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Cheapskate – 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 by telling you about some of the idioms that you will hear me use in the story. So let’s start there.

Okay, first is to be “cocky.” Okay, so if you are cocky, it means that you’re arrogant. It means that you think you’re better than other people. Let me give you an example. No one wanted to play golf with Jimmy because Jimmy was cocky. Okay, so what I’m saying is no one wanted to play golf with Jimmy because Jimmy was arrogant. Jimmy thought he was better than other people, okay? He was cocky.

Okay, so next is a “hand-me-down.” So a hand-me-down is a piece of clothing that belonged to someone else before you received it, okay? And it’s not usually something that you buy, it’s usually given to you.

And sometimes the term hand-me-down can refer to something other than a piece of clothing, but most of the time it refers to clothing. And in the story, when I use this idiom, I will be referring to a piece of clothing. Let me give you an example to help you understand this one and I think that then you’ll, really, it’ll be clear to you what it means. When I was younger, I never had any new clothes. All of my clothes were hand-me-downs from my older brother, John. Okay, so what I’m saying is when I was younger, I never had any new clothes. All of my clothes were clothes that I received from my brother John. They were clothes that belonged to my brother John before me, okay, my older brother John. They were handme-downs.

Okay, so next is a “cheapskate.” So a cheapskate is a person who’s cheap. And what I mean by that is a person who does not like to spend money. Let me give you an example. John never bought presents for his children because he was a cheapskate. Okay, so what I’m saying is John never bought presents for his children because he was cheap. He did not like to spend money. He was a cheapskate.

Okay, so next is one that I really like, it’s a “walk in the park.” So if something is a walk in the park, it means that it’s very easy, it’s simple, okay? It doesn’t cause you any stress. Let me give you an example, I think it’ll help you understand this one better. Because John was such an excellent student in math, taking the final exam for him was like a walk in the park. Okay, so what I’m saying is because John was such an excellent student, taking the final exam was very easy for him, okay? It was simple. There was no stress. It was a walk in the park.

Okay, and I have one more for you before we start the story. This one is to “drink like a fish,” okay? To drink like a fish. So if you drink like a fish, it means you drink a lot of alcohol or you drank a lot of alcohol, I’ll say, okay? Let me give you an example. On the day that Peter got divorced, he drank like a fish.

Okay, so what I’m saying is on the day that Peter got divorced, he drank a lot of alcohol.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 quickly. Just tell me the first thing that you think of when you hear the question. Okay, and don’t worry about making mistakes. Y’know, mistakes are okay as long as you learn from them.

So if you make a mistake when you’re answering one of these questions, just try not to make the same mistake the next time you hear the question, okay? Learn from the mistake. 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 bird and his name was Billy and Billy loved tennis. Yeah, he loved to play tennis and he was quite good at it. In fact, he was the best tennis player in New York. But Billy had a problem. No one wanted to play tennis with Billy. Yeah, it’s true, no one wanted to play tennis with Billy because Billy was cocky.

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

There was a bird, right? There wasn’t a rabbit, there was a bird.

And what was the bird’s name?

Billy, the bird’s name was Billy, Billy the bird.

And tell me this. Did Billy love to play tennis?

Yes, yes, he did, Billy loved to play tennis.

Who loved to play tennis?

Billy did, Billy loved to play tennis.

And tell me this. Did Kristin love to play tennis?

No, not Kristin, Billy…it was Billy who loved to play tennis.And did Billy love to play golf or tennis?

Tennis, Billy loved to play tennis.

So tell me this. Who was the best tennis player in New York?

Billy was, Billy was the best tennis player in New York.

And where was Billy the best tennis player? Was he the best tennis player in Montreal?

No, no, he wasn’t the best tennis player in Montreal.

Where was he the best tennis player?

New York, he was the best tennis player in New York.

So did people want to play tennis with Billy?

No, no, they didn’t, people did not want to play tennis with Billy.

Who didn’t people want to play tennis with?

Billy, they didn’t want to play tennis with Billy.

So tell me this. Was Billy cocky?

He was, yes, Billy was cocky.

Who was cocky?

Billy was, Billy was cocky.

So did Billy think that he was better than other people?

He did, yes, he was cocky so that means he thought he was better than other people.Okay, so one more question before we continue with the story. Why didn’t people want to play tennis with Billy?

Because he was cocky, people didn’t want to play tennis with Billy because Billy was cocky.

Well, I want to tell you a little more about Billy. He had a daughter, yes. Billy had a daughter and her name was Michelle and Michelle was just 11 years old. And unlike her father, Michelle didn’t love tennis. No, Michelle loved new clothes. Yes, she loved new clothes but she didn’t have any new clothes. You see, she only had hand-me-downs. Michelle only had hand-me-downs because her father, Billy, was a cheapskate.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Billy have a son or a daughter?

He had a daughter, yes, Billy had a daughter.

And who had a daughter?

Billy did, Billy had a daughter.

Okay, so tell me this. What was Billy’s daughter’s name?

Michelle, his daughter’s name was Michelle.

And tell me this. What was Michelle’s father’s name?

Well, it was Billy, yes, because Billy was Michelle’s father.

So did Michelle love tennis?

No, no, Michelle didn’t love tennis.

Who loved tennis?

Billy did, yes, Billy loved tennis.

Tell me this. Did Michelle love new clothes? Yes, she did, Michelle loved new clothes.

Who loved new clothes?

Michelle did, Michelle loved new clothes.

So did Michelle have any new clothes?

No, no, she didn’t have any new clothes. She only had hand-me-downs.

Who had hand-me-downs? Michelle or Billy?

Michelle did, Michelle had hand-me downs.

So did Michelle have clothes that used to belong to someone else before they belonged to her?

Yes, yes, she did, she had hand-me-downs and hand-me-downs are clothing that used to belong to someone else before they belonged to her, okay?

So tell me this. Why did Michelle have hand-me-downs? Why didn’t she have new clothes?

Well, she only had hand-me-downs because her father, Billy, was a cheapskate.

Who was a cheapskate? Was Michelle a cheapskate?

No, no, Michelle wasn’t a cheapskate.

Who was a cheapskate?

Billy was, Billy was a cheapskate, her father, Billy.

So did Billy like to spend money?

No, Billy was a cheapskate so that means he did not like to spend money. He was a cheapskate.Well, one day Michelle asked her father, Billy, to buy her a new dress. And Billy didn’t want to buy Michelle a new dress. No, he didn’t want to buy her a new dress because he was a cheapskate.

But he did want someone to play tennis against so Billy told Michelle that he would buy her a new dress if she beat him in a game of tennis. And after that, Billy and Michelle agreed to play tennis one week later.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Michelle ask Billy to buy her a new dress?

She did, yes, Michelle asked her father, Billy, to buy her a new dress.

Who asked her father to buy her a new dress?

Michelle did, right? Michelle asked her father, Billy, to buy her a new dress.

And tell me this. Who asked Billy to buy her a new dress?

Michelle did, Michelle asked Billy to buy her a new dress.

So tell me this. Did Michelle ask Billy to buy her a new car?

No, no, she did not ask Billy to buy her a new car.

What did she ask her father, Billy, to buy her?

A new dress, yes, she asked her father, Billy, to buy her a new dress.

So did Billy want to buy Michelle a new dress?

No, no, he did not want to buy Michelle a new dress?

Why not? Why didn’t he want to buy Michelle a new dress?

Because Billy was a cheapskate, he didn’t want to buy Michelle a new dress because Billy was a cheapskate.

So did Billy love to spend money? No, no, he was a cheapskate, remember? So that means he did not like to spend money. He was a cheapskate.

So tell me this. Did Billy want someone to play tennis against?

He did, yes, Billy wanted someone to play tennis against.

Who wanted someone to play tennis against?

Billy did, Billy wanted someone to play tennis against.

And tell me this. Did Billy want someone to play golf against or tennis against?

Tennis, he wanted someone to play tennis against.

So did Billy tell Michelle that he would buy her a new dress if she beat him in a game of tennis?

Yes, he did, Billy told Michelle that he would buy her a new dress if she beat him in a game of tennis.

So tell me this. What did Michelle have to do in order to get a new dress?

She needed to beat her father, Billy, in a game of tennis.

So tell me this. Did Billy and Michelle agree to play tennis one week later?

They did, yes, Billy and Michelle agreed to play tennis one week later.

Who agreed to play tennis?

Billy and Michelle did, Billy and Michelle agreed to play tennis.

And tell me this. What did they agree to do?

They agreed to play tennis, right? Billy and Michelle agreed to play tennis.Okay, one more question before we continue. When did they agree to play tennis?

One week later, they agreed to play tennis one week later.

Well, Michelle really wanted to beat her father in the game of tennis because she wanted a new dress. So every day she practiced for 11 hours. Now Billy, he didn’t practice. No, you see, Billy thought the game of tennis was going to be a walk in the park for him so he didn’t practice at all.

And guess what? The day before the game, he drank like a fish.

Okay, so tell me this. Did Michelle want to beat her father, Billy, in a game of tennis?

She did, yes, she wanted to beat her father, Billy, in a game of tennis.

Who did Michelle want to beat in a game of tennis?

Her father, Billy, right? She wanted to beat her father, Billy, in a game of tennis.

Okay, but why? Why did she want to beat him in a game of tennis?

Because she wanted a new dress, Michelle wanted a new dress.

So tell me this. Did Michelle practice for 11 hours every day?

She did, yes, Michelle practiced for 11 hours every day.

Who practiced for 11 hours every day?

Michelle did, Michelle practiced for 11 hours every day.

And tell me this. For how many hours each day did she practice?

11 hours, she practiced for 11 hours each day.

So how about Billy? Did Billy practice?

No, no, Billy didn’t practice.And tell me this. Did Billy think that the game of tennis against Michelle was going to be a walk in the park for him?

Yes, he thought that the game against Michelle was going to be a walk in the park for him.

So tell me this. Did Billy think that the game of tennis against Michelle was going to be easy or did he think it was going to be difficult?

He thought it was going to be easy, he thought it was going to be a walk in the park, so that means he thought it was going to be easy. He thought it was going to be simple, stress-free, okay? He thought it was going to be a walk in the park.

So tell me this. Did Billy drink like a fish the day before the tennis match?

Yes, he did, Billy drank like a fish the day before the tennis match.

Who drank like a fish?

Billy did, right? Billy drank like a fish.

Did Michelle drink like a fish also?

No, no, Michelle didn’t drink like a fish, only Billy did.

So did Billy drink a lot of alcohol on the day before the tennis match?

He did, yes, he drank like a fish so that means he drank a lot of alcohol on that day.

Okay, one more question for you. When did Billy drink like a fish?

The day before the tennis match, the day before he played a game of tennis against Michelle.

Well, I have some more information for you. The next day Billy and Michelle played tennis but after only 10 minutes, Billy had to quit. Yes, you see, Billy had to quit because he was sickbecause he had drank like a fish the day before the tennis match. So Michelle won the tennis match against Billy and the next day she wore a new dress.

Okay, well that’s the end of our 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 be anybody who you know. And if you really do not have someone to tell the story to, just tell the story to yourself, but make sure you say it out loud.

Don’t just think about it in your mind, okay? I want you to practice speaking, okay? And I want you to speak confidently when you speak. And with practice, you will speak more confidently. 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 then, well that’s the end of this lesson. I’ll see you next time.