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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 there.

Okay, first is a “lemon,” and I’m not talking about the fruit. When someone says that something is a lemon, they mean that thing does not work well. It’s unreliable. It breaks a lot, okay?

And a lot of the time people will refer to their car as a lemon if their car breaks down a lot or is unreliable, alright? So let me give you an example.

John decided to buy a new car instead of an old car because he didn’t want to buy a lemon. Okay, so what I’m saying is John decided to buy a new car instead of an old car because he didn’t want to buy an unreliable car. He didn’t want to buy a car that broke down a lot, okay? He wanted to buy a car that worked well, not one that didn’t work well. He didn’t want to buy a lemon.

Okay, so next is “to break the bank.” So if you break the bank, it means that you spend all of your money. Here’s an example.

Marty decided to buy a used car instead of a new car because he didn’t want to break the bank. Okay, so what I’m saying is Marty decided to buy a used car instead of a new car because he didn’t want to spend all of his money. And, of course, a new car is more expensive than a used car. He didn’t want to break the bank.

Okay, so next is “to be a stick in the mud.” So if you’re a stick in the mud, it means that you don’t like to try new activities. Here’s an example for you.

John had never been skydiving before but when his friends asked him to go skydiving with them, he said no because, he was a stick in the mud. Or you could even say he was being a stick in the mud, either one.

So what I’m saying is John had never been skydiving before but when his friends asked him to go skydiving he said no because he didn’t like to try new activities. He was a stick in the mud or he was being a stick in the mud.

Okay, so next is an idiom I like a lot, it’s “to cut a rug.” To cut a rug means to dance, alright? Here’s an example for you.

On their first date, John and Maureen cut a rug until late at night. Okay, so what I’m saying is on their first date, John and Maureen danced until late at night. They cut a rug until late at night. They danced until late at night.

Okay, so I have one more for you and this one’s also related to dancing. This one is “to have two left feet.” So if someone has two left feet, it means that person is a terrible dancer and it can also mean something more general. It could mean that a person is clumsy or they’re not graceful on their feet.

Maybe they bump into things or they fall a lot, okay? But a lot of the times people just say someone has two left feet if they’re a terrible dancer. So let me give you an example.

After their first date, after John and Maureen’s first date, Maureen’s feet hurt because John had two left feet. After John and Maureen’s first date, and I should say they went dancing on that first date, Maureen’s feet hurt because John had two left feet, okay? John was a terrible dancer. So Maureen’s feet hurt because he probably stepped on her feet a lot when they were dancing, okay?

Alright, 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 just want you to answer that question quickly. Just tell me the first thing that you think of.

And don’t worry if you make a mistake, okay? Mistakes are okay as long as you learn from them. 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 guy and his name was Andre and Andre owned a car. Yes, he did. But unfortunately, he was unable to drive that car. Andre was unable to drive the car because the car was a lemon. So Andre needed another car.

Okay, so tell me this. Was there a guy or was there a girl?

A guy. There was a guy, of course.

And what was the guy’s name?

Andre. His name was Andre.

So tell me this. Did Andre own a car?

He did, yes. Andre owned a car.

Who owned a car? Andre or AJ?

Andre did. AJ didn’t own a car. Andre owned a car.

And what did Andre own?

A car, right? Andre owned a car.

So tell me this. Was Andre able to drive that car?

No, no, Andre was unable to drive the car.

Who was unable to drive the car?

Andre was. Andre was unable to drive the car.

But why? Why was Andre unable to drive the car? Was it because the car was a lemon?

Yes, yes, that’s exactly why. Andre was unable to drive the car because the car was a lemon.

Whose car was a lemon?

Andre’s car. Andre’s car was a lemon.

So was Andre’s car reliable? Did it always work well or did it break down a lot?

Oh, it broke down a lot. You see, Andre’s car was a lemon so that means his car was unreliable. It broke down a lot. It did not work properly. His car was a lemon and that’s why he needed another car.

Well, Andre had a brother and his name was Mark. And Mark offered to sell Andre his car. He offered to sell him his car for $5,211. And it was a very nice car and Andre liked the car a lot. And guess what? Andre had exactly $5,211, but he didn’t buy the car from Mark. No, Andre didn’t buy the car because he didn’t want to break the bank.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Andre have a brother or a sister?

He had a brother, yes. Andre had a brother.

And who had a brother?

Andre did. Andre had a brother.

And what was his brother’s name?

Mark. Andre’s brother’s name was Mark.

So tell me this. Did Mark offer to sell Andre his car?

He did, yes. Mark offered to sell Andre his car.

Who offered to sell Andre his car?

Mark did. Mark offered to sell Andre his car.

And how much did he offer to sell the car for?

$5,211, Mark offered to sell the car for $5,211.

So did Mark offer to sell the car for more than $5,209?

Yes, yes, he did. He offered to sell the car for $5,211 and, of course, that’s more than $5,209.

So tell me this. How much money did Andre have?

Well, he had $5,211.

Who had $5,211?

Andre did. Andre had $5,211.

Did he have more than $5,211 or did he have exactly $5,211?

He had exactly $5,211.

So tell me this. Did Andre have enough money to buy the car from Mark?

He did, yes, he had exactly the correct amount of money to buy the car from Mark. Andre had $5,211 and Mark offered to sell him the car for $5,211.

So did Andre buy the car?

No, no, he didn’t.

Why not? Why didn’t Andre buy the car?

Well, he didn’t buy the car because he didn’t want to break the bank.

Who didn’t want to break the bank?

Andre. Andre didn’t want to break the bank.

So did Andre want to spend all of his money?

No, no, Andre didn’t want to break the bank. So that means he did not want to spend all of his money. To break the bank means to spend all of your money and Andre did not want to break the bank. He didn’t want to spend all of his money.

Well, as you know, Andre did not buy the car from his brother Mark. But later that day, Andre learned about a dance competition. The dance competition was going to take place in one week and it was going to be held at Andre’s school. And the winner of the dance competition was going to receive a new car.

Well, Andre wanted to win the dance competition because he wanted a new car but there was one problem. Andre did not know how to dance. No, he did not know how to dance.

And there’s something funny I want to tell you about. One year before that, Andre’s girlfriend had asked Andre to take a salsa dancing class with her but, at the time, Andre said no. He said no because he was a stick in the mud.

Okay, time for some more questions. When was the dance competition going to happen?

In one week. The dance competition was going to happen in one week.

And where was the dance competition going to take place? Was it going to take place at Andre’s house?

No, no, it wasn’t going to take place at Andre’s house.

Where was the dance competition going to take place?

At Andre’s school. The dance competition was going to take place at Andre’s school.

And tell me this. Was the winner of the dance competition going to receive a new car or a new house?

A new car. The winner of the dance competition was going to receive a new car.

So who wanted to win the dance competition? Did Mark want to win the dance competition?

No, no, Mark didn’t want to win the dance competition.

Who wanted to win the dance competition?

Andre did. Andre wanted to win the dance competition.

But why? Why did Andre want to win the dance competition?

Well, he wanted to win the dance competition because he wanted a new car. Andre wanted a new car.

So tell me this. Did Andre know how to dance?

No, no, Andre didn’t know how to dance.

Who didn’t know how to dance?

Andre didn’t. Andre didn’t know how to dance.

And what didn’t Andre know how to do?

Dance. Andre didn’t know how to dance.

So tell me this. One year before that time, who had asked Andre to take a salsa dancing class with her?

Andre’s girlfriend. Andre’s girlfriend had asked Andre to take a salsa dancing class with her.

And what kind of class did Andre’s girlfriend ask Andre to take with her?

A salsa dancing class, yeah. She asked him to take a salsa dancing class with her.

So did Andre agree to take the salsa dancing class at that time?

No, no, he didn’t.

Why not? Why didn’t Andre agree to take the salsa dancing class?

Because he was a stick in the mud. Andre was a stick in the mud.

Who was a stick in the mud?

Andre was. Andre was a stick in the mud.

So did Andre like to try new activities?

No, no, Andre was a stick in the mud and if a person is a stick in the mud, it means that person does not like to try new activities. So Andre was a stick in the mud. He did not like to try new activities.

Well, Andre had only one week to learn how to dance. So that day he watched some dance lessons on the website LearnRealDancing.com. And every night after that, Andre cut a rug in his bedroom until late at night.

But unfortunately, there was a problem. Andre never became a good dancer even though he practiced a lot because Andre had two left feet.

Okay, time for some more questions.

Did Andre watch some dance lessons online or did he watch some English lessons online?

Oh, he watched some dance lessons online.

Who watched some dance lessons online?

Andre did. Andre watched some dance lessons online.

And on what website did Andre watch the dance lessons?

LearnRealDancing.com. Andre watched some dance lessons on LearnRealDancing.com.

So tell me this. Did Andre cut a rug until late at night in his bedroom?

Yes, Andre cut a rug until late at night. He cut a rug in his bedroom until late at night.

Who cut a rug until late at night?

Andre did. Andre cut a rug until late at night.

And in what room did Andre cut a rug?

His bedroom. Andre cut a rug in his bedroom each night.

So did Andre dance in his bedroom each night or did he exercise in his bedroom each night?

Oh, he danced. Andre danced in his bedroom each night. He cut a rug in his bedroom each night.

So tell me this. Did Andre become a good dancer or did he have two left feet?

Oh, Andre did not become a good dancer because he had two left feet.

Who had two left feet?

Andre did. Andre had two left feet.

So was Andre a very good dancer or was he a terrible dancer?

Oh, he was a terrible dancer. Andre had two left feet so that means he was a terrible dancer.

Well, I want to tell you some more about the dance competition. On the day of the dance competition, it snowed a lot. It snowed so much that there was 12 feet of snow on the ground so no one was able to drive a car that day.

And that didn’t really matter to Andre because Andre was unable to drive his car anyway because it was a lemon. So on the day of the dance competition, Andre walked to the school. He walked to the school because that’s where the dance competition was being held, remember?

So tell me this. On the day of the dance competition, did it rain or did it snow?

Oh, it snowed, yes. It snowed.

And when did it snow?

On the day of the dance competition. It snowed on the day of the dance competition.

So tell me this. How many feet of snow were on the ground?

12, There were 12 feet of snow on the ground, I should say there was 12 feet of snow on the ground.

So tell me this. Was anyone able to drive a car that day?

No, no, no one was able to drive a car that day. There was too much snow on the ground to drive a car.

So did Andre drive his car to the school or did he walk to the school?

He walked, yes. Andre walked to the school.

Who walked to the school?

Andre did. Andre walked to the school.

And tell me this. Why did Andre walk to the school?

Well, he walked to the school because that’s where the dance competition was being held.

Well, when Andre arrived at the school, he saw the two judges for the dance competition and the judges asked Andre to dance for them. So that’s what Andre did. Andre danced for the two judges. And his dance performance was terrible.

I mean you have to remember; this was a guy who had two left feet. But after he finished his dance performance, the judges congratulated Andre on winning the dance competition.

You see, all of the other dancers stayed at home because they were unable to drive to the school for the dance competition. Andre was the only dancer to participate in the dance competition and because of that, he was the winner of the dance competition and he was given a new car.

Okay, well that’s the end of our story and I hope you enjoyed that story because now I want you to tell this story. I want you to tell this story to someone who you know. It can be anyone who you know.

And if you really do not have someone to tell the story to, please just tell the story out loud to yourself. Don’t just think about it in your mind. I want you to practice speaking. So tell the story out loud to yourself if there’s not someone else who you can tell the story to.

And I want you to listen to this lesson every day for at least seven days so you know the material deeply.

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