second time, it was the second time that John had to cancel his date with Mary.

So tell me this. How many times had John canceled a date with Mary?

Two times, John had canceled a date with Mary twice at that time.

So did Mary take it in stride when John canceled the date with her?

Yes, yes, she did, Mary took it in stride when John canceled the date with her.

Who took it in stride?

Mary did, Mary took it in stride.

So tell me this. Did Mary get upset when John unexpectedly canceled the date with her?

No, no, no, Mary took it in stride so that means she did not get upset when something unexpected happened. In this case, the unexpected event was that John canceled the date with her. So Mary did not get upset. She took it in stride.

Well, after John’s car was repaired he contacted Mary. And John and Mary scheduled a date for May 11 and they planned to have dinner at a restaurant that night. Well, on May 10, John was very busy. He had a lot of studying to do. So John studied all day long. But unfortunately, John was unable to finish all of his studying so he pulled an all-nighter. Yes, that’s right. On May 10, John pulled an all-nighter so on May 11 he was very tired. But he knew that he could not cancel his date with Mary a third time, of course. So even though he was tired, John had dinner with Mary at the restaurant. And their date started perfectly. John and Mary had great conversation and John really liked Mary and Mary really liked John. But unfortunately, before dessert there was a problem. Yes, you see at that time, John was very tired and before dessert he fell asleep. Yes, John fell asleep at the restaurant before dessert. He fell asleep in the middle of the date with Mary. Poor Mary.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did John and Mary agree to have a date on April 16?

No, no, not on April 16.

When did John and Mary agree to have their date?

May 11, John and Mary agreed to have their date on May 11.

And what did they plan to do on their date? Did they plan to have dinner or breakfast?

Dinner, they didn’t plan to have breakfast. They planned to have dinner on their date.

And did John and Mary plan to have dinner at John’s house?

No, no, they didn’t plan to have dinner at John’s house.

Where did John and Mary plan to have dinner?

At a restaurant, John and Mary planned to have dinner at a restaurant.

So what did John do all day long on May 10? Did he ride his bicycle or did he study?

He studied, John studied all day long on May 10.

And who pulled an all-nighter on May 10?

John did, John pulled an all-nighter on May 10.

Did Mary also pull an all-nighter on May 10?

No, no, Mary didn’t pull an all-nighter, only John did.

Okay, but when did he do it? When did John pull an all-nighter?

On May 10, yes, John pulled an all-nighter on May 10.

And tell me this. How much sleep did John get on May 10?

He didn’t get any sleep, John pulled an all-nighter so that means he did not get any sleep. When you pull an all-nighter it means that you get no sleep. So he pulled an all-nighter, he did not get any sleep.

So how did John feel on May 11?

Tired, yeah, John felt tired on May 11.

Why did he feel tired on May 11?

Well, he felt tired on May 11 because on May 10 he pulled an all-nighter.

So tell me this. We know that John was very tired so did he cancel his date with Mary on May 11 or did he have dinner with her at the restaurant?

He had dinner with her at the restaurant, he did not cancel his date with Mary.

This is what I want to know next. Who fell asleep at the restaurant? Did the chef fall asleep at the restaurant?

No, no, the chef didn’t fall asleep at the restaurant.

Who fell asleep at the restaurant?

John did, John fell asleep at the restaurant.

And where did John fall asleep?

At the restaurant, of course, John fell asleep at the restaurant.

And did John fall asleep at the restaurant before dessert or after dessert?

Before dessert, John fell asleep at the restaurant before dessert. He fell asleep in the middle of his date with Mary.

Well, after John got home that night he slept for 19 hours. And when he awoke the next day he felt embarrassed. Yes, John felt embarrassed because he had fallen asleep during his date with Mary. And John really liked Mary and he wanted to call her that day. But he was afraid to call her. John was afraid to call Mary because he thought that Mary would give him the cold shoulder if he called her. So John did not know what to do. But then, John’s phone rang and it was Mary. Yes, Mary called John and she invited John to go to a party with her that night. Well, of course, John accepted her invitation. John said yes.

Okay, time for some more questions. How long did John sleep?

19 hours, he slept for a long time, he slept for 19 hours.

Who slept for 19 hours?

John did, John slept for 19 hours.

And tell me this. What did John do for 19 hours?

He slept, yes, John slept for 19 hours.

And when John awoke the next day, how did he feel?

Embarrassed, yes, he felt embarrassed.

Why did John feel embarrassed?

Well, he felt embarrassed because he had fallen asleep during his date with Mary.

Okay, so tell me this. Did John think that Mary would give him the cold shoulder if he called her?

Yes, yes, he did, John thought Mary would give him the cold shoulder.

Who thought that Mary would give him the cold shoulder?

John did, John thought that Mary would give him the cold shoulder.

So did John think that Mary would intentionally ignore him if he called her?

Yes, sure he did, he thought that Mary would give him the cold shoulder so that means he thought that Mary would intentionally ignore him. He thought that Mary would give him the cold shoulder.

So tell me this. Who called John? Did John’s mother call him?

No, no, John’s mother didn’t call him.

Who called John?

Mary did, Mary called John.

And did Mary invite John to go to a party with her that night?

Yes, yes, she did, Mary invited John to go to a party with her that night.

So tell me this. What did Mary invite John to do?

Well, she invited John to go to a party with her.

And what did John say?

He said yes, John accepted Mary’s invitation to go to the party with her.

Well, I have some more information for you about John and Mary. That night John and Mary went to the party together and they had a great time. And John didn’t fall asleep during the date.

And John and Mary were having such a good time, they didn’t want the evening to end. So they pulled an all-nighter together.

Okay, well, that’s the end of our story and I hope that you enjoyed that story because now it’s your turn 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 another person to tell the story to, just tell the story to yourself but make sure that you say the story out loud. Don’t just think it in your mind. Say it out loud. This will be good practice when you are saying the story, okay?

And I also want you to listen to this lesson every day for at least seven days. Remember, I want you to learn this material deeply, so the more you listen to this lesson the deeper you will learn the material.

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