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##Runny Nose – 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 the lesson as I usually do, by introducing you to some of the idioms that you will hear me use in the story. So let’s start.

Okay, first is a “runny nose.” So if you have a runny nose, it means that you have liquid coming out of your nose. Okay, usually because you have a cold or you have allergies or maybe because you’re crying. Okay, a lot of the time it’s because you have a cold though. Let me give you an example. John did not go to work today because he had a fever and a runny nose. Okay, so what I’m saying is John did not go to work today because he had a fever and he had liquid coming out of his nose. Okay, he had a runny nose.

Okay, next is “crooked,” crooked. So if you know someone who is crooked it means that person is dishonest. A person who cannot be trusted is crooked, okay? Let me give you an example. I did not want Jacob to be my lawyer because he’s crooked.

Okay, so what I’m saying is I didn’t want Jacob to be my lawyer because he’s dishonest.

He cannot be trusted. He’s crooked.

Okay, so next is a “checkup.” So a checkup is just a medical examination. Okay, an examination that your doctor performs. Here’s an example for you. Before Jeff got married, his fiancé wanted him to get a checkup because he had not been to a doctor in many years. Okay, so what I’m saying is before Jeff got married, his fiancé wanted him to have a medical examination because he had not been to a doctor in many years.

Okay, she wanted him to have a checkup. She wanted him to have a medical examination.

Okay, so next is “three sheets to the wind,” three sheets to the wind. So if you are three sheets to the wind it means that you’re drunk, alright? Here’s an example. I did not want to travel in Peter’s car because Peter was three sheets to the wind. I did not want to travel in Peter’s car because Peter was drunk.

Okay, and I have one more for you and this is actually a pretty funny one, it’s a “nose job,” okay? A nose job. A nose job, if you get a nose job, it means that you have surgery performed on your nose in order to make your nose look different, okay? I think when you hear an example of this one, you’ll understand it better so let me give you an example. Here we go. Andrew wanted to be a model but he had a very big nose so he was advised to get a nose job. Okay, so what I’m saying is Andrew wanted to be a model but he had a very big nose so he was advised to have surgery performed on his nose in order to make it look different. He was advised to have an operation on his nose in order to make it look different. He was advised to get a nose job.

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 want you to answer that question quickly by just telling me the first answer that you think of. Okay, and don’t worry about making a mistake.

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 your mistakes is what I’m saying. And when you answer these questions, I would like you to speak loudly and confidently. Okay, it’s time for our story then. So let’s begin.

There was a gorilla and his name was Gary and Gary wanted to go scuba diving.

He wanted to go scuba diving with his wife, Patty. But unfortunately, he had a problem. Gary had a runny nose. Yes, he had a runny nose so he was unable to go scuba diving.

Okay, time for some questions. Was there a gorilla or was there a goat?

Oh, there was a gorilla, of course, there was not a goat, there was a gorilla.

And what was the gorilla’s name?

Gary, Gary was his name. You can think of Gary the gorilla, okay? There was a gorilla named Gary.

Okay, so tell me this. Did Gary want to go scuba diving?

He did, yes, Gary wanted to go scuba diving.

Who wanted to go scuba diving?

Well, Gary did, right? Gary wanted to go scuba diving.

And what did Gary want to do? Did he want to ride his bicycle?

No, no, Gary didn’t want to ride his bicycle.

What did Gary want to do?

Well, he wanted to go scuba diving, Gary wanted to go scuba diving.

And did Gary want to go scuba diving with his wife, Patty?

Sure, yes, he wanted to go scuba diving with his wife Patty.

Who wanted to go scuba diving with his wife, Patty?

Gary did, Gary wanted to go scuba diving with his wife, Patty.

And did Gary want to go scuba diving with Kristin or Patty?

Patty, he wanted to go scuba diving with Patty.

Okay, tell me this then. What was Gary’s wife’s name?

It was Patty, his wife’s name was Patty.

So tell me this. Did Gary have a runny nose?

Yes, yes, he did, Gary had a runny nose.

Who had a runny nose? Did Patty have a runny nose?

No, no, Patty didn’t have a runny nose.

Who had a runny nose?

Gary did, Gary had a runny nose.

So tell me this. Did Gary have liquid coming out of his nose?

He did, yes, Gary had a runny nose that means he had liquid coming out of his nose, probably because he had a cold, maybe because he had allergies or because he was crying. Okay, but he had a runny nose. He had liquid coming out of his nose.

So tell me this. Was Gary able to go scuba diving?

No, Gary was unable to go scuba diving.

Who was unable to go scuba diving?

Gary was, Gary was unable to go scuba diving.

And tell me this. Why? Why was Gary unable to go scuba diving?

Well, he was unable to go scuba diving because he had a runny nose.

Well, even though Gary had a runny nose, he did not want to see a doctor. Yes, Gary did not want to see a doctor because Gary believed that all doctors were crooked. But Patty insisted that Gary see a doctor so Gary agreed to get a checkup.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Gary want to see a doctor?

No, no, he did not want to see a doctor.

Who didn’t want to see a doctor?

Gary didn’t, Gary didn’t want to see a doctor.

And tell me this. What didn’t Gary want to do?

Well, he didn’t want to see a doctor.

Did Gary believe that all doctors were crooked?

Yes, yes, he did, Gary believed that all doctors were crooked.

Who believed that all doctors were crooked?

Gary did, Gary believed that all doctors were crooked.

So did Gary believe that all doctors were trustworthy?

No, Gary believed that all doctors were crooked so that means he believed that they were dishonest, that they could not be trust, just the opposite of trustworthy.

Okay, so why didn’t Gary want to see a doctor?

Well, he didn’t want to see a doctor because he believed all doctors were crooked. He believed they were dishonest.

So tell me this. Did Patty insist that Gary see a doctor?

She did, yes, Patty insisted that Gary see a doctor.

Who insisted that Gary see a doctor?

Patty did, Patty insisted that Gary see a doctor.

And what did Patty insist that Gary do?

Well, she insisted that he see a doctor.

So did Gary agree to get a checkup?

He did, yes, Gary agreed to get a checkup.

Who agreed to get a checkup? Did Patty or Gary agree to get a checkup?

Gary did, Gary agreed to get a checkup.

So tell me this. Did Gary agree to have a medical examination?

He did, yes, he agreed to get a checkup and a checkup is just a medical examination, so Gary agreed to have a medical examination.

Well, the next day, Patty drove Gary to the doctor’s office. But unfortunately, there was a problem. Gary smelled alcohol on the doctor’s breath. So Gary left the doctor’s office. You see, the doctor had alcohol on his breath because the doctor was three sheets to the wind. So Gary left the doctor’s office. He did not get a checkup.

Okay, time for some questions. Did Patty drive Gary to the doctor’s office the next day?

She did, yes, the next day she drove Gary to the doctor’s office.

Who drove Gary to the doctor’s office?

Patty did, Patty drove Gary to the doctor’s office.

And where did she drive Gary to? Did she drive him to church?

No, no, she didn’t drive him to church.

Where did she drive Gary to?

The doctor’s office, she drove Gary to the doctor’s office.

So did she drive Gary to the doctor’s office that day or the next day?

The next day, she drove Gary to the doctor’s office the next day.

So tell me this. Did Gary smell alcohol on the doctor’s breath?

He did, yes, Gary smelled alcohol on the doctor’s breath.

Who smelled alcohol on the doctor’s breath?

Gary did, Gary smelled alcohol on the doctor’s breath.

And did Gary smell chocolate or alcohol on the doctor’s breath?

Alcohol, Gary smelled alcohol on the doctor’s breath.

So tell me this now. Was the doctor three sheets to the wind?

Yes, yes, he was, the doctor was three sheets to the wind.

Who was three sheets to the wind?

The doctor was, the doctor was three sheets to the wind.

How about Gary? Was Gary three sheets to the wind?

No, of course not, Gary was not three sheets to the wind.

So tell me this. Was the doctor drunk?

He was, yes, the doctor was three sheets to the wind so that means the doctor was drunk.

So did Gary get a checkup from the doctor?

No, Gary did not get a checkup from the doctor.

Who didn’t get a checkup from the doctor?

Gary, Gary didn’t get a checkup from the doctor.

So did Gary have a medical examination performed by the doctor?

No, no, he did not get a checkup from the doctor so that means the doctor did not perform a medical examination on Gary. He did not get a checkup from the doctor.

Well, the next day Patty found another doctor for Gary to see and that doctor’s office was in New York. So Patty drove Gary to the doctor’s office in New York.

And Gary told the doctor that he had a runny nose so the doctor gave Gary a medical examination. He gave him a checkup. And after the doctor gave Gary the checkup, he told Gary that he knew what was wrong with him and he knew how to cure him. So Gary was very happy about that. He was very happy, at least, until the doctor told Gary that Gary immediately needed to get a nose job. Well, Gary only had a runny nose. He knew he didn’t need a nose job. So he ran, he ran away from the doctor’s office as fast as he could.

Okay, time for some more questions. So did Patty drive Gary to the doctor’s office in New York?

Yes, she did, she drove Gary to the doctor’s office in New York.

And tell me this. Where was the doctor’s office? Was it in Paris or New York?

New York, the doctor’s office was in New York, the second doctor’s office was in New York, at least.

So tell me this. Did Gary tell the doctor that he had a runny nose?

Yes, yes, of course, he did, Gary told the doctor he had a runny nose.

Who told the doctor he had a runny nose?

Gary did, Gary told the doctor he had a runny nose.

And did Gary tell the doctor that he had liquid coming out of his nose?

Yes, yes, he did, he told the doctor he had a runny nose so that means he told the doctor that he had liquid coming out of his nose. He had a runny nose. He had liquid coming out of his nose.

So did the doctor give Gary a checkup?

He did, yes, the doctor gave Gary a checkup.

So tell me this. Who gave Gary a checkup?

The doctor did, the doctor gave Gary a checkup.

So did the doctor perform a medical examination on Gary?

He did, yes, he gave Gary a checkup so that means he did a medical examination of Gary, okay? He medically evaluated him. He did an examination of Gary.

So tell me this. Did the doctor tell Gary that he immediately needed to get a nose job?

Yes, yes, he did, the doctor told Gary that he immediately needed to get a nose job.

So tell me this. According to the doctor, when did Gary need to get a nose job?

Immediately, according to the doctor, Gary needed to immediately get a nose job.

And according to the doctor, what did Gary immediately need to do?

Well, he needed to get a nose job, the doctor told Gary that he immediately needed to get a nose job.

So did the doctor tell Gary that he needed to have surgery on his nose to make it look different?

He did, yes, he told him he needed to get a nose job so that means he told him that he needed to have an operation to make his nose look different.

So tell me this. Did Gary believe that he needed a nose job?

Of course not, Gary only had a runny nose so he did not believe that he needed to have a nose job.

So tell me this. Who ran away from the doctor’s office?

Gary did, Gary ran away from the doctor’s office.

And where did Gary run away from?

The doctor’s office, Gary ran away from the doctor’s office. He ran as fast as he could away from the doctor’s office.

Actually, he ran from the doctor’s office all the way to Central Park. And guess who he saw in

Central Park? He saw his friend Chico. He saw his friend Chico the dog. Now Chico was in

Central Park because he was getting acupuncture. Yes, Chico was getting acupuncture in Central Park. He was getting acupuncture because he had a runny nose. You see, not only did Gary have a runny nose, Chico also had a runny nose.

Okay, so tell me this. Did Gary run from the doctor’s office to Central Park?

Yes, yes, he did, Gary ran from the doctor’s office to Central Park.

Who ran from the doctor’s office to Central Park?

Gary did, Gary ran from the doctor’s office to Central Park.

And did Gary walk to Central Park or did he run to Central Park?

Oh, he ran, he ran to Central Park.

And tell me this. Where did Gary run to?

Central Park, he ran to Central Park.

And where did he run from? Did he run from home to Central Park?

No, he didn’t run from home to Central Park.

Where did he run from?

The doctor’s office, Gary ran from the doctor’s office to Central Park.

Okay, so tell me this. Did Gary see his friend Chico the dog in Central Park?

He did, yes, Gary saw his friend Chico the dog in Central Park.

And tell me this. Was Chico a gorilla?

No, of course he wasn’t a gorilla.

What kind of animal was Chico?

He was a dog, Chico the dog, that’s why he was named Chico the dog, he was a dog.

So tell me this. Was Chico getting acupuncture in Central Park?

He was, yes, Chico was getting acupuncture in Central Park.

Who was getting acupuncture in Central Park?

Chico was, Chico was getting acupuncture in Central Park.

And tell me this. Where was Chico getting acupuncture? Was he getting acupuncture at the doctor’s office or in Central Park?

In Central Park, Chico was getting acupuncture in Central Park.

Okay, so tell me this. Was Chico getting acupuncture because he had a runny nose?

Yes, Chico was getting acupuncture because he had a runny nose.

So tell me this. Who had a runny nose? Did Chico have a runny nose?

Yes, yes, Chico had a runny nose.

Who else had a runny nose?

Gary did, Gary also had a runny nose.

How about Patty? Did Patty have a runny nose?

No, no, Patty didn’t have a runny nose, Chico and Gary had a runny nose. Patty did not have a runny nose.

Well, I have some more information for you. That night, Gary called Chico and Chico told Gary that after he got acupuncture, he did not have a runny nose anymore. So the next day Gary went to Central Park and he got acupuncture.

And after Gary got acupuncture, he no longer had a runny nose and the following day he was able to go scuba diving with his lovely wife, Patty.

Okay, well that’s the end of our story and I hope you enjoyed the story 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. Okay, and when you tell them the story, I want you to use all of the idioms that I introduced to you at the beginning of this lesson.

And I want you to speak loudly and confidently when you tell the story. And I really want you to learn this material deeply and the best way for you to do that is through repetition. So I want you to listen to this lesson every day for at least seven days.

Alright then, we’ve arrived at the end of this lesson then. I’ll see you next time. Byebye.