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Ex-Con – 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 today’s lesson by telling you about the idioms that you will hear me use in today’s lesson, so let’s start there.

Okay, first is to “get away with doing something.” Okay, so really to get away with doing something that you were not supposed to do. So if you get away with doing something that you weren’t supposed to do, it means that you avoid being punished for doing that thing, okay? Let me give you an example. John got away with cheating on his math test because no one saw him cheating. Okay, so what I’m saying is John avoided being punished for cheating on his math test because no one saw him cheating.

Okay, next is to “bust someone.” So to bust someone for doing something that person was not supposed to do. Okay, so if you bust someone for doing something that the person was not supposed to do, it means that you see the person doing something the person was not supposed to do. But a more common use of this idiom is when a policeman busts someone, okay? So if a policeman busts someone, it means that the policeman arrests the person for doing something that person was not supposed to do. Let me give you an example to help you understand this one. The police busted Mark for selling drugs, okay? So what I’m trying to say is the police arrested Mark for selling drugs, okay, they busted him so that means they arrested him.

Okay, so next is an “ex-con.” So ex-con is short for ex-convict but people rarely say that, they usually just say ex-con. And an ex-con is a person who has been to jail before. So here’s an example for you. The bank refused to hire ex-cons. So what I’m trying to say is the bank refused to hire people who have been to jail before, ex-cons, okay?

Okay, so next is to “give something up” or “to give up doing something.” So if you give up doing something, it means that you stop doing it, okay? You don’t do it anymore. Here’s an example. Harry gave up smoking cigarettes when his daughter was born. So what I’m saying is Harry stopped smoking cigarettes when his daughter was born. He gave up smoking cigarettes.

Okay, so I have one more for you. This one is to “turn your life around.” So if you turn your life around, it means that you change your behavior in a positive way. You change your life in a positive way. You don’t do bad things anymore, okay? Let me give you an example. After Barry got out of jail, he swore that he was going to turn his life around. After Barry got out of jail, he swore that he was going to change his life. He wasn’t going to do bad things anymore. He was going to turn his life around.

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 that 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. And don’t worry about making mistakes because 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 then you probably will not make the same mistake the next time you listen to this lesson. And when you answer these questions, I want you to speak loudly and confidently. Okay, well it’s time for our story, so let’s begin.

There was a fox and his name was Brian. And Brian was a cook. And Brian had a girlfriend and her name was Shannon. And Shannon was a schoolteacher.

Okay, time for some questions. Was there a fox or a dog?

There was a fox. There was not a dog. There was a fox.

And what was the fox’s name?

Brian, his name was Brian.

And tell me this. Was Brian a lawyer or a cook?

He was a cook, Brian was a cook.

Who was a cook?

Brian, Brian was a cook.

And did Brian have a girlfriend?

He did, yes, Brian had a girlfriend.

And what was her name?

Shannon, her name was Shannon.

So was Shannon Brian’s girlfriend?

Yes, yes, she was, Shannon was Brian’s girlfriend and Brian was Shannon’s boyfriend.

And was Shannon also a cook?

No, Shannon was not a cook.

What was Shannon’s job?

Schoolteacher, Shannon was a schoolteacher.

Well, one day Brian wanted to cook breakfast for Shannon. But, unfortunately, Brian did not have any eggs and Brian was unable to buy any eggs because he didn’t have any money. So Brian stole 7 eggs from a chicken named Clara.

Okay, time for some questions. Did Brian want to cook breakfast for Shannon?

Yes, yes, he did, Brian wanted to cook breakfast for Shannon.

Who wanted to cook breakfast for Shannon?

Brian did, Brian wanted to cook breakfast for Shannon.

And did Brian want to cook dinner for Shannon?

No, Brian did not want to cook dinner for Shannon.

What did Brian want to cook for Shannon?

Breakfast, Brian wanted to cook breakfast for Shannon.

So did Brian have any eggs?

No, no, Brian did not have any eggs.

So how many eggs did Brian have?

Zero, Brian had no eggs. He did not have any eggs so that means he had zero eggs.

Okay, but was Brian able to buy eggs?

No, no, Brian was unable to buy eggs.

Who was unable to buy eggs?

Brian was, Brian was unable to buy eggs.

And what was Brian unable to do?

He was unable to buy eggs.

Okay, but why? Why was Brian unable to buy eggs?

Well, Brian was unable to buy eggs because he didn’t have any money.

Who didn’t have any money?

Brian didn’t, Brian didn’t have any money.

And what didn’t Brian have?

Money, Brian didn’t have any money.

So did Brian steal 7 eggs from a chicken named Clara?

Yes, yes, he did, he stole 7 eggs from a chicken named Clara.

Who stole 7 eggs?

Brian did, Brian stole 7 eggs.

And how many eggs did Brian steal?

7, he stole 7 eggs.

Okay, but tell me this now. Who did Brian steal the eggs from?

Clara, he stole the eggs from a chicken named Clara.

So was Clara a fox or a chicken?

She was a chicken, Clara was a chicken. She was not a fox.

Well, Brian thought that he had gotten away with stealing the eggs but Brian did not know that after he stole the eggs Clara called the police. And then the police went to Brian’s home and the police busted Brian for stealing the eggs. And then Brian went to jail.

Okay, time for some questions. Did Brian think that he had gotten away with stealing the eggs?

Yes, yes, he did, Brian thought that he had gotten away with stealing the eggs.

Who thought he had gotten away with stealing the eggs?

Brian did, Brian thought that he had gotten away with stealing the eggs.

And did Brian think that he had avoided punishment from stealing the eggs?

Yes, yes, Brian thought that he had avoided punishment for stealing the eggs. He thought that he had gotten away with stealing the eggs so that means he thought he had avoided being punished for stealing the eggs.

Okay, so tell me this. Who called the police? Did Shannon call the police?

No, no, Shannon didn’t call the police.

Who called the police?

Clara did, Clara called the police.

And who did Clara call?

The police, Clara called the police.

So, did the police go to Brian’s home?

Yes, yes, they did, the police went to Brian’s home.

And who went to Brian’s home?

The police did, the police went to Brian’s home.

So did the police bust Brian for stealing the eggs?

Yes, yes, they did, the police busted Brian for stealing the eggs.

And tell me this. Who did the police bust?

Brian, they busted Brian.

And what did they bust him for?

Stealing the eggs, the police busted Brian for stealing the eggs.

So did the police arrest Brian for stealing the eggs?

Yes, they did, the police busted Brian for stealing the eggs so that means that the police arrested Brian for stealing the eggs. When the police bust someone it means that they arrest that person.

So who went to jail? Did Shannon go to jail?

No, no, Shannon did not go to jail.

Who went to jail?

Brian did, Brian went to jail.

Well, when Brian was in jail he called Shannon every day but Shannon did not want to date an ex-con. And Shannon thought that Brian might steal again after he got out of jail. So Shannon refused to speak to Brian when Brian was in jail.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Brian call Shannon every day when he was in jail?

Yes, yes, he did, Brian called Shannon every day when he was in jail.

Who called Shannon every day?

Brian did, Brian called Shannon every day.

And what did Brian do every day?

He called Shannon. Brian called Shannon every day.

Okay, so when did Brian call Shannon every day?

When he was in jail, Brian called Shannon every day when he was in jail.

So did Shannon want to date an ex-con?

No, no, Shannon did not want to date an ex-con.

Who didn’t want to date an ex-con?

Shannon, Shannon didn’t want to date an ex-con.

So did Shannon want to date a person who had been to jail before?

No, no, she did not want to date a person who had been to jail before. She did not want to date an ex-con and an ex-con was a person who has been to jail and she did not want to date an ex-con.

So tell me this. Did Shannon refuse to speak to Brian when Brian was in jail?

Yes, she did, she refused to speak to Brian when Brian was in jail.

And who did Shannon refuse to speak to?

Brian, she refused to speak to Brian.

And when did she refuse to speak to Brian?

When Brian was in jail, she refused to speak to Brian when Brian was in jail.

Well, Brian was in jail for two years. And after Brian got out of jail, he turned his life around. Brian gave up eating eggs and he volunteered at a home for abused chickens. And Brian went to schools and he taught children that stealing was bad.

Okay, time for some more questions. How long was Brian in jail?

Two years, Brian was in jail for two years.

And where was Brian for two years?

He was in jail. Brian was in jail for two years.

So after Brian got out of jail, did he turn his life around?

He did, yes, Brian turned his life around.

Who turned his life around?

Brian did, Brian turned his life around.

Okay, but when did he do it? When did Brian turn his life around?

After he got out of jail, Brian turned his life around after he got out of jail.

So did Brian change his life in a positive way? Did he stop doing bad things after he got out of jail?

Yes, yes, he did, he turned his life around and when a person turns their life around it means that person changes their life in a positive way. It means that person stops doing bad things. So Brian turned his life around after he got out of jail.

So tell me this. Did Brian give up eating eggs?

He did, yes, Brian gave up eating eggs.

And what did Brian give up doing?

Eating eggs, Brian gave up eating eggs.

So did Brian stop eating eggs?

Yes, yes, he did, he gave up eating eggs so that means he stopped eating eggs.

So tell me this. Did Brian volunteer at a home for abused chickens?

Yes, yes, he did, Brian volunteered at a home for abused chickens.

And where did Brian volunteer?

At a home for abused chickens, Brian volunteered at a home for abused chickens.

So did Brian or Shannon volunteer at a home for abused chickens?

Brian did, Brian volunteered at a home for abused chickens.

And tell me this. Did Brian go to schools and teach children that stealing was bad?

Yes, yes, he did, Brian went to schools and he taught children that stealing was bad. He taught children that stealing was wrong.

And where did Brian go?

To schools, he went to schools to teach the children.

And who did Brian teach that stealing was bad or that stealing was wrong?

He taught children. Brian taught children that stealing was wrong.

Well, I have some more information for you about Brian. One day when Brian was at a school teaching children, Shannon saw him. Yes, Shannon saw him at the school because Shannon was a teacher at that same school. And Shannon realized that Brian had turned his life around. So

she asked Brian to be her boyfriend again and Brian happily said yes because Brian was still in love with Shannon.

Okay, that’s the end of our story and I hope you enjoyed this story 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. And if you really do not have a person to tell the story to, just tell the story to yourself. But I don’t want you to just think about the story in your mind. I want you to actually say it out loud, okay? I want you to practice speaking, that’s why I want you to say the story out loud. And I want you to learn this material in the story deeply, so 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. I’ll see you next time.