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Bookworm – 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 some of the idioms that you will hear me use in today’s story. So let’s begin.

Okay, first is “bookworm”, bookworm. So a person is a bookworm if that person reads a lot. Okay, so a bookworm is a person who reads a lot. Let me give you an example. When John was 12 years old, he always had a book in his hand because he was a bookworm.

Okay, so what I’m trying to say here is when John was 12 years old, he always had a book in his hand because he read a lot. He spent a lot of time reading. He was a bookworm.

Okay, so next is an idiom I really like and it’s one that is used a lot here in America. It’s “to run a red light”, to run a red light. So if you run a red light that means you do not stop at a red traffic light. You just drive right past it, okay? Without stopping.

Here’s an example for you. The police officer stopped John’s car because John ran a red light. The police officer stopped John’s car because John did not stop at the red traffic light. John ran a red light.

Okay, so next is “to have a bun in the oven”. So if a person has a bun in the oven, it means that person is pregnant. That person is expecting to have a baby. So obviously a man cannot have a bun in the oven, right? Only a woman can have a bun in the oven.

So here’s an example for you. Marie was excited to tell her mother that she had a bun in the oven. Marie was excited to tell her mother that she was pregnant, that she was expecting to have a baby.

Okay, next is another idiom that’s kind of related to having a baby. It’s “to go into labor”, to go into labor. So if a woman goes into labor, it means that woman is starting to have a baby. Okay, so only a woman can go into labor. A man cannot go into labor, much like a man can’t have a bun in the oven. And only a woman who’s pregnant can go into labor.

So let me give you an example. John drove Marie to the hospital as she went into labor. Okay, so what I’m saying is John drove Marie to the hospital as she started to have a baby, as she went into labor.

Okay, and I have one more for you and this one is also related to pregnancy. It’s “to give birth”, to give birth. So when a woman gives birth it means that she has had a baby. Okay, to give birth means to have a baby.

And here’s an example for you with this one. When Marie was 27 years old, she gave birth, okay? When Marie was 27 years old, she had a baby.

Okay, and you may also hear someone say to give birth to a boy or give birth to a girl. It means the same thing, it’s just saying what the gender of the baby was. If a woman gives birth to a boy, it means the woman had a baby boy, okay? Just like if she gives birth to a girl, she had a baby girl.

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 immediately. Just tell me the first answer that you think of and don’t worry about making mistakes.

Y’know, you’re going to listen to this lesson and you’re going to answer some of these questions and you may make a mistake. But, y’know what? You’re going to listen to this lesson many times. So if you make a mistake this time when you listen to the lesson, you probably will not make the same mistake next time because you’ll learn from it. Okay? Mistakes are okay if you learn from them.

And when you answer these questions, speak loudly and confidently. Okay, well, it’s time to start our story then, so let’s begin.

There was a man and his name was Jerry and Jerry was a bookworm. And Jerry wanted to own a bookstore but unfortunately there was a problem. Jerry was unable, excuse me, Jerry was unable to open a bookstore. Jerry was unable to open a bookstore because Jerry didn’t have enough money to open a bookstore.

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

Oh, there was a man, of course, right? There was a man.

What was the man’s name?

Jerry. The man’s name was Jerry.

And was Jerry a bookworm?

Yes, yes, he was. Jerry was a bookworm.

Who was a bookworm? Was Kristin a bookworm?

No, no, Kristin wasn’t a bookworm.

Who was a bookworm?

Jerry. Jerry was a bookworm.

So what did Jerry spend a lot of time doing? Did he spend a lot of time cooking?

No, no, Jerry didn’t spend a lot of time cooking.

What did Jerry spend a lot of time doing?

Reading. Jerry was a bookworm so that means he read a lot or you could say he spent a lot of time reading because he was a bookworm.

Okay, so did Jerry want to own a bookstore?

Yes, yes, he did. Jerry wanted to own a bookstore.

Who wanted to own a bookstore?

Jerry did. Jerry wanted to own a bookstore.

And tell me this. What did Jerry want to own? Did he want to own a clothing store?

No, no, Jerry didn’t want to own a clothing store.

What did Jerry want to own?

A bookstore. Jerry wanted to own a bookstore.

So was Jerry able to open a bookstore?

No, no, Jerry was unable to open a bookstore.

Who was unable to open a bookstore?

Jerry was. Jerry was unable to open a bookstore.

And now tell me this. What was Jerry unable to do?

Well, he was unable to open a bookstore, Jerry was unable to open a bookstore.

Okay, but why? Why was Jerry unable to open a bookstore?

Well, Jerry was unable to open a bookstore because he didn’t have enough money to open a bookstore. Poor Jerry. Jerry didn’t have enough money to open a bookstore.

Well, one day Jerry’s father called him and his father told him about a speed reading competition on August 1st. Now a speed reading competition is a competition to see who’s able to read the fastest. So Jerry’s father told him about a speed reading competition on August 1st.

And the winner of the competition was to receive $1,000,014, a lot of money. Well, Jerry wanted to win the competition and he wanted to use the money to open a bookstore. So every day Jerry practiced speed reading.

Jerry practiced speed reading each day for 20 hours, 20 hours each day. And the other 4 hours of the day, he slept. So all he did was sleep and practice speed reading.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Jerry’s father call Jerry?

Yes, yes, he did. Jerry’s father called Jerry.

Who called Jerry?

Jerry’s father. Jerry’s father called Jerry.

And did Jerry’s mother call Jerry?

No, no, Jerry’s mother did not call Jerry. His father did. Jerry’s father called Jerry.

So did Jerry’s father tell Jerry about a speed reading competition on August 1st?

Yes, yes, he did. Jerry’s father told Jerry about a speed reading competition on August 1st.

Tell me this. What did Jerry’s father tell Jerry about?

A speed reading competition. He told Jerry about a speed reading competition.

And when was the speed reading competition?

On August 1st. the speed reading competition was on August 1st.

What was on August 1st?

The speed reading competition. The speed reading competition was on August 1st.

Okay, so tell me this now. How much money was the winner of the competition to receive?

$1,000,014, the winner of the competition was to receive $1,000,014.

Who was to receive $1,000,014?

The winner of the competition, the winner of the speed reading competition was to receive $1,000,014.

So did Jerry want to win the competition?

Yes, yes, he did. Jerry wanted to win the competition.

And what did Jerry want to win?

The competition. Jerry wanted to win the speed reading competition and he wanted to use the money to open a bookstore.

So tell me this. Did Jerry practice speed reading every day?

Yes, yes, he did. Jerry practiced speed reading every day.

Who practiced speed reading every day? Did AJ practice speed reading every day?

No, no, AJ did not practice speed reading every day.

Who practiced speed reading every day?

Jerry. Jerry practiced speed reading every day.

Tell me this now. Did Jerry practice speed reading only on Wednesdays?

No, no, Jerry practiced speed reading every day so that means he didn’t practice speed reading just on Wednesdays. He practiced speed reading every day.

Okay, so tell me this. What did Jerry do every day?

He practiced speed reading, right? Jerry practiced speed reading every day.

And for how long each day did he practice speed reading?

20 hours. He practiced speed reading for 20 hours each day.

And what did he do for the other 4 hours of the day?

He slept. Yes, Jerry slept for 4 hours each day and the other 20 hours of the day he practiced speed reading.

Well, the competition was on August 1 and on that day Jerry did not want to drive so he took a taxi to the competition. But unfortunately there was a problem. Yes, there was a problem.

The taxi driver’s name was Curtis and Curtis was a terrible driver. And when Curtis was driving Jerry to the competition, he ran a red light. And when Curtis ran the red light, he hit another car.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Jerry want to drive to the competition?

No, no, Jerry did not want to drive to the competition.

And what didn’t Jerry want to do?

He didn’t want to drive to the competition.

So did Jerry take a taxi to the competition?

He did, yes. Jerry took a taxi to the competition.

Who took a taxi to the competition?

Jerry did. Jerry took a taxi to the competition.

And what was the taxi driver’s name?

Curtis. The taxi driver’s name was Curtis.

So tell me this. Was Curtis a good driver or was he a terrible driver?

Oh, he was a terrible driver. Curtis was a terrible driver.

Did Curtis run a red light when he was driving Jerry to the competition?

Yes, yes, he did. Curtis ran a red light when he was driving Jerry to the competition.

Who was driving Jerry to the competition?

Curtis was. Curtis was driving Jerry to the competition.

And tell me this. Where was Curtis driving Jerry to?

The competition. Curtis was driving Jerry to the competition.

So did Jerry run a red light or did Curtis run a red light?

Curtis did. Curtis ran a red light. Jerry did not run a red light.

So did Curtis stop at the red traffic light?

No, no, Curtis ran a red light so that means he did not stop at the red traffic light. When a person runs a red light it means that person does not stop at the red traffic light so Curtis did not stop at the red traffic light.

So when Curtis ran the red light, did he hit another car?

Yes, yes, he did. He was a terrible driver and when he ran the red light, he hit another car.

Who hit another car?

Curtis did. Curtis hit another car.

And tell me this. When did Curtis hit another car?

When he ran the red light. Curtis hit another car when he ran the red light.

Well, I have some more information for you about the car that Curtis hit. There was a woman driving the car and her name was Donna and Donna had a bun in the oven. Well, fortunately, Donna was not hurt when her car got hit, yes, fortunately.

But just five minutes after her car was hit, Donna cried out in pain. She cried out in pain because she had gone into labor. Yes, that’s right, Donna had gone into labor.

Well, Jerry knew that Donna needed to go to the hospital immediately so Jerry drove Donna to the hospital in Donna’s car but because of everything that had happened, Jerry was unable to compete in the speed reading competition. Poor Jerry.

Okay, time for some questions. Was there a man or was there a woman driving the car that Curtis hit?

A woman. There was a woman driving the car.

And what was the woman’s name?

Donna. The woman’s name was Donna.

And tell me this. Was Donna driving a car or a truck?

A car. Donna was driving a car, she was not driving a truck.

So did Donna have a bun in the oven?

She did, yes. Donna had a bun in the oven.

Who had a bun in the oven? Did Kristin have a bun in the oven?

No, no, Kristin definitely did not have a bun in the oven. Kristin did not have a bun in the oven.

Who had a bun in the oven?

Donna did. Donna had a bun in the oven.

So tell me this. Was Donna pregnant?

Yes, yes, she was. Donna had a bun in the oven so that means that Donna was pregnant or you could even say Donna was expecting to have a baby. She had a bun in the oven. She was expecting to have a baby or you could say she was pregnant.

So was Donna hurt when her car was hit?

No, no, fortunately, Donna was not hurt when her car was hit.

Who wasn’t hurt?

Donna. Donna wasn’t hurt.

Okay, so tell me this then. Who cried out in pain?

Donna did. Donna cried out in pain.

Did Kristin or Donna cry out in pain?

Donna. Donna cried out in pain.

Okay, but why? Why did Donna cry out in pain? Did she cry out in pain because she had gone into labor?

Yes, yes. Donna cried out in pain because she had gone into labor.

Who had gone into labor?

Donna. Donna had gone into labor.

Had Curtis gone into labor?

No, no, Curtis had not gone into labor. Donna had gone into labor.

So tell me this. Had Donna started to have a baby?

Yes, yes. Donna had gone into labor so that means she had started to have a baby. Donna had gone into labor. She had started to have a baby.

So tell me this now. Did Donna need to go to the hospital immediately?

Yes, yes, she did. Donna needed to go to the hospital immediately.

Who needed to go to the hospital immediately?

Donna did. Donna needed to go to the hospital immediately.

And where did Donna need to go? Did she need to go to church?

No, no, Donna did not need to go to church.

Where did Donna need to go?

The hospital. Donna needed to go to the hospital.

And tell me this now. When did Donna need to go to the hospital?

Immediately. Donna needed to go to the hospital immediately.

So did Curtis drive Donna to the hospital?

No, no, Curtis did not drive Donna to the hospital.

Who drove Donna to the hospital?

Jerry. Jerry drove Donna to the hospital.

And who did Jerry drive to the hospital?

Donna. He drove Donna to the hospital.

So tell me this. Where did Jerry drive Donna to?

The hospital. Jerry drove Donna to the hospital.

And whose car did Jerry drive? Did he drive Curtis’ car?

No, no, Jerry did not drive Curtis’ car.

Whose car did he drive?

Donna’s. Jerry drove Donna’s car.

So I have one more important question for you. Was Jerry able to compete in the speed reading competition?

No, no, unfortunately Jerry was unable to compete in the speed reading competition. Poor Jerry. Poor Jerry.

Well, I have some good news for you. Four hours after Donna arrived at the hospital, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. And the next day Jerry visited Donna in the hospital. And Donna was very happy to see Jerry and she wanted to give Jerry a present to thank him for everything that he had done for her.

So Donna asked Jerry what he liked to do. She asked him what interested him. Well, Jerry told Donna that he really liked reading so Donna told Jerry to meet her at 1:30 in the afternoon the next day. She told him to meet her at a bookstore in London named London Books.

Okay, so tell me this. Did Donna give birth to a healthy baby boy just four hours after she arrived at the hospital?

Yes, yes, she did. Donna gave birth to a healthy baby boy just four hours after she arrived at he hospital.

Who gave birth to a healthy baby boy?

Donna did. Donna gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

So did Donna have a baby boy?

Yes, yes. Donna gave birth to a baby boy so that means she had a baby boy. She was pregnant and she had the baby. She had a baby boy.

Okay, when though? When did Donna give birth?

Four hours after she arrived at the hospital. Donna gave birth four hours after she arrived at the hospital.

So did Jerry visit Donna in the hospital?

Yes, yes, he did. Jerry visited Donna in the hospital.

And who did Jerry visit? Did he visit Kristin or Donna?

Donna. Jerry visited Donna.

And where did he visit her?

In the hospital. Jerry visited Donna in the hospital.

So did Donna want to give Jerry a present?

She did, yes. Donna wanted to give Jerry a present.

Who wanted to give Jerry a present?

Donna did. Donna wanted to give Jerry a present.

So tell me this. Did Donna tell Jerry to meet her at 1:30 in the afternoon the next day?

Yes, yes, she did. Donna told Jerry to meet her at 1:30 in the afternoon the next day.

And at what time did Donna tell Jerry to meet her?

1:30 in the afternoon. Donna told Jerry to meet her at 1:30 in the afternoon.

And did Donna tell Jerry to meet her at a clothing store or a bookstore?

A bookstore. Donna told Jerry to meet her at a bookstore.

What was the name of the bookstore?

London Books. The bookstore was named London Books.

Well, the next day Jerry met Donna at London Books. And when Jerry arrived, Donna handed him a key. It was the key to the bookstore. You see, Donna was the owner of London Books and she also owned 12 other bookstores in London.

And Donna was so thankful for everything that Jerry had done for her that she gave him one of her bookstores. Jerry’s dream had come true. He finally owned a bookstore.

Okay, well, that’s the end of our story and I hope you enjoyed this 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 I want you to use all of the idioms I taught you at the beginning of this lesson when you tell the story. And I want you to listen to this lesson every day for at least seven days so you learn the material deeply.

Okay, well, that’s the end of this lesson then. I’ll see you next time.