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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 this lesson 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 get canned”. Okay, if you get canned it means that you lose your job. Okay, it means you get fired. Here’s an example for you. John used to work in a restaurant but he got canned when he yelled at a customer.

Okay, so what I’m saying is John used to work in a restaurant but he got fired, he lost his job when he yelled at a customer.

Okay, so next is “to be picky”. Okay, so if you are picky it means that you’re hard to please because you only choose from things that you really like. Okay, you won’t consider things that you don’t like or you’re not sure about or things that you’ve never even tried.

Let me give you an example that’ll help you understand this. When Peter was five years old, he was a picky eater. For example, he would only eat macaroni and cheese for dinner. Okay, so what I’m saying is when Peter was five years old, he was hard to please. He would only select things to eat from a list of things that he liked a lot.

Okay, so he wouldn’t eat things unless he liked them a lot. He wouldn’t try new things. He wouldn’t eat anything that he didn’t like. He would only eat things that he liked a lot. He was a picky eater. For example, he only ate macaroni and cheese for dinner.

Okay, so next is “to be in over your head”. Okay, and this is one I like a lot. If you’re in over your head it means that you’re in a situation that’s really difficult and it’s so difficult that it’s too difficult for you to handle it, okay?

Here’s an example for you. Marie was never good at math so when she had to take an advanced mathematics class, she was in over her head. Okay, so what I’m saying is Marie was never good at math so when she had to take an advanced mathematics class, the situation was too difficult for her to handle. She was unable to do it because it was too difficult.

Okay, so next is “to let someone go” and I mean to let someone go from a job. Okay, and this is almost the same thing as to get canned. If someone lets you go from a job, it means that you lose your job, that you get fired or that you get canned.

Here’s an example for you and I think this example will sound kind of similar to the example I used for “to get canned”. John used to work at a restaurant and the restaurant let him go after he yelled at a customer.

Okay, so you can see it’s very similar. John used to work at a restaurant and the restaurant or his boss at the restaurant, we could even say, let him go. They fired him. He lost his job because he yelled at a customer.

Okay, so I have one more for you. This one is one that I hear a lot. It’s “to figure something out”. So if you figure something out, it means that you find a solution for it, okay?

Here’s an example for you. Charlie was unable to figure out how to fix his car so he had to take it to a mechanic. Okay, so what I’m saying is Charlie was unable to find a solution for how he could fix his car so he had to take it to a mechanic.

Okay, so now I’m going to tell you a story and I’m going to ask you a lot of questions as I tell you the story. So when I ask you a question, I just want you to answer that question quickly. Okay, just tell me the first answer that you think of.

And don’t worry about making mistakes. It’s okay to make a mistake as long as you learn from it. So if you make a mistake this time when you listen to this lesson, just try not to make the same mistake the next time you listen to this lesson. Okay, just try and learn from it.

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

There was a gorilla and his name was Chuck. And Chuck was a lawyer. But Chuck had a problem. Chuck got canned. Yes, that’s right, Chuck got canned. He got canned because every day he was late for work. You see, Chuck was late for work every day because every day before work Chuck went surfing.

Okay, time for some questions.

Was there a gorilla or was there a goat?

There was a gorilla, right?

Of course, there was a gorilla.

And what was the gorilla’s name?

Chuck, his name was Chuck.

And was Chuck a doctor?

No, no, Chuck wasn’t a doctor.

What was Chuck? What was Chuck’s job? What did he do?

He was a lawyer, right? Chuck was a lawyer.

And tell me this. Did Chuck get canned?

He did, yes. Chuck got canned.

Who got canned?

Chuck did, right? Chuck got canned.

Did AJ get canned?

No, no, AJ didn’t get canned. Chuck got canned.

So tell me this. Did Chuck lose his job? Did he get fired?

He did, yes, unfortunately. Chuck got canned, so that means he got fired or he lost his job. He did not have a job anymore. He got canned.

Alright, well tell me this now. Was Chuck late for work every day?

Yes, yes, he was. Chuck was late for work every day.

Who was late for work every day?

Chuck was. Chuck was late for work every day.

And tell me this. What was Chuck late for every day? Was he late for school every day?

No, no, Chuck wasn’t late for school every day.

What was Chuck late for every day?

Work. He was late for work every day.

So tell me this now. How often was Chuck late for work?

Every day. Yes, he was late for work every day.

Okay, so now tell me this. Why did Chuck get canned?

Well, Chuck got canned because he was late for work every day.

So did Chuck go surfing every day before work?

He did, yes. Chuck went surfing every day before work.

Who went surfing?

Chuck did. Chuck went surfing.

And did Chuck go swimming or surfing?

Surfing. Chuck went surfing.

Okay, so tell me this. Did Chuck only go surfing on Tuesdays?

No, no, Chuck didn’t only go surfing on Tuesdays.

How often did Chuck go surfing?

Every day. Chuck went surfing every day.

And when did he go surfing every day?

Before work. Chuck went surfing every day before work.

Okay, so one more question before we continue with the story. Why was Chuck late for work every day?

It’s obvious. He was late for work every day because every day before work he went surfing.

Well, Chuck needed a job and he could not be picky about finding a job. No, he could not be picky about finding a job because he had to pay his rent soon. And Chuck was fortunate because his brother owned a restaurant and at that time his brother needed a cook for the restaurant. So Chuck became a cook for his brother’s restaurant.

Okay, so tell me this. Who needed a job? Did Kristin need a job?

No, no, Kristin didn’t need a job.

Who needed a job?

Chuck, remember? Chuck needed a job.

And what did Chuck need? Did he need a car?

No, Chuck didn’t need a car.

What did Chuck need?

A job. Chuck needed a job.

So tell me this now. Could Chuck be picky about finding a job? Could Chuck be picky about finding a job?

No, no, Chuck could not be picky about finding a job.

Who couldn’t be picky about finding a job?

Chuck. Chuck couldn’t be picky about finding a job.

And what couldn’t Chuck be picky about?

Finding a job. Chuck couldn’t be picky about finding a job.

So could Chuck be really careful about which job he wanted to take or did he have to take any job that he could find?

Oh, he had to take any job he could find. He could not be really careful about what job he wanted to pick. He could not be picky about what job he wanted to pick. He had to take whatever job that he could find.

Okay, but why? Why couldn’t he be picky about the job? Why couldn’t he be picky about finding a job?

Well, he couldn’t be picky about finding a job because he needed to pay his rent soon.

Who needed to pay his rent soon?

Chuck did, of course. Chuck needed to pay his rent soon.

And what did Chuck need to do soon?

He needed to pay his rent, Chuck needed to pay his rent.

And did Chuck need to pay his tuition or his rent?

His rent, of course. Chuck needed to pay his rent.

And when did he need to pay it?

Soon. Chuck needed to pay his rent soon and that’s why he couldn’t be picky about finding a job.

Alright, so tell me this now. Did Chuck’s brother own a restaurant?

He did, yes. Chuck’s brother owned a restaurant.

Who owned a restaurant? Did Chuck own a restaurant?

No, no, Chuck didn’t own a restaurant.

Who owned a restaurant?

His brother did. Chuck’s brother owned a restaurant.

And what did Chuck’s brother own? Did he own a club?

No, no, he didn’t own a club.

What did Chuck’s brother own?

A restaurant. Chuck’s brother owned a restaurant.

So did Chuck become a cook at his brother’s restaurant?

He did, yes. Chuck became a cook at his brother’s restaurant.

And tell me this. One more question before we continue with the story. At whose restaurant did Chuck become a cook?

His brother’s. Chuck became a cook at his brother’s restaurant.

Well, I have something to tell you about Chuck’s cooking. During the first day on the job, Chuck burned everything that he cooked. Yes, Chuck burned everything that he cooked during his first day working as a cook.

He burned the chicken. He burned the toast. He burned the eggs. He burned everything that he cooked. You know why? Because he didn’t know how to cook. That’s right, Chuck didn’t know how to cook so he was in over his head.

And Chuck’s brother knew that Chuck was in over his head. So after just one day of work, Chuck’s brother let Chuck go.

Okay, time for some more questions. During Chuck’s first day of work, did he burn everything that he cooked?

Yes, yes, he did. During his first day of work, Chuck burned everything he cooked.

Who burned everything he cooked?

Chuck did. Chuck burned everything that he cooked.

And tell me this. When did Chuck burn everything he cooked?

During his first day of work. During his first day of work, Chuck burned everything he cooked.

So did Chuck burn the toast?

He did, yes. Chuck burned the toast.

Did Chuck burn the eggs?

He did, yes. He burned the eggs. He also burned the pancakes and the chicken. Chuck burned everything he cooked that day.

So tell me this. Did Chuck know how to cook?

No, no, Chuck did not know how to cook.

Who didn’t know how to cook?

Chuck. Chuck didn’t know how to cook.

And what didn’t Chuck know how to do?

Oh, this one’s obvious, Chuck didn’t know how to cook. He didn’t know how to cook.

So was Chuck in over his head?

Yes, yes, he certainly was. Chuck was in over his head.

Who was in over his head?

Chuck was, of course. Chuck was in over his head.

So was Chuck in a situation that was very difficult and he was unable to handle it? It was too difficult for him to handle?

Yes, yes, Chuck was in over his head. He had to cook everything at the restaurant. He was a cook at the restaurant and he didn’t know how to cook. So he was in a difficult situation. It was so difficult that he was unable to handle it. He was in over his head.

Well tell me this now. Did Chuck’s brother know that Chuck was in over his head?

Yeah, sure, yeah, Chuck’s brother knew that Chuck was in over his head. He saw him burn all the food, of course.

So who knew that Chuck was in over his head?

Chuck’s brother did, of course. Chuck’s brother knew that Chuck was in over his head.

So did Chuck’s brother have to let Chuck go after his first day of work?

Yes, yes, he had to let Chuck go after his first day at work. Chuck’s brother let Chuck go after Chuck’s first day of work.

Okay, so when did Chuck’s brother let Chuck go?

After Chuck’s first day of work.

And who did Chuck’s brother let go? Did he let AJ go?

No, no, he didn’t let AJ go.

Who did Chuck’s brother let go?

Chuck. He let Chuck go.

So did Chuck’s brother fire Chuck?

He did, yes. He let Chuck go so that means he fired him. It means that Chuck no longer worked there. Chuck lost his job. Chuck’s brother let Chuck go. He had to let Chuck go because Chuck burned all the food.

Well, Chuck didn’t have a job and he needed to figure something out quickly, because he needed to pay his rent soon. So Chuck needed to figure out something quickly and unfortunately, he didn’t know what to do. So he went to the beach. Yes, Chuck went to the beach to surf. And when he arrived at the beach, there was a movie being made and it was a movie about surfing.

Okay, so tell me this. Who didn’t have a job?

Chuck didn’t. Chuck didn’t have a job.

And what didn’t Chuck have?

He didn’t have a job. Chuck didn’t have a job.

So did Chuck need to figure something out quickly?

Yes, yes, he certainly did. Chuck needed to figure something out quickly.

Who needed to figure out something quickly?

Chuck did. Chuck needed to figure out something quickly.

Did Kristin or Chuck need to figure something out quickly?

Chuck did. Chuck needed to figure out something quickly.

So did Chuck need to find a solution quickly?

He did, yes. Chuck needed to figure something out quickly so that means he needed to find a solution quickly. He needed to find a solution, meaning he needed to find something like a job, okay? Because he didn’t have a job and he needed to figure something out quickly.

Okay, but why? Why did Chuck need to figure something out quickly?

Well, he needed to figure out something quickly because he needed to pay his rent soon.

Who needed to pay his rent soon?

Chuck did. Chuck needed to pay his rent soon.

So tell me this. Where did Chuck go? Did he go to church?

No, Chuck didn’t go to church.

Where did Chuck go?

The beach. Chuck went to the beach.

And did he go to the beach to swim or to surf?

Oh, he went to the beach to surf, of course. Chuck went to the beach to surf.

So was there a movie being made at the beach?

Yes, yes, there was. There was a movie being made at the beach.

And where the movie being made?

At the beach, the movie was being made at the beach.

And what was the movie about?

Surfing. The movie was about surfing.

Well, I have some more information for you about Chuck and it might even surprise you a little. The person who was making the movie saw Chuck surfing and she had never seen a gorilla surfing before.

And after she saw him surfing she decided that she wanted to make a movie about a surfing gorilla. So she paid Chuck $7 million to star in the movie. And after Chuck received the money, he retired and he surfed every single morning. And after that, he never got canned from another job ever again.

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 anyone who you know.

And if you really do not have someone who you know you can tell the story to, then just tell the story to yourself, okay? Look in the mirror so you think that you’re telling the story to someone.

And don’t just think about the story in your mind. I want you to practice speaking so I want you to say the story out loud. And when you actually tell the story, I want you to use all of the idioms that you learned at the beginning of this lesson.

Okay, so as far as this lesson goes, I would like you to listen to it every day for at least seven days because I want you to learn this material deeply.

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