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John Has Big Feet – 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’d like to start today’s lesson by telling you about six of the idioms that you’re going to hear me use in today’s story. So let’s start there.

Okay, first is “to go under the knife,” to go under the knife. So if you go under the knife it means that you have surgery performed, okay? So let me give you an example with this one. When my grandfather was 82 years old, he had to go under the knife because he had problems with his heart. Okay, so when my grandfather was 82 years old, he had to have surgery performed because he had problems with his heart.

Okay, so all I’m saying is he had to go under the knife. He had to have surgery performed.

Okay, so next is “to be wired,” to be wired. So if you are wired it means that you have a lot of energy but it’s nervous energy. So it means you have a lot of nervous energy. So here’s an example with this one.

After John drank ten cups of coffee, he was wired. After John drank ten cups of coffee, he had a lot of nervous energy.

Okay, so next is “to clear your mind,” to clear your mind. So if you clear your mind it just means that you forget about the things that are bothering you, okay? So here’s an example with that. John had a stressful day at work so after work he got a massage because he wanted to clear his mind, okay? John had a stressful day at work so after work he got a massage because he wanted to forget about his problems, okay? He wanted to forget about things that were bothering him. He wanted to clear his mind.

Okay, so next is “to put out a fire,” to put out a fire. So if you put out a fire it means that you stop the fire from burning. So here’s an example. When John was hiking in the forest he saw a fire so he used his water to put out the fire. Okay, so what I’m saying is when John was hiking in the forest he saw a fire so he used some water to stop the fire from burning.

Okay, so next is “to bump into someone,” to bump into someone. So if you bump into someone it means that you unexpectedly see that person. It means that you see the person but you didn’t expect to see that person. Let me give you an example that will make this a lot clearer for you. I thought that AJ was in Thailand but then I bumped into him at the library in San Francisco. Okay, so what I’m saying is I thought that AJ was in Thailand but then I unexpectedly saw him at the library in San Francisco.

Okay, so I have one more for you and that one is “to be easy on the eyes,” to be easy on the eyes. So if someone is easy on the eyes it means that person is good-looking. So here’s an example with easy on the eyes. When my brother was younger he thought that Madonna was easy on the eyes. When my brother was younger he thought that Madonna was good-looking.

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 the story. So when I ask you a question I want you to answer that question quickly, okay? Just say the first answer that you think of. And don’t worry about making any mistakes. Y’know, you might make a mistake when you answer the question quickly but you’re going to listen to this lesson many times.

So if you make a mistake this time when you listen to this lesson, you probably will not make the same mistake the next time. And when you answer these questions, I want you to speak loudly and confidently.

Okay, so I guess it’s time for our story then. So let’s begin.

There was a man and his name was John. And unfortunately John was unable to find a wife. Yes, John was unable to find a wife because he had very big feet. I mean John had very big feet and he didn’t want to have very big feet. In fact, John wanted his feet to be smaller.

Okay, time for some questions. Who was unable to find a wife? Was AJ unable to find a wife?

No, no, not AJ.

Who was unable to find a wife?

John was, John was unable to find a wife.

And tell me this. What was John unable to do? Was he unable to read?

No, no, John was not unable to read.

What was John unable to do?

Well, John was unable to find a wife. He was unable to find a wife.

And what was John unable to find? Was he unable to find his keys or a wife?

A wife, John was unable to find a wife.

Okay, but why? Why was John unable to find a wife?

Well, John was unable to find a wife because he had very big feet. John had very big feet.

Who had very big feet?

John did, John had very big feet.

And did John have very big hands or very big feet?

Feet, John had very big feet. Remember, John had very big feet.

So did John want to have smaller feet?

Yes, yes, he did, John wanted to have smaller feet. He wanted his feet to be smaller.

Well, one day John went to see a doctor. And John told the doctor that he wanted his feet to be smaller. Well, the doctor told John that if he wanted his feet to be smaller then he had to go under the knife. And then he told John that it cost $1 million to go under the knife. Well, John did not have $1 million so he was unable to go under the knife. Yes, that’s right, John was unable to go under the knife so he still had very big feet.

Okay, time for some more questions. Who did John go to see? Did he go to see a lawyer or a doctor?

A doctor, yes, John went to see a doctor.

Who went to see a doctor?

John, John went to see a doctor.

And did John need to go under the knife if he wanted his feet to be smaller?

Yes, yes, he did, he needed to go under the knife if he wanted his feet to be smaller.

And tell me this. What did John need to do if he wanted his feet to be smaller?

He needed to go under the knife, John needed to go under the knife if he wanted his feet to be smaller.

Did John need to have surgery performed if he wanted his feet to be smaller?

Yes, yes, he did, John needed to go under the knife if he wanted his feet to be smaller so that’s the same thing as saying John needed to have surgery performed if he wanted his feet to be smaller. If you go under the knife it just means that you have surgery.

Okay, well tell me this then. How much did it cost to go under the knife?

$1 million, it cost $1 million to go under the knife.

So did it cost more than $999,000.00 to go under the knife?

Yes, yes, it did, it cost $1 million to go under the knife and $1 million is more than $999,000.00. So yes, it cost more than $999,000.00 to go under the knife.

Okay, so now tell me this. Did John have a million dollars?

No, no, John did not have a millions dollars.

So was John able to go under the knife?

No, no, John was unable to go under the knife.

Was John able to have surgery performed?

No, no, John was unable to go under the knife so that means that John was unable to have surgery and it also means that John still had very big feet.

Well, as you know, John wanted his feet to be smaller. But he didn’t know how to make his feet smaller. So he went on the internet to do some research. John went on the internet to do some research. And when John was doing his research he learned how to make his feet smaller. He did! John learned that if he drank 112 cups of coffee every day for three weeks then his feet would get smaller. So that’s what John did. John drank 112 cups of coffee every day for three weeks and during those three weeks John spent a lot of money buying coffee at Starbucks. And he was wired every day. But unfortunately, John’s feet did not get smaller. Yes, John still had very big feet.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did John drink 112 cups of coffee every day for three weeks?

Yes, yes, he did, he drank 112 cups of coffee every day for three weeks.

Tell me this then. Who drank 112 cups of coffee every day for three weeks?

John did, John drank 112 cups of coffee every day for three weeks.

And what did John drink every day for three weeks? Did he drink orange juice every day for three weeks?

No, no, John did not drink orange juice every day for three weeks.

What did John drink every day for three weeks?

Coffee, yes, John drank coffee every day for three weeks.

And tell me this. How much coffee did John drink every day for three weeks?

112 cups, he drank 112 cups of coffee every day for three weeks.

So did John spend a lot of money buying coffee at Starbucks?

Yes, yes, he did, John spent a lot of money buying coffee at Starbucks.

And what did John spend a lot of money buying? Did he spend a lot of money buying cars or coffee?

Coffee, John spent a lot of money buying coffee. He did not spend a lot of money buying cars.

And where did John spend a lot of money? Did he spend a lot of money at McDonalds?

No, no, John didn’t spend a lot of money at McDonalds.

Where did John spend a lot of money buying coffee?

Starbucks, John spent a lot of money buying coffee at Starbucks.

So tell me this. Was John wired every day for three weeks?

Yes, yes, he was, he was wired every day for three weeks.

So tell me this. Did John have a lot of nervous energy every day for three weeks?

Yes, yes, he did, he was wired every day for three weeks so that means he had a lot of nervous energy every day for three weeks.

Well, John was upset. Yes, John was upset because he didn’t know how to make his feet smaller.

So he wanted to clear his mind so he went for a walk. John went for a walk because he wanted to clear his mind. And after John walked for ten minutes, he heard a woman scream. Yes, that’s right. John heard a woman scream and the woman’s name was Doris. And Doris screamed because her house was on fire and she was unable to get out of the house. Well, after John heard Doris scream he went into Doris’ house and he used his big feet to put out the fire. He did! John used his big feet to put out the fire. He walked on top of the fire with his big feet. That’s how he put out the fire. And after John put out the fire he went home. Yeah, John went home after he put out the fire. He didn’t even talk to Doris. He just went home.

Okay, time for some more questions. Was John upset because he didn’t know how to make his feet smaller?

Yes, yes, he was, John was upset because he didn’t know how to make his feet smaller.

And tell me this. Why was John upset?

Well, John was upset because he didn’t know how to make his feet smaller.

So did John go for a walk because he wanted to clear his mind?

Yes, yes, he did, John went for a walk because he wanted to clear his mind.

And did John go for a swim or did he go for a walk?

A walk, a walk, of course, John went for a walk.

But tell me this then. Why did John go for a walk?

Well, John went for a walk because he wanted to clear his mind.

Who wanted to clear his mind? Did AJ want to clear his mind?

No, no, AJ didn’t want to clear his mind.

Who wanted to clear his mind?

John did, John wanted to clear his mind.

So did John want to forget about the things that were bothering him?

Yes, yes, he did, John wanted to clear his mind and if you clear your mind it means that you forget about the things that are bothering you. So John wanted to clear his mind. He wanted to forget about the things that were bothering him.

Okay, so tell me this. Did John hear a woman scream?

Yes, yes, he did, he heard a woman scream.

And who screamed? Did a man scream or did a woman scream?

A woman, a woman screamed.

And what was the woman’s name?

Doris, yes, the woman’s name was Doris.

Okay, but tell me this. Why did Doris scream?

She screamed because her house was on fire. Doris screamed because her house was on fire and she was unable to get out of the house.

Whose house was on fire? Was John’s house on fire?

No, no, John’s house wasn’t on fire.

Whose house was on fire?

Doris’, Doris’ house was on fire.

And was Doris’ house or car on fire?

Her house, Doris’ house was on fire. Doris’ car was not on fire.

So tell me this. Did John use his big feet to put out the fire at Doris’ house?

Yes, yes, he did, John used his big feet to put out the fire at Doris’ house.

And what did John use to put out the fire? Did John use water to put out the fire?

No, no, John did not use water to put out the fire.

What did John use to put out the fire?

His feet, John used his big feet to put out the fire.

And tell me this. Who put out the fire?

John did, John put out the fire.

So did John stop the fire from burning?

Yes, yes, he did, John put out the fire so that means that John stopped the fire from burning. If you put out a fire you just stop the fire from burning.

Okay, so after John put out the fire, where did he go? Did he go to church?

No, no, John did not go to church after he put out the fire.

Where did John go after he put out the fire?

Home, yes, John went home after he put out the fire.

And when did John go home?

After he put out the fire, John went home after he put out the fire. He didn’t even talk to Doris before he went home. He just put out the fire and then he went home.

Okay, let’s continue our story.

Well, the next day John went to the store and guess who he bumped into? Doris! Yes, John bumped into Doris at the store. And when Doris saw John she thanked him. Doris thanked John for saving her life. And then Doris invited John to have dinner with her at her house that night.

Well, John thought that Doris was easy on the eyes. He did. John thought Doris was easy on the eyes so he accepted her invitation to have dinner with her that night.

Okay, time for some more questions. Where did John go? Did he go to the library or the store?

The store, John went to the store.

And who did John bump into at the store?

Doris, right? John bumped into Doris at the store.

Tell me this. Where did John bump into Doris?

At the store, John bumped into Doris at the store.

So did Doris thank John for saving her life?

She did, yes, Doris thanked John for saving her life.

And who did Doris thank? Did she thank AJ or John?

John, Doris did not thank AJ. Doris thanked John.

But why? Why did Doris thank John?

Well, she thanked John for saving her life. Doris thanked John for saving her life.

So did Doris invite John to have dinner with her at her house that night?

Yes, yes, she did, Doris invited John to have dinner with her at her house that night.

And who did Doris invite to have dinner with her?

John, she invited John to have dinner with her.

And tell me this. When did Doris invite John to have dinner with her?

That night, Doris invited John to have dinner with her that night.

So tell me this. Did John think that Doris was easy on the eyes?

Yes, yes, he did, John thought that Doris was easy on the eyes.

Who thought that Doris was easy on the eyes?

John did, John thought that Doris was easy on the eyes.

And who did John think was easy on the eyes? Who did he think was easy on the eyes?

Doris, John thought that Doris was easy on the eyes.

So did John think that Doris was ugly?

No, no, John thought that Doris was easy on the eyes so that means thought that Doris was good looking.

He did not think she was ugly. He thought she was easy on the eyes. He thought she was good looking.

So did John accept Doris’ invitation to have dinner with her that night at her house?

Yes, yes, he did, John accepted Doris’ invitation to have dinner with her that night.

Well, I have some more information for you about John and Doris. That night John and Doris had dinner together. And after dinner they talked all night long. And the next night they had dinner together again and the night after that they also had dinner together. You see, John and Doris fell in love and soon after that they got married. And for the first time in John’s life he was happy that he had very big feet. John was happy that he had very big feet because his big feet allowed him to meet his wife, Doris.

Okay, well that’s the end of this 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 when you tell this story I want you to use all of the idioms that I taught you at the beginning of this lesson.

And I also want you to listen to this lesson every day for at least seven days. I want you to listen to it for at least seven days because I want you to learn this material deeply. And the more you listen to this lesson, the more deeply you will learn this material. And if you want to listen to this lesson for more than seven days, well that would be great because more is better when it comes to listening to this lesson.

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