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Concert Chef – 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’m going to start the lesson by telling you about some of the idioms that you will hear in this lesson, so let’s start.

Okay, first is a “die-hard fan.” Okay, a die-hard fan is a fan who is loyal and committed no matter whether things are going well or things are not going well. Okay, so let’s say that you’re a fan of a sports team. If you’re a die-hard fan, it means that you will be just as committed and loyal to that team when the team is winning or when the team is losing, okay? Let me give you an example in a sentence. Bill loved baseball and his favorite team was the New York Mets and one year the Mets were terrible. They lost almost every game. But Bill still loved the team just as much as he would have if they were winning because Bill was a die-hard fan. Okay, so what I’m saying is Bill loved baseball and his favorite team was the New York Mets. And one year the Mets lost almost every game that they played but Bill was still a very loyal and committed fan even though things weren’t going well, okay? He was a die-hard fan.

Next is “sold out,” and what I’m talking about is if you go to purchase an item and it is sold out, okay? So if something is sold out, it means there are no more available for sale. Alright? Here’s an example for you. I wanted to go to the basketball game but I was unable to go because the tickets were sold out.

Okay, so what I’m saying is I wanted to go to the basketball game but I was unable to go because there were no more tickets for sale. There were no more tickets available for sale. They were sold out. The tickets were sold out.

Okay, so next is to “cry your eyes out,” okay? So if you cry your eyes out it means that you cry a lot and you cry for a long time. It doesn’t mean that you just cry for a little bit and then you’re finished. You cry a lot for a long time, okay? You’re very sad probably, that’s why. Let me give you an example. Mary cried her eyes out when her dog died. Okay, so what I’m saying is Mary cried for a long time, she cried a lot when her dog died.

Okay, next is to “check out of a hotel” or some other place that you’re staying. Okay, and this is a phrase that you will definitely hear if you are traveling in an English-speaking country and you pay to stay overnight at someplace, okay? So let me tell you what it means. To check out of a hotel means to do the things that you need to do and to leave the room you’re staying in when you’re done staying at that place, at the hotel, okay? So here’s an example. If you’re staying at a hotel, when you check out, maybe what you do is you pay the money that you still owe the hotel if you haven’t already done so and you give the hotel back it’s key and you leave the room that you stayed in, okay? That would be an example of checking out of a hotel. And checking out of a hotel could just mean you leave the room in which you stayed, okay? When you check out of a place that you stayed overnight, it always includes leaving the place that you stayed, okay, leaving the room that you stayed in, for example. Anyway, let me give you an example that’ll help you understand this a little better. I checked out of the hotel at 5:00 in the morning because I had a flight at 9:00 in the morning. Okay, so what I’m saying is I paid any money I owed the hotel and I gave the hotel back it’s key and I left the room that I was staying in at the hotel at 5:00 in the morning because I had a flight at 9:00 in the morning. Okay, I checked out of the hotel. I paid any money I owed, I gave the hotel back it’s key and I left the room that I was staying in. That last one is the most important part of checking out.

Okay, so I have one more for you. This one is “leftovers,” okay? So the word leftover in general means something that was not used or consumed, okay? But when someone talks about leftovers, a lot of the times they’re talking about leftovers from a meal and what that means is the food that remains uneaten when the meal is done, alright? Pretty easy when you hear it that way, alright? But when you hear an example, I think you’ll understand it even more so let me give you an example. Last night my mother made lasagna for dinner and she made a lot of lasagna. She made enough lasagna to feed 20 people but there were only 5 of us eating dinner so there were a lot of leftovers. Okay, so what I’m saying is last night my mother made lasagna for dinner and made enough for 20 people to eat lasagna, but there were only 5 of us eating so there was a lot of food that was uneaten when we finished eating dinner. When we were done eating, there was still a lot of uneaten food. There were a lot of leftovers.

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 quickly. Just tell me the first thing that you think of. And don’t worry about making a mistake. Y’know, 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 try not to make the same mistake the next time. Okay, so just try and learn from any mistake you make. Try not to make the same mistake twice. And when you answer these questions, I want you to speak loudly and confidently. Alright then, it’s time for our story, so let’s begin.

There was a man and his name was Michael and Michael loved music. In fact, it was his favorite thing in his life. And Michael’s favorite band was named Black Dog and even though sometimes Black Dog played some songs that Michael didn’t like, he still loved the band because Michael was a die-hard fan.

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

There was a man, of course, there was a man.

And what was the man’s name?

Michael, the man’s name was Michael.

And tell me this. Did Michael love music?

Yes, yes, he did, Michael loved music.

Who loved music? Did AJ love music?

No, no, not AJ, he didn’t love music.

Who loved music?

Michael did, Michael loved music.

And what did Michael love? Did he love sausages or music?

Music, Michael loved music, he didn’t love sausages.

So tell me this. Was Michael’s favorite band named Black Dog?

Yes, yes, Michael’s favorite band was named Black Dog.

Whose favorite band was named Black Dog?

Well, Michael’s was, Michael’s favorite band was named Black Dog.

And was Michael’s favorite band named the Rolling Stones or Black Dog?

Black Dog, Michael’s favorite band was named Black Dog.

Was Michael’s favorite band named the Rolling Stones?

No, no, Michael’s favorite band was not named the Rolling Stones, his favorite band was named Black Dog.

So tell me this. Was Michael a die-hard fan of Black Dog?

He was, yes, Michael was a die-hard fan of Black Dog.

Who was a die-hard fan of Black Dog?

Michael was, right? Michael was a die-hard fan of Black Dog.

And what was Michael a die-hard fan of or you could say who was he a die-hard fan of even?

Black Dog, Michael was a die-hard fan of Black Dog.

And tell me this. Was Michael a die-hard fan of the Rolling Stones or Black Dog?

Black Dog, Michael was a die-hard fan of Black Dog. He was not a die-hard fan of the Rolling Stones.

So was Michael a loyal and committed fan of Black Dog no matter whether things were going well or things were not going well?

Yes, he was, he was a die-hard fan of Black Dog so that means he was a loyal and committed fan no matter what happened. Even when the band played songs that he didn’t like, he was still a loyal and committed fan because he was a die-hard fan.

Well, I want to tell you a little more about Michael. Michael lived in San Antonio, Texas and in San Antonio, Texas there was a club and the name of the club was the Dog House. And Black Dog was scheduled to play a concert at the Dog House and, of course, Michael wanted to go to the concert. So Michael went to the Dog House to buy a concert ticket.

Okay, tell me this. Where did Michael live?

San Antonio, Texas, Michael lived in San Antonio, Texas.

Who lived in San Antonio, Texas?

Michael did, Michael lived in San Antonio, Texas.

And did Michael live in Dallas, Texas or San Antonio, Texas?

San Antonio, Texas, Michael lived in San Antonio, Texas.

So tell me this. Was there a club in San Antonio, Texas?

There was, yes, there was a club in San Antonio, Texas.

And where was the club?

It was in San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas.

So was the club in San Antonio, Texas named the Dog House?

Yes, yes, it was, the club in San Antonio was named the Dog House.

What was the name of the club in San Antonio?

The Dog House, it was the Dog House.

So was Black Dog scheduled to play a concert at the Dog House?

Yes, yes, Black Dog was scheduled to play a concert at the Dog House.

What band was scheduled to play a concert at the Dog House?

Black Dog was, Black Dog was scheduled to play a concert at the Dog House.

And tell me this. Where was Black Dog scheduled to play a concert?

At the Dog House, Black Dog was scheduled to play a concert at the Dog House.

So did Michael want to attend the Black Dog concert at the Dog House?

Yes, of course, he did, Michael wanted to attend the Black Dog concert at the Dog House.

Who wanted to attend the concert?

Michael did, of course, Michael wanted to attend the concert.

Did AJ want to attend the concert?

No, no, AJ did not want to attend the concert, Michael wanted to attend the concert.

So did Michael go to the club to buy a concert ticket?

Yes, yes, he did, Michael went to the club to buy a concert ticket.

Who went to the club? AJ or Michael?

Michael did, Michael went to the club.

And where did Michael go? Did he go to the beach?

No, no, Michael didn’t go to the beach.

Where did Michael go?

To the club, Michael went to the club.

Okay, and why did Michael go to the club?

Well, he went to the club to purchase a concert ticket.

Did Michael go to the club to purchase a shirt or a ticket?

A ticket, Michael went to the club to purchase a concert ticket. He went to the club to purchase a ticket for the Black Dog concert.

Well, I have some unfortunate news. When Michael arrived at the club, the tickets were sold out.

Yes, poor Michael. When he heard that the tickets were sold out, he was very upset. He was so upset that he sat in front of the club and he cried his eyes out. He cried his eyes out for four hours. Poor Michael.

Alright, time for some more questions. Were the tickets sold out when Michael arrived at the club?

Yes, unfortunately, the tickets were sold out when Michael arrived at the club.

But tell me this. When were the tickets sold out?

When Michael arrived at the club, right? The tickets were sold out when Michael arrived at the club.

And what were sold out?

The tickets, the tickets were sold out.

So were there tickets available for sale when Michael arrived at the club?

No, no, unfortunately not, the tickets were sold out so that means there were no more tickets available for sale when Michael arrived at the club.

So tell me this. Did Michael cry his eyes out?

He did, yes, Michael cried his eyes out.

Who cried his eyes out? Michael or AJ?

Michael did, Michael cried his eyes out.

Did AJ cry his eyes out?

No, no, not AJ, Michael cried his eyes out.

So tell me this. Did Michael cry for just a little bit of time or did he cry for a long time?

Oh, he cried for a long time, you see, Michael cried his eyes out and that means he cried a lot, he cried for a long time.

How many hours did Michael cry for?

Four hours, Michael cried for four hours.

So did Michael cry for more than four hours, excuse me, more than five hours or did he cry for less than five hours?

Less than five hours, Michael cried for four hours so that means he cried for less than five hours.

Well, I want to tell you a little more about the band Black Dog. Black Dog’s singer was a man named Charlie Poodle and Charlie Poodle was a very nice man and he was very caring. And on the night of the concert, Charlie Poodle went to the club after he checked out of his hotel. And when Charlie Poodle arrived at the club, he saw Michael crying. So Charlie Poodle sat down next to Michael and he talked to him.

Okay, so tell me this. What was the singer’s name in the band Black Dog?

Charlie Poodle, Charlie Poodle was his name.

And was Charlie Poodle a singer or a guitarist?

He was a singer. Charlie Poodle was a singer.

Was Charlie Poodle a guitarist?

No, no, he wasn’t a guitarist, he was only a singer.

And for what band was Charlie Poodle the singer?

Black Dog, Charlie Poodle was the singer of the band Black Dog, or for the band Black Dog, you can say it whichever way.

Okay, so tell me this. Did Charlie Poodle go to the club after he checked out of his hotel room?

Yes, yes, he did, Charlie Poodle went to the club after he checked out of his hotel room.

So tell me this. Who went to the club?

Charlie Poodle did, Charlie Poodle went to the club.

And did Charlie Poodle go to a restaurant or to the club?

Oh, he went to the club, he did not go to a restaurant, Charlie Poodle went to the club.

Okay, tell me this now. When did Charlie Poodle go to the club?

After he checked out of his hotel, Charlie Poodle went to the club after he checked out of his hotel.

So did Charlie Poodle go to the club before he checked out of his hotel?

No, no, he went to the club after he checked out of his hotel.

Okay, so now tell me this. Who checked out of his hotel? Charlie Poodle or Michael?

Charlie Poodle did, Charlie Poodle checked out of his hotel.

And did Charlie Poodle pay the money he owed the hotel and did he give the key back to the hotel and did he leave the room that he was staying in at the hotel?

He did, yes, Charlie Poodle checked out of the hotel so that means he paid any money that he owed the hotel, he gave the key back to the hotel and, most importantly, he left the room that he was staying at at the hotel. That’s the most important thing about checking out, it’s the main thing about checking out of a hotel.

Okay, so tell me this. Did Charlie Poodle see Michael crying?

He did, yes, Charlie Poodle saw Michael crying.

Who saw Michael crying?

Charlie Poodle did, Charlie Poodle saw Michael crying.

So did the singer of the band Black Dog see Michael crying?

Yes, yes, he did, Charlie Poodle saw Michael crying and, as you know, Charlie Poodle was the singer in the band Black Dog.

So tell me this. Who did Charlie Poodle see crying? Did he see Kristin crying?

No, no, he didn’t see Kristin crying.

Who did Charlie Poodle see crying?

Michael, he saw Michael crying so he talked to Michael.

And Charlie Poodle actually talked to Michael for a long time and finally Michael stopped crying.

So Charlie Poodle was very happy about that because he was a very caring man. But by that time, Charlie Poodle was hungry so he asked Michael if Michael had any food with him. And earlier that day, Michael made lasagna for lunch and he made more lasagna than he was able to eat so he had leftovers. And he brought the leftovers to the club with him. So Michael gave the leftovers to Charlie Poodle.

Okay, time for some more questions. Who was hungry? Was Charlie Poodle hungry or was Michael hungry?

Charlie Poodle was, Charlie Poodle was hungry.

And was Charlie Poodle thirsty?

No, Charlie Poodle was not thirsty, he was hungry, remember?

So tell me this. Did Michael make lasagna for lunch?

He did, yes, Michael made lasagna for lunch.

Who made lasagna for lunch? Did Charlie Poodle make lasagna for lunch?

No, no, not Charlie Poodle.

Who made lasagna for lunch?

Michael did, Michael made lasagna for lunch.

And now tell me this. Did Michael make pizza or lasagna for lunch?

Lasagna, Michael made lasagna for lunch.

Did Michael make lasagna for dinner?

No, Michael didn’t make lasagna for dinner.

What meal did Michael make lasagna for?

Lunch, he made lasagna for lunch.

And did he eat all of the lasagna that he made for lunch?

No, no, he did not eat all of it.

So tell me this. Were there leftovers?

Yes, yes, there were leftovers, leftovers from lunch because there was food that remained uneaten after Michael had finished eating lunch. There was food that was not eaten so there were leftovers.

So did Michael give the leftovers to Charlie Poodle?

Yes, he did, Michael gave the leftovers to Charlie Poodle.

Who gave the leftovers to Charlie Poodle?

Michael did, of course, Michael gave the leftovers to Charlie Poodle.

And who did Michael give the leftovers to? Did he give the leftovers to AJ or to Charlie Poodle?

Charlie Poodle, Michael gave the leftovers to Charlie Poodle.

And Charlie Poodle ate the leftovers and he loved what he ate. He said that the lasagna tasted just like the lasagna that his mother used to make for him. And he loved the leftovers so much that he offered Michael a job as his personal chef, yes. And Charlie Poodle told Michael that his personal chef was given a free concert ticket to every Black Dog concert. Well, Michael was overjoyed by this and he immediately accepted the job offer. And after that, Michael always had a ticket to every Black Dog concert he wanted to attend so he never cried his eyes out ever again.

Okay, well, that’s the end of our story and I hope that 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. You can select anybody that you want to tell the story to.

And if you really don’t have someone to tell the story to, please just tell the story to yourself. You can even stand in the mirror, looking in the mirror, so you think you’re telling the story to someone else. But if you tell the story to yourself, please, I don’t want you to just think about the story. I want you to actually tell the story. Say it out loud, okay?

And when you tell the story, I want you to make sure you include all of the idioms that I told you about earlier in this lesson, alright? 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, well, that’s the end of this mini-story lesson. I’ll see you next time.