داستان کوتاه

Chain Smoker – 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 today’s lesson by telling you about some of the words and phrases that you will hear me use in today’s story.

First is “chain smoker.” So a chain smoker is a person who continuously smokes cigarettes, a person who smokes one cigarette after another. Let me give you an example. Harry smoked 100 cigarettes every day because he was a chain smoker. Okay, so what I’m saying is Harry smoked 100 cigarettes every day because he smoked one cigarette after another. He smoked cigarettes continuously. Okay?

Alright, so next is to “blow your top.” So if you blow your top it means that you get very angry. So here’s an example. Jeff blew his top after his son failed all of his courses. Jeff got very angry after his son failed all of his courses.

Okay, so next is to “give someone a piece of your mind.” So if you give someone a piece of your mind it means that you yell at that person because that person did something wrong. Let me give you an example. Jeff gave his son a piece of his mind because his son failed all of his classes. Jeff yelled at his son because his son did something wrong. His son failed all of his classes. Okay?

Okay, so next is “cold turkey.” So if you do something cold turkey it just means that you do it quickly and immediately, okay? And a lot of the times people will use this term, cold turkey, when they’re talking about quitting some sort of bad habit. Let me give you an example. Harry quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey after his daughter was born. Okay, so what I’m saying is Harry quit smoking cigarettes quickly and immediately after his daughter was born.

Okay, so I have one more for you. This one is to be a man of your word. So if I was to say I’m a man of my word that means that I do the things that I say I’m going to do. You can trust that if I say I’m going to do something that I will do it. I always do the things I say I’m going to do. Okay, let me give you an example. John loaned Jim $200 and Jim told John he would give him the money back in one week. And John trusted Jim because Jim was a man of his word. Okay, so what I’m saying is John loaned Jim $200 and Jim told John that he would give him the money back in one week. And John trusted Jim because Jim always did the things he said he was going to do. He was a man of his word.

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. Just tell me the first answer that you think of, okay? And 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 begin.

There was a man and his name was Jim and Jim was a chain smoker. And Jim was also a basketball player. Jim played basketball for the San Francisco basketball team and Jim hated losing.

Okay, time for some questions. Who was a chain smoker? Was AJ a chain smoker?

No, no, AJ was not a chain smoker.

Who was a chain smoker?

Jim was, Jim was a chain smoker.

And did Jim smoke cigarettes continuously? Did he smoke one cigarette after another?

He did, yes, Jim was a chain smoker so that means that Jim smoked one cigarette after another. He smoked cigarettes continuously. He was a chain smoker.

Tell me this. Was Jim a tennis player or a basketball player?

He was a basketball player, Jim was a basketball player.

Who was a basketball player?

Jim was, Jim was a basketball player.

And did Jim play tennis or basketball?

He played basketball, he was a basketball player so he played basketball.

And did Jim play basketball for the San Francisco basketball team?

Yes, yes, he did, Jim played basketball for the San Francisco basketball team.

And tell me this. Did Jim hate winning or losing?

Losing, Jim hated losing.

And what did Jim hate?

Losing, Jim hated losing.

Well, one day Jim smoked a cigarette during basketball practice. And Jim’s basketball coach was named Jerry. And when Jerry saw Jim smoking a cigarette during basketball practice, he blew his top. And then Jerry gave Jim a piece of his mind. Jerry told Jim that smokers were not allowed to play on the San Francisco basketball team. So Jim quit the team. Jim quit the San Francisco basketball team.

Okay, time for some questions. Who smoked a cigarette during basketball practice?

Jim did, Jim smoked a cigarette during basketball practice.

And when did Jim smoke a cigarette?

During basketball practice, Jim smoked a cigarette during basketball practice.

Tell me this. What did Jim do during basketball practice?

He smoked a cigarette, Jim smoked a cigarette during basketball practice.

Okay, now tell me this. Who was Jim’s basketball coach?

Jerry was, Jerry was Jim’s basketball coach.

And was Jerry Jim’s tennis coach or basketball coach?

His basketball coach, Jerry was Jim’s basketball coach.

So did Jerry blow his top when he saw Jim smoking a cigarette during basketball practice?

Yes, yes, he did, Jerry blew his top when he saw Jim smoking a cigarette during basketball practice.

When did Jerry blow his top?

When he saw Jim smoking a cigarette during basketball practice. Jerry blew his top when he saw Jim smoking a cigarette during basketball practice.

Okay, so tell me this. Who blew his top? Did Jim or Jerry blow his top?

Jerry did, Jerry blew his top.

So did Jerry get very angry?

Yes, sure he did, he blew his top so that means he got very angry. If a person blows his top it means that person gets very angry.

So tell me this. Did Jerry give Jim a piece of his mind?

He did, yes, Jerry gave Jim a piece of his mind.

And who gave Jim a piece of his mind?

Jerry, Jerry gave Jim a piece of his mind.

So did Jerry yell at Jim because Jim did something wrong?

Yes, yes, he did, he gave Jim a piece of his mind so that means he yelled at Jim because Jim did something wrong. He gave Jim a piece of his mind.

Tell me this. Did Jerry tell Jim that smokers were not allowed to play basketball for the San Francisco basketball team?

Yes, yes, he did. Jerry told Jim that smokers were not allowed to play basketball for the San Francisco basketball team.

So did Jim quit the basketball team?

He did, yes, Jim quit the basketball team.

Who quit the basketball team?

Jim did, Jim quit the basketball team.

And tell me this. What did Jim quit?

The basketball team, Jim quit the basketball team.

Well, Jim still wanted to play basketball and he also still wanted to smoke cigarettes. So Jim moved to Smoke City. And after he moved to Smoke City, he joined the Smoke City basketball team. And there was one thing that Jim really liked about the team. The team smoked cigarettes during games. But unfortunately there was also something that Jim did not like about the team.

The team was terrible so the Smoke City basketball team lost a lot of games.

Okay, time for some more questions. Who moved to Smoke City?

Jim did, Jim moved to Smoke City.

And where did Jim move to?

Smoke City, Jim moved to Smoke City.

So tell me this. Did Jim join the Smoke City basketball team after he moved to Smoke City?

He did, yes, Jim joined the Smoke City basketball team after he moved to Smoke City.

What did Jim join?

The Smoke City basketball team, Jim joined the Smoke City basketball team.

And when did he join the team?

After he moved to Smoke City, Jim joined the Smoke City basketball team after he moved to Smoke City.

So tell me this. Did the Smoke City basketball team smoke cigarettes during games?

Yes, yes, the Smoke City basketball team smoked cigarettes during games.

And tell me this. When did the team smoke cigarettes?

During games, the team smoked cigarettes during games.

So did the Smoke City basketball team win a lot of games or lose a lot of games?

The Smoke City basketball team lost a lot of games. The Smoke City basketball team lost a lot of games, unfortunately.

Well, one day the Smoke City basketball team played the San Francisco basketball team. And at that time, Jim played for the Smoke City basketball team. But unfortunately, during the game, Jim was unable to run because he had to cough a lot. Well, Jim had to cough a lot during the game because he smoked 21 cigarettes during the game. Jim smoked 21 cigarettes during the game.

Well, the Smoke City basketball team lost the game by 72 points. So after the game, Jim was angry. Jim was angry because he lost the game.

Okay, time for some more questions. Which team played the San Francisco basketball team?

The Smoke City basketball team did, the Smoke City basketball team played the San Francisco basketball team.

And which team did Jim play for?

The Smoke City basketball team, Jim played for the Smoke City basketball team.

So tell me this. During the game, was Jim able to run?

No, no, Jim was unable to run during the game.

Who was unable to run?

Jim was, Jim was unable to run.

And tell me this. When was Jim unable to run?

During the game, Jim was unable to run during the game.

So was Jim unable to walk or run during the game?

Run, Jim was unable to run, he wasn’t unable to walk during the game.

Okay, but why? Why was Jim unable to run during the game? Was it because he had to cough a lot?

Yes, yes, Jim was unable to run during the game because he had to cough a lot.

Who had to cough a lot? Did Jerry have to cough a lot?

No, no, Jerry didn’t have to cough a lot.

Who had to cough a lot?

Jim did, Jim had to cough a lot.

Okay, but why? Why did Jim have to cough a lot?

Because he smoked 21 cigarettes during the game.

Who smoked 21 cigarettes during the game?

Jim did, Jim smoked 21 cigarettes during the game.

And how many cigarettes did Jim smoke during the game?

21, Jim smoked 21 cigarettes during the game.

And when did Jim smoke 21 cigarettes?

During the game, Jim smoked 21 cigarettes during the game.

So did the Smoke City basketball team lose the game by 72 points?

Yes, yes, the Smoke City basketball team lost the game by 72 points.

And how many points did the Smoke City basketball team lose the game by?

72 points, the Smoke City basketball team lost the game by 72 points.

So after the game, was Jim angry?

Yes, yes, he was, Jim was angry after the game.

Who was angry?

Jim was, Jim was angry.

And when was he angry?

After the game, Jim was angry after the game.

Was Jim angry before the game?

No, no, Jim was not angry before the game, Jim was angry after the game.

Okay, but why? Why was Jim angry after the game?

Because he lost, Jim was angry after the game because he lost the game.

Well, as you know, Jim hated losing and Jim wanted to play for the San Francisco basketball team again. So he quit smoking. Jim quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey. And after he quit smoking cigarettes, he called Jerry. And Jim told Jerry that he wanted to play for the San Francisco basketball team again. And Jim promised not to smoke cigarettes anymore. Well, Jerry believed that Jim was a man of his word so Jerry allowed Jim to play for the San Francisco basketball team again.

Okay, time for some more questions. Tell me this. Did Jim quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey?

Yes, yes, he did, Jim quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey.

Who quit smoking cigarettes?

Jim did, Jim quit smoking cigarettes.

Did Jerry quit smoking cigarettes?

No, no, Jerry didn’t quit smoking cigarettes, Jim did.

And what did Jim quit?

Smoking cigarettes, Jim quit smoking cigarettes.

Did Jim quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey?

Yes, yes, he did, Jim quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey.

So tell me this. What did Jim do cold turkey?

He quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey, Jim quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey.

So did Jim quit smoking cigarettes quickly and immediately?

Yes, yes, he did, he quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey so that means he quit smoking cigarettes quickly and immediately. He quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey.

So after Jim quit smoking cigarettes, who did he call?

Jerry, Jim called Jerry after he quit smoking cigarettes.

And when did Jim call Jerry?

After he quit cigarettes, Jim called Jerry after he quit smoking cigarettes.

So did Jim tell Jerry that he wanted to play for the San Francisco basketball team again?

Yes, yes, he did, Jim told Jerry that he wanted to play for the San Francisco basketball team again.

And tell me this. Did Jim promise not to smoke cigarettes anymore?

Yes, yes, he did, Jim promised not to smoke cigarettes anymore.

Who promised not to smoke cigarettes anymore?

Jim did, Jim promised not to smoke cigarettes anymore.

And tell me this. What did Jim promise? What did Jim promise?

Well, he promised not to smoke cigarettes anymore.

So did Jerry believe that Jim was a man of his word?

He did, yes, Jerry believed that Jim was a man of his word.

Who believed that Jim was a man of his word?

Jerry did, Jerry believed that Jim was a man of his word.

So did Jerry believe that Jim did the things that he said he was going to do?

Yes, Jerry believed that Jim was a man of his word so that means that Jerry believed that Jim did the things he said he was going to do. He believed that he was a man of his word.

Okay, so did Jerry allow Jim to play for the San Francisco basketball team again?

He did, yes, Jerry allowed Jim to play for the San Francisco basketball team again.

And what did Jerry allow Jim to do?

He allowed him to play for the San Francisco basketball team again.

Well, after Jim rejoined the San Francisco basketball team, he never lost another basketball game again. And he never smoked another cigarette again. Jim never smoked another cigarette again because he was a man of his word.

Okay, well that’s the end of our story and I hope you enjoyed this story because now I want you to tell the story. I want you to tell this story to someone who you know. It can really be anyone who you know. And when you tell the story, I want you to use all of the words and phrases that I taught you at the beginning of this lesson. And I want you to listen to this lesson every day for at least seven days.

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